Freedom of A Christian:
We have completed Luther's work called Freedom of a Christian. One of my favorite sentences in the entire book is found on page 79, "For we do not live in this mortal body and focus only on it. Rather, we live with all other people on earth. Indeed, we live for others and for ourselves. The reason we discipline our bodies is to serve our neighbors genuinely and freely." I really like these few sentences because, to me, they seem to make up the definition of a Christian. It also sums up Freedom of a Christian to a T. Our purpose in this world is to find a passion that makes you happy so that you can reach out to others and impact their lives through your interests. It reminds me of the reason for our service learning projects as well. I understand that people chose to read a novel because of their already hectic schedules, but the people who decided to volunteer are making this a priority out of personal choice. Luther also talks about how, as Christians, it is important to take care of our own bodies for personal growth in God, and so that we are strong enough to take care of the well-being of the vulnerable. This is the foundational message that Luther sends out to the Christians.
Genesis:
In class, we have studied and discuss the book of Genesis, and have looked closely at the family genealogy. Since Genesis is defined as "In the beginning," it makes sense that we have focused on the family lines that have started it all. The main stories that stick out to me are of Noah and Abraham. Also, in both of these writings, God makes a covenant between them and Him. Noah was asked to build an ark, and to keep two (male and female) of every type of animal that walks, flies, and swims on the ark, as God was sending rain upon the Earth for 40 days and 40 nights. God did this once He realized that the animals and creatures he created were causing harm onto the Earth. So Noah built the ark and brought his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives with him. Once the rain and flooding was done, Noah sent out a dove to see if the world was still wet. The dove came back twice, but did not the third time. This meant that the land was dry. God made a covenant, or a promise, with Noah that He would not destroy the creatures that He had created or bring harm onto the Earth. After Noah's death, his sons had sons, and they became the ancestors of the new nations created after the flood.
Abraham had a wife named Sarah, and she could not have children from Abraham. She then asked the servant, Hagar, to bear their children for them. Hagar bore a son named Ishmael. God then came to Abraham and made a covenant. He told Abraham that he would have a son who would be known by all of the nations, and that He would make an everlasting with Isaac and all of his descendants. God also told Abraham that he would make Ishmael a great nation, and his twelve sons would be princes. Abraham thought it seemed impossible, since the age of him and Sarah could not typically conceive children. God told Abraham that Sarah would have a son, and that they would name him Isaac. After the birth of Isaac, Sarah became distraught that Ishmael would mock Isaac, and asked Hagar and Ishmael to leave. One of the biggest tests that was brought upon Abraham was to go out and kill his son, Isaac, as a sacrificial offering. This is the same sacrifice that God did with his son, Jesus. Abraham did not hold back and disobey God's command, for as he was about to strike his son with the knife, God called out and told him to stop. This showed God Abraham's true commitment and love for God. It is a test that none of us would want to be put in; who would actually want to kill their own son or daughter? It is a message to us that if we have faith and put trust in God, that He will show us His love and put His trust in us as well.
Service Learning Project Reflection:
Since the previous blog post, I have been back to Cedar Riverside three times. I have loved every moment of it, and working with the students has been nothing but a blessing. I work in the second grade classroom on Tuesdays 9:00 - 10:30 am and Fridays 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. When I arrive, the students have just begun their Reading Workshop Exercise. It is very fun helping them read and write! After an hour of reading, they go to physical education, which is good for them because they can run off all their pent up energy. When I am there on Fridays, I go with the students to lunch and recess. I eat my lunch with the students, and it's the time of the day when they just love asking me random questions about my personal life. It's very entertaining and adorable! I also monitor and play with them at recess.
The class has 20 students, all who are Somalian. They are all so adorable and fun to be with. Not only do I love the students because of the diversity, but my class, in particular, has the most Special Education students integrated into the classroom. I am a strong believer that students who are in need of assistance be integrated into a classroom setting, and not isolated into a separate classroom. I feel as though the students are teaching me way more than I am teaching them. They all come from different backgrounds socially and economically, but it is my favorite part about inner-city/urban schools. Periodically, they also inform me about their culture. Today, one of the girls, let's call her Sally, came up to me, grabbed my hand, and started looking at my nail polish. Sally then asked, "Are you allowed to wear nail polish when you pray? Because I'm not." She then went on to tell me that women in the Somalian culture do not wear make up as well. It was very interesting to me, and I asked her to tell me more about what they do as part of the Somalian culture. Some of the students also do not speak English, or have had very minimal exposure the language. With this being said, it has been a slight challenge assisting them with the reading lessons, but it is very rewarding when they understand how to write a word or simple sentence. The look on their faces is priceless! I am an Education major, so I could go on and on about how happy I am at Cedar Riverside. It is such a wonderful school and the faculty and teachers are very proud of their work. It gives me much motivation and excitement to graduate and be a teacher as well! I think it is going to be a very fun semester!
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