from California to Calvin

This summer, I have worked with 3rd and 4th graders at day camp. And I’m going to be totally honest—it hasn’t been easy. I am so grateful for my job and have been blessed to work at this job for the past 4 years. Who else do you know that gets paid to go to Disneyland (and Knott’s Berry Farm, waterparks, the USS IOWA, beach, aquariums, trampoline parks...etc.)? I am gaining experience that will help me as a teacher and I’ve been using what I’m learning in my summer independent study English course in my classroom. I also get to spend all day with kids who say the funniest things and are always able to put a smile on my face (see “Kids Say the Darnedest Things: Parts One and Two”). Throughout this summer, God is good and continues to teach me more about His character and how good and constant He will forever be. The most valuable takeaway from this summer has happened when I am with my students; My 3rd and 4th graders give me a glimpse of what God sees when He looks at us. ...

How would you spend a quadrillion dollars? Divide it into fifths: 1. I would buy a Lamborghini so when I get older I can drive it 2. A beach-house 3. The Riley hospital 4. Church 5. Bank account. I would 1. Help every homeless person in the world 2. Help cure cancer so everybody can be healthy and 3. Buy 50 bars of gold. 1,000 dollars to the poor, buy fidget spinners, buy China, buy 20 farms, and buy 100 farmers. Give it all to the poor, feed the homeless, help all branches of the military. I would get 10 french bulldogs, 87 pairs of my same outfit, a comic company, have my own labs, and have my own mansion. I would buy a private gold jet, a gold room, a golden Lamborghini, and a 1,000,000,000 inch flat screen tv. I would buy all fidget spinners, a big house with a pool, a porshe, and a PS8 (if they invent it). First, I would make cool gadgets like a portal that teleports you to the place you want to go automatically, buy new video games, help ...

This summer at daycare, I asked my 3rd and 4th graders journal questions every Tuesday and Thursday in their Language Arts class. Looking over their responses, I loved seeing their creativity and enjoyed hearing them share their ideas with the class. "Kids Say the Darnedest Things" is what I have decided to title their answers. Enjoy! Write down a question that you don't know the answer to: What heaven looks like. Why is the moon made out of cheese? Why do you get hurt in football? Why does the world have homework? Why do you form a scab? Why did so-and-so steal my pencil? Why is earth the only planet with living things? Why isn’t minecraft reality in real life? Why isn't the moon like the earth? Why does earth have gravity and space does not? How was God formed? I don’t know how to spell supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Why does space have 0 gravity? What is the meaning of life? Why isn’t the milky w...

Why act justly? Growing up in a CRC church, I remember attending weekly GEMS meetings and reciting Micah 6:8 before each lesson: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” I often overlooked act justly because I never received an accurate definition of the word justly . I associated the word with correct, well-behaved, and good. Looking back on these words, I find that my definition was self-centered; the definition was focused fully on myself instead of others . God loves justice and out of respect to God, I have learned that one must not only act justly towards others, but right injustices. People must be treated equitably and live with their God-given rights. As our society continues to become self-absorbed, this gap of injustices will continue to increase. We must continue to fight not only for ourselves but for those who are the vulnerable, poor, and marginalized in soci...