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Vision Forum E-mail Newsletter

Dear Friends,

We are pleased to announce the 2002 Elsie Dinsmore Essay Contest winners. Vision Forum was delighted to receive hundreds of applications, and selecting a winner was no easy task. Our final winners were selected not only for prose style, but more importantly for answering the question presented with precision and insight. We hope you enjoy the essays. Congratulations to our winners and the runners-up.

Blessings,
Doug and Beall Phillips

Congratulations to Our Essay Winners!

Winners of the 13-18 Category

WINNER
Rebekah A. Vari
Prize: $200
I remember meeting Elsie in that low-ceilinged schoolroom at an estate called Roselands and following her through her girlhood, her young womanhood, her motherhood, and finally to the point when she became a grandmother. For me, Elsie was not a storybook character...she was my friend. Read the Full Essay
RUNNER UP
Katie Tillett
What could twenty-first century girls, so deeply engrossed in web-surfing, e-mails and the newest fads, possibly glean from the pious life of a fictional girl who lived centuries ago? In answer to this thought-provoking question, I would like to share some of the lessons I have learned from Elsie’s Godly life. Read the Full Essay
RUNNER UP
Jennifer Schlaudt
Elsie’s influence lingers with me even now, when I am able to ponder it more deeply and discern its full meaning. My ponderings result in the conclusion that her life, represented by a great hardwood tree, can be characterized by a single word: selflessness. Read the Full Essay

Winners of the 12 and Under Category

WINNER
Elizabeth Sumrall
Prize: $100
One of my most prized possessions is my Elsie Dinsmore library. Each summer, when I am given another book or two, I reread the series, and again, feel the thrill of tracing the life of Elsie. I find more than pleasure, however in reading. I am challenged and inspired by Elsie’s wonderful Christian conduct. Read the Full Essay
RUNNER UP
Olivia Barrow
There are many things that twenty-first century girls can learn from Elsie Dinsmore. Her entire life was a wonderful example of what we should strive to be. The first thing that can be noted is that true happiness does not come without a love of God. Read the Full Essay
RUNNER UP
Amy Buchweitz
When Martha Finley wrote Elsie Dinsmore back in 1867, the main thing she taught was how to love. In 1Corinthians 13, the famous chapter of love in the Bible, the apostle Paul actually makes a list of character traits that describe Elsie perfectly. Read the Full Essay
RUNNER UP
Kori Buchanan
Sometimes, when I am working in my garden, my flowers remind me of different character qualities or virtues, sunflowers of cheerfulness, roses of love, etc. That causes me to think on girls of today. Girls of today seem to lack virtues. I have wondered why. After thinking on this problem, I have found the heart of the matter. Girls of today need role models. Read the Full Essay