Forgotten Voices International demonstrates the love of Jesus Christ by equipping local churches in southern Africa to meet the physical and spiritual needs of children orphaned by AIDS in their communities. Kids Serving Kids of Forgotten Voices International is the outreach of the organization that is committed to equipping parents, kids and families to know, love, give and serve kids whose voices are forgotten throughout their communities, southern Africa and the world. Kids Serving Kids connects parents with resources, materials and opportunities to empower, inspire and serve side-by-side with their kids to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ to children throughout the world. This material contained in this booklet is one such resource. It is intended to be a launching point for further discussion, creativity and spiritual growth. We pray that it blesses and inspires you and your family. As you use and build upon ideas contained in this resource, please contact us to tell us about your experience. With your permission we will share your story to inspire and encourage other children and their families. Blessings, Kathy Goss Kids Serving Kids Coordinator kgoss@forgottenvoices.org
www.forgottenvoices.org
Family mealtime can be used for more than feeding our family’s bodies; it can also be an opportunity to feed their minds and souls. It is an ideal time for parents to connect and communicate with their children by sharing food, stories, life lessons and faith. Jesus taught many lessons to his disciples around the dinner table; the Last Supper is one of the most well-known. Similarly, after Jesus ascended into heaven, the early church continued the practice of eating together.
Acts 2:44 & 46 “All the believers wer e together and had ev erything in common. ..Everyday they contin ued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in th eir homes and ate toge ther with glad and sincere hearts.�
By continuing to meet together, share meals together, and worship together, the early believers developed a powerful bond with one another and remained dedicated to the purposes God had for them. Not only can food connect us to God and the people sitting at our dinner table, but food can also connect us to people of other cultures throughout the world. Mealtime can be used to involve the entire family in learning about, experiencing and praying for people in other cultures. The suggested activities below are designed to en gage parents and children in learning first-hand about the lives of the orphaned children and HIV/AIDS- ravaged families in Zimbabwe and Zambia, to whom Forgotten Voices International ministers. Our intention is that these activities will be used to facilitate conversations, promote spiritual development and foster hearts of service in parents and their children.
NEWSLETTER TITLE
So What Can You Do? re a Prepa or n a e bw Zimba eal M n a i Zamb
Prepare a traditional Zimbabwean meal or dish to serve for dinner. Children can assist in making the meal. Use this as an opportunity for your family to experience African culture particularly through their taste buds! Try one of the menu items below. Click on each food idea to link to the recipe online.
Recipe Ideas:
Chicken Stew with Sadza (Corn Porridge) Dumplings
Sadza (Corn Porridge)
Pineapple Ham with Avocado
Zimbabwean Malva Pudding
Zimbabwean Sweet Potato Biscuits or Cookies
For more ideas go to www.africaguide.com/culture/recipes/
Malva Pudding
Chicken Stew with Sadza
Sweet Potato Biscuits
Teachable Moment The Bible provides us with many stories of Jesus dining with people in their homes: Mary and Martha, Zacchaeus, a Pharisee leader, Peter’s mother-in-law, the Phone: 555-555-5555 Fax: 555-555-5555 wedding feast at Cana, to name a few. Jesus used this time to get to get to know E-mail: someone@example.com people, to teach them, to correct them, to forgive them, and to show them the way to God. Tell your children that you are “transporting” them to a small hut in Zimbabwe to eat a meal with children there. Explain that just as Jesus shared meals with people in their homes in order to deepen his relationship with them, this meal will help them learn more about the children in Zimbabwe Before eating, pray for the children, families, pastors, churches and leaders in Zimbabwe. As you eat the traditional Zimbabwean meal, discuss the differences between the food, culture, climate, and lifestyle of your country than Zimbabwe’s. Then highlight some of the similarities all people share: the same basic needs for food, water, clothing, shelter, love, rest, play, protection; all are children of God; all are loved by Jesus. As your children deepen their understanding of the daily conditions of children in Zimbabwe, remind them to be thankful for the abundance in their own lives. Encourage your children to reflect on and to ask God how they can help children around the world, whether through prayer, tithing, fasting, fundraising, or other opportunities.
CHARACTER QUALITIES
Respectfulness Compassion Thankfulness Tithing Good manners
WAYS TO GO FURTHER Fast or serve a simpler meal of rice and beans and donate the money you would have spent on dinner to Forgotten Voices International or another charity. Consider making a meal from a different country once a month, several times a year, or once a year, to learn about their culture and praying for their people.
NEWSLETTER TITLE
So What Can You Do? Read the Blog on the Forgotten Voices Web Site www.forgottenvoices.org/blog or subscribe to the Forgotten Voices Newsletter. Both chronicle stories by staff members, as they work with Forgotten Voices around southern Africa and the US. These resources contain the very latest status updates on projects, as well as updated prayer requests and praise reports.
D N A G O L B E READ TH R E T T E L S W NE
Reading these resources will help personalize the people of Southern Africa to you and your children. As a family, pray and commit to praying regularly for the Forgotten Voices prayer requests, staff members and people of Southern Africa. WAYS TO GO FURTHER Write a letter to a staff member in Africa or America telling them that you have prayed for them.
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PRAYER COMPA S
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FAITHFU LNESS
Teachable Moment Many of the books in the New Testament are letters. Throughout the New Testament, the apostle Paul wrote letters to many different churches to connect, uplift, correct, strengthen, and encourage them. Since there were no phones, cell phones, computers, emails, text messages, web sites, blogs, or even telegraphs, letters were the only available means of communication across distances. Depending on the distance, letters could take months to reach the recipient. We are fortunate to live in an era of nearly instantaneous communications. Share with your children that through its blog site and monthly newsletter, Forgotten Voices International tries to connect with and update its supporters in much the same way that Paul did with his letters. As you read the updates from Forgotten Voices with your children, pray for the identified needs and praise God for the triumphs. Emphasize that this helps your family stay connected to the children, pastors, churches and leaders of Forgotten Voices, sharing in their joys and helping to bear their burdens.