I started Advent 5 weeks ago. The first week we did the wreath and candles for the first time, lighting the real pink candle and putting paper flames on their paper pink ones. Since I had no purple candles, I used green instead, so we had 1 pink, 3 green and 1 white. Because their paper wreaths were green, I gave them blue paper candles to glue on instead. We talked about green being a symbol of life, and the shape of the wreath being a circle, which reminds us that God is eternal and has no beginning or end. The second, third and fourth weeks I lit one of the green candles and then we put a flame on the corresponding blue paper candle and decorated the wreath and surrounding paper with various stickers that were appropriate for the lessons. This week we added a different kind paper candle, which corresponds to the white one in the Advent wreath which you can see on the table, all lit up.
I decided to teach the Christmas story according to the time-line in which it happened, rather than the traditional Advent way. So, the candles were: pink - the angel's announcement to Mary, first green - the angel's announcement to Joseph and the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, second green candle - the angel's announcement to the shepherds and their visit to see the baby Jesus, third green candle - Mary and Joseph take Jesus to the temple and see Simeon and Anna, and yesterday the middle white candle - the Wise Men visit Jesus and give him gifts, emphasis on Jesus is the Light of the World.
In the photo I am holding a sample of what we did. This is one done by German (say Herman with a hard G sound instead of H, like the G in 'good') and he wanted me to have it. I'm not sure if it's because he wanted me to have something he did, or if he just didn't want it at all so this was a good way of getting rid of it. :) :) Sometimes it's hard to tell. I'm posting it on my refrigerator, though.
After the lesson Sergei K., Marina, Melinda, Jamie, Julia and Mel came upstairs. Sergei presented the kids with a gift each. The two older kids got a Student or Youth Bible and the younger kids got a Bible story book. The kids seemed pleased. I then asked Sergei to hand out some cookies I'd made and then we all went home. :)
I really liked the Bible story book and think I might get one for myself. It reminds me of one I have,
although the pictures in the books given out today are updated to a more modern style. My very first Bible (a King James Version!) as a child had pictures in it, paintings of various Biblical scenes. I loved to look at the pictures and look up the corresponding stories and read them. I especially remember the picture of Daniel in the Lion's Den. :) The Sunday School material we had way back then also included a very similar picture for each lesson in our take-home papers. I actually had a collection of just those pictures for several years. I carefully cut out the picture and story each week and kept them in order according to where the story was in the Bible. I've wondered many times if there is some way to get a collection of them now - the artwork was very good.
I hope that these kids will use these story books. I pray that God will use the stories to draw each of these kids to want to know Him more through His written Word, like He used them to draw me toward Himself and His Word.
Pray for these kids with me!
