Kids of Courage

Needed
Two empty, clean, plastic, frozen juice cans
Scissors
Paper punch
Two bandanas, one red and one green
Two rubber bands
Double-sided tape
3 yards of 2-ply jute twine
Red and green colored craft sticks
Black fine-point felt-tip pen

Instructions
*Cut off about 1 inch from the top of the juice cans.

*Punch three holes near the top of each can at approximately equal intervals.

*Cut a 6.5- by 11-inch piece of cloth from each bandana. Cut another 1-inch by 14-inch piece from each one.

*Fold under the larger pieces to fit the cans, and crease or iron the seams. Wrap the pieces around the cans, attach them with double-sided tape, and hold each in place with a rubber band.

*Cover the rubber bands with the smaller strips of cloth, and tie the strips in place. Tie the green strip on the red-covered can and the red strip on the green-covered one.

*Cut the twine into six 18-inch strands. Thread the pieces through the punched holes in the cans, and knot them inside the cans to hold them in place. Knot the three strands on each can at the top of the strands.

*Choose several craft sticks for one can, and write the name of a country where Christians are persecuted on each one with a felt-tip pen. Select additional craft sticks for the remaining can. Label them with specific prayer points for Christians in those countries. Examples: Bibles, children, families, Christians in prison, peace, strength, daily needs, encouragement, government leaders.

Hang up the cans and every day during the Christmas season at mealtime or another time, draw a stick out of each can. Then pray with your family or class for the country and topic you picked. For example, if the country was China and the topic was Bibles, you can pray that Bibles will be available to everyone in China.

“Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also.” — Hebrews 13:3

Advent calendar

Needed
*A sheet of foam board about 15 inches by 20 inches
*48 multicolored labels
*Push pins or tacks
*Fine tip marker
*Glue
*Small photos of children from countries where Christians are persecuted from VOM publications or websites. (Or print and cut out the photos here.)

Instructions
*Cut off the tops of 24 labels, and glue a photo on each one, labeling them with the names of the countries where the children live, if desired. (Variation: Glue flags of countries where Christians are persecuted on the labels. Find flags in the Countries section of this site.) Let dry.

*Glue the 24 labels to the foam board. (See photo.)

*Number additional labels from 1 to 24. Use tacks or push pins to attach the numbered labels to the foam board on top of the photo labels.

*In some places, persecution of Christians increases during the season when followers of Christ celebrate His birth. Starting on December 1st, pray for the children pictured on the calendar.

Pray that God will protect Christians during the Christmas season.
Pray that non-Christians will learn about Jesus and decide to follow Him.
Ask God to comfort families of Christian prisoners who are separated from their loved ones during this season.

You can find more prayer suggestions here or in downloadable Bold Believers books here.

You can also enter the name of a country in the Search box on this site to find stories and prayer needs for that country.

Greeting card made by a 10-year-old VOM volunteer

To send greetings to a Christian prisoner in another country, visit prisoneralert.com. Click on the name of a prisoner, then on “Write a Letter.” Follow the instructions to complete the process. Or, to send your own greeting, continue the process until you get to the step in which a prisoner’s address is shown. Then instead of finishing the process and printing the letter, use the address provided to mail a greeting. (Find more instructions here.) Go to a post office to ask how much postage you will need to mail the letter.

Or, fold a piece of colored paper in half. Draw around a cookie cutter to make a picture on the front of the card. Write a message on the inside, or print a message in the prisoner’s language from prisoneralert.com to attach to the card. (To find a message in the prisoner’s language, click on the name of a prisoner, then on “Write a Letter.” Use the instructions above to find the prisoner’s address.)

Needed
30 mini raisin boxes, or other small boxes
Red and green acrylic paint
Glue (or tape)
Fine tip marker
Small photos of children from countries where Christians are persecuted from VOM publications or websites. (Or print and cut out the photos here.)

Instructions
*Cut off the tops and flaps of 24 of the mini boxes.
*Paint 12 of the boxes red and 12 of them green.
*Paint three of the remaining whole boxes red and three green.
*Let dry, and repeat if necessary.
*Glue sides of the boxes together to make a train, alternating red and green boxes. (See the photo above.) Number the odd numbered boxes with the marker.
*Make a train engine, arranging the remaining boxes as shown in the photo, and number one of the engine boxes with a 25.

*Glue or tape photos of children on the front of the boxes that are not numbered. Write the name of a country where Christians are persecuted inside each box with a photo on it, or make small labels and attach them to the inside of the boxes. (See the photo.)

*Add candy canes or mini candy bars to the boxes if desired.

Pray
Starting on December 1st, pray every day until Christmas for children around the world, especially children in countries featured on the train boxes. You can find prayer suggestions here or in downloadable Bold Believers books here. You can also enter the name of a country in the Search box on this site to find stories and prayer needs for that country.

Share the treat in each box with someone, and encourage them to pray also.