Danville: A Short Story

Racism, everyone knows what this is, but does everyone know how inflicting it is? Racism has been apart of human culture for decades, but until recently, there hasn’t been any sign of a resolution., I am a freshman student attending Monte Vista High School, and I am writing to you in order to speak out on that issue we seemingly have been constantly experiencing. Its effects on Danville, and coincidentally, America, have been shaping society into a judgemental world, filled with stereotyping and racial profiling. Imagine you’re an African American teen. You go to school normally, and hang out with your usual friends. As you are talking you hear someone make a racist joke towards African Americans. You play it off as a joke, but inside, you

I grew up knowing this gospel, I lived in Salt Lake City, my parents were extremely emerced in the church with callings like young women’s president, primary president, Sunday school teacher, elder quorum president, 2nd counseler to the bishop, stake relief society president, and 1st counsel to the stake Sunday school president. Their testimonies and examples help me understand the principles of Christ’s teachings. I grew up knowing what was good and what was bad, and from an early age I hated being in the wrong. I liked to please people and felt so uncomfortable with the feeling of guilt. Looking back on it now I can see that is a gift that God gave me, it was great it kept me out of trouble for the beginning years of my life, but it wasn’t

Born and raised in Marion, Iowa and into an evangelical church, my parents “Baby Dedicated” my life to christ. At age 5 my family moved to New Covenant Bible Church. When I was young I didn't think much of church, it was just something you did and was merely going through the motions. But when I hit middle school my parents made me go to church every Wednesday and Sunday. Key phrase, made me. At this point in my life I didn't like church, at all. As I grew older, I wanted to be at church less and less. And I dreaded going every time Sunday morning rolled around. I had the mindset that the world had more to offer me than Christ did. And so I made excuses and put up fights and soon I rarely went to church. My family went but I stayed

They practiced practical Christianity and help all night bible studies that I was required to go to every month. These people practiced dress reform, veganism and abstain from wordly entertainment. Being in that environment, surrounded by those people, I was protected. Nothing from the out side could get to me. I wasn’t allowed to use the internet freely, we had daily family worships where everyone had to learn a new verse everyday and we changed our diet and style of dress. I thought that I believed it. I thought that I was in it for the long haul. However, when I graduated High School (homeschooled 10th-12th) and went to Southern, I was exposed to everything and basically stopped doing everything that I was doing at home. I realized that I did all those things because my parents didn’t give me a choice and it was tradition. My parents we’re having a real and thriving relationship with Jesus while I was just following them. I was full of biblical information, I knew verses and theories and spirit of prophecy passages but I still don’t know God. I know that God will take care of us and that he guides us and I know all these promises but I don’t have any real

I was born in the year 1972 in Springfield, Missouri and I grew up in Polk County. I had lived an uneventful, "westernly" normal life up until which point I realized I am called into full time ministry. In retrospect this is a calling or concept which I knew fairly early in life and yet denied with all my strength. I had all the excuses, i.e. "I am terrified to speak in public", "I hate crowds", "I am inarticulate", "What do I know about the Bible"...This list goes on. Sometime in the late 2000's I decided I would go back to school and get a degree in psychology or counseling and put it to some sort of use "at church", I took classes, got the Biblical Studies certificate through CCU, changed majors two or three times, and did very much average work. I

Ever since I was a young boy, my family would pile into our old 15-passenger van and drive to church each and every Sunday, without fail. I didn't really understand it at first, it was just something I had to do. When I was around 6 years old, my mother encouraged me to accept Jesus Christ as my lord and savior. I hardly understood what it meant, but I went through with it, much to my mother’s excitement. Years passed, and my understanding grew. Up until I was around 13 years old, my faith had no correlation to my actions. I could recite bible verses for hours, yet I couldn't say what any of them meant. That all changed one year at Camp Selah, a Then, in the year 2014, my faith took a turn for the worst. I’d had a testing first year of high

Starting my life off, things were great, I was the youngest of three boys; Alex is my oldest brother who is currently 24, my second oldest brother is 20. In addition to my two brothers I have both supportive and caring parents. My family and I practice Methodist, which started shortly after I was born with me being baptized while surrounded by my; aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, two brothers, and both my mom and dad. After being baptized as a family we would occasionally go to church but sadly as time pasted we when went less and less till we stopped shortly before we moved to Florida. The summer before we moved to Florida I was in the fourth grade and became good friends with a girl named Kristen and her family was heavily religious. Kristen and I started to hang out more and more one day she invited me to go to one of her churches services and I really enjoyed it, afterwards they had a youth group where they had a bonding activity. Kristen and I went to church a few more times before I left in late July to move to Jacksonville.

I had always gone to church and gone through the motions, but i never had felt connected to god or like church was an exciting environment for me. Despite my slight protest, I knew my peers had my best interest at heart so I trailed behind them as we divulged into the church (White’s Chapel).

The annual Christmas party in CarolVille is coming up soon, and everyone is excited for it. Right after the Christmas cake was baked, it went missing. Mr. Murray, the town's mayor, has just found out.

It’s Tuesday morning. It’s the end of summer. It’s the start of school. Ugh, i don't want to get up. The clock said 7:20 i should of woke up at 7:00. I forced myself to get out of bed and went to get ready. What should i wear? Is this too much black? No white, I’m clumsy. Is pink too girly? If i wear wings will it be too try-hard? Straight hair or curly? I put on some jeans and a graphic t-shirt. Then grabbed a waffle and went to the bus stop. The bus comes at 8:01 so i walked all the way up the hill at 7:56. A few minutes later this blonde chick appears at the top of the hill. Nike shorts, nike shoes, Rock Bridge shirt, ponytail, so she’s sporty. She stands two feet away and doesn’t even say hi. Okay so she doesn’t seem friendly. Let’s not talk or look at her. It’s now 8:10 and the bus still isn’t here. My phone is at 75% should i go home really quick and grab my charger? Knowing my luck if I walk away the bus will come. It’s still summer vacation in Danville so there’s no one to text. After standing in front of a stop sign for twenty five minutes the bus finally comes.

3018, a great year to be alive. Waking up to the same faces everyday, going to work at the same job with everyone, and returning back to a home that is identical to seven thousand, three-hundred, eighteen people’s home. Living in Tronoville, under rule of a seemingly perfect dictator, Dixon Sever. At seven in the morning, sharp, everyone wakes up and listens to Dixon give the orders for that day. The message is the identical to other messages received everyday, “ Good morning, and greetings from Tronoville. Today on September 17th, 3018, you will travel to work and return home at six sharp. Have a spectacular day, and remember don’t change who you are!”

My mom and I first moved into my step grandma and grandpa’s house, and then a couple months later, we moved into her fiance, Tony’s house. A year or two later they separated and we moved back into my grandparents house. Fast Forward to fourth grade, my dad decided to move down to Missouri. I was very happy because now I got to see my dad a lot more than every other weekend. Once he moved down I was able to enrol in religion classes. My first year was in fourth grade with a bunch of other kids my age. Around April we had our first communion, and I was able to eat the bread every Sunday at church. Starting at fifth grade, I was in a different religion class called PSR. It was basically the same thing as my previous religion class, just slightly different. I took these classes all the way to eighth grade, and then in June, 2015 I got confirmed. Since I got confirmed I don’t have to go to religion classes anymore, I just go to Church every sunday. Confirmation wasn’t an easy process. I had to do a saint report, service hours, and a retreat. We had to do

“Rumors are flying about me poaching,” Tobin said. “I hear my tribe might even pull my quota.”

I grew up in Taranaki and Wanganui, and I have known Jesus for as long as I can remember. At the age of 7, on Sunday the 3rd of September 2003, I gave my heart to God, and became a Junior Soldier of The Salvation Army Wanganui City Corps. Throughout my childhood I saw the hand of God in many places. My Mum and Dad and been hospitalised a number of times while we were growing up for number of reasons, and yet both Mum and Dad were strong in their faith. As a family we attended the Wanganui City Corps until early 2001, when Mum and Dad decided to leave the Army, and we moved to the Hosanna Christian Centre. Hosanna Christian Centre was a Pentecostal charismatic church. During our time at this Church, I was baptised, and had also had an encounter with the Holy Spirit. The encounter seems a long time ago, but every week I remembered praying to God, and asking him to help me “lead a life that is clean in thought word and deed.” As I did this, my behaviour at school changed dramatically. At times when I was not behaving, my teacher would remind me that as someone who claims to follow Christ, my actions should reflect the nature of the Christ I claim to represent. As a result my behaviour improved.