Kids of Courage

(Source: Bold Believers Among the Khmu of Southeast Asia, available in the Downloads section.)

Christians who want to spread the gospel of Jesus are not welcome in some places The Bible tells us that not everyone who hears God’s Word will follow Jesus. Read the Parable of the Sower in Luke 8:4–8 and Jesus’ explanation of the parable in Luke 8:11-15.

The symbols in the puzzle below stand for words in the Parable of the Sower: seeds, rock, fruit, and birds. To solve the puzzle, print it, then draw one of the four symbols in each of the empty squares so that each row (across), each column (up and down), and each block (the parts outlined in bold) contain all four symbols.

Visit this link to view the answers to the sudoku puzzle

Sudoku Puzzle Answers

Martin Luther posted 95 theses on the door of the Wittenberg, Germany, All Saints Church on October 31, 1517. The theses were statements he believed to be true and very important.

Needed: An old CD or DVD; colored pencils, crayons, or markers; clear contact paper; tape; scissors.

Martin Luther used a rose as a seal on his writings and as a way to explain his thoughts about the Christian faith. The symbol, shown above, became known as the Luther rose.

Draw and color a Luther rose on a round piece of paper 1/8 of an inch smaller around than the DVD. The cross in the center is black, and the heart is red. “Such a heart should stand in the middle of a white rose, to show that faith gives joy, comfort, and peace,” Luther wrote. “Such a rose should stand in a sky-blue field, symbolizing that such joy in spirit and faith is a beginning of the heavenly future joy, which begins already, but is grasped in hope, not yet revealed. And around this field is a golden ring, symbolizing that such blessedness in heaven lasts forever and has no end.”

Cut out the symbol, then center it on the DVD. You may want to put a small piece of rolled up tape on the back of the circle to hold it in place. Then draw around the DVD on clear contact paper and cut out the contact paper circle. Carefully remove the backing and cover the top of the DVD with the contact paper circle to seal the picture to the DVD.

If desired, make an extra coaster, give it to someone else, and share information with them about Martin Luther.

Click here to find more information about Martin Luther.

(Source: Release International, a ministry that is part of The Voice of the Martyrs’ family of missions in the United Kingdom.)

Make a large game board on thick paper or poster board like the one shown above.

Now make 10 “Blessings” cards like the example shown. On each card, write one way that God has blessed Christians in countries where they are persecuted. If you need ideas, read stories on this site.

Make 10 “Woes” cards that tell obstacles the Christians might face when they try to attend church.

Make 10 “Prayer” cards, each including a prayer need of a different country. If you need help, look in the Countries section or find prayer points in stories on this site.

Cut a small game piece out of poster board for each player. Make sure each piece is different.

How to Play
• Put the game pieces near the bus at the start.
• The first player rolls a dice or number cube and moves their game piece the number of spaces shown.
• When a player lands on a “P” space, they pick up a “Prayer” card and read it aloud. Players talk about the prayer request, then pray for the country described.
• When a player lands on a “B” space, they draw a “Blessing” card and read it aloud, then move their game piece another space forward.
• When a player lands on a “W” space, they pick up a “Woes” card, read it aloud, then move one space backward.
• Players take turns moving their game pieces. The first player to reach the church wins.

Reminder: The International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Church will be observed on November 4th.

Parents and Volunteers
Children can learn from an early age about the joys of standing firm for Christ in times of difficulty, and about being a part of the global body of Christ.

The following are some ways to present information about Christian persecution to children.

1. Be a volunteer reader at a school. Would the children like to hear about St. Nicholas, St. Valentine, and St. Patrick? Their stories provide examples of Christians whose faith remained strong when they faced obstacles.

2. Talk to children on their level. Adults can convey the struggles endured by persecuted Christians without including graphic descriptions or age-inappropriate concepts. For example, a VOM worker shared with her 3-year-old son that everything had been taken from some Christians in Iraq, even their toys. Her explanation brought the situation to her son’s level.

3. Lead or sponsor a persecution-related VBS. Add stories of persecuted Christians to the lessons, or donate a VOM Kids of Courage VBS curriculum to a church.

4. Write a song. Few Christian children’s songs address the joys of being “more than conquerors.” Share your song with a children’s group.

5. Show or donate Torchlighters DVDs to a group.

6. Invite a missionary or a Christian from a restricted country to visit your family or church and share stories of their lives. Read missionary stories or share missionary biographies with children. Pray with children for missionaries. Suggest missionary stories for book report assignments.

7. Help a teacher. Offer to substitute for a Sunday school teacher or other children’s group leader. Enter “Lesson Plan” in the search box of this site for suggestions of what to present.

8. Donate age-appropriate persecution-related material or missionary biographies to a dentist, doctor, mechanic, or hair salon for their waiting room. Public libraries and church libraries may also accept donated materials.

9. Help a class put on a program. Offer to direct a skit and/or program about persecuted Christians with a class, homeschool group, Christian scouting group, or other after school group. Invite others in the community.

10. Explore the archives of this site. Find further information and activities to share with children. Encourage children to get involved in serving, raising awareness about, and praying for persecuted Christians.