Week 5 Family Missions Challenge- Part 1

Today were are going to go to the country of Cambodia.  Can you locate Cambodia on the map?  

Tonle Sap (TOHN-lay SAHP) Lake in Cambodia is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. We are going to take a look at how some Christians from Vietnam are meeting the practical needs of their neighbors by providing clean water and basic dental services. They learned these dental skills from a team of American dentists.  Click here to watch the video.

Discussion-

1.  Describe some ways that living on the water is different than how we live.

2.  Do you think it would be harder or easier to live on the water?

Now we are going to look at a group of Vietnamese Christians living in the floating village of Chonng Khneas (CHOHNG kuh-NAY-us), Cambodia.  They recently visited Kbal Taol (kuh-BAHL tuh-AHL), another floating village on Tonle Sap (TOHN-lay SAHP) Lake. Only one person in this village is a follower of Jesus!  The Vietnamese Christians visited the village on a mission trip. They learned basic dentistry from a team of American volunteers. Then they put those skills into practice. They use the skills they learned as an opportunity to tell others on the lake about Jesus.   Click here to take a look.

God asks us to take care of those who are in need. The greatest need people have is to know God. We can share Him with others by using practical skills. We are going to listen to a 15-year-old girl, named Hanh, who accepted Jesus  2 years ago.  She is only one of seven or eight believers in her floating village in Cambodia.  One of the skills that Hanh is learning is telling Bible stories to share with people living in her village and other villages on the lake.  Many of the people living on the lake cannot read.  They learn Bible stories by hearing and sharing them with others.  Click here to listen now.

Don't forget that everyone can learn Bible stories to tell others, just like Hanh.  It is important for us to share God's word with others.  What are some ways that you might be able to share with others?

Prayer Time-

Take some time to pray for the people of the floating villages that we saw today.  Pray that God's word would be spread to them. 

Family Mission Challege- Week 4 Part 2

Today we are going to be moving back to the country of India. We are going to take a look at some areas in India that are refered to as slums.  Do you know what a slum is?  A slum is where some of the poorest people live.  They don't have running water or a bathroom.  Usually the whole family lives and sleeps in one room!

Can you find India on the map?

Click here to see a movie about the slums in India.

Discussion-
-What did you learn about the slums from this video?
-Do they live a lot differently than we do?

People in India eat a lot of rice. It’s a very important part of their diet. Some children in the slums eat rice and daal (a gravy made of lentils) every day.  How would you feel if that bowl of rice was all they had to eat today?  Would you get tired of eating rice every day?  Families in the slums need about 16 rupees to pay for their food each day. This is about equal to about 30 cents. Most families in the slums live on less than $1 per day! Wow!

Do you know how Jesus feels about poor people?
      Take a look at Matthew 25: 35-40-
        35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
       37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
      40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’


•What does Jesus means when He says, “whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me.” ?
 How is serving the poor like serving God?


• While we care about the living conditions of poor people in India, we care even more about their hearts. There are 1.1 billion people live in India but only a very, very small number of people are followers of Jesus.


Click here to watch a small music video. 

Pray

Read Galatians 2:10 and pray that God will help you remember the poor – those in India and around you. Pray that they will understand their deepest need is for salvation through Jesus.

Family Missions Challenge- Week 4

Today we are going to look at how missionaries rely on others to help them minister and share the Gospel in the communities and places they serve.  While God calls missionaries to serve in every nation around the globe, missionaries alone cannot reach everybody. God calls people to share His story through short-term mission trips too. All believers can be a part of what God is doing around the world by not only giving money to support missionaries but giving their time as well on missions trips.  Did you know that we can be missionaries in our own town to help others and share the Gospel?!  Click here to see a video challenge from Eli, a missionary kid, for you!

Let's take a little bit closer look at the people of Argentina that Eli's family works with.  To start off, click here to listen to some music from Argentina.  Let the kids have fun by taking a moment to dance to the music.  Mom and Dad, get up an join in with them. :)

Find Argentina on the map-

Today we are going to be talking about the Criollo [Cree-Oh-loh] people of Argentina. The photos are of objects that relate to the Criollo culture. Take a look at the four pictures below.  Have kids guess why each item could be important to the Criollo people..


  


1. Broom: Keeping the front of your house clean is a big priority for Argentines. The first order of cleaning your house each day is to sweep outside. This can be very interesting if you don’t have a sidewalk or a driveway. With a broom, they will sweep the grass or the dirt that is in front of the house.

2. Horse: In Latin America, the Criollo people are considered the cowboys, or gauchos, of South America.  They hold annual rodeos where the gauchos showcase their talents.

3. Thermos: Criollos love matte (a somewhat bitter tea). It is carried in thermal jugs to every social occasion.  It is drunk by the group, from one cup and one straw.

4. Hands clapping: Not all houses are equipped with doorbells. It is a common custom to clap to attract the attention of the house occupants.

Next we are going to watch a video about David and Alisha Holt's family, who are missionaries in Argentina.  The Holt's depend on people just like you and me to travel to Argentina to help them in reaching the Criollo people with God’s love.

• How do you think people can help the Holt's reach others?

The Holt's use short-term mission workers in a variety of ways,  but they also rely on them to pray for the people they are working with.  Click here to watch the video about this family.

God may ask you to go on a mission trip with their family or church in the future. But what can you do right now until that time comes possibly for you to serve somewhere else?  You can minister to people right here in your own community.

Take a look at this verse-
1 Peter 2:9
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,  a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. ”

Do you know what this verse is telling us? God has made believers stand out to be used by Him to share His story with those who have not heard. Just like missionaries in Argentina are using short-term teams to help them, God can use you, too! 

The Criollo people in Argentina are just one of many groups in Latin America who need to hear about Jesus. Before we wrap up, we are going to watch a video about a missionary kid who volunteers her time to help other people. Her name is Abbey and her parents are missionaries serving in Chile. Knowing that people need to hear about Him in other places, Abbey went on a short-term mission trip to a country in Middle America, Nicaragua.  Click here to check out the video.

• How did Abbey give her time to the people of Nicaragua?


• What are some things you could do in their own community to serve? (visit nursing home, food pantry, rack leave for elderly, etc.)

*15 SHIP BUCK BONUS-  Take one of  your ideas and live it out.  For example, pick a Saturday afternoon, and go spend a couple hours just hanging out and visiting residents in a nursing home.  You have the next 4 weeks to come up with an idea and then go and serve as a family.  When you complete it, just jot down a little note on your take home sheet.  I will look forward to hearing all about the experience.

Prayer Point-
Continue to pray for the missionaries that we have been able to see.  Please be praying for your family and that God would show you how to be a light in your community.  Also be praying that God will give you the courage to tell others about Jesus.

Family Missions Challenge Week 3- Part 2

Missionaries start churches, share the Gospel and help those in need. God uses many different jobs to accomplish these tasks. Today we are going to look at how God uses different jobs to reach the people in the Amazon Jungle.

The Amazon jungle is one of the most unique and diverse places on the planet. Some of the most incredible animals, birds, plants and insects live in the midst of this massive forest. Within that same jungle are people who need to hear and know Jesus. Many of them have never had contact with anyone from the outside world. God gives different people different gifts that allow them to minister even in the remotest places in the world. You, too, have been given a special gift by God to use in service for Him.

Can you find the Amazon Jungle on the map?  Did you know that the Amazon covers 2.5 million square miles, more than half the entire country of Brazil!

Test your knowledge of the Amazon with these True and False Questions:
1. The Amazon jungle has the nickname “Lungs of the Planet” because it produces more than
20% of the world’s oxygen.

(TRUE)

 2. The Amazon jungle receives about five feet of rain during the rainy season each year.

(FALSE, 

The Amazon receives nine feet of rain during the rainy season each year.)

 3.The Amazon jungle contains the longest river system in the world.

(FALSE, 

the Amazon River is the second longest river system in the world.)

4. The jungle touches 4 South American countries.

(FALSE, 

the jungle touches 9 countries inSouth America.)

5. The Amazon jungle contains more than half a million species of insects and spiders.

(TRUE)

6. The number of edible fruits found in the rainforest is estimated at 3,000.

(TRUE)

7. It is estimated that 1,000 people live in the Amazon jungle.

(FALSE, 

250,000 people live in the jungle who speak approximately 170 different languages!)

8. About 50 tribes live within the jungle who have never had contact with the outside world.

(TRUE)

It is very hard to get to many of the people living in the Amazon jungle. But God has equipped missionaries with the right gifts and abilities to reach and to minister to the people living there. Click here to watch a video about Andy, whose missionary job is to fly people to the hard-to-reach places. 

How does God use Andy's unique skill?

Just like Andy has a unique job, so do other missionaries. God uses lots of different gifts and
skills to do many different jobs. Click here to take a look at other missionary jobs.

What are some of the jobs that you saw?

Where these jobs that you would not have considered that missionaries do before watching the video? 

Prayer Point-

We may not have the skills to fly a plane or treat a patient, but we can pray for these missionaries and help to give to their needs.  Take time to pray for the missionaries that you saw today.  Also ask God to show your family how you can support missionaries.

Family Challenge- Week 3

God has created a very diverse world with many different types of places. Latin America and the Caribbean have rural areas, cities, islands and deserts. In each of these unique locations people need to hear the Gospel. We have no greater gift than to share the Gospel and there is no place God cannot reach.  He asks those who believe in Him to share His story, which means physically taking the Gospel to these many different places. God can use you, too!


Take a look at a slideshow to see all the different types of places missionaries can serve. Click HERE
 

•How are the places you just saw are different and how they are alike?

• Even though these places are different, each one is filled with people who need Jesus.

That’s why God sends missionaries all over the world to work in every type of place He has created.

• Do you know where these different pictures are from?  All of these were from Latin America and the Caribbean.

• Show the Latin America and Caribbean map and use the map’s key to point out some of the very different places found in this part of the world.
      Click Here to watch a video about a family serving as missionaries in Brazil.   1. What are some of the needs that you saw in this video? 2. Take time to pray for the people that the Reese's are working with.

Week 2- Family Missions Challenge- Part 2

        In some places of the world, missionaries are not welcome and being a follower of Jesus can be dangerous.  People living in these places may not believe in Jesus. They may put their faith in other people and things. They may follow other religions.  It can be hard for people living in these places to change the way they’ve thought and believed to follow Jesus.  Sometimes the governments and leaders of these places want to control what people believe. They don’t want their people to hear about Jesus and change the way they live and what they believe.  But God loves the people living in these unnamed places and He wants us to be a part of His work there.

      Today we are going to take a look at one of those places.  The name of the place won't be shared to protected the missionaries.  We are going to watch a video about Avery Claman, whose parents are Christian workers in an unnamed place. Since we can’t show Avery, his friend, Adam, will tell us the Clamans’ story. 

 Click here to watch the video.

Discussion-
1.  Have you child sit for a minute in the quiet.  Have them imagine there is an angry mob outside their door.

• How would you feel?

• What would you do?

2.  How did the Claman family respond to the attacks on their house?
3.  Read the following verse- 
               Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.’”

• What Jesus means when He says to take up our cross and follow Him?
•  (Jesus’ cross was the physical cross. He was obedient to God by dying on the cross to save those who believe in Him.  Jesus asks believers to be like Him. We need to be obedient to do whatever God asks us to do.)

4.   We don’t typically need to worry about people wanting to cause us harm for sharing about
Jesus.  In the video, Adam asks what we can do to be obedient to Jesus. Ask kids to share some of
their ideas.

• Whether you are giving our time, our prayers, our money or our lives, God asks us to be obedient to follow Him, too. We can be a part of what God is doing now. Our task is no different from that of believers living and working in these unnamed places.

Prayer time-
     Take time to pray for missionaries who are working in areas that are not safe for Christians.  Pray for their safety.  Also pray that God would soften the people's hearts who they are working with so that they can hear the Good News.  Also be praying that God would show your family how you can be involved in missions- maybe locally, supporting missionaries or praying for missionaries.

Week 2 Family Missions Project- Part 1

As Christians, our mission field starts at home and stretches throughout the world. It’s the same for missionaries who live in another country. Caroline is a missionary kid who lives in Thailand. She knows that “home” is an important mission field for her. She has learned to appreciate the Thai culture so that she can share Christ with her friends.

 

Find Thailand on the map.

Facts about Thailand-

•Thailand is a Buddhist country in Southeast Asia. We will learn more about Buddhism today.
• Thailand is known as “the land of smiles” because Thai people are friendly and very polite.

Click here to see some scenes from Thailand! 

• What was your favorite scene?  Is there something that you would want to visit?
• Did any of you notice scenes of the Buddhists? (Consider playing the video back and pausing on
one of the pictures of Buddhists at the temple).

What is Buddhism-

• Buddhism teaches that there is no god, but Buddhists worship many idols and statues.
• Buddhist's goal is "enlightenment"- a state of peace and ultimate wisdom.
• Buddhists believe a person can reach enlightenment through strict discipline, study and by performing good works.
• Buddhist often mix their beliefs with different religions and cultures.
• Many are also animists, which means they believe spirits inhabit the natural world like trees and rivers 
• Discuss the differences between Buddhism and Christianity. For each fact about Buddhism, can your kids explain what Christians believe?

Most people in Thailand do not know Jesus. Missionaries who live there are telling the people about Jesus. The Thai people enjoy many festivals. Missionaries use these festivals as witnessing opportunities.  They know they have to share Jesus at home and around the world, just like we do.

Let's take a look at Caroline in Thailand! Click here

Discussion-

• Caroline, other Christian workers and Thai Christians want to find ways to tell people
around them about Jesus.
• How did you see Caroline sharing the love of Jesus?
• What are some ways that you can tell people around them about Jesus?

 One important way that Christians witness is by telling people what Jesus means to them.  

1. Take a few minutes to think about what Jesus means to you.  (Parents you may need to help your kids think through this by first sharing what Jesus means to you.)  If you are struggling have kids talk about what it feels like to know that Jesus loves them.
2. Have your child role play with you and practice sharing what Jesus means to them.  Have them imagine that they are sharing with a friend that they know doesn't know Jesus.

Prayer Wrap up- Take some time as a family to pray for Thailand.  Here are some suggestions.
• For Buddhists to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord.
• For missionaries to find chances to share Jesus’ love.
• For Thai people to have Bibles in their own language.
• For missionaries to have things they need.
• For new churches to start in Thailand.

Week 1 Family Missions Challenge Part 2

When missionaries make their home in another country, they make new friends. These friendships
often lead to opportunities to tell people about Jesus. Caroline’s parents are missionaries. Her family
lives in Thailand, but they used to live in India. Wherever Caroline lives, she tells her friends about Jesus.
We need to make sure we’re telling our friends about Jesus, too.

In the video, You will see what it’s like for people who call India “home.”

Discussion Questions-

• What unusual things did you see that they would not see in the U.S.?

• What do they think it would be like to make friends in India?

• Ask your child to tell you about how they met one new friend at school this year?

• Missionaries around the world have to make new friends whenever they move. Those friendships

are important because they make their place feel like “home.” Those friendships also lead to

opportunities for them to share about God.

• Missionary kids in India get to experience many different things in India, but mostly they get to do what all kids do when having fun with their friends. Children in India love to play badminton and a sport called cricket. They also like to hang out, eat snacks, fly kites and draw pictures.

A friend thing

Henna is an important part of Indian culture. It is temporary artwork drawn on the skin., is a major part of some cultures. Women put beautiful designs on their hands and feet for special occasions.

                                

Friends gather to share stories and share artwork. The special, temporary dye used is made from the Henna plant. Chrisitan workers living in places like India often gather with their friends and use the art as a way to share about Jesus.  They will make special designs on their hands and feet that tell stories from the Bible.

Click here to open a file of sample Henna patterns that tell a Bible story.  Using a magic marker let your child draw the picture on their hand.  If you would like a less messy option, trace their hand onto a piece of paper and then draw design.  If you would like, You can find intricate henna patterns and how missionaries are using henna art with their friends at www.hennastories.org.

Focus Verse-

This is My command: Love one another as I have
loved you. No one has greater love than this,
that someone would
lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:12-13

• Ask:

What did Jesus command us to do?

 How do we love each other like Jesus loves us? (Jesus showed love to his friends and prayed for His friends and we should pray for our friends, too.)

What did Jesus do for us? 

Prayer Points-

-Thank God for missionaries around the world who are sharing Jesus with their friends.

-Ask God to help you to see and meet friends who need to hear about Jesus.

-Also ask God to give you the courage to share!

-Pray for a specific friend that you know who doesn't know Jesus.

Week 1: Family Missions Challege Part 1

Welcome families from Extreme and Adventure Zone! To start off your weekly challenge, please click here and watch the short video that comes up.

Missionaries often have to move – sometimes to a different house, sometimes to a different

country. Wherever they go, they learn to make a home with their families and find out how God wants to use them right where they are. Caroline’s parents are missionaries and her family has lived in several Asian countries. She went on a trip to visit China, a country that her family used to call “home.” Today her family serves the Lord in a new home in Thailand. Wherever home is for us, we can serve the Lord, too.

In the next video Caroline will tell you about her trip to China.

Discussion Questions for your child-

• What new things did you see in the video about China?

• Ask kids to think about what it might be like to live in a country where the language is different. Would

you enjoy the challenge? Or would you be afraid?

• Ask them to think about what it would be like to live in a country where people do not go to church or

know about Jesus. Ask them to discuss ways they could talk about Jesus in that place.

Take a moment to read Jeremiah 29:11

“ ‘For I know the plans I have for you’ –

this is the Lord’s declaration –

‘plans for your welfare, not for disaster,

to give you a future and a hope.’ ”

These verses were written for people who had to leave their homes a long time ago.

They were Israelites who had been sent to live in Babylon. The Israelites were sad that they had to

leave their homes. God told the people that they would have to live in Babylon for 70 years. God

wanted the people to live happily in Babylon and told them to pray for Babylon.

Here is Jeremiah 29:11 written in Chinese:

耶和华说, 我知道我向你们所怀
的意念是赐平安的意念,
不是降灾祸的意念,
要叫你们末后有指望.
耶利米书 29:11

Have children try to copy the verse in Chinese.

Discussion Questions-

• How hard is it to write in another language? Can anyone read what they have written?

• Aren’t you glad that missionaries are willing to learn another language so they can tell others about

Jesus?

One way Christian workers share the Gospel in China is by teaching English. Sometimes,

Christian workers offer short English lessons at “English corners.” Chinese are often anxious to practice

their English and look forward to meeting at the corner or in the coffee shop or wherever they find

people willing to help them.

Now we're going to practice your Chinese! Click here!

Do you think that it would be easy to learn another language? Missionaries learn other languages, but they also help people who want to learn English. They use things like “English corners” to build relationships with people. Sometimes they teach English using the Bible or stories about Jesus. That way the people are learning English and learning about Jesus at the same time!

Prayer Wrap-Up-

Thank God that Christians are willing to make their home in China, so people there can hear about

Jesus. Pray for their safety as they tell others about God.  Also pray that God would help make you aware every day of chances you have to tell someone about Jesus.