IT'S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN! MEXICO MISSION TRIP IS COMING UP!

Check out this recap video from last year's trip:

So excited for what God has in store for us this year! We'll be doing a lot of fundraising work in the upcoming weeks to help subsidize the trip fees. Let's all work hard together so that everyone who wants to go can make it!

Also, reminder to please turn in your Part 1 of your Mexico Mission Trip packet by this Friday, March 27! It should include the Element Mexico Mission Trip permission slip, a copy of your passport, and a $75 deposit.

Last Friday, Ronke and Casey gave a special apologetics talk about the major world religions in comparison to Christianity. The question we covered was: "are all religions the same?"

When sharing the gospel with different people, you might hear responses like: "all religions say the same thing. What matters is that you choose the one that makes you personally happy."

But is that true? Can we just choose our religion based on our personal preferences? And do they really all say the same thing? Let's see how we answered those questions!

Ronke and Casey answered the question in 3 points:

1) Objective vs. Subjective claims: All religions make objective truth claims that are either true or untrue (i.e. the sky is blue; heaven/hell are real). A person's religious beliefs can't be compared to something like their favorite ice cream flavor, which is based purely on subjective preference. Therefore, one shouldn't choose to follow a certain religion just because it suits his/her lifestyle better or makes them happier, but because it's claims are actually true to reality.

2) Who is Jesus? Not all religions are the same because they say very different things about Jesus. Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism all say Jesus was just an enlightened man or a prophet, but only Christianity states that Jesus was the Son of God.

3) Do vs. Done: Most religions claim that the way to solve our problems depends on us DOING things. Buddhism says that we must reach a state of emotional numbness to overcome suffering/pain, while Islam and Judaism say that if we follow the commands of Allah/God, He will love us and save us from the bad things in the world. Christianity is the only religion that focuses on what has already been DONE to solve man's greatest problem, which is sin. The gospel says that the world is indeed full of suffering, and that suffering is caused by our sinfulness.  But because Jesus died for our sins, if we choose to believe in him, we can all look forward to eternal life in heaven--a place with no more sin, death, sorrow, or pain.

Students were all pretty engaged throughout the talk!

We also did some role-playing to practice answering tough questions from our friends about why we would believe in Christianity over another religion.

Afterwards, we played a bunch of balloon games in the gym and in our middle school room! The boys were particularly helpful in preparing all the balloons for us. Thanks guys!

When you guys get home, please be sure to rehearse to yourself the main points from this apologetics talk! It's very likely that you'll meet someone one day that will say that all religions are the same, or that religious choice is just a preference and we shouldn't try to convince people to believe in something else. Some people may even try to make you feel guilty or ashamed for sharing your faith! But because we ourselves know what is true, we have a responsibility to share that with others. The truths we have come to believe--that heaven/hell are real, that we're sinners who have offended a holy God, that Jesus died for our sins, that God loves us and wants to restore a relationship with us--these are things that can save our friends for eternity. 

2 Corinthians 4: 1-4
Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Let's work hard to show people the glory of the gospel! And as always, PLEASE be super respectful and polite when discussing religion with other people! The point is never to show them that they're wrong and that you're right, but to give them a new perspective and an opportunity to re-think their prior assumptions. Let's be winsome friends so that people will want to ask us about these big questions!

We're really proud of all of you for taking time out this past Saturday to visit the elderly during this year's Valentine's Day of Compassion! I think you guys really brightened their day!

Here are some photos of what we did:

Upon arriving, we spread out to meet and greet the residents and wish them a Happy Valentine's Day.

Afterwards, Sam gave a message about how nothing can separate us from God's love, and that God is waiting for each one of us to respond to His love for us and turn back to Him.

Lastly, we ended our visit by singing the hymn "The Love of God," which talks about how God's love is so great and steadfast that it is able to overcome all barriers. The lyrics say that "the love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell--it goes beyond the highest star, and reaches to the lowest hell...when years of time shall pass away, and earthly thrones and kingdoms fall...the love of God shall still endure, all measureless and strong."

And of course, no visit is complete without a victorious group photo.

On a day when the entire world seems so fixated on romantic love between just two people, I think it's really special that we were able to share about the greatest love of all--God's love--to those who often feel unloved and forgotten. By visiting the elderly, I think in this small way, you guys are really showing the world what real love is. While the world says that love is a gushy, sentimental feeling that simply seizes you, we know that true love is freely chosen, intentional, and characterized by action, much in the same way that Christ displayed his love for us on the cross. 

I'm thankful that, while the love of people can be so fleeting and conditional, the love of the God that we serve is steadfast and immovable, and that we have the privilege of being called His ambassadors to share this message of love to the world.

Proud of you guys! See you at VDOC again next year!

We had a great time at our Element Spring Kick-Off!

Check out this cool recap video to see what we did:

Who needs a snow trip when there are plenty of things to do in the Bay Area?

So, In lieu of nature not cooperating with us to give us snow for a snow trip, yesterday, each small group went on a fun outing around the Bay Area.

WHAT!? You mean instead of snow we got beautiful, clear skies, sunny weather, and a mild 70 degree climate ideal for all sports and outside activities?! OUTRAGEOUS!

Anyways, here are some pics!

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The 6th grade girls made apple empañadas--which are basically Spanish dumplings filled with fruit! Then they went to the Berkeley hills to play on the stone slides and climb trees.

Look at those expert marketers advertising their goods. We ought to sell that at our next fundraiser.

Boss ladies.

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The 6th grade boys went crabbing off the coast! Apparently there was a sneaky seal that repeatedly plundered their crab cage--but it still couldn't stop them from catching 3 crabs. TAKE THAT SEALl!

Fortunately for the crabs, they were just a tad bit too small to be eaten according to crabbing regulations, and so narrowly avoided ending up as the main attractions of a Korean hotpot lunch.

What a beautiful day! Perfect for snatching crustaceans out of their natural habitat!

We'll come back for you next year, crab--to give you another uncomfortable close-up.

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The 7th grade girls went on an intense hike up the Fire Trail in Berkeley and then visited the Lawrence Hall of Science, where they saw a beautiful view of the bay and made a competition of climbing up a beached whale...

...statue, of course.

Intensity in action. How one can possibly hike the Fire Trail in a down jacket--I do not know.

A  gorgeous view of the bay from the top of Lawrence Lab!

Meet you at the beached whale!

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The 7th grade boys chilled and had sports fellowship at Crown Beach Memorial Park!

Apparently, climbing trees was totally in today.

Lookin' gangsta next to their chowder, biscuits, and Evergood sausages.

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Due to a tragic accident that happened to the camera of one of the 8th grade girls' staff, all of the pictures from the day were lost. Fortunately, we can piece together what happened through cell phone photos and a quick raid of the 8th grade girls' Instagram accounts.

The previous night, they made cupcakes and a very impressive rocky road brownie. The next morning, they had an awesome french toast/scrambled egg breakfast. Then they went to Crab Cove in Alameda, visited the mini-aquarium at the visitor's center, played volleyball, and strolled along the beach. And to wrap it all up, they had the best McDonald's lunch at the beach evar. 

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The 8th grade boys had late night ramen on Friday and, after a scrumptious bacon-egg-and-pancake breakfast, hung out with the 7th grade boys at Crown Beach for a time of sports fellowship. 

MmMmMm...nothing like late-night ramen.

Last Friday, we covered one of the biggest questions about Christianity: How do we know that the Bible is reliable?

A lot of people have this question, so it's important that we can prove to people that the Bible isn't just a fairy-tale, or that it got changed after being passed down over so many centuries, or that the disciples made the whole thing up.

Let's see how we tackled that question!

Kenneth and Chris gave the talk and showed that 1) the Bible is a historical document because there is a lot of archaeological evidence that proves the existence of biblical characters and locations (i.e. King David, Pool of Bethesda). They showed that 2) the Bible we have today is the same as the original because we have 20,000+ copies of the New Testament to cross- reference. Moreover, we know that 3) the Bible isn't made-up because there are a lot of embarrassing stories about the disciples that they never would have included if they didn't actually happen! And lastly, 4) the Bible seems to be from our Creator because it describes our true nature more accurately than we could describe ourselves.

Students were pretty eager to demonstrate their understanding of the material! (Although I'm sure the candy prizes were good motivators too.)

Afterwards, Denny and Hartie led us in a game of...Pacman?! 

No, not arcade Pacman. Life-size Pacman!

Some of you may remember our last Pacman game. This wasn't that either. This was NEW AND IMPROVED PACMAN 2.0--complete with fog machine, lights, and a pretty confusing labyrinth from which the students who entered never returned.

Well that was the goal, anyway, but their bravery and wits got them out.

Here, one of our fearless Maze Runners, er I mean Pacmen, prepares to enter the maze, where unspeakable horrors awaited him.

LIKE THESE GIRLS! Don't be fooled by their sweet exterior--these ghosts were pretty vicious on the playing field.

Afterwards we wrapped up with ice cream sandwiches and headed home!

Throughout the week, I encourage you guys to try to review the main points of our talk so that you can always be prepared to give a defense for why you believe what you believe! Trust me, you wouldn't want to get caught unprepared when your friend asks you an important question like this!

1 Peter 3:15
"...but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect..."

Last Sunday, we started preparing for the Spring Kickoff (aka Welcome Sunday) through Service Ops.

Here, the whiteboard team made a new mural celebrating the New Year! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The lighting team was intensely preparing for the Spring Kickoff.

We also added a new woodshop team, where we replaced the countertops of the old tables.

We appreciate all of your help for the Welcome Day, and hope that we can continue the good work!! (haha cheesy sentence, but couldn't resist)

By Caroline & Josephine... with help from Janet.

This past Sunday we visited the elderly at a convalescent home to share the good news of Christmas with them! We sang "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" as a group, caroled in some of the residents' rooms, as well as passed out Christmas cards with the verse Luke 2:11 written on it.

Here are some pictures:

We're proud of you guys for loving the elderly and sharing the true meaning of Christmas with them!

During a time when Christmas can be so commercialized, let's not forget that we celebrate this holiday because it was the day that God sent His only son from heaven to earth as a baby to save mankind from their sins--and that's truly good news worth celebrating!

Luke 2:11

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

Hey everyone! Winter Breakaway was a blast. Here's a recap video to relive all the awesome memories we made!

We had a blast this past week at our annual Thanksgiving Celebration! It was a great time of remembering all the ways that God has blessed us this past year and giving Him the glory!

We kicked off the day with an amazing, traditional Thanksgiving meal prepared by the staff. 

We stuffed ourselves silly with delicious food and desserts. As a matter of fact, I was so full I thought I wouldn't be able to...

DANCE.

(But it turned out I could.)

I could go on and on about the food, but I'm sure you're really just here to see all the silly pictures of our song and dance time--SO HERE THEY ARE:

The 6th graders opened with a song and dance combo, paying homage to the classic Ghostbusters theme song!

WHATCHU GONNA DO? GIVE THANKS!

The 8th graders went next! When the opening act involves someone running across the room while wildly beating a drum, you know it's gonna be good.

Some of the staff busted out their legendary dance moves. It turns out, some of them are quite (in)famous for their skills on the dance floor.

Whatever your opinion was on the 7th grader's dance, it's clear that they brushed it off like the dust on their shoulders.

Good job on your performances everyone! We're thankful to celebrate with you guys all the ways God has worked in your lives! Let's strive to be thankful people every day of the year!

Psalm 147:1
Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.