Van Ride Home

The van ride home felt like a shorter ride than the trive to Arkansas. We stopped a lot for food and gas which made the drive more bearable. The drive back was fun talking to friends and playing games with eachother and on our PSPs. The ride was a little stressful for me hoping to get back in time to watch the LSU game, but I made it. We talked about the Bible and our faiths some with Mrs. Masau and Mr. Flannery whcih was interesting. We got back to TWCA at around 9 o'clock. The trip was fun but it was good to get the driving over with.

The Passion Play

The Passion Play was the best play I have ever seen. The set was all these different permanent buildings so they never had to close any curtains and swich scenery and it actually looked like 1st century Jerusalem. Most of the main actors were good but the children could not act but it was funny. The play started from near when Jesus returns to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and ended at the ressurection of Jesus. I guess the main part of the play was Jesus' death and ressurection so they did a real good job of it. Some of the girls were even crying at the end of the play. My favorite part of the play was when Jesus was lifted up on an invisible line really high up in the air when he was ressurecting. I'm glad we saw that play.

Parable of the Sheperd

We are God's sheep. If we leave our sheperd and get further, the sheperd or God must chase us. If we choose to come back to the sheperd or God, we can and God will welcome us. We can also choose to keep sinning and get closer to dangers and further away from God. God can get us and bring us back to him, but it will be harder for us to come fully back to God if we continue to live a sinful life. The sheperd actor at Eureka Springs used asling shot to fend off threats. It was just a single sling rapped around a rock. He showed us how to sling a rock and sent the rock further than the distance of a football field. It was a fun play.

Parable of the Potter

The Parable of the Potter was kind of boring but it was kind of interesting seeing the potter form a detailed pot out of a lump of clay. When he made a hollow hole in the pot he called it the heart and said that we should let God shape ouur hearts like the potter did his clay. We need to let God form our lives not based on what we want but what the creator, God, plans for us. If the pot is made how it is supposed to come out, the pot is fired and dcorated. If we live by God's word and how he plans our life, we will be strengtrhened by God and receive reward in heaven.

The Sacred Arts Museum

The Sacred Arts Museum had really cool art that looked impossible to make. There were paintings, scultures, statues, crowns, and other Christian stuff. My favorite art there were these paintings of Jesus and his disciples that looked like they were glowing... but the tour guide assured us that it just the different bright paint colors. They also had many groosom paintings of Jesus' crucifiction which gave me a good perspective of what Jesus went through because the artists didn't leave out any realism. The Art Museum have me a sense of the many different stories and happenings of the Bible because the artwork in the museum covered almost every story and theme in the Bible. I also got a sense of God's creativity because if the human artists could make those detailed art pieces it is amazing to think of what God can come up with.

The Holy Land Tour

The Holy Land tour showed us a good perspective of what we have learned about the Old Testament's setting and Jewish customs this year and last year. It was really cool to see where the Jews lived, praised God, and practiced their sacrifices and Jewish traditions. It showed me that Jews back in 1st century Palestine lived and did everyday things just like us... besides the sacrifices. It was about a 2 hour tour that started at the beggining of the Old Testament and ended at the death and resurection of Jesus. It was a fun tour.

Chapel in the Woods (Berlin Wall and Liberty Bell)

I had never seen any piece from the Berlin Wall, so it was awesome to see the artwork on the big piece from the wall. The picture on the wall was written by someone who was stuck behind the wall and obviously wanted the wall to come down. The picture symbolizes a path leading upward, either to the other side of the wall, or heaven if the man died before reaching the other side of the wall. Psalm 23 written on the wall talks about how God leads you and protects you through life and prepares a place in heaven for you, which obviously relates to the illustration.

The Liberty Bell was a replica, it represented how we should be free and that freedom is not free. Christianity is persecuted and people have been dictated and controlled and persecuted for years, but we must fight for freedom.

The Christ of the Ozarks was awesome. I new it would be big but I had no idea it would be that big. It overlooked the peak of a big hill in the Ozarks, so it was like Jesus was looking over Arkansas. Jesus was crafted to have his hands and arms open wide to accept any followers that come to him and accept him as his savior. After we checked the statue out for a while, we had a ten minute silence where we were supposed to look in Jesus' eyes the whole time and listen what he says to us, which made me think about how God was the creator of everything beautiful including the Arkansas scenery.

Hotel Life

The Hotel was cool. I roomed with Zach, William, and Clayton, which was fun. The best part was that we had no chaperone in our room. Outside of the hotel room was a pool, hot tub, and dining hall so there was always a lot to do. The pool was fun but it was freezing so we could not stay in long, but Clayton obviously didn't worry about the cold water. It was good being away from my life at home with my friends at the hotel so I didn't have to worry about screaming girls, chores and homework. The hotel was nice.

The van trip to Arkansas

The ride up to Eureka Springs was a suprisingly fun and interesting trip. Although it was a long, ten hour drive, I had few times where I was really bored. We talked to eachother almost the whole way up, getting to know eachother more and tell funny stories. I also had my ipod and PSP.... which did a lot of the help keeping me from being bored. My favorite part of the ride was leaving Texas and seein the hills, valleys, and bodies of water that were in Arkansas. I began to get my mind off of my busy life between school and family.