Four missions experiences from the Haun family s ministry in West Africa

Transcription

1 leader s guide Four missions experiences from the Haun family s ministry in West Africa Location: Ghana Focus verse: I will proclaim Your name to my brothers; I will praise You in the congregation. Psalm 22:22 Overall message: In the West African country of Ghana, the Haun family is serving the Lord. Whether Heidi, the mom, is helping someone who is sick, William, the dad, is producing a video, or son Trey is playing with his friends, they are proclaiming Jesus name and giving Him praise. Even Trey s baby sister, KJ, gets in on the action when the family is out together! Their ministry is mainly in small villages. They travel by truck to get to villages where the people might not have heard of Jesus. Each day might hold a different adventure, a new challenge or a surprising opportunity. The Hauns are ready to bring Jesus to the villages to Ghana. Before you begin: This resource is a collection of experiences to plug your kids into global missions. We hope you will take the ideas included here and expand your children s view of missions and their role in God s kingdom. Special Guest writer: Leslie Caldwell is experienced in writing and editing children s curriculum and has traveled to many of the countries she writes about. She is a missionary kid born in Korea, so she especially loves writing about missions. From New Kent, Virginia, she focuses on pointing her four teenagers to the Lord and His plan for the nations. When her schedule slows down, she enjoys exploring new places, eating great food and spending quality time with her family. This is a product of IMB, 3806 Monument Ave., Richmond, VA For comments or questions, contact Kids On Mission at IMB by calling (800) Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture referenced is from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

2 Experience 1 Prepare From the DVD-ROM or kidsonmission.org, prepare to show the Answers from an MK video. Download and print the Keeping Busy focus verse, Ghana map, and Mampruli words. Leave the focus verse displayed in the room to refer to in each experience. Introduction As kids gather, tell them it s time to learn a new language. The language is Mampruli (MAM-prew-lee). Probably, no one in your group has even heard of that language! Remind kids that missionaries have to learn the language of the people where they live. Hold up the Mampruli words and practice saying them together. Display them so all the kids can see them. Give them a minute to practice on their own. Who is the first person who can count to five in Mampruli without looking at the cards? Consider giving them a small prize. Q&A with Trey Tell the kids that Mampruli is the language the Haun family is learning in Ghana. Show them the Ghana map and say that you ll be learning about missions in Ghana, West Africa, specifically the ministry of the Hauns. Show the Answers from an MK video to your group. As they watch, ask the kids to think about things that they have in common with Trey and things that are different. After the video, ask what questions they would want to ask Trey. Ask all the kids to stand. As you read one of the statements below, ask them to sit if they have that in common with Trey. Have them stand back up before each statement: Trey has a pet dog. Trey has a pet chameleon. Trey has a little sister. Trey s mom is a doctor. Trey lives in an African village. Trey is homeschooled. Trey enjoys time with his friends. Pray Read the Keeping Busy focus verse. Ask God to be with the Hauns as they praise the name of Jesus in Ghana.

3 Experience 2 Prepare From the DVD-ROM or kidsonmission.org, download and print the Haun family photos. Bring a collection of items from around your house that represent activities your kids do each day. For example, bring a plate or food item that represents eating, a pillow for sleeping, a phone or tablet computer, a soccer ball, a textbook, a bottle of shampoo, etc. Collect enough items that it will become difficult for them to balance all the items with one hand. Here are some more ideas: water bottle, hair dryer, pair of shoes, sporting equipment, cleaning supplies. Recap The Haun family lives in Ghana, West Africa. The father, William, is a photographer and video producer. Heidi, the mom, is a doctor and works in a hospital. They lead busy lives, but the real reason they choose to live in Ghana is to tell the people about Jesus. Trey and his baby sister, KJ are being raised to understand that everyone, including people in the villages of Ghana, need to know and praise the name of Jesus. Balancing act Display the items that you brought from home. Ask what they think these items represent. Explain that everyone has a lot of activity they have to balance each day. To illustrate your point, ask for a volunteer to come to the front of the room and hold out a hand. Ask another kid to start stacking the items in their hand. You might let the volunteer choose items that most represent their activities. Stand close by to guard the tower of items as it tumbles. When the items fall over, ask for another volunteer to try. If your group is small and as time allows, give everyone an opportunity to be either a balancer or a stacker. Ask them how hard it is to get everything they have to do at home and for school done sometimes. Have they ever had to choose between a sporting event and a church activity? Have they ever run out of time to finish a school project? Explain that these kinds of things get harder, the older they become because life gets busier. Tell them that the Hauns have a lot to balance in their lives, AND they have to do it while living in an African village! continued on next page

4 Experience 2 continued from previous page Busy life Show the Haun family photos and ask for volunteers to read the captions. Ask the kids to make a list (on a white board or poster board) of things the Hauns have to do. Examples include work in the hospital, produce videos, visit with villagers, homeschool, take care of the baby, fix meals, tell people about Jesus. Ask how hard they think it would be to live like the Hauns live. As they learn about the Hauns and their life in Ghana, do they realize how important it is to pray for them? Pray Divide your kids into pairs or small groups. Assign each group one of these categories: Work, Family, Ministry. Ask them to take a few minutes to discuss how they can pray for the Hauns in that area of their lives. Give time for kids to pray within their groups.

5 Experience 3 Prepare From the DVD-ROM or kidsonmission.org, prepare to show The Hauns in Ghana video. Ask several children who have already made the choice to follow Jesus if they would be willing to share about that experience. Give them the questions below ahead of time so they can think about their answers. Talk to their parents before the meeting, if you think that would be appropriate. Recap The Haun family lives in Ghana, West Africa. The father, William, is a photographer and video producer. Heidi, the mom, is a doctor and works in a hospital. They lead busy lives, but the real reason they choose to live in Ghana is to tell the people about Jesus. Trey and his baby sister, KJ, are being raised to understand that everyone, including people in the villages of Ghana, need to know and praise the name of Jesus. A day in the life Remind your group of the balancing activity from the previous missions experience. Explain that through the video, they will see a day in the life of the Haun family that includes balancing family, work, and their ministry of telling the people about Jesus. Show The Hauns in Ghana video. What are some of the things that might make life challenging for the Hauns? (learning Mampruli, taking care of the baby, working long hours at the hospital, not having the conveniences that we have in the U.S.) After the video ask: What was the most exciting thing that happened on this day? Of course, this day was special because Trey chose to become a Christian! Time of testimony Ask for kids who have already chosen to follow Jesus to share a few minutes about their experience. continued on next page

6 Experience 3 continued from previous page Ask them the following questions to help them share with the other kids: Who first told you about Jesus? What are some things you remember learning about Jesus when you were younger? What made you decide to become a Christian and follow Jesus? Who did you talk with when you were ready to make that commitment to Jesus? If you ve been baptized, what was that like? Be sensitive to kids who are still searching or may not have Christian parents who teach them. Also be aware of kids who might be ready to make their profession of faith. Be sure to pray with them and follow up with their parents and your church pastor. Thank the kids who shared for telling about their experiences. Explain that it s so important for us to tell others our experiences of following Jesus. Pray Thank God for Trey Haun s salvation and also the testimonies of the children in your group. Thank God for working in each life.

7 Experience 4 Prepare Plan to replay the Answers from an MK video. Download and print the Rainy vs. dry season handout. Make copies so every kid can have one. Recap The Haun family lives in Ghana, West Africa. The father, William, is a photographer and video producer. Heidi, the mom, is a doctor and works in a hospital. They lead busy lives, but the real reason they choose to live in Ghana is to tell the people about Jesus. Trey and his baby sister, KJ, are being raised to understand that everyone, including people in the villages of Ghana, need to know and praise the name of Jesus. What s the season? Play the Answers from an MK video. Remind the kids how Trey explained that there s a dry season and a rainy season where he lives. Explain that the rainy season might last for several months. During this time, it rains almost every day. The roads become very muddy and hard to drive on. The rivers are high and villages often flood. It can become very hard to get around. Even things inside the homes can become soaking wet. During the dry season, it does not rain very much. Huge dust clouds blow in and things get very dirty. Crops turn brown and sometimes there is not enough food for animals or people in the villages. Distribute the Rainy vs. dry season handout. Allow a few minutes for kids to color the scene based on the description of each season. As they look at their pictures, ask them what challenges to ministry each season would bring. (For example, it might be hard to travel to other villages during the rainy season. It might be hard to find food they need in the dry season.) Show the Keeping Busy focus verse again. Ask how the Hauns are proclaiming God s name in Ghana. How can your kids proclaim God s name in your town? Pray Ask God to help you all meet the challenges of each day and faithfully proclaim His name.

8 Going Further More ideas using this theme Download and print the Keeping Busy parent letter. Give to parents so they can help kids extend their missions experiences through family activities. Consider setting up your room to look like a village from one of the videos. Or consider a time of worship, using drums or simple instruments as described in the video. Plan a service day for your kids, where they help people in the church by helping people who are balancing busy lives. Older kids might watch younger kids so parents can accomplish things around the house. Or kids might help busy parents with household chores. Ask your pastor or worship leader about having one of the children share their testimony in a worship service. Perhaps you can interview them from the platform with the questions from Experience 3. This is a great way to show the church family how God is at work in lives of the children. Don t forget to visit kidsonmission.org for more activities and KOM experiences you might have missed. Also, like us on Facebook and see how other churches are using KOM.