There are many things that stand out out about me. I am a great writer. I love to read. I love to cook. I like to take on new challenges, even when the odds are against me. I like sports, especially track and wrestling. I am also a man that loves God and is willing to defend my faith at whatever cost. 

Let's start off with the reading and writing part. The truth be told, I was once a horrible writer and an even worse reader. I could not write a story for squat without taking someone else's and changing it to fit my needs. I was plagiarizing and not knowing it. Over time, I soon began to become a better reader and that led to me becoming a better writer. Through reading, I was able to find a template for how I like to write. When no template was available, I created my own. They are the Dan & Johnny Adventure Series. What was even more surprising was when last year I won a writing contest called the Patriots Pen. The theme was ‘Why We Remember Veterans’. I was so proud when I won and my Mom and Dad were even more surprised. My Dad later said, “I am proud that my adopted son from Russia was able to show more patriotism than those who were born in this country. You have a better appreciation for the people of this country than anyone else, because you know where you came from.”
I love to cook. I get a lot of criticism from my little brother Lars for liking to cook. Hey, if it’s a valuable skill learn it. Luckily, that criticism doesn’t go as far as ‘yum, this is delicious’ that results from it. I have never been that smart in anything valuable (math, science, technology, etc.), so to be good in cooking was just another item to add onto my resume. I also surprise myself when I make all kinds of creations and they actually turn out to be good. This summer, I had the opportunity to cook all week. Although I made a mess, the pinnacle of my success was my Kielbasa Stew. It was better than I could have ever expected.

I love challenges. To be brutally honest, challenges appeal to me the first time I say to myself ‘I can’t do it’?. That’s when I say, ‘I’ll bet that I can.’ When we first started to climb the rock wall, I went to the harder part of the wall. I seriously began to doubt my own strength and ability. Imagine my surprise when I was able to scale that wall with all the ease in the world. I had even been able to go all the way on my first try when a football player couldn’t. Man, was I proud. The greatest challenges to me are sports. Sports will always be hard for me, I know that. Because of that, I’ve always kind of shied away from sports and wanted nothing to do with them.  That was until I decided that I wanted to break away from that stigma that I would never be good at anything but the arts. I loved wrestling and track. I may have not been good at either, but at least I was able to change my physique. In wrestling, I went from not very strong to moderately strong. I have a vise-grip now, because of wrestling. I was never a very good runner. But, after I joined track, I began to gain some stamina and strength. ‘Two roads diverged in a yellow road; I took the one less traveled and it has made all the difference.’ - Robert Frost
Most of my life I was a quiet and shy kid, much due to the fact that I felt very insecure about some things, such as my height, weight, and voice. As I matured, I realized that there is really nothing to be afraid of. If people make fun of me, they do. It’s not my loss if they never become my friend. I have been known for having thirty seconds of insane courage. I decided that at camp when I was nine, I wanted to be a pastor. God worked in my heart that week and I was at the end, able to stand on stage and give a little Bible lesson. I continued that for three years until I somehow lost interest.  After much prayer, I decided two years later, that I wanted to keep spreading the gospel. I took my zeal not only to the stage at Camp, but also to my writing and to my friends at school. I have been called crazy, nuts and a ‘Jesus Freak’. But that is all to be expected if I want to see my friends at school come to know Christ.

Many things stand out about me. God created me to be unique in his image. So, really, as much as I hated how I looked and walked, what stands out in me, will not stand out in someone I admire, such as my brother Andy. I may never be as strong as him, but my love for writing may not be seen as strongly in my sister Ellie. I’ll never be able to play baseball as good as my younger brother Lars, and he will never be able to cook as well as me. My little Brother Nels’ grip will never be as strong as mine, but I’ll probably never have such an enthusiasm for the outdoors as he does. For every flaw I see in myself, I see yet another strength that no one else has. I no longer look at myself in the mirror with disgust. I look at myself with pride, as a unique person that God created.