African Mission Story 6

koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Kyungpook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

Conjoint lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

1 October 2010

The following story is reserved for the kids in the congregation just before the sermon.

Call all the kids to the front seat. Mothers and grandmothers and fathers and grandfathers can also join. Count them. Who is the brother and who is the sister? Ask them.

Then let them sing the song they all know, namely the week song.

Sunday (hands on your head). Monday (hands on your upper arms, crossed so that right hand is on left upper arm and left hand on right upper arm). Tuesday (hands crossed on shoulders before the neck). Wednesday (hands on your sides but not crossed). Thursday (hands on your but and pull a face as if you are getting a hiding from mom. Kids love it). Friday (hands on your knees). Saturday (hands in the air to show joy).

You need a white board or black board.

Write 1-7 on the board.

Sing the week song as you write the seven number so that they know each number is for Sunday = 1; Monday =2; Tuesday = 3; Wednesday = 4; Thursday = 5; Friday = 6; Saturday = 7.

The Story

The story this week, is from an Indian pastor John M. Fowler, who works for the General Conference Education Department. He told the story at Sahmyook University, Seoul, South Korea during a sermon. It really happened to him. Pastor Fowler is the one who prepared the Ephesians Sabbath School quarterly in 2005 and which is also online.

"A pastor [John] from America came to India. India is where you can eat curry and rice.

He came to India to preach.

He had a sermon three stations from the city.

Station one, station two, station three. Stop. Preach.

He got on a train.

He is very tired (show picture one).

He said to the other man in the train. 'Wake me up when you come to station three'.

They came to station three.

The pastor woke up.

The train starts moving. 'It is station three'. The man did not wake him up.

'O no!', he says. 'Why did you not wake me up?'.

A little girl said to the pastor.

'Don't be angry. At the next station, the train does not stop. But it goes slowly. So you stand there and then jump.'

'I can't', said the pastor. 'I will show you' said the girl.

At the next station they stand together at the door. The train slows down.

'Now' she says. 'Jump'.

'I can't', he says.

'Yes, you can!' she says.

She pushes him off the train.

The pastor fell with his briefcase on the ground and bumps his nose.

A stationmaster comes to him.

'Sir,' he said. 'The rule is:

When you jump, look up'.

That is the secret. When we fall or jump, we look up to Jesus. When we get hurt, look up to Jesus.

Prayer

Thank you dear Jesus, that we can look up to the cross and to you when we fall. Help us when we fall. Amen.