Project Prayer
Gather the kids into a prayer circle. Give each child a copy of “A Prayer for Children Far Away” (below). Say: Now that we’ve learned about the children who live in (name of country), we can understand how their lives are like ours and how they’re different. Since we know more about their problems, we’re better able to pray for them.
Ask kids to close their eyes and think for a moment about the children they learned about. Next, ask them to open their eyes and read the prayer along with you.
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Then say: God loves all children. As Christians, we are called to care about children who live next door to us and children who live far away from us. Take your prayer home and hang it in your room. This week, whenever you see it, remember to pray for the children of (name of country).
The Extra Service Step
Consider having your kids send drawings and letters to children who live in the country they learned about. Perhaps your guest speaker can connect you with a church or school there that would like to receive greetings from your kids. If your guest speaker is unable to help you find a place to mail the greetings, your denominational office or a local mission group might be able to help.
You might want to take photographs of your group to send. Packs of stickers are a great treat to include in a package, along with a cover letter explaining a bit about your group. The cover letter may be in English, even if that isn’t the country’s native language, since it usually isn’t difficult to find an English translator.
Of course, if you receive a reply from the foreign children, your kids might want to continue the correspondence. And consider collecting items to mail to the children, such as crayons, coloring books, stickers, or socks. Your congregation might want to become involved in adding to your collection.
A Prayer for Children Far Away
Say: Dear God, We pray for the children of ___________. Now that we know more about their country, we can understand what their lives are like. Please take care of them and help them to feel your love. Although their lives are different from ours, we know that inside, they’re kids just like us! In Jesus’ name, amen.
This children’s lesson was originally published on ChildrensMinistry.com, © Group Publishing, a division of David C Cook.
