Good News from Ghana

Bible for Children is now providing Bible stories for the children in Ghana who speak Ewe.  There are 6.5 million people who speak this language.  This picture from Noah and the Great Flood shows the Ewe text.  Please pray for Ghana.

But we will be changed. 1 Corinthians 15:51

“Don’t pull out the potato plants,” Mom called from the porch.

“Okay, Mom.” Helen skipped to the garden and ran along the row to the potato patch. She was going to fetch her favorite supper; new potatoes. Mom would cook them, smother them with white sauce, and add lots of freshly picked peas.

Finding the two biggest plants, Helen dug with her hands until she got to the roots. She pulled five potatoes off the root, and then heaped the earth back so the root was protected. She did the same with the second plant, uncovering the root then digging her fingers into the soil to pull out a potato. She felt something mushy ooze between her fingers. Her hand was plastered with rotten potato. “Mom!” Helen rushed to the tap by the side of the house. “Look what I found under the plant.”

Mom smiled as Helen washed her hands. “This rotten potato is the one we planted for seed. The new potato plant sprouted from it.” Mom’s voice turned serious. “You know, Helen, this rotten potato reminds us of a great Bible truth.”

“What’s that, Mom?” Helen wanted to know.

“A new plant came because this potato died. The Bible says it’s like that with us. Our physical body dies, but when Jesus comes again, we are raised a spiritual body.”

“Wow!” Helen looked at the remains of the rotten potato, then at the lovely big new potato plant. Then she took Mom’s hand and walked into the house with the potatoes she had picked.

Prayer: Thank you, God, for Your promise that we will be raised with glorious new bodies when Jesus comes. Amen.

(Frieda Martens. Winnipeg, Canada.)

Good News from Macedonia

Bible for Children is now providing Bible stories for the children in Macedonia.  There are 2 million people who speak Macedonian.  This picture from The First Easter shows the Macedonian text.  Please pray for Macedonia.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  John 3:16

Scott watched his Mom carefully plant some pansies in her flower garden. “Every flower looks like a little face,” Scot said.

“They do,” Mom replied. “They remind me of little children.”

Scott laughed. “Children don’t have yellow or blue faces.”

“But there are many with different colored skin.” Mother straightened up. The world is like God’s people garden, Scott. People are different.”

“You mean like Jason?” Scott asked. “He’s a different color.”

“Yes he is,” Mom said. “God likes color and variety. And God loves all of us, no matter the color. The Bible says, “God loved the world.”

“If God loves everybody does that mean everybody will go to heaven when they die?”

“If they believe in Jesus and trust Him,” Mom responded. “Everybody who believes in Jesus and trusts Him will be in heaven.”

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for loving me enough to die for me. Help me to love others and tell them You love them, too. Amen.

(Sally Smith. Ontario, Canada.)

Good News from the Flanders

Bible for Children is now providing Bible stories for the children in Belgium, France and the Netherlands who speak Flemish.  There are 6.5 million people who speak this language.  This picture from The Start of Man’s Sadness shows the Flemish text.  Please pray for the Flanders.

He who has been stealing must steal no longer.  Ephesians 4:28

One day, Joey pulled an orange out of his pocket. He split it with his younger brother, Danny.

“Where did you get that?” Danny asked.

“From the store. I stole it.” Joey told him.

Danny thought his brother was a real hero. “Was it hard to do?”

“I backed up against a big orange box and put one into my back pocket,” Joey said. “It’s easy. Tomorrow, you can try.”

Next day, the boys went to the same store. Danny backed up to the big box and put an orange into his back pocket. On their way home Danny tore the orange in half and took a bite.

“Yuck. It’s sour,” he shouted.

‘That’s not an orange, Danny! It’s a lemon.” Joey told him. The boys threw away the lemon. When they got home, the storekeeper was at their house, talking to their Dad.

“Tell Dad we didn’t do it,” Joey whispered. “There’s no proof.”

“Come here, boys.” Dad spoke sternly. “Let me smell your hands.” He sniffed at the boys’ hands then gave the storekeeper some coins.

“Lemon. I’m afraid you’re right. I will look after this,” Dad said to the storekeeper. “And I’m sorry that my boys have brought shame on them and on me.”

The boys felt bad.

“I have forgiven you - and paid for what you stole,” Dad told them. “If you tell God you’re sorry, He will forgive you and help you not to steal again.”

Joey and Danny both did what Dad said - and they never stole again.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for helping me not to steal. And thank You for forgiving all my sins. Amen.

(Jake Peters. Winnipeg, Canada.)

Good News from Ghana

Bible for Children is now providing Bible stories for the children in Ghana who speak Dagbani.  There are 1.3 million people who speak this language.  This picture from The Birth of Jesus shows the Dagbani text.  Please pray for Ghana.

I Jesus am the bright and morning star.  Revelation 22:16

Johnny lay on his bed looking out of the window. He could see stars - millions of stars - more stars than he could ever count. In his imagination Johnny heard the God of heaven calling him to come up to travel among the stars.

“I would like to do that, Lord,” Johnny whispered sleepily. “But there’s a lot of darkness up there, too.”

From the blanket of stars above, one star began to shine brighter and brighter. To Johnny, it seemed that this bright star also grew larger and larger and came closer and closer. Soon it was so close and so bright that Johnny had to shut his eyes.

Kitchen sounds woke Johnny. Mom was making breakfast. At the table, he told her about the stars. “Must have been a dream,” he muttered.

“Perhaps,” Mom replied. “But what a nice dream. It reminds me of the Star that led the wise men to Jesus.”

“Yes,” Johnny’s Dad added. “It reminds me of something else.” He reached for the family Bible. “It reminds me of Jesus, the bright and morning star. He came to bring light in the darkness.”

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, thank You that You are the light of the world. Amen.

(Jake Peters. Winnipeg, Canada.)

Good News from Ghana

Bible for Children is now providing Bible stories for the children in Ghana who speak Dangme.  There are 1 million people who speak this language.  This picture from When God Made Everything shows the Dangme text.  Please pray for Ghana.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.  Ephesians 6:1

“Jake! It’s washday. I can’t do it myself.” Mother sounded firm.

“But Mom. We planned to go swimming. The boys are on their way over.” Jake scowled. “I promised.

“It’s Monday. You should have thought about that before making any other promises.”

Summer on the prairie farm was hot. Too hot to wind the big wooden handle on the outdoor washing machine for fifteen minutes. Too hot to force the wet clothes through the wringer. Too hot for anything - except a nice cool swim in the pond.

“Maybe I’ll just sneak away, and call on the boys instead,” Jake thought. Oh, how he wanted to swim. But Jake knew his Mom couldn’t do the wash without his help. So he trudged to the washing machine and got started.

When the boys came along the road and saw Jake working, they didn’t even come into the yard. As they strolled away, Jake noticed they were munching on some apples.

A few minutes later, as Jim helped Mom hang the wash on the drying line, he heard the wail of a police siren. The town police car appeared, and stopped up the road. The policeman talked to the boys, then bundled them into the car.

“Looks like your friends are in trouble.” Mom said.

Jake didn’t answer. He knew. And as the breeze blew the cool wet bed sheets on to his face, he was glad he had obeyed his mother.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father.

Help me to do what my parents say - for this is right. Amen.

(Jake Peters. Winnipeg, Canada.)