Dialogue With Dave

    For this weeks assignment I had to have a conversation with Dave (who is a fictional friend) and I had to answer his questions that he had about my research paper. This exercise is designed to help you realize what you learned about your topic and how you can use it in the future. I liked this exercise, because it helped me see how I can use what I learned. Here is my conversation that I had with Dave

Dave:                                                                                          

1)      There’s all this stuff in the book about research as a process of discovery. What did you discover?

1)      What do you figure was the most challenging problem you had to solve while working on this research project? What did you discover?

1)      After all this work, what do you take away from this experience? What have you learned that you can use?

 

   Me:

 1) I discovered that Foreign missions in Africa is not a waste of time and missionaries have had a big impact on the people of Africa. Also I learned that a professor did research and a lot of studies and found that missionaries are the reason of why some countries are more advanced than others. He concluded that where missionaries were there was more freedom of speech and a better economy.

   2) The most challenging problem I had to solve was how to prove that foreign missions in Africa is not a waste of time. I solved it by doing research and finding out all the good missionaries have done. I went online and to the library and found books. Also I talked to a professor about what for book would be good for my research which was a big help.

  3) What I take away from this experience is reassurance that we should send missionaries to Africa and the world. Also

 

Cut-and-Paste Revision

   For this assignment I had to do the cut-and-paste revision. Now some of you may not know what the cut-and-paste revision is so I will tell you what it is and how to do it. To do the cut-and-paste revision you first had to write your thesis sentence out on a sticky note and put that beside you for later. Next you take a hard copy of your paper and a scissors and you proceed to cut out all the paragraphs in your paper. After you have cut out all the paragraphs in your paper you put them on a pile and mix them all up. Then with the sticky note in hand you take every paragraph and see if it explains or expounds on your thesis statement. Or in other words you read each paragraph to see if it is relevant to you thesis statement. Make a stack for the paragraphs that are relevant and a stack for the ones that are not. Once you have the stack that is relevant to your thesis statement you take them and try and arrange them in a way that makes sense like you were writing a new paper. The point of this exercise is to help take away paragraphs that are not relevant to your main idea and it helps you see were you might need to add some information.
   Before I started cutting I believed that this exercise would help my paper, but I was a little worried as to what I might find or how many paragraphs I had to cut out. After I had cut them all I had found about two paragraphs that did not go with my thesis statement and a few that were border line. Overall I learned that I needed to stick to my thesis sentence and not go wondering off.

Wrestling with the Draft

   For this weeks assignment we had to get to different colored markers and sit down with our paper in front of us and mark it up. One of the colored markers represented my voice and the other marker represented other voices in my paper such as facts or quotes I found. Once we have the markers we had to mark our voice with one color and the other voices with another. The point of this assignment was to help us see who's voice was stronger in our paper. The first page that I did consisted of more of my source voice then did my own voice. Second page I did was half my voice and half my sources voice. The third and final page that I did consisted all most entirely of my own voice and a small portion of my sources voice.

Three intro paragraphs

     For this assignment I had to write three intro paragraphs for my research paper or leads as some people call them. Your intro paragraph is the bases for your paper it is where you explain what you plan on exploring in your paper. Here are the three intro paragraphs that I wrote.

 

 

 

    If you are a Christian and you go to church every Sunday you hear a lot of debate on the topic of foreign missions. One of the main arguments is that foreign missions is a waste of time and that we should stop sending missionaries to the mission field. In this paper I will explore to see if foreign missions in Africa is and has been a waste of time. I chose Africa out of all the countries because I have gone on a missions trip to Africa and I want to see if all the missionaries that I met are wasting their time. But based on my research I have found that foreign missions in Africa is not a waste of time, and that missionaries have done a lot to advance the economic state of Africa.

      As light shines through the window of a single story four-room house in Ghana, Africa, it is a signle for the missionary living that it is time to go to work. As the missionary rolls over in his bed his legs not letting him get up, he is just getting over a bought with malaria. He is suppose too speak to the villagers today in the town square about Jesus, though sometimes he wonders if it does any good. As the missionary attempts to sit up he thinks about all he and his family has gone through the last three years and without many converts to show for. He thinks of all the missionaries that have gone before him and wonders if it is all in vain? Based on my research I have come to the conclusion that foreign missions in Africa is not a waste of time, and that missionaries have done a lot to help advance the economic state of Africa.

 As the sun beats its merciless rays down on a hot April day in Ghana, Africa a lone missionary trudges on to take the Gospel to another village. As he becomes too hot and tired to walk anymore he stops and finds refuge in an over-hanging mangoe tree. As he rests his tires feet he starts to think about how no one responded to his preaching in the village he just came from. As he swats a misquote away he wonders if all that he has done and all that missionaries have done before him if it has all been in vain? He asks himself this question “Is foreign missions in Africa a waste of time”. Based on my research, I have found that present day foreign missions in Africa is not a waste of time, and that missionaries have made a big impact on the economic advance of Africa.

  

Thesis Sentence

   In this weeks class we talked about the thesis sentence and what should be in a thesis sentence. But first a definition of what a thesis sentence is. A thesis sentence is your perspective on a issue, written as the central message of your essay. In a thesis sentence needs a topic, a comment, and a thesis  sentence needs context that answers the who, what, where, and when question. Here is my thesis sentence.
   Based on my research, I have found that present day foreign missions in Africa is not a waste of time, but that missionaries have had a great impact on the economic advancement of Africa
   

Dialogue with Dave

 

For this week I was instructed to carry a conversation with Dave who poses as a fictional character and represent what people might say about my paper. This exercise helps you think about what people might say about your paper and how you can address that. It also helps to see how well you know you topic.  

 

 

 

 

 

Dave: What’s the big deal about this anyway? Why should we care?

Me: There is a lot of missionaries oversees doing mission work and these people need to know

that what they are doing is not a waste of time. If they are not told that what they are doing is making a difference then they will give up and come back home. And we here need to be reminded that mission work is not a waste of time so that will not stop sending missionaries.

Dave: What do you mean by making a difference?

Me: Missionaries have done a lot for people in other countries. They have opened up schools for people to get an education. Missionaries have taught people about how to be able to grow crops better. They have told people about the love of Jesus, which transforms their lives in a better way.  

Dave: Are you kidding? I didn’t know that. What else did you find out?

Me: I found that missionaries have had a great impact on the economy of developing countries and that missionaries are one of the best things to a developing country.

  

Dave: Can you give me an example?

 Me: Of you go to West Africa there are two countries that are side-by-side these two countries are Togo and Ghana. If you go to Ghana and go to a bookstore the shelves are lined with boos from top-to-bottom there even books written by authors born and raised in Ghana. Contrary if you go across the border into Togo and you go to a book store you will not be able to find any books. The difference is that when Ghana was first starting England which controlled Ghana freely allowed missionaries to come. But the French which controlled Togo did not allow missionaries to come. So you see missionaries have had an impact on the economy of Africa

 

Dave: Did that surprise you?

Me: It surprised me a little I had all ways that that missionaries have helped the economy a little, but I never know that missionaries have impacted the economy so much that much.

  

Dave: Okay, this is all very interesting. But based on everything you’ve learned so far, what’s your point.

Me: My point is that foreign missions in Africa is not a waste of time and that we should still be sending missionaries to Africa                                             

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Annotated Bibliography

 This week’s assignment that I had to do for college is a CRAAP analyses of five sources that I have picked out to use in my research paper. Now some of you may ask what is a CRAAP analyses? A CRAAP analyses stands for Currency, Relevance, Authority, and Purpose. A CRAAP analysis is a bunch of questions that help you find out the credibility of the source and its relevance to your topic. Or in other words a CRAAP analysis is designed help you examine your source to see if it is academic enough to write a paper on. Here is a CRAAP analysis that I did with my five sources.

 

 Pollock, David C., and Reken, Ruth. Third Culture Kids: Growing up among Worlds. Boston: Nicholas Brealey Pub., 2009. Print.

   This book is a credible source for my research because it was written by people that have personal experience in this field. David Pollock who is one of the authors has worked with TCKs (which stands for third culture kid) for years and has done seminars and conferences on the subject of growing up in a different culture. Ruth Reken who is the other author has personal experience in this subject, because she has grown up in another culture and has kids that are living in another culture. Date-wise this publication is important to include, because it was written and published not that long ago so it is up to date on the present issue of growing up in another culture. The author’s main goal in this article is to teach about the topic of children growing up in another culture. The publishing source for this article generally targets and audience that fits the following description: TCKs parents and kids that have grown up on the mission field. This audience would be interested in this subject, because it talks about the joys and struggles of being a TCK and they would generally agree with this author’s perspective on the topic. The author incorporates the following types of evidence: interviews with TCKs and quotes from other experts. This evidence builds credibility, because it asks the TCKs themselves what they think about this topic. Based on my own opinion, experience, and research, I agree with this author, because I know have friends that are TCKs and, because of research that I have done. I think this article is important to include in my essay, because it talks about not only the benefits of growing up in a different culture, but also the challenges.

 

Oliver, Roland Anthony. The Missionary Factor in East Africa. London: Longmans, Green, 1952. Print.ng up in a different culture, but also the challenges.

   This article is a credible source for my research, because it was written by an expert. The author’s credentials include a diploma from Cambridge University and was a teached in the department of history at the School of Oriental and African Studies University of London. Date-wise this publication is important to include, because it give what the perspective was on missions in the nineteen-fifty’s. The author’s main goal is to teach about the topic of missions in Africa. The publishing source for this article generally targets an audience that fits the following description: Educated Missionary’s. This audience would be interested in this subject because it talks about how missionaries have helped African economy and would both disagree and agree with this author’s perspective on this topic. The author incorporates the following types of evidence: examples of what has happened in Africa through mission work. This evidence builds credibility because it give examples of what has happened through mission work but it also limited because it is referring to what has happened before nineteen-fifty’s. Based on my opinion, experience, and research I would agree with this author because I have seen first-hand what mission work has done in Africa. I think this article is important to include in my essay because it gives evidence that foreign mission work in Africa has helped the economy.

 

Tucker, Ruth. From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya: A Biographical History of Christian Missions. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004. Print.

   This article is a credible source for my research because it is written by an experts in this field. The author’s credentials include a Ph.D, and she is a professor of missilogy at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Date-wise this publication is important to include because the author has had a chance to see the affects of foreign missions on the world. The author’s main goal is to teach about the foreign missions. The publishing source for this article generally targets an audience that fits the following description: Christians interested in foreign missions. This audience would be interested in this subject because it talks about foreign missions around the world and would generally agree with this author’s perspective on the topic. The author incorporates the following evidence: examples of missions affecting the world. This evidence builds credibility because it shows what missions has already done to help the economy of the world, but it is also limited because it is not confirmed by anyone else. Based on my own opinion, experience, and research, I agree with this author because I believe that missions has helped people become better and take responsibility and provide for their family’s which helps the economy. I think this article is important to include in my essay because it not only talks just about the good that missionaries have done, but about the wrong they have also done.

 

    Hale, Thomas. On Being a Missionary. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1995. Print.

      This article is a credible source for my research because it is written by a man that is a missionary. The author’s credentials include being a missionary in Nepal since 1970 and has written three other books about missionary life. The author’s main goal in this article is to teach people about missionary life. The publishing source for this article generally targets an audience that fits the following description: Christians. This audience would be interested in this subject because it tells about the joys and hardships on the mission field and why we should go to the mission field and would generally agree with this author’s perspective on this topic. The author incorporates the following types of evidence: personal experience and the views of other missionaries. This evidence builds credibility because the author has personal experience in this subject, but it is also limited because it is just his personal experience. Based on my own opinion, experience, and research, I agree with this author because I have been on several missions trips and seen missionaries at work and their struggles. I think this article is important to include in my essay because it is a credible source that is on missions.

 

 Dilley, Andrea. "The World The Mission-Aries Made." Christianity Today. 14 Mar. 2104: 35-41. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.

    This article is a credible source for my research because it is written on studies done on how missionaries have impacted the economy of countries. The author’s credentials include being a missionary in Kenya and writing two other books on missions. Date-wise this publication is important to include because it is recent and so the author is aware of all the recent issues of missions. The author’s main goal in this article is to inform about how missionaries are a help to the economy of developing countries. The publication source for this article generally targets an audience that fits the following description: people that thing missionaries have not done anything to help the economy of other countries. This audience would be interested in this subject because it tells them that missionaries have had a significant impact on the economy of other countries and would both disagree and agree with this author’s perspective on the topic. The author incorporates the following types of evidence: research studies done by experts and a statistical program that test to see if missionaries have had an impact on the economy of countries but is also limited because these studies are new. Based on my own opinion, experience, and research, I agree with this author because the amount of research that was done to prove this is immense. I think this article is important to include in my essay because it proves that missions is important.

 

 

Academic Research Onine

   For most people finding information on your topic that you are writing is just plain hard. In our assignment for The Curious Researcher, Bruce Ballenger challenges us to look at some search engines online to help us find information on our topic. Here are a few search engines I used to help me find some information.

www.Dogpile.com

www.Google.com

www.Noodletools.com

Here are some articles that I find on my topic “Foreign Missions in Africa” using these search engines.

“Bible Teaching about Overseas Missions." Bible-Teaching-About.com, n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.

"Christian Missionaries in Esat Africa." Elateafrica.org. ELATE, n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.

"Christianity and Colonialism." Ask.com. Ask, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.

Davis, Ron. "David Livingstone in Africa: The Greastes Exploits of the 19th Century." Articlebase.com. Articlebase, n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.

"Missionary Settlement in Southern Africa 1800-1925." Sahistory.org.za. South African History Online, n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.

Rosenburg, Matt. "10 Facts about Africa." About.com. About.com.education, n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.

 

Inquiry Question

   Is it true that foreign missions is a waste of time, money, resources, and people? My primary purpose is to explore and see if we are commanded my God to go to the mission field and to find out if we should still be sending people to the mission field. Growing up I was always told that God has commanded us to go to the mission field, but I want to find out for myself

 

    For this assignment taken from The Curious Reader by Bruce Ballenger, Bruce tells us to make an inquiry question about our topic that we have picked and tell us the purpose of why we picked that topic. This helps you outline the question that you would like to answer in you research paper.

Interest Inventory

     In this assignment taken from The Curious Reader by Bruce Ballenger we are suppose to make an interest inventory. Now you may ask what is an interests inventory? An interests inventory is designed to help you pick a topic to write a paper on. An interest inventory is made up of ten categories and under each category you write as many words as you can that come to your head. After you have done all ten categories you go through and find a subject that interests you and one that would give you enough to write a paper on. After you have selected a topic that interest you, you write as many question that you can on that topic.

 

 

Places:

Ghana, Africa

Cape Cod

New Orleans

Alaska

Goshen Indiana

Chicago

London

Haiti

New York

 

Trends:

Big glasses

Going green

Healthy food

Low fat food

Silly bands

Duck Dynasty products

Organic products

Laptops

Video games

 

Things:

Toasters

 Fictional characters

Hamburgers

Birds

Dinosaurs

Roses

Amusement Parks

Tractors

Pocket knives

 

Technologies:

Laptops

Ipods

Blackberry

Iphones

Ipads

Voice activated locks

Robots

TVs

Projectors

Cameras

Satellites

Video games

People:

George Bush

Queen Elizabeth

Nelson Mandela

Jimmy Carter

Ray Weaver

Sammy Sosa

Tom Brady

Dave Myer

Andrew Myer

Christopher Columbus

 

Controversies:

Same-sex marriage

Is God real?

Vietnam War

Gun laws

Politics

Drugs

Offshore drilling

Minimum pay wage

Benghazi attack

Is missions important?

 

History:

World War I

Chicago Fire

Cold War

Civil War

Declaration of Independence

Slaves freed

Discovery of America

Yukon Gold Rush

Exploration of Africa

 

Jobs:

Landscaper

Barber

Counselor

Maintenance worker

Construction worker

Retailer

Salesperson

Street sweeper

Secretary

Doctor

Farmer

 

Habits:

Biting nails

Talking with mouth full of food

Picking finger nails

Picking nose in public

Looking at yourself in the mirror

 

Hobbies:

Trapping

Kite flying

Hunting

Canoeing

Camping

Sewing

Knitting

Riding horses

Playing soccer

Running

 

 

Is Missions Important?

 

Does God command missions?

Is missions a waste of money, time, and resources?

Is missions important to God?

Are we commanded to be missionaries?

Do we have to go to another country to be a missionary?

Do you have to be called by God to go to missions?

Does going to missions affect your children and if so is that affect good or bad?

  

Three minute fast write

    Hello my name is Kendrick and I am taking a class at Lancaster Bible College and my professor made us make a blog and post our homework assignments on it. These assignments are taken from the book The Curious Reader by Bruce Ballenger.Here is the first two assignments that I had to do. For these two assignments I had to pick two statements from the list we were provided and write for three minutes as fast as we could without thinking ahead of what to say and write whether or not we disagreed and why? For the first one I pick the statement that we should never use the pronoun I and for the second one I chose the statement that there is a big difference between facts and opinions.

   1)  It has long been said that when writing you should never use the pronoun I. I disagree with that statement that you should never use the pronoun I, because using the pronoun I helps readers to understand your paper better. The pronoun I helps tell exactly what your opinion is when writing and helps to distinguish your voice from the other voices in your paper. In other words using the pronoun I gives clarity to your paper.

2)   I have heard the statement that there is a big difference between facts and opinions. I agree with that statement that facts are and opinions are different. The reason I think that facts and opinions are different is, because a fact is something that has been proven scientifically and an opinion is a belief that someone holds true. A opinion may become a fact if it is proven scientifically, but if it is not proven it remains just a belief that someone thinks is true.