Winners:

Seniors: 1st Place- Brooke Apple

             2nd Place- Lexi Mohler

Sophomores: 1st Place- Courtnie Rostorfer

                    2nd Place- Mallorie Wilson

Best at Jefferson: Courtney Looser

The giving of myself to others

By Courtney Looser

As I put on the rubber gloves, I looked out into the crowd and saw an old man walk in the door. He had not shaven in awhile and had on dirty scraggily clothes. As I looked over at him, he looked up at me, and I turned away with chills.

I had a full tray of food and looked out into the men, women, and children sitting at tables eating their food, and the old man was the only one who had not been served. Nobody had noticed him. I walked over and placed the tray in front of him. He had been reading the Bible, and I did not think he noticed the food in front of him. As I turned to walk away, he suddenly grabbed my arm. I did not know what to do, and then he asked me if I believed in God.

As I turned back and looked him directly in the eyes, I got scared and did not answer. He looked at me and said he knew I believed in God. I asked him how he knew. He told me not too many teenagers my age would come to a soup kitchen and serve homeless people  because most teenagers think they have better things to do and do not have the time. He said he had been watching me since I walked out of the door of the kitchen, and he knew I believed in God and had volunteered for this experience to serve others less fortunate than myself.

My law of life is to serve God by giving of yourself to those less fortunate. The best way to serve God is to give of yourself to others in need. By serving God and having Him in your life, He will guide you to make decisions to serve others who need help.

When you do things voluntarily like helping out at a local soup kitchen or visiting a lonely person in the nursing home, it sets a good example for others. They may see you helping and serving others and may follow your example and start to help others by volunteering their time to them. You can do simple things to serve God. Maybe it is just collecting money and giving to a donation for hungry children or helping build a house for a homeless family.

When I felt those chills go up my spine, I knew something was different about that man. He was not just at the soup kitchen to get food. He was there for companionship, to spread God’s word, and to help encourage me to continue to serve God. He has shared with me the many wrong things he had done in his lifetime, and he felt that being homeless at this time in his life was his punishment. He told me when he accepted God into his life; things began to turn around for him.

The men, women and children who come to the soup kitchen have changed my life. They have helped me understand my importance of serving God as much as I have helped them in giving of my time at the soup kitchen. I understand my role in serving God. God helps everyone whether they are rich or poor, and everyone needs to serve God.

Whenever I look into the crowd of people at the soup kitchen, I can always see the ones who do believe. They sit down and silently pray before they begin their meal. They are always appreciative and tell me how thankful they are for the meal and for my time in helping them. They are as thankful for me as I am thankful for them. We learn from and serve each other.

 The Nautilus Award was designed by the Lepo Brothers, using a chambered Nautilus fossil over three hundred forty million years old, found in the Sahara Desert.  The chambered nautilus is the logo for the Laws of Life Essay Contest.  Each year, the Nautilus Award is displayed at the overall best essay winner's school.

The Ar-Hale Family Foundation, Essay Contest Sponsor, and teachers, parents, and judges proudly recognize and honor the winners of the seventh "Laws of Life Essay Contest" in Lima, Ohio.  Ultimately, the "Laws of Life Essay Contest" supports the efforts of concerned adults in our community who work together to honor, and publicly recognize, young people who reflect upon and write about their personal beliefs and values.  Ninety-one young people from ten schools received honors by expressing their values in their own words.  We congratulate these young people for their creativity, thinking skills and willingness to share their personal thoughts.