Letter Writing- Submitted by Delaney K.
Delaney King submitted a creative idea that she had during the 2020 pandemic. She initiated a letter writing campaign with friends! Here’s what Delaney has to say about it:
“Over the months that we were all in quarantine I had the idea to write letters and send them to various friends of mine.
After bringing the idea up to them they all loved it so we immediately started writing and sending each other small things with our letters, one time I even got a box of cake mix!
I considered it fun because in my opinion Snapchat could get pretty boring and I also remember times where my friends and I would be on Zoom for hours at a time so maybe this could change it up a bit.
My general idea for this was that these letters could be something we can show our kids in the future. Maybe in a way symbolize our emotions during the global pandemic. I definitely recommend trying it!”
We love this idea and we hope others will be inspired to do the same! Here are some fun letter folding ideas to give your letters some extra fun! Note Folding Blog
Keep up the intentional, creative ideas, Delaney!
The Dragon And The Knight -Submitted by Elizabeth G.
The Dragon and the Knight
By Elizabeth Goodale
Flames raged through the small village as the dragon roared and tore down building after building. Everything was either in ruins, or in flames. The villagers were either injured or hiding. Thankfully, no one had died. Yet. The dragon had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. The truth was, they had seen signs of it for almost a month now. Small fires in the distance, the sounds of wings overhead. No one had put the pieces together until it was too late.
They had hoped after a few days the dragon would leave them and find somewhere else to torment, but that was not how the dragon was acting. After almost a week, it was still there, laying in the center of town in the flames and rubble. No one dared get close to it, for fear it would kill them. Three people lay dead at the edge of town, from injuries or burns. Still no one dared get close.
After almost a month, the dragon had only become more violent, destroying everything near the village, including the forest, and even drinking and then burning up the entire pond. They were terrified for their lives. Terrified that the dragon who had destroyed their home would soon destroy them too.
The days went on, and they became used to the dragon, as horrible as it seems. They were still living in fear, but now it was more controlled. They knew they weren’t all going to make it out, so they allowed the dragon to rampage through the village and set it all on fire. They never thought it would end. Until the knight arrived.
He didn’t look like most knights. He was poor, with leather armor and a flimsy battle worn sword. His shield was little more than scrap metal, and he rode a small donkey. Not what most people would call a hero. But, it wasn’t his fancy armor, or big horse that made him a knight. It was his hope that this monstrous beast could in fact be defeated.
At first, the dragon barely acknowledged him. If it could, it may have even laughed. But, the knight wasn’t going to stand by and watch as this dragon killed innocent people and destroyed their homes. He raised his sword and began to fight.
The battle lasted for days. Sword and shield clashed with fire and claw. The knight never stopped fighting for the innocent villagers, and the dragon never seemed to give up. The people stood to the side, their eyes filled with fear. They wanted nothing more than to see the dragon struck down and to get their home back, but the knight seemed so weak. He didn’t stand a chance, they thought.
After almost a month of fighting between the dragon and the knight, the knight’s sword found it’s mark, piercing the dragon’s heart. It fell, dead, in the village square as the knight collapsed in exhaustion.
After over a year, the dragon had been defeated. It was over. The fight was won. The villagers celebrated for longer than the dragon had tormented them. They rebuilt their buildings, out of bricks and stone instead of wood and dirt. They had a newfound love and respect for life, and the knight who saved them. When they asked his name, he simply said, “I am a servant of the LORD. I come to save those in need. I’m the hopeful one.” before he disappeared.
They sang and danced for years to come. The song told the story of the hero and the dragon. The hope that saved their lives. And of the love of their God, who sent the hero to save them.
The Girl With Her Hood Up- Submitted by Adoniah K.
The Girl With Her Hood Up
By Adoniah Koenig
She puts her hood up in the crowded halls. She pulls her hood further down so no one will talk to her. Turns her music up loud enough so she can’t hear her own thoughts. She lets nothing but doubt, anger, regret, and grief take over her life. Inside, she thinks she can’t keep going. Thinking that 2020 practically ruined her life.
She walks into her classroom and sits by herself. The teacher begins to speak, but she can only hear the thoughts in her head.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Why are you even trying to keep going? You can’t!”
“Just give up no one loves you.”
“You’re stupid.”
“Your so ugly!”
She tries to listen to the teacher, but the thoughts just get louder and louder. Music is the only thing that barely helps her get those thoughts out of her head.
The bell rings for study hall. She puts her head up and walks out of the class with no delay. She gets to study hall, sits by herself, and begins to work on homework. She takes a break and looks up from her desk. She sees the most popular girl whispering to her friends and pointing at her, laughing and giving her an evil smirk. She looks back down at her desk and begins to feel a tear fall from her cheek. She quickly grabs her headphones and turns the volume up loud so she can’t hear the thoughts in her head. But there is one feeling that music can’t keep her from feeling. The feeling that she has no one to talk to you, no one to turn to.
Loneliness.
The bell rings so she grabs her stuff and runs to the bus as quickly as she can. When she gets to the bus, she sits down and begins to listen to music. But another girl decides to sit by her. In deep shock she puts her head up and scoots closer to the window, away from whoever this is. But she realizes that she’s never seen this girl ever in her school before. The girl looked at her and smiled, so she pulls her hood further down and stares out the window. Then the other girl says, “Hey, can I tell you something?” She pauses her music and says, “What?”
The other girl grabbed her hand and said in a kind voice, “ I feel like you’re going through a rough moment in your life right now. But just remember, you’re not alone! God is waiting for you to talk to him, he loves you! Everything will be OK when you trust God.” The other girl lets go of her hand and continues to read what looks like a Bible.
All she can do is just sit there. She has never heard anyone say anything like that in her life.
The bus came to a stop at her house. She turns to say goodbye to the other girl, but before she walks away the other girl grabs her hand and says, “find hope!”
She nods her head, and walks off the bus. She walks into her house and goes straight to her room and begins to look for a Bible. She finds one under a pile of books on her desk. She flips through the pages and finds Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
She takes her hood off of her head and looks out the window. She sees a beautiful sunset as the sun glows on the pond in the yard. She watches as a few birds fly across the sky, as the graceful wind makes the trees dance. With tears of joy she looks at the sky and says, “ I trust you Lord, thank you for giving me hope in the darkness, I give all of my stress and anxiety to you!”
After she prays she feels a feeling she hasn’t felt in a long time. A peaceful feeling, a joyful feeling.
Hope.