Celebrate The True Meaning of Christmas!

As part of their journey  around the world, our heroes are learning how to say, “Merry Christmas” in many different languages. It is a fun way to appreciate the language and culture in places outside of The U.S. Yesterday, they also got the opportunity to work with Christy Haas to learn “Silent Night” in German. They will be performing this for you during the “Christmas Around The World” Exhibition.

In addition to learning about culture through language, our heroes have been diligently practicing their play. This includes learning and practicing the songs they’ve incorporated, memorizing their lines, and creating costumes. It’s been a LOT of hard work, but our heroes are doing an amazing job! Our middle school heroes have taken on a huge job as directors, but they are learning and growing so much!

Over the week, our heroes have not only been growing in their independence and leadership through the experience of putting on a play, but they have also been encouraged to remember and celebrate the true reason for Christmas: Christ’s Birth! We worship an amazing savior! As the week started, we looked at The Story of Christ’s birth in both Matthew and Luke. We also discussed what it means to worship our savior, and praised Him through song and readings from His word. We discussed what a true Biblical community looks like in God’s word (through prayer, fellowship, communion, and teaching), and how we apply that at Journey Academy.

During one discussion this week, our heroes recognized that there are ways they could improve the community here at Journey Academy. In yet another discussion, our heroes then revamped their  Hero’s Contract to improve the overall studio. They even selected a group of 3 heroes to be in charge of representing the group well by writing the final version.

Other Events This Week Included:

• Amy Amash shared The Story of Saint Nicholas with our heroes on Wednesday. Everyone also received a special surprise in their shoes!!

• The Hero’s have been writing The Nativity Story from a different perspective as part of their Writer’s Workshop. They will complete this next week!

Discussion Questions This Week Included:

• What’s more inspiring: taking risks or persevering through challenges?

• If you were alive before Christ, would you anticipate his birth? Do you anticipate his return? Would you want to be alive when he returns?

• What does worship mean?

• What does a Biblical Community look like?

• What tools do you use at Journey Academy to resolve conflict? Do they work for you?

• Would you ever correct your best friend? Would you ever ask your best friend for a Hero Buck? Is losing a Hero Buck “bad”?

Week at a Glance:

• Next week, our heroes will be completing their session goals and their Writer’s Workshops on The Nativity Story.

• Our heroes will practice their play and hold a dress rehearsal during project time.

• The “Christmas Around The World” Exhibition will be held on Thursday, December 14th from 3:30-5:30 pm.

Have a wonderful and refreshing weekend! The Heroes are so excited to share their play with you at our Exhibition next week!