What’s Inside?

Hey there, readers! We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this issue of Kids Alive! If you would like to get your own copy of Kids Alive! delivered to your home every week, why not ask your parents or guardians to take out a subscription* for you? Every week, Kids Alive! includes a cartoon Bible story, a competition, puzzles, jokes, comic strips and topical activities and articles for you to enjoy. Ask your parents or guardians to go to sps-shop.com/kids-alive, call 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email subscriptions@satcol.org to set up a subscription.

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Do you like the photo on this week’s cover? It’s a photo of Mary and Memory who are students in Malawi. You can read about Mary and The Salvation Army’s Helping-Hand Appeal in KA! World on pages 12 and 13. The Helping-Hand Appeal this year is focusing on the importance of everyone having access to clean water. And that’s the same aim as World Water Day, which is happening on 22 March. Billions of people and loads of schools, businesses, healthcare centres, farms and factories around the world don’t have the safe water and toilets that they need.

Organisers of World Water Day want you to ‘be the change you want to see in the world’. This theme is inspired by an ancient story from Peru about a hummingbird trying to put out a forest re one drop of water at a time. ‘Being the change’ means thinking about the way we use water in our lives and the impact we have on the world when we do.

Actions you can take include taking shorter showers, not letting the tap run while you’re brushing your teeth and buying local, seasonal food. Another way to help is to stop polluting – make sure your family doesn’t put food waste, oils, medicines or chemicals down toilets or drains. Even if your actions seem small, they can still make a big difference.

to learn more about World Water Day and visit unwater.org/bethechange to read the story of the hummingbird.

Check out worldwaterday.org

If your class or school would like to take part in ‘A bouquet of hummingbirds for World Water Day’ all you need to do is create a display of origami birds and get your teacher to email a photo of your display to unwater@un.org

What do you think of when you think of water: rain; muddy puddles; rivers; ponds; lakes; the sea? You might think about bath or shower time, or doing the washing up. perhaps you love visiting the swimming pool. Maybe you think of water as a boring drink.

When I was a kid and I moaned I was thirsty, my mum would always say, ‘There’s plenty of water in the tap!’ In this country we’re fortunate to have water readily available for drinking, washing, helping crops and other plants to grow, and even playing in.

Sadly, for many people around the world that’s not the case. That’s why days such as World Water Day and fundraising activities such as Helping-Hand are so important. They remind us not to take water for granted and to do our best to look after it and use it well. Remember, water is precious – water is life!

READ THE COMMENT BELOW ABOUT JESUS’ FIRST MIRACLE

No Problem’s Too Big says Melita Day-Lewis

I was at a birthday party one time where there was loads of healthy food – nuts and raisins, carrot sticks and dips, yoghurts and fruit juice. No crisps or sweets or chocolate cake in sight! One child was well gutted and shouted out: ‘Where’s the REAL food?!’

That young boy expected sweets at a birthday party. And the guests at the wedding party at Cana expected to be served wine with their food. So, it was a mega problem when the wine ran out! Jesus’ mum knew that Jesus could help – not because he was a wine merchant but because he was a miracle worker!

Jesus had power to do things that only God can do, such as turning water into wine! It wasn’t a magic trick or an illusion. The water really turned into wine. Not ordinary wine, but the very best of wines! This was the rst of Jesus’ miracles. During the following three years, Jesus also healed sick people, opened blind eyes, raised people back to life and multiplied food!

Jesus did miracles because he loved people and wanted their lives to be better. These miracles also showed that Jesus was sent by God and that what he said was true. This means you can trust Jesus with all your heart! If you’re facing a problem, ask him to help you. Then wait patiently for him to do what’s best for you. And remember, no problem’s too big (or too small) for a miracle worker!