The following is an essay which 13 young people who attended Our Savior's Lutheran School at Bylas, Arizona, wrote and then had one of their number read at their graduation in May of this year. Our Savior's Lutheran Church is one of a dozen WELS congregations on the San Carlos and Ft. Apache Indian Reservations. The essay was printed in the August number of The Apache Lutheran. Reprinting it in this issue is particularly appropriate since this issue also speaks about new WELS Christian day schools in other parts of the country and because it is the issue that comes out around Thanksgiving. The essay breathes the thankfulness of these young hearts, and for that we are thankful.

Through the years that we have gone to school at Our Saviors Lutheran School, we have learned about the one true God--the Triune God. For it was God the Father who gave us our body with its legs, hands, and fingers to use to work. God also gave us our head with which to think and learn more about him.

We learned that God's will is that "everyone be saved" and "come to the knowledge of the truth." And the truth is that only through faith in God's Son Jesus Christ can we be saved. "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life." Christ suffered and died for the sins of all people in the world no matter what color their skin or from what nation or tribe they come.

We also learned we could not believe in Jesus by ourselves. We have no power to follow God. Through hearing God's Word, the Holy Spirit worked faith in our hearts. God gave us the chance to hear his Word in school every day and to listen to the preaching of his Word every Sunday. It is through the Spirit's power also that we are taught to know the true Word and correct false teachings.

Thinking about all the good things God has given us--thinking about how God has made us--takes care of us--watches over us through his angels--guards and protects us--thinking about God's greatest love of sending his only Son to die for us, makes us see how helpless we are. All these blessings make us want to thank God for his goodness and serve him for his kindness.

We thank God for his Commandments for Jesus said, "if you love me, you will keep my commandments." We have learned to honor and obey our parents--to respect other people's property and business and not covet what they have. We learned to watch out for and help other people in their needs to lead a chaste and decent life in word and deed--to respect a neighbor's good name--and to treat everyone with kindness in word and deed.