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Newsletter
I JULY 2005
A ROCKET TRIP TO THE MOON
Let's suppose that a rocket ship is ready for a trip to the moon. It has been built on the desert sands of southern California , about a hundred feet below seal level. It has not been built on top of the nearby Sierras, nor on top of Mt. Everest. A certain Colonel Eager Beaver, immensely wealthy and very egotistical, wants to go to the moon, but he declares that it is not becoming to him to go all the way down into the desert, below sea level. He is going to do the thing in a grandiose way. He is going to finance an expedition to Asia and get a party to climb the top of Mt. Everest and take off from there. So Colonel Eager Beaver creates a great stir. Many men are willing to accept the high salary he pays to go to Asia on the expedition. Plenty of salesmen are willing to sell him all the equipment he wants; they pocket their profits with a smile. Finally the Colonel reaches Asia, and he and a small company of guides even reach the summit of Mt Everest; they build a small shelter so that they can stay there month after month.
Then Colonel Eager Beaver hears that some skeptics criticize his plan. They know the reality of earth's altitude and the principles of rocket ships. But the Colonel is very proud and describes in great detail all that he has done. He argues that we must admit that he is closer to the moon than anyone else on earth. He is more than five miles above the level of the sea and therefore five miles nearer to the moon than those poor creatures who have gone down to the rocket station to take off for the moon.
There is only one way to reply to him. In terse words, he must be told that he is a fool. There is no place for pride in an attempt to reach the moon. If any man is going to go to the moon, he must stop talking about mountain climbing expeditions, and go to the one place where there is a craft capable of crossing the reaches of space. Furthermore, when he gets to the launching area he must be willing to go through one small door into the rocket. Only then can he hope to achieve his purpose. By climbing high on the surface of the earth he is, in reality, farther from the moon than he would be by going low.
Some may think that my illustration is slightly fantastic, and I readily admit it; but the efforts of men to get to heaven are even more fantastic than those of the Colonel. There is only one way to get to heaven. That was opened at one geographical spot on the earth – Calvary - where the cross of Jesus Christ was set up and where Christ, the Son of God, died that He might become the Savior of men. All over the world there are those who outfit their private mountain climbing expeditions of good works, and imagine that they can be nearer heaven because they have done this deed or performed that philanthropic act. But in reality the farther they are from Calvary the farther they are from God.
--Let Me Illustrate
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LETTER
FROM THE ISF ASSISTANTS
Dear International Friend,
Greetings to you from International Student Fellowship!
Here in Pittsburgh the weather was unusually warm but we had a few days of cooler weather in the middle of June which everyone enjoyed. On July 4th we will be celebrating Independence Day. It will be a time of family gatherings, cookouts and fireworks. We know many of you will be traveling this summer. Some are visiting new places in the United States while others are taking some time to visit back in their home country. We wish you a safe journey and an interesting time of seeing new places and wonderful reunions with your families.
Many Americans take time during the summer to have family reunions. They can be as small as 20 or 30 people or as large as 100 or more when all the relatives are invited. They are times of cookouts or potluck dinners along with games and awards for those that attend. Some people travel many miles to see the family they may not have seen for over a year or longer. We would like to have a reunion with all of the International friends that we have made over the last eight years. That would be a very large gathering of people. It is a nice dream but we realize that it would be almost impossible for that to happen. The best we can do is to send this newsletter to you each month to assure you that we think about you and like to keep in touch with you.
The date of the July ISF Gathering will be on Friday, July 8 th at 7:30 PM in the beautiful Ballroom of the William Pitt Union . The William Pitt Union is located in Oakland on the corner of Bigelow and Fifth Avenue . To get to the Ballroom, use the entrance on Fifth Avenue and then follow the signs. At this gathering we will have a special an interesting lecture, special music and warm fellowship along with our full course meal. Of course the children will be having special activities in the Kurtzman room. It's all free!
We look forward to seeing you on Friday, July 8th!
--Terry
& Pam Tiberio, ISF Assistants
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"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9) |
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JUNE ISF
GATHERING (June 17, 2005)
90
were present from the following 5 countries: China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, USA.
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Hope
to see you at the July ISF Gathering on Friday,
July 8th, at 7:30 PM in the Ballroom of the William
Pitt!
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