暑期少年网上学习小组    

(Internet Surfing Club)

去年夏天的少年读书会结束后，我就在想下一年让这些孩子们做什么呢？我想换个形式会比较有意思。在现在这个时代，我们大多数的信息是来自网络的。所以就有了这个组织上网学习小组的想法。取了个听起来很有趣名字叫“Internet Surfing Club”。

我想让他们了解一下历史上和现代著名的基督徒。我想让他们明白基督徒不止对教会有影响力，对社会也有许多重大的影响。当然我更想让他们明白这些基督徒是如何把信仰运用在生活中的。所以，我列了一个有三十几名基督徒的表，让他们任选一个基督徒去研究并做PowerPoint Presentation(报告)。这三十个人中除了宣教士，牧师，福音布道人，还有作家，医生，护士，诗人，政客，科学家，和运动员。

之后受到英文聚会小组Bryan 和Carm的影响，我有了让孩子们在网上查找关于帮助有需要的人的经节的想法。除了查找经节，我还让他们中的三个研究一下三个本地的慈善机构（American Red Cross, Salvation Army，和Food Bank of New Jersey）。在我们最后的报告会上（Final Presentation Day），大家投票选举一个机构。之后大家为这个慈善机构募捐。

在准备这些材料时我是很兴奋的，但实际操作起来我觉得还是很有些压力的。长话短说，最后来有八个孩子参加了这个小组。报告会（Final Presentation）的那天，孩子们的表现都很棒。我们投票的结果是决定帮助American Red Cross。报告会之后，我觉得很开心，孩子们都很努力。他们所作的Presentations比我预计的要好的多。报告会之后，Bryan来跟我说，今年的Presentations比去年的好多了。我笑着回答，今年的题材要比去年严肃多了。

报告会让我影响深刻的是Michael Hu,Bryant Wang,和Cherry　Liu。Michael用了不少有意思的图片，Bryant列出很多相关的信息，Cherry做Presentation时最有激情。 我们这些孩子们一点也不怯场。唯一在场上紧张的估计就是我这个说着蹩脚英文的主持人。

今天，我算了一下我们一共筹到捐款170美元。这次的活动，我学到不少东西。随便列两样吧。

1．孩子们最喜欢的基督徒是：C.S. Lewis（路易斯）。 其次是Bethany Hamilton。

2.FlorenceNightingale不止开创了护理业，她数学很好。在统计领域，尤其是统计画图方面，是当时行业中的先锋。

“要爱人如己。”(马太福音 22:39)这节经文，我听过很多遍。英文经节是“Love your neighbor as yourself”，也就是爱邻居象爱自己一样。当它出现在帮助有需要的人的圣经经节里时，对我震动蛮大的。我知道我做不到。至少现在做不到。不过真正让我忧伤的是我是不是在尽力去做呢？

在美国这个社会，主流文化是要服务社区，各种募捐名目繁多。在我们中国人眼里，所谓的美国穷人，是在不可能和中国的穷人比！他们也叫穷人吗？在我们中国人眼里，他们穷很可能是因为他们不努力。但我们生活在美国，我们也许不觉得他们是我们的邻居。我们的孩子是美国人，这些人对他们来说就是邻居。也许不是一个小区的，但至少是社区的了。所以我组织这样的活动，某些意义上讲是不想让孩子觉得我是个假冒为善的人。如果你觉得帮助有需要的人会对自己是损失，请查查圣经上关于帮助有需要的人的经节吧！

关于帮助有需要的人的圣经经节已列在我博客里，这里就不多说了。

下面是这次活动的精彩片段：                          

暑期少年网上学习小组 （Internet Surfing Club)

Final Presentation Photos

C. S. Lewis – Novelist

What Lewis thinks of God?                                                                               

Quotes

Lewis said: Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not.”           

Lewis also said: I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

Lewis also said: Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be moderately important.                                    

What he thinks

He said that the bible was the word of god.

Lewis believed that god created the world.                          

Bethany Hamilton  - Professional Surfer          

Her Faith Along the Way

—        At age 5, she was introduced to Jesus

—        She states her faith has been her source of truth, hope, and strength

—        After the shark attack a paramedic said toBethany, “God will never leave or forsake you.”

—        She states that Jesus gives her a really strong foundation for everything she does in life

—        Her faith was true before and after the shark attack

Paul Brand  -  A Well Accomplished Medical Doctor

          What Brand thinks of Pain?

Pain is not against life, but a requirement of life

“God designed the human body so that it is able to survive because of pain.”

William booth and Salvation Army

       The army’s message is based on the Bible

       The ministries the army does is motivated by the love of God

       The Salvation army’s mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet the needs of human beings in His name

Florence Nightingale -  The Founder of Modern Nursing

Back then, women were expected to make a good marriage and raise a family,Florencesensed a calling from God at a early age and beelived that she was destined to do something greater with her

life. As a child, she was very academic and was particularly interested in Math. Her religion gave her a strong sense of moral duty to help the poor and over time, she held a growing belief that nursing was her God-given duty.

John Bunyan  - Christian Writer and Preacher                             

When he was Child, he cursed God. He had very little schooling. He even once forgot how to read. But he wrote the “Pilgrim’s Progress”, which is regarded as one of the most significant works of religious English literature. It has never been out of print and has been translated into over 200 languages, including Russian, Chinese, and Urdu, and has been made into many movies.

后话：

我们花很多精力教育子女，希望他们多学一些本事，以便日后生活可以有保障。可是我们面对是一个公义缺失， 道德沦丧，自然环境在不断被破坏的世界。如果神用自然灾害，或是战争来审判这个驳逆的时代，孩子们现在忙着学的东西能给他们保障吗？也许那时候我们只能信靠神的恩典。