06 Lower Elementary Bible Study - Jumonville · der they become sharks, unless the life-guard who...

TheWaterofLifeOutdoorMinistriesCurriculum©2016LutheranOutdoorMinistries.Purchasersofthiscur-riculummaymakecopiesfortheirlocaluseonly.

Lower Elementary & Day Camp Bible Study WelcomeWelcometothelowerelementaryanddaycampBiblestudycur-riculumTheWaterofLife.ThisBiblestudyengagescampersandtheirleaderswithbiblicalstoriesabouthowwatertransformsthelivesofallpeopleinphysicalandspiritualways.WaterisusedthroughoutscripturetoteachaboutGodandhowmuchGodlovesus.Thethemeversewillbeimportanttorepeatedlysharewithcampers:“Whenyoupassthroughthewaters,Iwillbewithyou”(Isaiah43:2).Thisversewillhelpcampersknowthatevenwhenlifeishard,confusing,orscary,Godiswithus. Whilecamperswilleasilygrasptheliteralstoriesofcleans-ing,healing,andquenchingthirst,thespiritualaspectswillbemorechallengingforthem.Eachstoryreiteratesthatallarewel-comeinGod’sfamilyandthatJesuschangesourheartstobemorelikehim.OurresponseisthatweparticipateinGod’smissionbysharingGod’sloveandmessagewithourfamilyandfriends. Eachdaycamperswillhavetheopportunitytothinkabouthowtheyandothersusewater,howtocareforthispreciousre-source,andconsidertheimpacttheirusageofwaterhasontherestoftheworld.ObjectivesThisBiblestudywillhelplowerelementaryanddaycampcamp-ersandtheirleaders:• Understandthatwaterisanimportantthemethroughout

scriptureandisanimportantresourceforourlifeonearth.• ExperienceGod’sgiftofwaterbothliterallyandspiritually.• Practicetangiblewaystocareforcreationandinviteothers

intoGod’scommunity.

THEWATEROFLIFELOWERELEMENTARY/DAYCAMPBIBLESTUDY

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ThelowerelementaryanddaycampcamperLowerelementarycampersareawonderfulpartofthecampen-vironment!Theyareenergeticandcuriouscamperswhoareex-citedformostactivitiesandgames.Ifyoumodelenthusiasmandparticipation,theyarelikelytofollowyourlead. Thisgrouptendstohaveashortattentionspan,soplantochangeactivitiesevery5–10minutes.Ifcampersarereallyen-gagedinanactivity,feelfreetostickwithitalittlelonger.Asageneralrule,planactivitiesthatprovidealotofvarietyforthisgroup.Theywillbethemostresponsiveifyouchangelocationandactivitiesfrequently. Lowerelementaryschoolcamperslearnbestthroughstories.Tellthemstoriesandlistentotheirstories.Theyalsohaveawiderangeofabilities.Somewillreadwell,otherswillnot.Provideop-portunitiesforcamperstotryreadingoutloud,butaskforvolun-teersratherthancallingonindividualcampers.Don’tassumethatallcampersareabletodothesametaskthesameway. Lowerelementarycampersareconcretethinkers.Theydonotgraspabstractconcepts.Findsimplewaystoexplainideas,avoidobjectlessons,andencouragecamperstoaskquestions.Listentotheirquestionsanddoyourbesttoanswerthem.Askforhelpfromothercampleadersasneeded.Ifcampersaskaques-tionyoucannotconfidentlyanswer,it’sokaytosayyou’llgetbacktothem. Lowerelementarycampersarealsobeginningtodevelopfriendships.Theywanttobelongtothegroup.Encouragewaystosupporttheirgrowingfriendships.Helpthemunderstandfairnessandempathythroughgamesandactivities.Everydaygreetcamp-ersenthusiasticallybyname.Helpthemlearnthenamesoftheirfellowgroupmemberssothatfriendshipscanform. Thisagegroupwilldowellifaroutineisdevelopedforcamp-erstofeelsafeandcomfortable.Thiswillallowforthemtobesupportedemotionallyandsocially.SpecialhintsSincemostcampersinthisagegrouparejustbeginningtoreadandallareconcretethinkers,aversionoftheBiblewithsimplelanguageissuggested.TheContemporaryEnglishVersion(CEV),NewLivingTranslation(NLT),ortheEasyReaderVersion(ERV)areaccessibletranslationsforchildrenthisage.TheBiblestudytimewillbemucheasierifcampersareabletounderstandthestoriesbeingshared. Flexibilityandpatienceareveryimportantwhenworkingwithlowerelementarycampers.KnowthatcamperswillhavealotofquestionsandthattheBiblestudycantakesomesurprising


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twistsandturns.Bepreparedforthisandknowthatyoudonotneedtohavealltheanswers.Withthisagegroup,havemoreac-tivitiespreparedthanyouthinkyoumightneed.Ifoneactivitydoesn’twork,youhaveanothertopullout. Eachday’sBiblestudyincludesasetof“Iwonder”questionsbecausetheyallowforscripturetobeopeneduptoacamper’simagination.Iwonderquestionsdonothavearightorwrongan-swer.Allowfortimeandspaceforcamperstothink.Especiallyforthefirstcoupledays,givinganexampleofanideaorthoughtisappropriate;otherwiseletcamperscreatetheanswers. IfgettingcamperstocooperateduringBiblestudyisachal-lenge,tryhavingcamperscreateacovenantorexpectationsfortheirgroup.Forexample,raisinghandsorlisteningtoeachothermayhelpthegroupdynamicsandallowformeaningfulparticipa-tionbytheentiregroup. DonotmakeassumptionsabouttheirknowledgeaboutJesus,theBible,andGod’slove.Bepreparedtoshareinformationwithcampersasneeded.


ORIENTATION

Inaddition

toplayingmultiplenamegamesandget-to-know-youactivitiesduringorientationtothecampweek,spendtimeintroducingthethemeoftheweektocampers.Ifpos-sibletakecamperstoanaturalwatersourcesuchasalake,river,orstream.Ifanaturalsourceisnotaccessible,thenusealargebowlorpitcherofwater.Makesureitislargeenoughforcamperstodiptheirhandsin. Askcamperstosharewhattheyknowaboutwater.Askforexamplesofthingsthatpeopledowithwatereveryday.TellcampersthatthisweektheywillexploredifferentstoriesintheBiblethatinvolvewaterandseehowGodoftenshowsupinbigwayswhenwaterisin-volved. Usingaparachuteorverylargesheetorblanket,askcamperstoallholdanedge.Make“roughwaters”byaskingallthecamperstomovetheirarmsupanddown.Make“calmwaters”byholdingarmsstill.Askcamperswheretheymightfindroughwaterandwhatcausesit.Askcamperswheretheymightfindcalmwa-terandwhyitiscalm.Foraddedfun,putsoftballsorobjectsontheparachuteorsheetandseeifcamperscanlaunchballsorobjectshighwhilekeepingtheminsidethearea.

Ifplayingwithaparachute,playthegameSharksandLifeguard.Allcampersbutthesharksitaroundtheparachuteholdingittotheirwaistwithlegsstraightoutunderparachute.Thesharkundertheparachutecrawlsaroundandpullscamp-erslegsgently,sotheyletgooftheiredgeandmoveundertheparachute.Onceun-dertheybecomesharks,unlessthelife-guardwhoiscrawlingontopofthepara-chutegetstothepersonbeforeasharkpullsthemundercompletely. Afterplayingthesegames,gathercampersandreadIsaiah43:2.Havecampersrepeattheverseseveraltimes.Tellcampersthatthiswillbeanim-portantversetorememberallweekastheyhearstoriesaboutthewatersthatGodusestoteachus,saveus,inviteus,andchangeus. Allowopportunitiesforcamperstosharestoriesabouttheirexperiencesinwater,welcomingeventhosewhomaybeafraidofwaterorhavehadbadexperi-ences.Askcampersforwaysthatwaterisreallyimportantandhelpfultohumansandallofcreation.Tellcampersthatthisweektheywilllearnwhatitmeanstoap-preciateandcareforGod’screationofwater. Spendtimeinprayerwithcampers,thankingGodfortheirpresenceatcampandfortheweekahead.


DAY1FromtheDeep—GoodnessandGift

FocusquestionHowiswateragoodgiftfromGod?ThemestatementThewateroflifeisagiftfromGodandthereforegood.LearningobjectivesThisBiblestudywillhelplowerelementarycampersandtheirleaders:• KnowthatGodcreatedwaterandalllivingbeings.• FeelgratitudeforthegiftofwaterandallGod’screatedphysi-

calworld.• Practiceappreciationforthegiftofwater.BibletextGenesis1:1—2:2(orGenesis1:1-2,6-10,20-21)MaterialsBibles(CEV,NLT,ERVtranslations)Day1Biblestoryart(optional);seeCurriculumOverview(Over-

view&Graphicsfile),whichincludesbothacolorversiontouseforstorytellingandablackandwhiteversionforcamperstocolor

whitepapercrayonsormarkerscontainerwithwater


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GATHEROpeningritualLeadcamperstoyourchosenspot(pref-erablylocatednearwater)thatwillbere-visitedeachdayduringBiblestudy.Havecamperssitinacircleonthesamelevel. Askcamperstothinkofandshareonethingtheyarethankfulfor.Taketurnssharingaroundthecircleuntilallhaveanopportunity. Prayresponsively:

ThankyouGod(ThankyouGod)forthegiftofwater(forthegiftof

water)forcreatingus(forcreatingus)andforthegiftofyourSon,Jesus

(andforthegiftofyourSon,Jesus)Amen.(Amen.)

BrainstormjumpupAskcamperstothinkofalltheplaceswheretheycanfindwaterintheworld.(Examplesareoceans,rain,snow,under-ground,inourhomes,inplants,inmybody.)Whencampershaveanideatoshare,invitethemtojumpupfromaseatedpositionandshouttheiridea.Con-tinueuntilagoodlisthasbeenshouted,ideasarebeingrepeated,orthegroupgetssilly. Iftheymissedanymajorplaceswherewaterisfound,addtotheirlist.Re-mindcampersthatwefindwaterevery-whereinourworld!Infact,wecan’tlivewithoutit.SharewithcampersthatGod’screationbeganwithwater,astheywilllearnintheBiblestory. Asecondroundoralternativewouldbetoaskcamperstolistallthethings(people,plants,animals)thatneedwatertosurvive.

MyfavoritewaterthingsInvitecamperstoshareafavoritememorythathastodowithwaterorafa-voritethingaboutwater.Itcouldbeafamilytrip,afavoritehobby,oranevery-dayuseofwater.Askcamperstosharewithaneighbororthewholegroup.Ifthegroupisquieterandreluctanttospeak,askcamperstodrawtheirfavoritethingsandthensharethepictures. Sharewithcampersthathumansusewaterformanythingsincludingelectric-ity,cooking,travel,andevenstayingalive!WaterisanamazinggiftfromGodtobethankfulforandappreciate.IseesomethingGodmadeInthisversionofISpy,camperstaketurnschoosingsomethingGodmadethattheycanseefromyourlocation.Othercampersguessbyaskingyesornoques-tions.Attheendofthegame,remindcampersthatweoftenoverlookorforgettheamazingthingsthatGodcreatedbutthisgamehelpsuslookcloserandre-memberallthatispartofGod’samazingcreation.

WORDWhatmakesupastory?Sharewithcampersthattoday’sstorycomesfromthebookofGenesis,whichistheveryfirstbookintheBible.ShowcampersaBiblesotheycanseewhereitislocated.SharewithcampersthattheBi-bleisareallybigstorymadeupofsmallerstories.Askcamperstobrainstormwhattheyknowaboutstories.Askquestionslike:• Whatmakesupagoodstory?• Howdoesastoryusuallybegin?


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• Whatisimportanttoknowaboutwhereastorytakesplace?

• Whatisacharacterinastory? Thestoryofcreationisabouthowourworldbegan.ItsetsthestagefortherestofthestoriesintheBible.ItalsohelpsusreadeverythingelseintheBiblebecauseitalwaysremindsusthatGodcreatedtheworld—everythingthatwecansee,smell,touch,hear,andtaste—andthatit’sallgood!InteractivescripturereadingReadthecreationstoryfromGenesis1,eitherthepartsofthestorythatfocusonwater(verses1-2,6-10,20-21)orallsevendaysofcreation(Genesis1:1—2:2).AsyoureadtheBiblepassage,askcamp-erstorespondthroughouttothefollow-ingphrasesloudlyandenthusiastically.

Readersays:WaterCampersrespond:Splishsplash.Readersays:AndGodsaidCampersrespond:AndGodsaid.Readersays:Godsawthatitwas

goodCampersrespond:Sogood!Sogood!

“Iwonder”questionsAskcamperssomeofthefollowingques-tionsorcreateonesofyourown.Givespaceandtimeforcamperstothinkandrespond.Remembertherearenorightorwronganswers.• IwonderwhythisstoryisintheBible.• Iwonderwhyitistheveryfirststory

intheBible.• IwonderwhatGodwantsustoknow

fromthisstory.• IwonderwhattheworldbeforeGod

createditlookedlike,soundedlike,andsmelledlike.

• Iwonderwhatitwouldbeliketoseetheworldasemptyandwithoutanyshape.

• Iwonderwhatitwouldfeelliketomovetheoceans.

• IwonderhowwaterisagiftfromGod.• Iwonderwhatismostimportantin

thisstory.• Iwonderwhattheworldwouldbe

likeifGoddidnotseparatethewaters.RetellthestoryUsingapieceofpaperandamarker,readtheBiblestoryagainandusethepapertoillustratethedifferentphasesofcreationastheyrelatetowater.Readthecorre-spondingverseandthendotheactionwiththepaper.• Verses1-2:crumplethepaperina

ball.• Verses6-10:flattenthepaper,ripitin

twoandseparate:drawcloudsonskyandwavesontheocean.

• Verses20-21:drawbirdsintheskyandfishintheocean.

Analternativeoptionistogiveeachcamperapieceofpaperandinvitethemtodotheaboveactionsthemselveswiththepaper,followingalongwiththestoryasyoureadit. Askcamperstosharewhattheyno-ticefromthestoryabouthowtheoceansandskywereformed.ComicstripstoriesProvidepapercuthorizontally4.25x11inches(10.8x28cm)andmarkersforcampers.Havecampersdrawlinesorfoldtheirpaperintothirds.Invitecamperstodrawacomicstripforthethreepartsoftoday’sstory.Explainwhatacomicstripisforcamperswhomightnotknow.Tellthemthatinacomic,oneboxiseachscene.Describewhattheymightdrawin


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eachbox.Eachsectionoftheircomicstripcouldreflecttheprogressionofthestory(verses1-2,verses6-10,andverses20-21).Ifneeded,repeattheversestocamp-erswhocannotread.Aftereveryonehasfinished,invitecamperstosharetheirdrawingsandexplaintheircomicstripstoapartnerorthegroup.

SENDFivesensesprayerAskcamperstonamethefivesenses(sight,touch,taste,hearing,smell).Thenaskcamperstolookaroundandnameallthethingstheycansee,touch,taste,hear,orsmell.Ifthereistime,doonesenseatatime.Remindcampersthatwhenwearethankfulandpayattentiontoallofcrea-tionthatweexperience,wearehonoringGod’sgoodcreation.WhenweknowthatGod’screationisspecial,thenwewanttotakecareofit!Waterespeciallyisanim-portantgifttous.Askcamperstosharehowwaterisagift. TeachcampersthattheycansayaprayerofthanksgivingtoGodanytimebysayingsomethingtheylikeexperiencingwitheachoftheirsenses.• Askcamperstotouchtheireyesand

thankGodforsomethingbeautifultheysawtoday.

• AskcamperstotouchtheirnoseandthankGodforsomethingthatsmelledreallygoodtoday.

• AskcamperstotouchtheirearsandthankGodforabeautifulnoisetheyheardtoday.

• AskcamperstostickouttheirtonguesandthankGodforsomethingdelicioustheytastedtoday.

• AskcamperstoputouttheirhandsandthankGodforsomethingtheytouchedtoday.

EncouragecamperstopracticethisprayerathometogivethankstoGodfortheamazingworldweliveinandespe-ciallyforthegiftofwater.SavingwatercharadesSharewithcampersthatwaterispreciousandmanypeopleintheworlddon’thavecleanwatertodrink.Havingenoughwa-terdependsontheweather(enoughrain)andalsoifthereisanearbywatersource(river,lake,groundwater).Thenittakespeopleworkingtogethertomakesurethatwateriscleanandavailabletouse.Inthiscountry,wearefortunatetohaveac-cesstowaterinrivers,oceans,andgroundwater,andthatpeoplemakesureit’scleansowecanuseitinourhomes,schools,hospitals,andsoforth.Remindcampersthatusingourwaterwiselyal-lowstheretobemorewaterforotherpeoplewhoreallyneedit. Basedontheageofyourgroup,havecamperseitherworkinpairstoactoutwaystheycansavewaterathome,orbrainstormalisttogetherandactthemoutasagroup.Forexample,wecanturnoffthewaterwhenwe’rebrushingourteethortakereallyquickshowers. Remindcampersagainthatwhenwesavewater,itmeansthereismoreforotherswhoneedit.Conservingwaterisawayofsharingthegiftofwaterwithoth-ersaroundtheworld.ClosingritualAskcamperstothinkaboutallthethingsthegrouptalkedaboutduringBiblestudy.Askcamperstoshareonewordthattheywanttorememberfromtoday’sstory.Goaroundthecircleordo“popcornstyle”


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(campersrespondastheywishandnotinaparticularorder)andalloweachcampertoshare. Pouraverysmallamountofwaterintothehandsofeachcamper.Allowthemtosplash,drink,drop,orplaywiththeirwater.Remindcampersnottosplashothersunlesstheyhavebeengivenpermission. Havecamperssayinunison:

ThankyouGodforthewateryoucre-ated!Amen.


DAY2IntheRiver—BirthandBelonging

FocusquestionWhatdoesbaptismteachus?ThemestatementThewateroflifewashesuscleaninbodyandspirit.LearningobjectivesThisBiblestudywillhelplowerelementarycampersandtheirleaders:• Knowwhatbaptismisandwhyitisanimportantpartoffaith.• FeellikeabelovedchildofGod,justlikeJesus,whetherthey

havebeenbaptizedornot.• Practiceconfession,belonging,andlovingothers.BibletextMark1:4-11MaterialsBibles(CEV,NLT,ERVtranslations)Day2Biblestoryart(optional);seeCurriculumOverview(Over-


dirtwateraluminumpieplatesorbowlslargepaperdrawingpapermarkersbowlofwaterblankstickersorlabelscontainerofwater


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MudpiesFindalocationwherecamperscangettheirhandsdirty.Ifthereisnotanymudaround,makeitwithwateranddirt.Givecamperstimetomakea“mudpie”andplayinthedirt,ensuringitisjusttheirhandsthatgetdirty(establishafewgroundrulesbeforeturningcampersfreewiththedirtandwater).Askcamperstotalkabouttimeswhentheywerereallydirty(felldown,playingoutside,whilecamping)andthenhowtheygotcleanagain. Askcamperstobrainstormtimeswhenwaterisusedtomakethemorthingstheyuseclean(washinghands,washingmachine,shower,bath). Oftentimesweusealotofwatertokeepourstuffandourselvesclean.Askcamperstothinkofwaysthattheycanconservewater(notusesomuch)whentheyaredoinganyoftheaboveactivities.Forexample:turnoffwaterwhenthey

arebrushingtheirteethandlatheringtheirhandswithsoaportakeaquickshowerinsteadofabath.Remindcamp-ersthatwhenwearecarefultonotusemorewaterthanweneed,weareusingGod’sgiftofwaterwiselyaswellasmak-ingsurethereisenoughwaterforevery-one. Tellcampersthattoday’sstoryisaboutbecomingcleanbywater.Itwaswritteninatimewhenpeopleworkedre-allyhardtostayclean,andthatwasveryimportanttothem.Theywantednotonlytheirbodiestobecleanbuttheirheartstobecleanaswell.“Andthen”improvisationWhilecampersstandinacircle,explainthatyou’regoingtoplayagameofim-provisation.Explainthatimprovisationiswheneachpersoninturnmakesupthenextpartofastory,withoutanyplanningorpreparation.Today’simprovgameistotellastoryusingonlythephrase“andthen.”Providethefirstlinetoastoryforthegroup.Someexamplesare:• Thereweretwodogsplayinginafield.• Amomandsonwenttothegrocery

store.• Wewalkedintothebaseballstadium.• Afamilywentonvacationtothe

ocean. Aftersharingthebeginningtothestory,camperstaketurnsaroundthecir-cleorinalineaddingtothestorybysay-ing,“andthen...” Theresultshouldbeastorythatmovesalongwithonlythestory’sactions.Camperscouldaddaphysicalmotiontotheirpartifanadditionalchallengeisneeded. Tellcampersthattoday’sstorycomesfromtheGospelofMark,whichisabookintheBible.TherearefourGospelsinthe


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BiblethattellstoriesaboutJesus’life.Gospelmeans“goodnews”andevery-thingwrittenaboutJesusisgoodnews.WhenMarkwrotethisbook,heincludedmostlytheeventsaboutJesusandnotmanyofthedetails.Hewantedtotellanexciting,action-packedstoryaboutJesussimilartothestoriesthatcamperscre-atedtoday.

WORD ThefollowingarevariousapproachestoexploringMark1:4-11withcampers.Choosetheonesthatwillworkbestforyourcampersandyoursetting. ActitoutTellcampersthattheycanactouttheBi-blestory.Assignparts(JohntheBaptist,crowds,Jesus,HolySpirit,sky,voiceinheaven)orhavecampersdoallthepartstogetherasthestoryisread.Ifyouassignparts,givecampersafewminutestopractice.Sharewithcampersthatthereisalotofactioninthisstory.ReadMark1:4-11tocampersandaskthemtoactoutthestoryasyouread.FollowuptheBiblereadingwiththe“IWonder”questionstohelpcampersunderstandmoreofwhatishappeninginthestory.“Iwonder”questionsAfterreadingMark1:4-11,askcamperssomeofthefollowingquestionsorcreateonesofyourown.Givespaceandtimeforcamperstothinkandrespondtothequestions.Remember,therearenorightorwronganswers.• IwonderwhythisstoryisintheBible.• IwonderwhatGodwantsustoknow

fromthisstory.

• IwonderwhatJohntheBaptistlookedlike.

• Iwonderwhattheriverfeltlike.• IwonderwhyJesuswantedtobebap-

tized.• IwonderwhereIaminthisstory.• Iwonderwhatthevoicesoundedlike

thatcamefromheaven.• Iwonderwhatitwasliketobethere

whentheskyopened.• Iwonderwhatismostimportantin

thisstory.AmessengernamedJohnPlayagameofTelephone,whereasimplemessageiswhisperedfromonecampertoanotheraroundthecircle.Thelastpersontellstheentiregroupwhattheyheardaf-terithasbeenpassedallthewayaround.Playseveralroundschangingthemessagefromsillytoserious. Askcampershowtheymightplaydif-ferentlyifthemessagewasreally,reallyimportant.Wouldtheybemorecarefulinsharingthemessage?Havecampersdis-cusshowtheymightgetamessagecor-recteverytime.Givethemanopportunitytotryoutsomeoftheirstrategies.Remindcampersthatinthisgame,eachcamperisbothmessengerandsomeonewhore-ceivesamessage. Tellcampersthatthereisanim-portantmessengerintoday’sstory.WhenyoureadthestoryfromMark1:4-11,askthemtolistenforallthefactstheycanhearaboutthismanwhosenamewasJohn. AskcamperstoeitherdraworshareoutloudtheirobservationsaboutJohn.Givecamperstimetodraworwriteorshareaftereachquestion.Askquestionslike:• WhatdidJohnlooklike?• Whatdidhesay?• Whatdidhedo?


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• Mostimportant,whatwashismes-sage?

• HowdidJohninteractwithJesus? ReiterateforcampersthatJohnwasreallyimportantbecausehegotthepeo-plereadyforJesus.HewasGod’smessen-gertosharethatJesuswascomingandthateveryoneneededtopayattentionwhenJesusarrived.ReadJohn1:19-34forcampers,whichincludesJohn’sownwordsaboutJesus.BigwordsTherearealotofbigwordsintoday’sBi-blestorythatcampersmightnotunder-stand.ReadMark1:4-11andaskcamperstoraisetheirhand(ordoasillyactionlikespinninginacircle)everytimetheyhearawordtheydonotunderstand.Therewillbefewerwordsifasimplertranslationisused(suchastheCEVorNLT).Someofthewordsthatcampersmightsignalare:baptized,sins,for-giveness,Judea,Jerusalem,Nazareth,HolySpirit. Asagroup,askforcampers’helpinunderstandingwhatthesewordsmean.Theywillhavesomeideasabouteachone.Avoidgivingcamperstheanswersifpossible,butprovideguidanceiftheyarehavingahardtime. Ifpossiblewritewordsonlargepiecesofpaperasatooltoremindcamp-ersoftheBiblestorytoday.Addtothe“BigWords”listastheweekgoesalong,maybeevencreatinga“BigWords”wallorspacewhereallthebigwordsareposted.Ideasfordefinitionsare:• Baptized—havingwaterpouredor

sprinkledonapersontoremindthemofGod’slove(seenextactivityaswell).

• Sin—doingsomethingthatgoesagainsthowGodwantsustolive.Sinhurtsothersandourselves.

• Forgiveness—ifsomeonedoessome-thingtohurtyou,youarenotmadorsadordonotpunishtheperson.

• HolySpirit—GodisFather,Son,andHolySpirit(aneggorappleworkswelltohelpcampersunderstandthattheyhavethreepartsbutareoneob-ject(yolk,white,shellofaneggorskin,meat,coreofanapple).Wecan-notseetheHolySpirit,butwecanseehowtheSpiritmoves(likethewind,wecannotseethewindbutwecanseehowitmakesthingsmovelikeleavesorourhair).

ThebasicsofbaptismWithabowlofwaterinthemiddleofyourcircle,askcamperstoshareiftheyhaveeverexperiencedabaptism.Whatdidtheysee?Whatdidtheyhear?Whowasbaptized?Wheredidittakeplace?Givecampersanopportunitytosharetheirexperiences. Tellcampersthatbaptismalwaysin-cludeswater.Inbaptismordinarywaterbecomesspecial,notbecauseofanythingwedo,butbecauseofGod.Baptismisasacrament(alongwiththeLord’sSupper).Asacramentiswhenordinarythings(wa-ter,juiceorwine,bread)remindusofsomethingGoddidforus.BothbaptismandtheLord’sSupperremindusofGod’sloveforus.BaptismuseswatertogetuswetwithGod’slove. IntheBiblestorytoday,Jesuswentintoarivertobebaptized.Oftenpeoplearebaptizedusingabowlofwaterliketheoneinthemiddleofthecircle.Thekindofwaterorwhereitcomesfrom


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doesnotmatter.Watercaneitherbesprinkledoveraperson’shead(demon-strateforcamperstosee)orsometimesapersonisdunkedunderwaterinapool,river,orlake.Usuallyapersonissprin-kledordunkedthreetimes:first,inthenameoftheFather;second,inthenameoftheSon;andthird,inthenameoftheHolySpirit. GodtheFather,GodtheSon,andGodtheHolySpiritwereallpresentatJesus’baptism.Askcampersiftheycanremem-berallthreeinthestoryofJesus’baptism.Lookbackatthepassageifneeded(Jesus,verse9;HolySpirit,verse10;Father,verse11). Baptismhelpsusrememberthatweareforgivenandwashedcleanfromoursins.WhenwearebaptizedwebecomepartofanewcommunityandpartofGod’sfamily.Mostimportant,baptismre-mindsusthatwebelongtoGodandthatGodlovesusverymuch.

SENDSayingsorrywalkIntoday’sBiblestory,campersreadthatJohn’smessagewastoturnbacktoGod.ThebigwordforturningbacktoGodisrepentance.RepentancemeansmovinginonedirectionandthenturningallthewayaroundandwalkingbacktowardGod. Introduceandexplainrepentancetocamperswhiledemonstratingwalkingforwardandthenturning180degrees,walkingtheotherdirection.Invitecamp-erstotrythisaswell. Everytimewesay“sorry”toGod,wearepracticingrepentance,whichsimplymeansturningawayfromthebadthingswearedoingandturningbacktoGod’sway.

AskcamperstothinkofsomethingtheymightneedtosaysorrytoGodfor.Giveafewexamplestohelpcamperslike:usingunkindwordstoabrotherorsister,notobeyingparents,orexcludingakidwhowantstoplay.Encouragecamperstodothewalkagain,sayingsorryastheywalkforwardthenturnaroundandre-membertheyareforgivenontheirwayback. RemindcampersthatwecansaysorrytoGodanytimeandalwaysknowforcertainthatweareforgiven.SharewithcampersthattheBibletellsusthatsinceGodforgivesus,weneedtoalwaysforgiveothers.Colossians3:13says,“Putupwitheachother,andforgiveanyonewhodoesyouwrong,justasChristhasforgivenyou”(CEV).IamachildofGodAskcamperstorecallwhatGodtheFa-ther’svoicesaidtoJesusathisbaptism.Iftheycannotremember,rereadMark1:11,“YouaremyowndearSon,andIampleasedwithyou”(CEV).JesusisGod’ssonandGodisreallyproudofJesus.Throughbaptism,webecomepartofGod’sfamily.Webelongnotbecauseofanythingwehavedone,butbecauseGodchoosestoloveus. Givecampersastickerorlabelthatsays,“IamachildofGod.”Ifcamperscanwrite,allowthemtomaketheirownsticker.EncouragecamperstoweartheirstickersalldaytorememberthatGodlovesthemandthattheybelongtoGod’sfamily. Onceeveryonehasasticker,havecamperswalkaroundintroducingthem-selvestooneanother.Forexample,“Hello,mynameisMaryandIamachildofGod.”Afterafewminutes,remind


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campersthateventhoughwedon’twearstickersallthetime,everyoneisim-portantandspecialtoGod.GodwantsustoloveoneanotherandtreatallpeopleliketheybelongtoGod’sfamily,evenwhenit’shard. IfthebookYouAreSpecialbyMaxLu-cadoisavailable,thiswouldbeagoodtimetoreadittocampers.SeeAdd-onAc-tivity.ClosingritualAskcamperstothinkaboutallthethingsthegrouptalkedaboutduringBiblestudy.Askcamperstoshareonewordthattheywanttorememberfromtoday’sstory.Goaroundthecircleordo“popcornstyle”andalloweachcampertoshare. Pouraverysmallamountofwaterintothehandsofeachcamper.Allowthemtosplash,drink,drop,orplaywiththeirwater.Remindcampersnotto

splashothersunlesstheyhavebeengivenpermission. Have campers say in unison:

ThankyouGodforthewatersofbap-tism!Amen.

ADD-ONACTIVITYIfacopyofYouAreSpecial(byMaxLu-cado,CandleBooks,1997)isavailable,readittocampersbeforebedorduringaquiettimeduringtheday.Thisstoryreit-eratestoday’sthemeofbelongingandGod’sendlessloveforusthroughthecharactersandplotinaverymemorableway.ApdfversionofthetextmaybeavailablefordownloadontheInternet,oran8-minuteYouTubeanimatedversioncouldbeshownasanalternativeifthebookisnotavailable.


DAY3AttheWell—EnoughforEveryone

FocusquestionWhodoesJesusinvite?ThemestatementThewateroflifequenchesthethirstofbodyandspirit.LearningobjectivesThisBiblestudywillhelplowerelementarycampersandtheirleaders:• KnowthatJesusofferslivingwatertoallpeople.• FeelacceptedandinvitedtoreceiveJesus’giftoflove.• PracticewaystotellothersaboutJesus’love.BibletextJohn4:3-15,27-29MaterialsBibles(CEV,NLT,ERV)Day3Biblestoryart(optional);seeCurriculumOverview(Over-


pitcherofwaterclearcupdryspongespapermarkersbucketcardstockoraheavyweightpaperforinvitations


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InandoutWhatdoesitfeelliketobeanoutsider?Askcamperstoshareanexperiencewhentheyfeltleftoutandnotpartofagroup.Tellcampersyou’regoingtoplayagamethatshowsuswhatitfeelsliketonotbepartofagroup.Explainalltherulesbe-forehavingcampersstandandholdhands. Thegamestartsbyhavingallcamp-ersstandinacircleholdinghands.Onecampervolunteerstostandoutsidethecircle.Theobjectofthegameisforthepersonoutsidethecircletotrytogetin-sidethecircle,whilethoseformingthecirclebyholdinghandstrytokeepthepersonout.Campersinthecirclemustcontinuallyholdhandsduringthegame.Switchvolunteerswhenthepersongetsintothecircleortheyhavetriedforanad-equateamountoftime. Astheleader,itisimportanttowatchforsafetywhileleadingthisactivity.Itissuggestedthatyoudonotplay,butrather

watchthegroupcarefully.Camperscangetroughtryingtokeepothersoutortogetinthecircle.Donotallowcamperstogooverhandsandarms,butonlyunder.Watchforemotionalaswellasphysicalsafety.Camperstryingtogetinsidethecirclecangeteasilyfrustratedifthecircleisparticularlychallenging. Afterplayingseveralroundsaskcampers:• Howdiditfeeltobetheoutsider?• Howdiditfeeltobepartofthecircle?• Whichrolewasmorefunforthis

game?• Howdiditfeeltofinallybreakintothe

circle? Tellcampersthattoday’sstoryisaboutawomanwhowasnotwelcomebymanypeopleinhertown,butJesusin-vitedherbecausehecaresaboutallpeo-pleandsohehadcompassiononher.ThirstylandAskcamperstodemonstrate(actout)howitfeelstobereallythirsty.Askforstoriesabouttimeswhencamperswerereallythirsty.Whatweretheydoing?Wherewerethey?Whatdiditfeelliketobethirsty?Whydidtheygetthirstyinthefirstplace? Askcamperswhathappenswhenthelandorearthgetsreallythirsty.Tellcampersthatreallythirstylandiscalledadrought.Ithappenswhenthereisnorainorwateranywhereforareallylongtime.Thegrounddriesupkindoflikeadrysponge.Passarounddryspongesforcamperstofeel.Askthemtodescribehowitfeels.Askcampersquestionslike:• Whatdoyouimaginewouldhappento

thelandifitwereleftlikethisspongeforalongtime?


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• Whatdoyouthinkwouldhappentotheplantsthatweretryingtoliveonthisland?

• Whatdoyouthinkwouldhappentotheanimals?Thepeople?

• Ifyouwereafarmer,whatwoulditbeliketotryandgrowcropsonthisdryland?

Tellcampersthattherearemanyplacesonearththataresufferingfromdroughts.Duringadroughtthereisonlyalittlebitofwatertogoaroundforthemanythingsthatneedit—plants,animals,andpeople—anditisnotusuallyenough.Droughtsarecausedbyweather,whenthereisnotenoughrainorsnowfallinanarea.Oftenwhenthereisplentyofwater,peopleusetoomuchandthisworsenstheeffectsofdroughtswhentheycome. Askcamperstorecallthewaystoconservewaterthatyourgroupbrain-stormedyesterday.Tellcampersthatbe-inggoodstewardsofwaterhelpswhenadroughtcomesandisawaythatwecanbecaretakersofGod’screationandgiftofwater.

WORDThefollowingarevariousapproachestoexploringtheJohn4storywithcampers.Choosetheonesthatwillworkbestforyourcampersandyoursetting.WhatIsayaboutmyselfTellcampersthatyesterdaytheylearnedabouttheGospelofMarkintheBible.Askcampersiftheyrememberwhatgospelmeans(goodnews)andwhotheGospelbooksareabout(storiesaboutJesus). Tellcampersthattoday’sstorycomesfromtheGospelofJohn.JohnwasamanwhofollowedJesus,andhewroteabout

thetimehespentwithJesus.OneofthemainthingsthattheGospelofJohntellsusiswhatJesussaidabouthimself.SomeofthingsJesussaysabouthimselfare:• Iamthegoodshepherd.• Iamthebreadoflife.• Iamthelightoftheworld. WhenwereadtheBible,welearnmoreaboutJesusandwhatmakeshimspecial. Askcamperstothinkofuptothreethingsaboutthemselves(itmaybeeasiertostartwithonethingandplayseveralrounds).Thesethingscouldbeactivitiestheyliketodo,whethertheyareabrotherorsister,oracharactertraitsuchasbeingfunnyoragoodlistener.Itmaybehelpfultogiveacoupleexamplestogetthegroupstarted. Invitecamperstosharewithapart-nerorwiththewholegroupthecharac-teristicthatmakesthemunique.Encour-agethemtousethephrase“Iam...”whentheysharetheircharacteristic.Forexample:Iamabrother.Iamagoodsoc-cerplayer.Iamfunny.Iamkind.Continueuntilallcampershavehadachancetoshare. Foranalternativeoption,askcamp-erstowritedowntheircharacteristics.Collectthemfromcampersandreadoneatatime.Havethegroupguesswhichpersonisbeingdescribedbythecharac-teristicbeingread. Tellcampersthattherearemanythingsthatmakeusuniquefromonean-other.Ourdifferencesarereallyim-portantbecauseGodcreatedeachofusandlovesusjustthewayweare. Jesussharedwithhisfriendsthethingsthatmadehimspecial,andJohnrecordedthemintheBible.ThethingsJe-sussaysabouthimselfarereallyim-portantbecauseheisGod’sSon.


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Surprise!TellcampersthatintheBiblestoryforto-day,Jesustalkedwithawomanatawell.Explainwhatawellisifcampersdonotknow.Wedonotevenknowhername,buttheconversationshehadwithJesuswasreallyimportant.Therearealotofsurprisesinthisstory.Forexample,JesuswasJewish,andJewishpeoplewerenotsupposedtoeventalktopeoplefromSa-maria,wherethewomanwasfrom.Andmendidn’ttalktowomeninpublic. Invitecamperstoyell,“Surprise!”everytimetheyhearsomethinginthestorythattheythinkisasurprise.Encour-agethemtothinkaboutwhatwouldhavesurprisedthewoman,Jesus,thedisciples,andsomeonewatchingfromtheoutside. ReadJohn4:3-15,27-29slowlyandallowcamperstorespond.Pauseatthe“surprisemoments”(verses7,9,10,11,14,15,27,28).Afterreadingtheentirepassage,gobacktoeachmomentofsur-priseandaskcampersquestionslike:• Whywasthissurprising?• Whowassurprised?“Iwonder”questionsReviewJohn4:3-15,27-29orreaditifyouhaven’talreadydoneso.Askcamperssomeofthefollowingquestionsorcreateonesofyourown.Givespaceandtimeforcamperstothinkandrespondtothequestions.Remembertherearenorightorwronganswers.• Iwonderifthewomanhasaname.• Iwonderhowlongshehastowalkto

gettothewell.• Iwonderhowthewomanfeltwhen

Jesuswastalkingtoher.• Iwonderwhatitwasliketotalkwith

Jesus.• IwonderwhatGodwantsustoknow

fromthisstory.• Iwonderifitwashotoutside.

• IwonderwhythisstoryisintheBible.• Iwonderwhatthepeoplethought

whenthewomansharedherstoryaboutJesusatthewell.

• IwonderwhoIwouldtellifthishap-penedtome.

• Iwonderwhatismostimportantinthisstory.

AbundanceAbigwordfortodayisabundance.Askcampersiftheyknowwhatabundancemeans.Sharethatabundancemeansyouhavesomuchofsomethingthatitiswaymorethanyouneed.Demonstrateabun-dancebyfillingaglasswithwaterandthenoverflowingtheglass.Tellcampersthatwhentheyseetheglassoverflowingthatisabundance. Tellcampersthatintoday’sstory,Je-susoffersthewomanabundance.AskcamperstolistencarefullytothestoryandthendoasecretmotionwhentheythinktheyhearJesusofferabundancetothewoman.Themotioncouldbehandsonhead,fingeronnose,ortouchingtoes. ReadJohn4:3-15outloud.Campersshouldmakethemotionduringverses13-14.Askcamperstosharewhytheythinkthisisthepartofthestoryaboutabundance. ReadIsaiah55:1-5tocampers.AskthemtolistenfortheabundantgiftsthatGodispromisinginthispassage.Itmaybenecessarytowalkthroughthepassageversebyverseforcamperstounderstandwhatisbeingsaid. InvitecamperstodrawoneoftheabundantpromisesthatGodmakesinthispassagefromIsaiah.Givecampersanop-portunitytosharewhattheychosetodrawwiththewholegroup.


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SENDInvitationsInvitecamperstoshareaboutatimewhentheywereinvitedtosomething—itcouldbeaparty,toplayatafriend’shouse,ortojoinaclubatschool.Askcamperstosharehowitfelttobeinvited.Weretheyexcited?Happy?Nervous? TellcampersthatJesusinvitedthewomanatthewelltosomethingveryspe-cialandimportant.RemindthemthatJe-susofferedherlivingwater,whichmeanteternallifeandabundance.Askcamperstorecallwhatshedidaftershereceivedthisinvitation.Itmaybenecessarytore-readJohn4:28-29. RemindcampersthatafterthewomantalkedwithJesus,sheleftquicklyandtoldeveryoneinhertown.Justlikethewoman,GodwantsustotellothersaboutJesus,too.Distributepaperandmarkersandinvitecamperstomakeaninvitation,invitingafriendorfamilymembertoknowaboutGod’slove.Givecamperstimetocreatetheirinvitations.Encouragecamperstothinkofoneper-sonathometheywouldliketoinvitetoknowmoreaboutJesus.WhocantheytellaboutGod’sloveandforgiveness?Suggesttocampersthattheytaketheirinvitationhomeandgiveittothepersontheythoughtabout.AlongwalkforwaterLeadcamperstoawaterfaucet,eitherasinkorahosewillworkwell.Turnthefaucetonbrieflyandaskcampersiftheyallhaveafaucetwheretheylive.Askifitworksthesamewayasthisone:demon-stratebyturningthehandleandshowinghowwatercomesout.Tellcampersthatnoteveryoneintheworldgetstheirwa-terthiswayorthiseasily.

Tellcampersthatmanypeopleintheworldhavetowalkareallylongwayforwatereverysingleday.Theydonothaveafaucet.Womenandchildrenaretheoneswhogoeverydaytogetenoughwa-terfortheirfamily.• Askcamperstobrainstormwhatany

familymightusewaterforinaday.• Ask:Howmuchwaterdoyouthink

theyneedforjustthebasicthingslikecookingandcleaning?

Sharewithcampersthatmostwomenandchildrencarrybigjugsofwaterontheirheadsandwalkalmost4miles(6.4km)togetthewater.Inatypicalday,womenandchildrenwillspend3to9hoursjustwalkingtogetwaterfortheirhousehold.Manychildrendonotgotoschoolbecausethisonejobtakessomuchtimeandenergyeachday. Invitecamperstoattempttowalkadistancewithabucketbalancedontheirhead.Addsomewater(donotfillitveryfull)foranaddedchallenge.Debrieftheexperiencewithcampers,askingques-tionslike:• Howdiditfeeltocarrythebucket?• Whatwaschallengingaboutit?• Iwonderwhatitfeelsliketodothis

everydayforalongdistance? Sharewithcampersthatmanypeoplearoundtheworldareworkinghardtohelpthesewomenandchildrenbymak-ingwatersourcesclosertotheirhomes.Therearealsopeopleinventingwaysforthewatertobecarriedwithouthurtingnecksandheads.Tellcamperstheycansuggestthattheirfamilies,churches,andschoolssupporttheseorganizations.Butalsotheycanprayforpeopleeverydaywhohavetodothishardwork. Givecamperstimetodraworwriteacardtoplacebyafaucetathomeremind-ingthemtobethankfulforhavingeasy


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accesstowaterandtoprayforthosewhodonot.ClosingritualAskcamperstothinkaboutallthethingsthegrouptalkedaboutduringBiblestudy.Askcamperstoshareonewordthattheywanttorememberfromtoday’sstory.Goaroundthecircleordo“popcornstyle”andalloweachcampertoshare. Pouraverysmallamountofwaterintothehandsofeachcamper.Allowthemtosplash,drink,drop,orplaywiththeirwater.Remindcampersnottosplashothersunlesstheyhavebeengivenpermission. Havecamperssayinunison:

ThankyouGodforlivingwater!Amen.


DAY4InthePool—SeeingandBeingtheLight

FocusquestionHowdoesJesushelpussee?ThemestatementThelife-givingwaterofJesushealsblindnessinbodyandspirit.LearningobjectivesThisBiblestudywillhelplowerelementarycampersandtheirleaders:• KnowthatJesusisthelightoftheworld.• UnderstandthatJesusguidesandhealsus.• ShareJesuswithothers.BibletextJohn9:1-11MaterialsBiblesDay4Biblestoryart(optional);seeCurriculumOverview(Over-


blindfoldsdeckofcardspapermarkersorcrayonsplainBand-Aidspermanentmarkerslargesheetofpaper


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“LightofJesus”songTeachcampersthissimplesongtothetuneof“FrèreJacques.”Singitasyoubeginyourstudyfortoday.Alsothinkoftimestoincorporatethissongthroughouttheday.ItcanbeusedtocloseyourBiblestudytime,aswellasamealprayer,dur-ingworshiptimes,smallgroupdevotions,beforebedtime,andmore.EncouragecamperstosingthesongasaprayertoJe-suswhoisourlight.

LightofJesus,lightofJesus,Showtheway,showtheway.Shineonusforever,shineonus

forever.Thiswepray,thiswepray.

MarcoPolowithatwistExplaintherulesofthisgamebeforeput-tingcampersintopairs.Explainthatcamperswillbeworkinginpairstoplayanon-landversionoftheswimming-pool

gameMarcoPolo.Onceinpairs,camperswillworktogethertodecideonasignalthatcomprisesclaps,snaps,ornoisesofsomekind,buttheycannotusewords. Oncepairshavedecidedontheirsig-nal,blindfoldoneofthecampersineachpair.Separatetheblindfoldedcampersfromtheirpartnersandinterminglepairswithoneanother.Whengiventheinstruc-tiontobegin,usingonlytheirsignal,pairsneedtofindoneanother.Allthepartnerswillbeinthesamearea,butwatchoutforsafetyhazardsandkeepthegroupcon-finedtoaspecificareaorspace.Oncepairsfindoneanotheraskthemtoswitchthepartnerwearingtheblindfold.Ifde-sired,theycanchangetheirsignalforthenextround. Afterward,askcampersquestionslike:• Howdiditfeeltobetheonewho

couldsee?• Howdiditfeeltobethepartnerwho

couldnotsee?• Whichdidyoulikebetter?Why?• Howwelldidyoursignalwork?• Wasiteasyorchallengingtofindyour

partner? Tellcampersthattoday’sstoryisaboutablindmanwhowashealedbyJe-sus.Beforehewashealed,hehadtode-pendonotherstohelphim,justliketheydependedononeanotherduringthisgame.Made-upmagicshowAskcampersiftheyhaveeverseenamagicshowandtoshareabitaboutthetricktheythoughtwasthecoolest.Askcampersifanyknowhowtodoamagictrick.Aftercampershavehadanoppor-tunitytoshare,demonstratethefollowingcardtrick.


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Usingadeckofcards,discretelycountouttwentycardsoffthetopofthedeck(makesurenoonecanseethatyou’recounting).Setthestackoftwentyinfrontofyouonatableorotherflatsur-face.Thiswillbepile2.Theotherpilewillbepile1.Offerpile1toacamper.Askthecampertochooseacardandtomemorizeitandtogiveitback.Putthechosencardunderpile2(whichwasthetwentycardsyoucountedoutatthebeginning).Putpile2ontopofpile1.Turnthecardsoversothattheyfaceyou(soyoucanseethefrontofeachcard).Countfromthebackofthepileuntilyougettothetwenty-firstcard.Thiswillbeyourfriend’schosencard.Askifit’stheircard.(Adaptedfromhttp://www.kidspot.com.au/things-to-do/activities/easy-card-trick.) Practiceaheadoftimesothatyourcamperscan’tseeyoucountanditlookslikeyou’renotintentionallysplittingthedeck. Tellcampersthattoday’sstoryisaboutamiraclethatJesusperformed.Amiracleisnotmagic,likethecardtrick,butitisaneventGoddoesthatwedon’talwaysunderstandandcannotexplain.Ourresponsetoamiracleisoftenthesameasagoodmagictrickorsomethingamazingthatwesee.Askcamperstodemonstratewonderorawewhentheyseesomethingamazingthattheydon’tunderstand.TellcampersthatthatisthesameresponsethatpeoplehadwhentheywitnessedwhatJesusdid.Close-uphikeIfpossibletakecamperstoanareathathassomegrass.(Dirtwillworkokayaswellbuthavecampersjustbenddowntolook.)Instructcamperstolieontheirstomachandpeerintothegrassthatisdi-rectlybelowtheirface.Askcampersto

observeforafewminutesallthethingstheyseerightinfrontofthemandthentosharewiththegroup.Askcampershowtheirperspectivechangeswhentheystopandlookcloselyatsomething.Tellcamp-ersthatitisimportanttopayattentiontothethingsaroundus,eventhetiniestplantsandanimals.Jesuscanchangeourperspectivetooandhelpsustoseetheworldinnewanddifferentways.Thestorytodaytellsaboutamanwhoseper-spectivewastotallydifferentaftermeet-ingJesus. Note:Youcouldalsouseaclearjaroflakeorriverwaterforthisactivity.

WORDThefollowingarevariousapproachestoexploringtheJohn9storywithcampers.Choosetheonesthatwillworkbestforyourcampersandyoursetting.Actitout—mimestyleTellcampersthattheyhavebeenhiredtoshareastoryintheBiblewithagroupofpeople.Theyhavebeenaskedtotellthestorywithoutusinganywords.Theyaregoingtohavetopracticeinordertoper-formthestoryinawaythateveryoneun-derstandswhatishappening.Assignpartstocampersincluding:Jesus,themanbornblind,disciples,thepool(ifneeded),andneighborsandtownspeople. ReadJohn9:1-11withcamperssev-eraltimesandhelpthemunderstandtheirparts.Afterseveralpracticerounds,havecampersperformthestorywithoutreadingitfromtheBible.Ifpossible,askpeoplefromoutsideyourgrouptowatchandseeiftheycanunderstandwhatishappening.


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BeforeandafterTellcampersthatsomethingamazinghappenstothemanbornblindwhenhemeetsJesus.ReviewJohn9:1-11withcampersorreaditoutloudifyouhaven’talreadydoneso.Givethemapieceofpa-perandhavethemfolditinhalf.InvitecamperstodrawononesideofthepaperapictureofthemanbornblindbeforehemetJesus.Allowafewminutesforcamp-erstofinishthatdrawing.Ifsomecom-pleteitquickly,encouragethemtoadddrawingsorwordsaboutwhathislifewaslikeorhowhefeltwhenhewasblind.Nextaskcamperstodraw(ontheothersideofthepaper)themanafterJesushealedhim.Againifneeded,suggestthatcampersaddfeelingsordrawingsthatmightdescribethemanafterJesushealedhim. RemindcampersthatitwasamiraclewhenJesushealedtheman.Wedon’tun-derstandhowJesusdidit,butwecantrustthathedid,becauseJesusisGod.Ifnecessary,remindcamperswhatamira-cleis(fromthepreviousactivity“Made-upMagicShow”).“Iwonder”questionsReviewJohn9:1-11orreaditaloudifyouhaven’talreadydoneso.Askcamperssomeofthefollowingquestionsorcreateonesofyourown.Givespaceandtimeforcamperstothinkandrespondtothequestions.Remembertherearenorightorwronganswers.• Iwonderhowitfeelstobeblind.• Iwonderwhatitwasliketobegfor

helpandmoney.• IwonderwhyJesususedmud,spit,

andwatertohealtheman.• Iwonderwhatitfeltliketoseeforthe

firsttime.• Iwonderifthemanhasaname.

• IwonderwhereJesuswentafterhehealedtheman.

• Iwonderwhatthepeoplewatchingwerethinking.

• IwonderwhatGodwantsustoknowfromthisstory.

• IwonderwhereIaminthisstory.• IwonderwhythisstoryisintheBible.• Iwonderhowthemanwasdifferent

afterhecouldsee.JesusasthelightoftheworldAfterexploringthepassagefortoday,takeafewminuteswithcamperstoex-plainwhatJesusmeansbysayingheisthelightoftheworld. RereadJohn9:5forcampers.AskthemwhattheythinkJesusmeanswhenhesaysheisthelightfortheworld. SharewithcampersthatthisweektheyhaveheardstoriesaboutGod’sloveforusandaboutJesus.• Jesushelpspeople;heinvitespeople

tobepartofacommunityandshowsushowweshouldlive.

• Jesusistherescuerwhocametohelppeopleintrouble.Jesusdiedforoursinssowedon’thaveto.Itislikein-steadofgettingintroubleforsome-thingyoudid,Jesusgotintroubleforyou!Insteadofbeinggroundedorsenttoyourroom,Jesuswasgroundedinyourplace.

• Whentheworldwasintroublebe-causeofallthebadthingsthatpeopleweredoing(andweregoingtodointhefuture),GodsentJesusastheonetorescueallpeopleforalltime.

• GodasksthatwefollowJesusandtrytobelikehimsothatotherscanknowaboutGod’slovetoo.

• GodalsoasksthatwebelieveinJesusandknowthatheisreallyGod’sson.


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WhenJesussaysheisthelightoftheworld,hemeansthatheisheretorescueusandtoshowustheway.Justlikealighthelpsustoseewhenit’sdark,JesusshowsusthewaytoGod.WhenwefollowJesuswearefollowingalightthatguidesusalways. WecanlearnmoreaboutJesusandwhatitmeanstofollowhiminmanydif-ferentways.Welearnfrom:• WatchingotherswhobelieveinJesus

andarealsofollowinghim.• ReadingtheBibleandknowingthe

storiesaboutJesus.• PrayingandtrustingthattheHoly

Spirithelpsusaswegrowandlearn.

SENDShowingkindnessRemindcampersthatintoday’sstory,thehealedmantellsotherswhathappenedtohim.Hetellsthepeopleinhistown,hisfriends,andhisfamilythathebelievesinJesus. SinceweknowaboutJesus,GodwantsustotellothersandshowthemthatJesusisthelightoftheworld.Infact,JesustellshisfollowersthattheyarealsothelightoftheworldtopeoplewhodonotknowaboutJesus. ReadcampersthestoryfromMat-thew5:14-16.Askcamperstosharewhyitisimportantforustobethelightforothers.Bybeingkindtoothers,lovingothers,andthinkingofothers’needsbe-foreourownwearebeinglights“forthewholeworld.” AskcamperstobrainstormideasofhowtheycanshowGod’slovetootherstoday.Havecamperschooseapersonorgroupsuchasadifferentcabingroup,kitchenstaff,orofficestaffanddosome-

thingkindforthem.Itcouldbeasere-nade,handmadethank-youcards,doingagroup’schores,oranythingthatmighthelpcampersshowkindnesstothisgrouporindividual. Afterdoingthekindact,talktocamp-ersabouthowitfeelstoshowkindnesstoothers.Askcamperstobrainstormrea-sonswhyservingothersisimportant.JesushealsRemindcampersthatintoday’sstoryJe-sushealedthemanbornblindandgavehimawholenewlife.God’slovehealspeopleeventoday,eventhoughitmaynotalwaysbeaphysicalhealing.Askcamperstoshareatimewhentheywereinjured.Whathappened?Whereandhowweretheyhurt?AskcampersiftheyhaveevergottenaBand-Aidforacutorbruise.TellcampersthatBand-Aidscanhelpre-mindusthatJesushealsus. GiveeachcampertwoBand-Aidsandhavethemremovethemfromthewrap-pers,leavingthebacksidepaperintact.In-vitecamperstodrawaheartononeBand-Aidorwrite“JesusHeals”onit.OnthesecondBand-Aid,invitecamperstowritethenameofapersontheyknowwhoneedshealing.TellcamperstheycankeeptheoneBand-AidwiththeheartorwordsonitasaremindertothemthatJe-susheals.WiththesecondBand-Aid,tellcampersthatyouaregoingtoprayforthesepeoplebyname. Onalargepieceofpaper,drawacross.BegintheprayerwithwordsofyourchoosingandtheninvitecamperstosticktheirBand-Aidtothecrossandsaytheirperson’snameoutloud. AftereveryonehashadachancetosticktheirBand-Aidonthecross,closetheprayertimebysayingsomethinglike:


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God,weknowyouhearourprayersforthesepeople.

YouaretheGreatHealerandwepraythatyouwillhealourfriendsandfamily,bothintheirbodiesandintheirhearts.

Weknowthatyouloveusallwithanever-endinglove.

ThankyouforJesuswhoheals.Amen.ClosingritualAskcamperstothinkaboutallthethingsthegrouptalkedaboutduringBiblestudy.Askcamperstoshareonewordthattheywanttorememberfromtoday’sstory.Goaroundthecircleordo“popcornstyle”andalloweachcampertoshare. Pouraverysmallamountofwaterintothehandsofeachcamper.Allowthemtosplash,drink,drop,orplaywiththeirwater.Remindcampersnottosplashothersunlesstheyhavebeengivenpermission. Havecamperssayinunison: ThankyouGodforwaterthatheals!Amen.

ADD-ONACTIVITY

Becausethefocusoftoday’sBiblestudyiscenteredonJesusasthelightoftheworld,todayisanexcellentdaytotakeadvantageofnightactivities.Ifpossiblegivecampersanopportunitytoexperi-encethedarkandhighlightthediffer-encesthatevenalittlebitoflightcanmakeinthedarkness.Activitieslikeanighthikeormakingsparkswithwinter-greenLifeSaverswillhelpcampershaveamemorableexperiencethatconnectsbacktoJesusasthelightoftheworld.FlashlightCharadesisalsoaquietgamethatcanbeplayedwithcampersinsideadarkcabinorroom.(Useaflashlightto“draw”differentthingsinthedark.Othersguesswhatisbeingdrawn.)


DAY5ByStillWaters—RestinginGod

FocusquestionHowdoesrestinghelpmebeclosertoGod?ThemestatementThestillwatersofGod’spresenceandcarerestoreusbeyondourimagining.LearningobjectivesThisBiblestudywillhelplowerelementarycampersandtheirleaders:• KnowthatGodprotectsthem.• TrustthatGodisalwayswiththemandcanbecalleduponany

time.• PracticetalkingtoGodinprayer.BibletextPsalm23MaterialsBiblesDay5Biblestoryart(optional);seeCurriculumOverview(Over-


stopwatchstuffedanimal(optional)blindfoldspapermarkers


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GATHEROpeningritualLeadcamperstoyourchosenspot(pref-erablylocatednearwater)thatyouhaverevisitedeachdayduringBiblestudy.Havecamperssitinacircleonthesamelevel. Askcamperstothinkofandshareonethingtheyarethankfulfor.Taketurnssharingaroundthecircleuntilallhaveanopportunity. Prayresponsively:




ShepherdandsheepTellcampersthatoneoftheimagesinto-day’sscripturepassageisaboutshepherdandsheep.Askcamperstosharewhattheyknowaboutthejobofashepherd. Aftercampershaveshared,tellcamp-ersthatashepherd’smostimportantjobistotakecareoftheirsheepandtomakesurethesheeparealwayssafeandnevergetlost.Thesheeptrustashepherdandknowthesoundoftheirvoice. ExplaintocampersthatyouaregoingtoplayagameofSheepandShepherd.Di-videcamperssothattheyaresplitintopairs.Onecamperwillbethesheepandtheothertheshepherd.Tellcampersthatthesheepwillbeblindfoldedandwalkontheirhandsandknees.Allofthesheepwillgatherinthemiddleoftheareaandtheshepherdsinacirclearoundthem. Wheninstructedtostart,shepherdswillwhisperthenameoftheirsheepqui-etly,repeatingituntilthesheepfinds

theirshepherd.Playuntilallsheephavefoundtheirshepherdsandthenswitch.Ifthisistoochallengingoreasy,changethevolumewithwhichshepherdscancallthenameoftheirsheeporthefrequency. Afterwardaskcamperstoshareabouttheirexperiencebeingboththesheepandtheshepherd.• Wasiteasyorhardtofindtheshep-

herd?Tocallthesheep?• Whatmadeiteasiertoheartheshep-

herd? TellcampersthatintheBible,Jesussays,“Iamthegoodshepherd”(John10:11).WecanalwaystrustJesus,justlikeasheeptrustsitsshepherd.TagPlayseveralroundsofaclassicgameofTag.Chooseonecampertobe“It.”Whentheleadersaysgo,Itchasescampersaroundadesignatedarea.Ifacamperistagged,theysitdownorfreezeinthespottheyweretagged.Playuntilthereisonlyonecamperlefttobetagged.ThatcamperthenbecomesItiftheywantto.AllowallcamperswhowanttobeIttohavetheop-portunity. Afterplayingseveralrounds,gathercampersandaskwhatitwasliketobechased.Wasitfun,exciting,scary,orhard?Tellcampersthatthepsalmforto-daytalksabouthowGodpursuesus.Pur-suingissimilartochasing.ThedifferenceisthatGodpursuesussothatwecanhaveacloserelationshipwithGodfulloftrustandlove.Howlongisaminute?Manycampersinthisagegrouphaveahardtimesittingstillorevenhavingagoodsenseoftime.Createalittlecompe-titionforcamperstoseeiftheycantellhowlongoneminuteis.


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Tellcampersthatyouaregoingtostartatimer,andwhentheythinkithasbeenoneminute,raisetheirhand.Itwillmostlikelytakeafewroundsforcamperstogetclosetoguessingtheminutecor-rectly. Askcampersifitwashardoreasytowaitawholeminute.Askcampersifitgoteasieraftertheactivitywasrepeated. Tellcampersthattoday’spassagefromtheBibleisabouthowGodcaresforuslikeashepherdcaresforsheep.Be-causesheeptrusttheirshepherdtokeepthemsafe,theycanrestandnotworryaboutanything.Askcampersiftheyfindithardoreasytowait,rest,andbepatient.Tellthemthatlikemanythings,some-timeslearningtoresttakespractice,butthatitisreallyimportantforourfaithlife.

WORDThefollowingarevariousapproachestoexploringPsalm23withcampers.Choosetheonesthatwillworkbestforyourcampersandyoursetting.ExploringPsalm23Today’spsalmhasalotofvividimagery.CamperswillgraspthispsalmevenmoreiftheyareabletoseethedifferentimagesinfrontofthemasPsalm23isreadoutloud.Readthewholepsalmfirst,thentakecampersonawalktoseethesedif-ferentimages(orsomethingassimilaraspossible).Givecampersamomenttoex-perienceeachplaceandreadthecorre-spondingversesseveraltimesbeforemovingtothenext. Ateachlocationaskcamperstosharesomethingtheyareexperiencingusingtheirfivesenses:taste,touch,sight,sound,andsmell.

Ifitisnotpossibletoexperiencetheseplacesinreality,askcamperstoclosetheireyesandimaginethem.Intro-duceitasanimaginaryadventure.Thismayrequiremovingthroughthepsalmabitmorequicklyascampersmighthaveahardertimeconcentrating. HerearesuggestionsforlocationsandversesofPsalm23.• Fieldofgrass(verses1-2a).• Streamorcalmwater(verse2b-3a).• Pathortrail(verse3b).• Darkplace(verse4a).• Placeofsafetysuchasfirstaidstation

orbunkbedsorevenshowingastuffedanimal(verse4b).

• Placewherecamperseat(verse5).• Placeofworshiporlocationwitha

view(verse6).“Iwonder”questionsReadPsalm23aloud,ifyouhaven’tal-readydoneso,andasksomeofthefol-lowingquestionsorcreateonesofyourown.Givespaceandtimeforcamperstothinkandrespondtothequestions.Re-membertherearenorightorwrongan-swers.• Iwonderwhatthispoemisabout.• Iwonderwhyittalksaboutashep-

herd.• Iwonderwhatashepherdislike.• IwonderhowGodismyshepherd.• IwonderhowGodiswithmeallthe

time.• Iwonderwhatstillwaterssoundlike,

smelllike,tastelike.• Iwonderwhatthegrassfeelslike

whenIliedowninit.• Iwonderifthereisreallyaplacelike

this.CanItrustGod?


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TrustisanimportantpartofPsalm23.RemindcampersoftheSheepandShep-herdgamethatwasplayedatthebegin-ningoftoday’sBiblestudy.Ifyoudidnotplayitearlier,playitnow.Reviewtherea-sonsthatasheepknowstotrustitsshep-herd.Askcamperstonamethepeopleintheirliveswhomtheytrust.Hopefullytheyhavemultiplepeoplewhocometomindeasily. ReviewPsalm23withcampersorreaditaloudifyouhaven’talreadydoneso.Askthemtosharehowthisisaprayeroftrust.Encouragecamperstobrain-stormtimeswhenitcouldbehelpfultotrustGod,suchastimeswhentheyaresadormad. Invitecamperstodoatrustwalktodemonstratetheimportanceoftrust.De-pendingonthematuritylevelofthegroup,thetrustwalkcantakeafewdif-ferentforms.• Ifthegroupisreallymature,split

campersintopairsandblindfoldonecamper.Theothercamperputstheirhandsontheshouldersoftheblind-foldedcamperandguidesthemaroundadesignatedspace.

• Camperscanalsobedirectedwithjustwordsaroundanareaforthemostmaturegroups.

• Analternativewouldbeforonecamperatatimetobeblindfoldedandtheleaderdirectsthemaroundtheareausingwordsorhandsonshoul-ders.

• Thereisalsoagroupoptionwheretheentiregroupisblindfoldedandholdshandsformingalineorallholdontoarope.Onlytheadultleadercanseeandleadsthelinearoundanareaorfromonelocationtoanother.

Debriefthisexperiencebyaskingcampersquestionslike:• Whatdiditfeelliketobeblindfolded?

• Howdiditfeeltobethepersonlead-inganother?

• Wasiteasyordifficulttotrustyourleader?Why?

• Didyouhaveanyissuesalongthewaywhenyouwereblindfolded(ranintosomething,felldown)?

• HowistrustingGodlikethisactivity?• WhatcanwelearnabouttrustingGod

andoneanotherfromthisactivity?• Reinforcetheideathatlikeagood

shepherd,Godprotectsusandpro-videswhatweneed.WecantrustthatGodisalwayswithus.

Toclose,rereadPsalm23forcamp-erstoconnecttheexperienceandthepsalmist’swords.

SENDCallingonGodTellcampersthattoday’spsalmteachesusisthatwecancallonGodanytime,nomatterwhereweareorwhatwearedo-ing.SincewecannotseeGodphysically,itissometimeseasytoforgetthatGodiswithusallthetime. Itmaybehelpfulforcamperstoprac-ticetalkingtoGodoutloud.Takecamperstoalocationwheretheycanyellorspeakloudly.GivethemopportunitiestocalltoGodandsaywhatevertheyneedtosay.Itmayhelpifallcamperstalkatthesametimesonotonecamperisonthespot. TellcampersthattheycantalktoGodanytimeandanywhere.Godisalwayslis-tening.RemindcampersthatGodislis-teningevenwhentheyarenolongeratcamp.Givecamperspaperandmarkersandinvitethemtodraworwriteacolor-fulremindertotalktoGodoften.Youcan’tseeme!


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AskcamperstoraisetheirhandsiftheyhaveeverplayedHideandGoSeek.Intro-ducethefollowinggameofYouCan’tSeeMe!Inthisgamecamperspretendtheyareanimalsandtrytohidefromhumansorotherlargeranimals. Walkthegrouptoanareawithvisi-bleboundaries(notsobigthatcamperscangetlost)thatalsohasapathorwalk-waythroughitandplacestohidewithinit.Thenexplaintherules.• Eachcamperisgiventimetohide.• Campersmayhidenomorethan15

feet(4.5m)fromeithersideofthepath.

• Campersmayuseanythinginthenat-uralenvironmenttoprovidecamou-flage,aslongastheyarenotpullinganythingaliveoffatreeorplant.En-couragecamperstouseonlyobjectsthataredead,down,ordetached.

Chooseonecampertobethehumanorlargeranimal.Havethiscamperclosetheireyesandwaitforabout3minutesforalltheothercamperstohide.Whenthehidingtimeisup,thechosencamperwalksthedistanceofthepathONLYONCEandtriestofindasmanycampersaspossible.Afterthewalk,thechosencampercallsoutandwatchestoseewhereallthesuccessfulanimalshid. Thisgamecanberepeatedmanytimeswithdifferentplayerstakingtheroleofthehumanorlargeranimal.Talkwithcampersaboutthehidingplacesthatwerethemostsuccessfulandhowani-malsmightprotectthemselvesfrompred-ators. Remindcampersthatwhileanimalsmayhavetohidefromhumansorlargeranimals(predators),GodisNEVERhid-denfromus!Infact,Godisalwayscloseandwillneverleaveus.Encouragecamp-erstowatchforanimalsandbugsthathavegreatcamouflagetohelpthemhide

andthenrememberthatGodisneverhid-denorfaraway.ClosingritualAskcamperstothinkaboutallthethingsthegrouptalkedaboutduringBiblestudy.Askcamperstoshareonewordthattheywanttorememberfromtoday’sstory.Goaroundthecircleordo“popcornstyle”andalloweachcampertoshare. Pouraverysmallamountofwaterintothehandsofeachcamper.Allowthemtosplash,drink,drop,orplaywiththeirwater.Remindcampersnottosplashothersunlesstheyhavebeengivenpermission.

Havecamperssayinunison:ThankyouGodforstillwaters!Amen.

ADD-ONACTIVITIESBuildfortsAllchildrenlovetobuildforts.Oftenfortscanbecomeplacesofrefugeandsafetyforkids.Allowcamperstimetobuildafortoutsideinthewoodsifpossibleorprovideblankets,sheets,andclothespinsforanindoorfort.Havecampersworkto-getherasagrouptobuildonelargefortorsplitcampersintogroupsandcreateseveralforts. Asagroup,discussPsalm23:5afterfortsarecompleted.Helpcamperscon-nectthatfortsandsheltersprotectusjustlikeGoddoes.


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WhatwasIscaredof?ThestorybookWhatWasIScaredOf?byDr.Seussisagreatstorytoreinforceto-day’sBiblepassage.Inthisstory,thecrea-tureisfrightenedofapairofpantswithnobodyinsidethem.Thecreaturelearnsthatthepantsarenotreallythatscaryandcanbefriendly.Usethisstorytosup-portPsalm23:4—thatwithGod,ourfearsarelessscary.ThesoundofwaterIfanaturalwatersource,suchasalakeorriver,isnotavailableatyoursite,con-siderplayingwatersoundsfromaYouTubevideoorasoundmachine.Dur-ingaresttime,perhapsafterlunch,allowcampers5–10minutestoliedownquietlyandlistentothenoiseofthewater.Askwhattheynoticeabouthowthesoundsmakethemfeel.Itispossiblethatsomecamperswillfallasleepduringthistime.UseitasaconnectionwithPsalm23:1-3aandthepsalmist’sprayerofrestandres-toration.GodrestedtooAskcampersiftheylikegoingtosleepatnightandwhy.Askcamperstothinkoftimeswhentheyareexcitedtogotosleep,perhapsafterareallybusydayorafterhavingplayedreallyhard.Tellcampersthatrestingisreallyimportant.Itisthetimewhenourbodyrefuelsand

processesalloftheinformationitgath-eredduringtheday.AskcampersiftheyknowofatimewhenGodrested.TellcampersthatifGodneededrest,thenwereallydotoo!RemindcampersofthetimewhenGodrestedbyreadingGenesis1:31—2:2. TellcampersthatwerememberthedaythatGodrestedeveryweek,andwecallitSabbath.OneoftheTenCommand-mentsistoremembertheSabbathdayandkeepitholy(holymeanssetapart).RemindcampersthattheTenCommand-mentsarebasicguidelinesthatGodgavetheIsraelitesinordertohelpthemfollowonlyGodinaworldwheretherewerealotofdistractions.Therearestillalotofdistractionstodaythatmakeitchalleng-ingtofollowGod.TheTenCommand-mentsarehelpfulforustodaytoo.Ifhelp-ful,remindcampersthatMosesreceivedtheCommandmentsinthestoryinExo-dus20. ReadPsalm23againandaskcamperstositinacircle.Anytimetheyhearaverseinthepsalmthattheythinkisaboutrest,campersshouldpretendtobeasleep.Encouragecamperstobeasdramaticaspossible. Remindcampersthatrestisim-portantforourbodiesandourminds.Godsetanexamplebyrestingandsoweshouldresttoo.Askcamperstobrain-stormtimestheycanrestandrememberthatrestisimportantandhelpsuslistentoGod.

CreditsMelissaShultslivesinMissoula,Montana,wheresheservesasthe

directorofspiritualformationatFirstPresbyterianChurchandasprogramconsultantforCampLutherwoodOregon.


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ScripturequotationsunlessotherwisenotedarefromNewRe-visedStandardVersionBible,copyright©1989,DivisionofChristianEducationoftheNationalCounciloftheChurchesofChristintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.Usedbypermission.Allrightsreserved.ScripturequotationsmarkedCEVarefromContemporaryEnglishVersioncopyright©1991,1992,1995byAmericanBibleSociety.

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