Memoir

Michael Vanderhooft

To start off, my dad has been an unemployed pastor for over a year now.  Emden CRC in Renville, minnesota, was the church where he was, but they couldn't afford to keep a full time pastor, so he lost his job.  But the church did allow us to stay in the church parsonage until the end of May.

But throughout the course of the year my dad has interviewed at several churches in Canada and also here in the States, But all of them have turned him down.  But recently he has been offered a one-year internship job at Willmar CRC because their pastor was called to a different church in Iowa.  So as of next Sunday my dad will be an interim pastor at Willmar CRC.  Then we will move into the church's parsonage in early June and we will live there for up to a year or until my dad finds a job at a different church.  But, also if Willmar finds a new pastor we would have two months to move out of the parsonage.  

At the same time though my dad is interviewing at Hope Church in Montevideo.  He had an interview with them last week Sunday and he said that it went really well and that he is very excited about it and hopes that something will become of it.    To be honest I really hope we move there too because that would mean that there would be a possibility that I would be able to go to Central Minnesota Christian School.  But also I would have the chance to meet new people and make even more friends.  It also would be a million times better than moving out of state because I would only live a half hour from friends at this school and that would be great especially if my parents would choose the public school system there.  To be honest again, though, that would be one of the downsides to moving to Montevideo to me.  I really hope that my parents would choose to continue sending me to this school if my dad does get/accept a call to Montevideo.  

But even though God has been working slowly through all of this he has definitely been there.  I can definitely say that I don't want to move though I absolutely hate packing up our house and putting it all into boxes.  On the contrary, though, I know that my dad needs a job and for that to happen we need to move.  So even though I don't want to I know that a move is necessary.

Nitro Cars

By: Michael Vanderhooft

I’m going to compare the different types and styles of nitro RC cars.  I will also compare the different engine sizes and the differences in transmissions and how they affect your RC vehicles performance.  I'll also tell you price differences and some suggestions on beginner cars.

To start off, I’ll tell about my Nitro Car. It is a RedCat buggy with a one-speed transmission, which means that it has one single speed, so it doesn’t shift as you're accelerating, and a 2.67cc single piston engine which can bring the car up to 55 mph or even faster if you have the engine properly tuned.  I really enjoy this car and would recommend it to anyone looking for a first car, but there are even better choices for a first timer.  Such as the RedCat Tornado (which is also a buggy) which has a 2 speed transmission, so it shifts as it is speeding up to lower the rpm’s of the engine so the car can go even faster than a single speed transmission car.  It also has a 3.0cc engine, so it is a little bit bigger, so it can go faster than my model.  But if you are a first timer and don’t want to spend as much the shockwave is a much better price retailing at $159.9 whereas the tornado retails at $199.99.

Buggy cars a great for simple off-roading such as gravel, sand, dirt, or shallow mud, but really aren’t good on grass because their suspension system rides so low and it only has about an inch of clearance.

Another choice would be a drift car, which has the body style of a street car, but they have completely bald tires and are great for driving on streets and parking lots.  They are also great for driving in places with tight corners because they are great for drifting.  Even though I can't speak from personal experience, I have done a lot of research on this car and knowing the brand name I’m sure it’s top quality, this would be the RedCat Lightning which is a drift car with a 2.67cc engine and a two speed transmission and probably maxes out a little over 60 mph.  This car has plenty of power for driving on streets and would be a ton of fun driving on parking lots drifting, or doing donuts.  This car retails at $179.99 but that price is well worth it for what you'll be getting.  I’m sure that there are plenty of different options out there for drift cars but I am just presenting the options I know of and the brand name that I trust.

Another great option for a Nitro car is a Monster truck style.  These are great for any kind of off roading because of their high suspension and power for driving on grass, gravel, sand, dirt, and mud. Of course once you've mastered driving them they are a ton of fun to jump off of ramps.  Also, don't worry these things have an aluminum chassis and oil filled spring shocks so jumping them won't hurt it at all unless you land nose down.  A great option for a beginner Nitro Monster Truck is the RedCat Volcano which has a 3.0cc engine and has eight oil filled shocks and four wheel drive for top notch jumping and off road performance. This model retails at $229.99 and is an amazing beginner car.  However if it doesn’t provide enough speed for you, you can always purchase the RedCat Caldera which is the same as the Volcano but instead of having single speed transmission it has a two speed to provide just a little bit more speed. Another difference is that instead of having eight tiny oil filled shocks it has four bigger shocks to provide even better performance  for landing your jumps.  But, of course, for having those tiny performance upgrades its retail price is $249.99 vs. $229.99.

So as you can see there are many different options for Nitro cars and different types for different things.  If you are a total beginner at Nitro cars, I would suggest either the shockwave or the Tornado because they are the cheapest you can get for off road cars.  However if you live in a place that your only option for driving is cement, I would suggest a drift car with a two speed transmission for just that little extra boost of speed.  If you are planning on doing a lot of driving on your lawn I would suggest that you go with the monster trucks because they ride pretty high off the ground so it can't get caught up in the grass as easily as the buggy can. I know that I only used RedCat cars in this essay but that is because this is the brand of my car I know that they will give you the top quality for money.

Celebration essay

My Grandpa waterway

    Well to start off I met my Grandpa at... well, at birth, I guess.  He has been a great influence on my life, like how he strives to do his best at work and takes care of his 96-year-old dad.
    To start off, my grandpa has worked a full time job and strived to do his best in them all.  Currently he is in his 60’s and still works full time for Anderson Global.  Car companies such as Ford, Chevrolet, Chrysler and Dodge send them their car designs and they help them with the engine designs.  For example, he helped with the designs for the first Dodge Viper but he has also done multiple other cars.  Even though he works his hardest in every job and has worked full time his whole life, he is not a workaholic. and he does his best in it all and works his hardest for God.  He has been a very good example for my life.
    He also takes care of his 96-year-old father who is in an assisted living home and visits him several times a week.  He also takes him out for breakfast every Saturday morning.  Instead of just being the typical child who doesn’t take care of there parents when their old, he is completely opposite and takes care of his father and makes sure he is ok and spends lots of time with him even though he is old and forgetful.
    So as you can see, my Grandpa has been a very strong influence in my life and has inspired me greatly.  I also look up to him a lot because of how he does everything for God, such as in his work and taking care of his father.  He also takes care of his wife and provides a very nice home on a lake for him and his wife. He also strives to have a one on one relationship with his grandkids.