10 minute read
Gospel Adventures
TREK THROUGH THAILAND FOR A GOSPEL ADVENTURE!
Looking for a fun, educational activity for your children or grandchildren this summer or fall? Join us on a Thailand Trek to see how God so loves the world.
With remarkable landscapes from islands, mountains, a plateau, densely populated cities, and more, Gospel Adventures: Thailand Trek is sure to be a journey to remember! Students will be introduced to kids just like them who live in Thailand and carry their faith with them through their daily lives. This is a great opportunity to teach your students about the foods, animals, people, and places of Thailand—all from the comfort and safety of your home or classroom.
Gospel Adventures features two types of curriculum based on children’s ages. The grade school curriculum is teacher led which allows for activities and discussions that connect with life and kids in Thailand. Students will enjoy music and videos, be immersed in a new culture to learn fascinating Thai facts, witness the importance of God’s work, and discover God’s good gift for us all.
Older, middle school-aged students can explore the online experience at their own pace. They watch videos about daily life in Thailand, engage in activities that explore language, history, and food, and dig into God’s Word to discover God’s gifts for us.
Register to participate at any time throughout the year by visiting gospeladventures.org.
Top: Trinity Lone Oak Lutheran School students playing a “quarter wars” battle. Middle: Trinity Lutheran School playing with their long-tail boat creations. Bottom: Trinity Lutheran School staff enjoys dress-up days. National Lutheran Schools Week
During National Lutheran Schools Week, students in grades kindergarten through eighth grade at Trinity Lone Oak Lutheran School in Eagan, Minnesota, participated in a fundraising activity to support LHM’s Global Kids Fund. The students learned about Thailand through the free materials and interactive website and especially enjoyed watching the videos.
Principal Kathryn Jones shared that they have participated in all three years of Gospel Adventures and even participated in the Online Mission Trips program. The students and teachers all enjoyed the Thailand Trek experience and the song and videos were a hit. Students liked learning about another culture from a child’s perspective.
Students were broken into two pods, based on age, then split between boys and girls for their “quarter wars” battle. Coins are given their monetary value in positive points, however quarters are worth negative 25 points. The goal is to have the most money in your own container, so students fill their bucket with pennies, nickels, and dimes and put their quarters in other team’s buckets.
Trinity Lone Oak faculty and staff rewarded the winning boys’ and girls’ teams with an ice cream party. Since all the students did such a good job raising money, the teams that did not win the quarter wars still got rewarded with an ice cream treat.
“We always look forward to finding out where we will ‘go’ next,” says Jones. “We like the kids-focus on mission work which is even more evident with the fundraising efforts supporting the Global Kids Fund.”
Also during National Lutheran Schools Week, students in fourth grade at Trinity Lutheran School in Racine, Wisconsin, enjoyed the videos, theme song, crafts, and other provided materials. After participating in Go Mongolia last year, fourth grade teacher Kathy Niermann was familiar with the Gospel Adventures program. Her students’ favorite part of the program was watching the videos about life in another country.
Niermann shared, “I thought it gave a great opportunity for the kids to see how blessed and privileged they are in the United States. I love how the videos show the responsibility kids in other countries have as well as how little material goods they have. It was also neat for the kids to see that there is Christianity in other countries, and maybe a seed was planted for them to one day do mission work or at least support it.”
One of the activities Niermann’s students enjoyed was creating and using long-tail boats. (see page 23)
Students at Trinity Lutheran School in Hoyleton, Illinois, celebrated National Lutheran Schools Week with dress-up days and Gospel Adventures. Preschool through eighth grade students participated and were broken up into two groups, based on age. Students watched the daily videos, and the younger students followed the grade school curriculum while the older students explored the middle school curriculum.
The children loved the music video and liked seeing what life looks like for children in another part of the world. This was the second year Trinity Lutheran School students participated in Gospel Adventures as they explored how vast God’s love is last year with Go Mongolia.
Principal Chris Dehning shared, “Last year a sibling of some of our students had actually been to Mongolia before, so we were able to have her come in and bring some Mongolian items that she still had.”
by MEGAN MCDANIEL
How Can You Support the Global Kids Fund?
The Global Kid Fund allows kids in the United States to help raise funds that directly support children in other regions all over the globe. This year the Global Kids Fund donations go toward supporting our ministry in Thailand. Students can collect special offerings from your school or congregation to support the Global Kids Fund. Just $5 could make a big impact in the lives of Thai children.
The Global Kids Fund coin bank project is a great way to get kids involved in fundraising. Print, decorate, and assemble your coin bank, fill it with coins, and then send in your donation to spread hope to children just like them in other parts of the world. The coin bank template can be found in the day two curriculum and the Global Kids Fund fundraising page, both found at gospeladventures.org. Other fundraising ideas include holding a Thai celebration with cultural food, games, and entertainment. Donate all the proceeds to the Global Kids Fund.
Brainstorm other ways to tell family and friends about what God is doing through LHM. Invite them to make a small gift of their own.
Long-Tail Boat Activity
The capital city of Thailand is Bangkok. Bangkok is filled with canals, and years ago people would get around Bangkok by boats. Some markets were on the water and merchants would sell their items out of boats. To get items from one part of the city to another, people would put their food and items on a boat called a long-tail boat. Day three of the grade school curriculum includes an activity for children to decorate and create a long-tail boat out of paper. Once the boat has been designed and created, students are encouraged to test out their boat to experience transporting goods.
Check out the day three curriculum at gospeladventures.org to download the long-tail boat template and access the rest of the activities in the curriculum.
Bringing You the Hope of the Gospel Every Week
Paper Lantern Activity
One Thai holiday is called Yi Peng (pronounced “YEE-peng”). It is connected to a god or spirit that Thai people believe in. When they celebrate this holiday, people send up paper lanterns into the sky as a way to ask for forgiveness.
Thai people believe that each day of the week has a special color. For example, Sunday’s color is red, Monday is yellow, etc. If you were born on a Friday, your special color would be blue. The king of Thailand was born on a Monday, so when they celebrate his birthday every year, everyone wears yellow.
You can bring a piece of Thai culture into your home or classroom by making a paper lantern. When choosing colors for their lanterns, let the children choose a color that has meaning for them.
The full list of day colors, the supplies list, and the activity directions can be found in the day four curriculum on gospeladventures.org. = lhm.org/sentradio
LUTHERANHOUR.ORG
Demand for Audio Bible Radios Increases in Malaysia
by CHAD FIX
COVID-19 cases continue to increase in many Asian countries. As a result, the government in Malaysia has continually extended its lockdown and currently bans public activities, meetings, and social and religious gatherings in the capital of Kuala Lumpur and several surrounding states. In addition, inter-state travel within the country is also prohibited.
While these restrictions continue to keep LHM–Malaysia staff from being on the frontlines sharing the Gospel, they are equipping Christian workers to do outreach in remote areas of the country with the critical resources people need. One of its most impactful ministries continues to be the distribution of audio Bible radios available in several languages.
Loading these devices with an audio Bible, Lutheran Bible courses, sermons, teaching content, songs, and hymns allows LHM–Malaysia to reach indigenous people who do not have access to a Christcentered community or biblical teachings through a local church. The interest and demand in this project continue to steadily increase since its launch on Easter Sunday 2019.
Working through ministry partners such as Kapit Lighthouse and Open Doors, LHM–Malaysia distributed more than 1,500 units in just the month of March alone. These radios are having a significant impact on people like Mariam, Robin, and Robert.
Mariam has been ordering many radios to give to her friends and relatives. Recently she gave one of the radios to her brother, Robin, who is bedridden because of paralysis. Robin grew up as a Christian, but now does not believe in Jesus. Last Christmas, he invited many friends and relatives to come to his house for a feast. Mariam took this opportunity to attend with other Christian relatives and they had a lot of fun singing carols and sharing stories. Mariam also played the praise and worship songs in the Malay language that are included on the LHM audio Bible. Through the music, the Holy Spirit touched Robin’s heart. He liked hearing the songs and says that he has missed listening to them. Now, as he lies in bed, Mariam turns on the radio and plays the audio Bible and songs for him to listen. She is grateful that God has touched Robin’s heart through the ministry of the LHM audio Bible radio.
Robert is a Christian leader who serves as the superintendent of a school in his region. Since receiving his personal unit, Robert has ordered 50 more to be distributed to other believers and non-believers. He is grateful to LHM–Malaysia for providing these audio Bible radios to people at an affordable price.
“I first saw this device when my pastor gave it as a present to my father-in-law,” says Robert. “I could see how it will benefit many people, particularly those who are not able to read due to failing eyesight or illiteracy. Besides owning a set myself, I quickly bought one more for my elderly mother. I strongly encourage others to own a set, too, simply because I have been so blessed by it. I am growing more in the Lord through the hearing of His Word.”
Robert listens to the audio Bible radio while driving, resting at home, or working in the office. His family members bring their units while tapping rubber trees, at the paddy fields, and in their orchards and enjoy memorizing the Scriptures and listening to the praise and worship songs.
“We pray that through the distribution of these audio Bible radios, God will strengthen the hearts of the believers and cause them to return to Him,” says the director of LHM–Malaysia. “For those who are not yet believers, may faith arise in their hearts and may the Holy Spirit touch them so they will open their hearts to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.” =
Make an Impact on the Future
By giving a gift through your will or a bequest, you can provide for the people and causes that matter to you most. Your actions today will continue making a global impact beyond your lifetime.
Contact LHM’s gift planning team to learn how you can provide the hope of the Gospel for future generations. 1-877-333-1963 • lhm-gift@lhm.org • lhm.org/giftplan
