Megan C. - "Strangers"

Strangers….strangers here and there strangers everywhere…somewhere there lies a stranger in pain and frustration or perhaps strangers being happy and joyful for whatever reason I really just don’t care. Strangers, the most misunderstood and mysterious people on the planet other than teenagers. You wonder about them, you may not know it but once you have read this sentence you will have realized how much you have wondered about strangers or how much you judge them. Ahhhhh, now doesn’t that make you think about yourself. Although strangers may even judge you….....did you ever think about that? They wonder and judge you just as much as you probably would. Sometimes they give it away by giving you a look or even say it out loud. Now the people who actually say it are rather quite stupid…trust me I felt it before once while walking in the mall and playing with a soccer ball in Old Navy. Strangers can be kind….stranger can be thieves….they may not look like one but you can never judge a book by its cover. The can be cruel…they can be loving, but you just have to accept them for who they are and ignore them and continue on with life. I’ve met and seen all kinds of stranger before….some I have gotten jealous of or some I have made friends with, some who I thought had good looks, and sometimes there are the people who just annoy you so much you just want to avoid them as much as possible. But, that is how life goes…you just have to go with the flow in life. Even though they can be weird or annoying, I love strangers. That’s all I have to say no reason for it I just love strangers. You have to be honest with me you love strangers just as much as I do. If it weren’t for strangers then we wouldn’t meet new friends? Or even the love of your life Mr. Hiemstra. Strangers…strangers here and there strangers everywhere…somewhere there lies a stranger in pain and frustration or perhaps strangers being happy and joyful for whatever reason. You are a stranger…

Emily W. - "Laura's Journey"

Everybody lives their life the way they want to, but a girl I know who was treated badly her whole life and this girl was special, but the girl did not know it until after the miracle. I know this because she is me, Laura Smith is my name. But I found my destiny and the only person I know who has incredible power He is our God. Wait before I get to far let me start from the beginning.

It was a dark and stormy night a mother with a child left her child at the door step of this old orphanage because the mother can not take care of this child any more for some reason. The mother of the child left waiting for the huge door to open. A mean looking woman came out and took the helpless child inside from the freezing night.

The woman would scream at the little children, thinking we could not hear her, “we did not do anything” we would always say but she would just make us sit in the corner sad and alone. We had not had a descent meal in days, every night we had moldy old stuff she put in the microwave

Years later I had just turned thirteen. I was in middle school. I was glad I had a best friend to comfort me when I was sad. Lexi was her name. I have been to her house a ton of times, but she has never been to my house I always say” You can’t come because my house is such a mess” that is true but not why I do not want her over.

Lexi asked me if I wanted to go to her youth group. I thought “I do not know”, but my mouth said yes. When I got to the orphanage I thought about youth group and wondering if I should go or not. I went to Lexi’s house early to hang out and talk

When we went to youth group Lexi was so happy. This week they talked about prayer to God. After the service, I asked Lexi,”I liked the service but who were they talking about?” “You do no know the Lord?” “No who is he?” “Come with me and I will show you.” She dragged me into the church and talked to the youth pastor and he and he prayed that Jesus would come into my heart.

I learned more about God from the Bible that Lexi said she we would read it together. More and more information. I had an idea that I heard some other people talking about and I told my best friend. She thought it was a great idea she told her she mom and he mom said, “I think going to a rescue mission to help out is a great idea and I would love to go with you.”

The next day we went to the rescue mission and they were glad to see us to help. These days I going to live for God and only him I feel complete and not sad any more. I know the truth about life. It is to make this life SHINE for him and tell more people about him

Scott V. - "The Big Interview"

“I'm the one who's going to get that job, so back off!”

“You know what, no. You’re going to have to beat me in that interview, and I highly doubt you can beat me.

“Fine I guess I’ll just have to beat you then.”

20 minutes earlier

Michael and Kyle were best friends, so they did every thing together. One day they went out to look for a summer job. As Kyle drove down Main Street, Michael was in the passenger seat looking for available jobs that could be open for them. Most of the jobs that were open were open for one person only. They drove past plenty of jobs that needed two people, but Michael was just either not paying attention or he was half awake since it had been a long day for the both of them.

Finally Kyle said, “Why don’t we just look for jobs that we are interested in.”

“Ok, oh there’s a job I like. It’s a tattoo artist.”

“That’s what I wanted too. Maybe they let us both do it.”

“Yah lets give it a try.”

The two buddies went in and asked if they could both have the job.

The man in charge said no, but the two friends stayed there and asked if they could work in shifts.

Again, the man said no.

Then Michael asked if they could do an interview to see who would get the job.

The man said, “Sounds like a deal. I’ll see Kyle in two minutes.

“What are you doing, that wasn’t the plan?”

“I thought if I said that one of us would get the job.”

“Your problem is that don’t think before you say, you say before you think. Who cares, you’re on.”

“I’m the one who's going to get that job, so back off.”

“You know what, no. You’re going to have to beat me in that interview, and I highly doubt you can beat me.”

“Fine, I guess I’ll just have to beat you then.”

“Like I said, I doubt you will.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Alright Kyle your up. Step into my office please,” said the manager.

“Michael,” said Kyle, “let’s not let this job ruin our friendship. I mean there are plenty of other jobs we like that could be looking for two people. What do you say? Are you with me?”

“You know what, sure why not. Like you said, there are plenty of other jobs in this world for the two of us. Let’s go.”

So that’s what they did. The two of them went and found another job that was way better then being a tattoo artist. They both became artists, not tattoo artists, but artists. After their first day of work, they both went out for pizza and they stayed friends.

Joey V. - "Paper Shredder"

I am a professional paper shredder.

Now, when one reads that, it is likely that the first thing that comes to their mind is: how do you make a living off of that? (They would pronounce that like one would say dirty diapers or sweaty gym socks, or Tony Romo).

The second thing that comes to their mind is: Who would need a professional paper shredder anyway? The answer to that is no one. But don’t tell my boss that. (My boss, by the way, is the richest man on the planet).

And because my boss is the richest man in the world, he feels the need to act like it. For instance, he hires, along with a professional paper shredder, a professional trash tosser, shoe tier, pencil sharpener, and hair comber. And to answer the first question, he pays each of them well over 1 million dollars a year.

I was happy with my job. I was happy with my life. And I thought would continue to be happy with it until one gloriously awful day.

The day began in a fairly ordinary fashion. I strutted into the shredding room, looking forward to another day of bringing papers to their doom. I sat in my black leather chair and put my hand into the bin to find only one paper.

“That’s odd,” I thought out loud. Usually there are thousands. My first thought was: today’s going to be easy. But as I studied the paper more closely, it seemed to come to life. A wave of silvery light flashed across its surface, and it spoke to me! The odd part was, it had no mouth or eyes or nose, it just rippled a little in the center and uttered the pleading words:

“Please, no.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I did the logical thing, I slapped myself. But when I looked down, the paper pleaded again: “Don’t do it!” I decided to take matters more seriously; I stapled myself in the forehead.

“Ahhhhhh!” I looked down. There was a moment of silence. Had I just been imagining it? All it took me to forget that a paper had been talking to me was to inject a piece of aluminum into my brain?

“That was stupid” the paper exclaimed blankly.

“Who are you?!” I asked it as I was trying to pry the staple out of my head.

“I am a piece of paper who does not want to be shredded. Seriously, how would you like to be stuck into a machine built specifically to devour you?”

Then a feeling of dread came upon me. I was a murderer. I have shredded millions of papers, and not thought of how they felt.

“I used to be an amazing pine tree. I smelled good, I looked good, but when I was cut down and shipped to a paper factory, I knew that the only chance I had of succeeding was to become something important, such as a dollar bill, or a certificate of achievement. And I did. I have become an important document used by the wealthiest man in the world, and now I am to be shredded mercilessly by you.”

“Why haven’t other papers told me this?” I asked

“Because they are not brave enough,” it answered, “and now open your window and free me into the wind.” And that’s what I did. For a moment the paper fluttered beautifully in the sunlight, until it ended up landing in a mud puddle and getting run over by a semi truck. But at least he wasn’t shredded.

Haley W. - "What Different Colors Mean to Me"

When I first take a look in a brand new fresh box of coloring crayons, I imagine many little people with every emotion that is expressed. There are many different colors and many different weird names for different shades, but my favorites are the simple ones. Many people would choose the out of the ordinary weird names, and different shaded colors, turquoise, and forest greens. Blah blah blah no!

Simple is all I need for my satisfaction. Colors are a great gifts from God, he could’ve just gave us a black and white lens but he didn’t, he gave us the ability to learn as a youngster to remember all the colors as we move to the first grade. God gave us the ability to see color so we can see the flow of the blue, fresh salt water on the beach from the waves, and the colors of browns and greens in the wildlife of the forest.

Each color in that crayola color box has a purpose to me and to God. When I first see the color red I see someone who is in love with a little cartoon face, and with hearts bugging out of its eyes. But there are many others in my box of crayons and the next color that comes to my mind is the yellow crayon. When I see this color I imagine a color that really stands out of the crowd. The happiest color and the crayon that sees half full not half empty. On the other hand I see the sad, the gloomy, and the eeyore of the colors. All this color sees is half empty and not half full. All the sadness in life it is the blue crayon.

The fourth color I check out in the box is probably brown. Well when I
think of brown crayon I think of a funny nature hippie. A band wrapped around its head, and a protest to save the squirrels. Don’t cut down that tree! Then there’s the green crayon I see in green sickness, and the miss a month of school color. The I don’t feel so good, run out of the room crayon. Next there’s black the not so nice grumpy old puss always woken up on the wrong side of the bed. Then when I think orange I think of fruit, a fruit loving crayon and a colorful happy crayon.

Then last but not the least the white crayons may seem dull and not used a lot in that coloring box but to me this is the most important color. To me this crayon means that this is a Christian, a pure white substance which means that he has asked the Lord for forgiveness and it is free. So next time you think of all the colors in a coloring box just think this is a gift and think what all the colors mean to you.