March Newsletter 2019

Cai:

Last year, in the summer, I had witnessed to a couple of people online. Some of them thought I was pushing my religion onto them (Even though I was not), and got annoyed with me. I remember one time I came across someone who didn’t believe God was there. They thought if God really did exist, He wouldn’t let there be so much pain. Lots of people think that. He also thought that God couldn’t forgive him. I told him about Paul, and all the evil things he did, and how he changed because of God. He thought he was worse than Paul… Somehow. He was really mad for about twenty minutes. But at some point, I made him realize God will forgive anyone, even him. I told him how to ask for forgiveness, and to mean it. And I hope he still loves God today.

Mary: 

I do not know what my favorite verse is, but my favorite book is Romans. I think my favorite chapter is Romans 8. If I had to pick a specific verse is Romans, I would pick Romans 8: 28. "For God works all things out for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose." I think this verse is taken out of context way too many times, but if you understand the meaning of it, and are a believer, it is great news! This does not mean that everything in life is going to be rainbows and cupcakes. This verse does not mean that God will bless you with fame, good health, and wealth. This verse does not say any of those things. We know, as believers, that we will face trials and temptations. This verse simply explains that God works all things out for good. For example, you may not know why your grandma passed away, even if you prayed to let her live, but God has something in mind. Maybe, because of the death, there is someone at the funeral that needs to hear about God's love. Maybe there is someone in your life that knows about this, and they get a chance to comfort you and show love to you through death. We do not always know what God has planned, but we know that it is good, even though it may not seem like it is at the time.

Mandy: 

This is a short story about a time God helped me pass a quiz. It may not seem like a big deal to you, but it sure was to me. For each quiz, we get 3 attempts, so if we don’t like our score we can take the quiz again to get a better score. I had read through the lesson and understood the concepts, but the first time I took the quiz, I got a 40%. Then I took it again and got a 60%. I was not happy with either of those scores. I had 1 attempt left. Before I took my final quiz, I prayed asking God to help me pass or at least get an 80%. I prayed through the whole quiz. When I came to the end, I was afraid to submit it to see my score, but I had done my best, so I wasn’t going to change any answers. I pressed the submit button and closed my eyes. Slowly, I opened them to see my score. My heart leaped for joy when I saw I had gotten 100%.  I cried because God was so good and helped me pass the quiz. I don’t know why I didn’t pray the first time I took the quiz.

Sabine: 

Isaiah 41:10

“Don’t be afraid for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

This verse became my favorite about three or four months ago. I believe I found it going through the back of my Bible that had a whole bunch of questions people sometimes asked with verse references next to them. I found this verse in one of the hard times I was having with my faith, and not only that I had this small fear of the dark. I can remember clearly the night in my room. It was quite late and I just got this nagging fear all throughout my body. To my comfort, I had Isaiah 41:10 tapped to the wall right next to me. It took me about five to ten minutes to memorize as I laid there. Every time I felt afraid I would quickly say the verse over and over again until I didn’t feel afraid anymore. Not only has this verse help me when I am afraid, but it also has helped me to realize that even though things happen through life I don’t have to be discouraged, nor do I have to rely on my own strength to get me through the hard times.