FrogSpot Kids

Science Camp 2010 was a blast!

The kids enjoyed a cowboy themed week. Some highlights were, horses, the lake front, Explorit, finding object lessons and worship talks.

This camp is run with an all volunteer staff from all over the US and, this year, overseas. We at FrogSpot were happy to be a part of this great event. Uncle Steve was Camp Pastor and Mr. Guteeair, T. J. and I helped.

Mr. Guteeair and Uncle Steve led the great singing and Uncle Steve’s morning worship talks were about science and God (T.J. helped with these), and in the evening he told the story, “Spotted Boy and the Comanches.” I, Cammy, took pictures! Here’s a video I made for you all.

“Cli-click” the door quietly latched behind Sung Yeon Yang (Soong Yee-HWN Yang) as she quietly slipped out of her Taiwanese apartment building on the Eastern coast of China. No one knew where she was going, not A-pah (Taiwanese for Father), not  Mama, (Taiwanese for mother) not even her little sister. As she ran down the sidewalk toward the little Adventist church (Kàu-hoë), she hoped that her parents wouldn’t ask here where she had been because she was sure they wouldn’t want her to be going to church.

Sung’s  family didn’t know Jesus but when she first started  school (Hák-häu) her parents wanted her to be able to learn English so they sent her to an English language class after school. That’s where she first learned about Jesus. You see, the language school was run by Seventh-day Adventists! Even though it was hard, she loved learning English and she also loved her teacher. But this week she had heard her teacher talking about the church’s worship services.

“May I go to your Kàu-hoë (church) too?” Sung asked her teacher.

“Why, of course, you are very welcome to come!” Teacher replied. And that’s why Sung was running toward the little Adventist church on this Saturday morning.

As she slipped inside she was warmly welcomed and directed to a Sabbath School class for kids her own age. She loved the songs and Bible stories so much that she decided to come back! Week after week Sung slipped out to go to Sabbath School, while her parents thought she was taking part in a school activity.

“Sung,” Her teacher said one day, “you’re such a good singer, how would you like to join the children’s choir?”

“Really? I’d love to!!” Sung exclaimed bouncing up and down eagerly. She loved to sing! But now she would have to stay for the worship service some days because the children’s choir often sung for church.

One Sabbath when Sung was supposed to sing in the choir for church she invited her little sister to come with her. “But don’t tell  Mama, and don’t tell Father where we’re going!” Sung warned, she didn’t want her parents to find out and tell her she couldn’t go to Sabbath school anymore. Both girls slipped out of the house and ran to the church. Sung’s sister loved it as much as she did! But when they got home Mama asked, “Where have you girls been all morning?”

Sung fidgeted a little, she had a funny feeling inside.  In the past when mom had asked this question she had lied to keep out of trouble but now she just couldn’t do it anymore. “I-I have joined a children’s choir at the Adventist church, and they sang today for worship,” she confessed, it felt good to tell the truth but she was really worried that her parents would stop her from going back.

Mama seemed to understand and Sung thought everything would be OK. Then A-pah found out! “No, you may not go to any Christian church!” he told them. “Not even to sing in the choir.” So Sung and her sister had to stay home on Sabbaths. But whenever A-pah wasn’t around,  Mama let them go.  

Then one day A-pah found out. He was angry! “I told you girls not to go to that church and now I find out that you’ve been going anyway!!”

But Mama interceded “But A-pah , look at how kind and obedient the girls have become. They’re learning that at church. I think it’s good for them to go.” So A-pah reluctantly agreed to let them go.

One month, two, three…six months passed. Then one day Mama met one of the members of Sung’s church in town. She was very friendly and after visiting for a while the lady said, “Why don’t you and your husband come visit our church to see what your girls are enjoying. We’d love to have you!”

“You know,” she said to A-pah when she got home, “the girls have been going to that church for quite a while now, don’t you think it is time we went to their church to see just what our daughters are learning?” The girls jumped up and down for joy when they heard that both Mama and A-pah had decided to come with them to Sabbath School and Church.

But that Sabbath Mama and A-pah were very uncomfortable. “I don’t know what to do or when or do it; like everyone else does” whispered A-pah . This made them feel embarrassed, they didn’t like it. It was different than anything they had ever seen before. And even though the church members tried to help, they decided that they didn’t want to go back. “You girls go ahead to church, A-pah and I will stay home.” Mama said the next week. As the girls went to church that next week, they were a little sad because it was just the two of them again.

Then one day an Adventist lady moved into their apartment building. She was very nice and caring and soon they became friends.

Every morning the phone would ring. Mama would answer, ” Pêng-an (That’s how Taiwanese say “Hello”)?”

“Hi, this is your new neighbor, would you and your family like to come over to my house for worship and prayer?”

Her parents were pleased that someone cared enough to invite them over for prayer and so for another six months the phone continued to ring every morning and Sung’s family would go over to their neighbor’s house for prayer.

Soon Mama wanted to her own prayer time in her house and A-pah began to study the Bible with the pastor. A-pah learned what Sung had been learning about the God of love and was anxious to worship him too. He threw away his prayer beads and began praying from his heart.

Just 18 months after Sung first sneaked to church her whole family became Adventist Christians. A-pah has become a gentler, happier man. Mama enjoys worshiping with the family. And Sung and her sister love to sing praises to Jesus in the children’s choir. She is glad that she ran away to church. Aren’t you?

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This story was adapted from the AdventistMission.org web site @ http://www.adventistmission.org/article.php?id=853 . In order to maintain the accuracy of the retelling, some portions are entirely or mostly taken from the original story.

 

 

Hey kids,

Here’s a little story I found in an old book that I think you might enjoy.

Uncle Steve

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MOPSEY’S MISTAKE

Uncle Jack came in one cold evening, looking for all the world like a bear, Louie thought, in his big overcoat. He caught Louie up and gave her a real bear-hug, too.”Hello, Mopsey! where’s Popsey?” he asked.

Popsey was Louie’s baby sister, two years old, and her name wasn’t Popsey any more than Louie’s name was Mopsey, but Uncle Jack was all the time calling folks funny names, Louie thought.

“Her’s gone to bed,” she said.

Then Uncle Jack put his hand in his pocket and made a great rustling with paper for a minute before he pulled out two red-and-white sugar-sticks and gave them to Louie. “It’s too bad that Popsey’s asleep,” said he. But I’m afraid Louie was rather glad of it.

“Aren’t you going to save one stick for Grace?” asked mama. Popsey’s real name was Grace.

“No,” said Louie, speaking low. “I don’t believe sugar-sticks are good for little girls. ‘Sides, I want it myself.”

Just as she swallowed the last bit there came a little call from her bedroom: “Mama?”

“Hello!” said Uncle Jack, “Popsey’s awake!”

And in a minute, out she came in mama’s arms, rosy, and smiling, and dimpled.

Then there was another great rustling in Uncle Jack’s pocket, and pretty soon—

“This is for Popsey!” said Uncle Jack.

She took her two sugar-sticks in her dimpled hands and looked at them a second—dear little Popsey!—and then she held out the larger one to Louie.

“Dis for ‘ou,” she cooed, “and dis for me!”

Poor Louie! She hung her head and blushed. Somehow she didn’t want to look at Uncle Jack or mama. Can you guess why?

“Dis for ‘ou!” repeated Popsey, cheerfully, pushing the long sugar-stick into her hand.

“Take it, Louie,” said mama.

And Louie took it. But a little afterward mama overheard her tell Popsey:—

“I won’t never be such a greedy thing any more, Popsey, dear. And I’s always going to divide with you, all the time after this, long’s I live!”

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Taken from the book, “The King’s Daughter and Other Stories for Girls” (Originally posted  10/30/07)

This story is based on Genesis 24 - Listen to this chapter.

“Mom, I’m ready to go refill the water jar. The sun’s getting lower and I don’t want it to get dark before I return.” Bekey called out. It had been a normal day; Rebekah had gone about her chores as usual totally unaware that God intended that her life would be completely changed by that evening.

It was customary that in the evening when it wasn’t quite so hot the young ladies of the town would go to the well to draw the water needed for the family. It was hard work drawing the water and carrying it in those heavy clay pots back home to the family but Rebekah didn’t mind it. It was just another way she could help out. She hefted the water jar onto her shoulder and headed out the door. On the way she met up with other girls in the neighborhood and they chatted as they walked to the well. As they drew near, they noticed some men with ten camels over near the well. “I wonder who they are and what they’re doing here,” said Bekey quietly, “and is that old man in front praying?”

“I don’t know,” replied her friend, “but I sure wouldn’t want to have to water all those camels. They look thirsty! Carrying water for my family is enough for me.”

Bekey didn’t think much more about the men as she went down to the spring and filled her jar. But as she came back up lugging the jar the old man ran to meet her. “May I have a drink of water?”

“Certainly,” she smiled as she hurried to lower her jar from her shoulder and give the man a drink, “Your camels also look thirsty, I’ll water them too.” Bekey offered emptying the rest of her jar’s contents into the watering trough then running back to the spring to refill it. Camels are thirsty creatures so it took a long time for Bekey to get enough water for them. Back and forth, back and forth Bekey went filling her jar at the well and emptying it into the trough then filling the jar again.

Ever since she was a little girl, Bekey had enjoyed helping people. Her mom had told her that God had given her a servant’s heart! It was a gift she had treasured; and as she grew up, she cheerfully served her family and responsibly saw to her duties. All the while God had been watching her. He noticed that she had developed a character of selflessness. She got joy out of service. The wonderful thing was that she was like this whether she thought it mattered or not.

But today God was not the only one watching her service. She didn’t notice, but as she went back and forth back and forth between the well and the camels’ trough this old man was watching her carefully. You see, he had just prayed a special prayer and now he was watching to see if Rebekah was the answer to that prayer.

By the time Bekey made her last trip to the well and back she was exhausted but happy to have served this gentleman. Much to her surprise, when she was all finished with her big job this kind old man took out some of the most beautiful and valuable golden jewelry she had ever seen and put it on her “Then he asked, ‘Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?’

“She answered him, ‘I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor.’ And she added, ‘We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night.’

“Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD, saying, ‘Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.’”—Genesis 24:23-27.

Bekey ran back home to tell her family what had happened. She wondered what all this could mean. Her brother, Laban, was very interested when he saw the valuable jewelry. He had always been the money hungry one, so when he saw how rich this man was he ran to the well to invite the gentleman to stay with them.

The servants unloaded the camels and brought fresh straw and fodder while Bekey and her mom got a meal together. But when they were about to start eating the old man said, “‘I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say.’

“‘Then tell us,’ Laban said.

“So he said, ‘I am Abraham’s servant. The LORD has blessed my master abundantly, and he has become wealthy…. My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and he has given him everything he owns. And my master made me swear an oath [promise], and said, “You must not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live, but go to my father’s family and to my own clan, and get a wife for my son.”—Genesis 24:33-38

“He promised that God’s Angel would come with me and give me success. So I set out immediately on my journey. This evening when I got here I came to the spring I wondered how I could possibly select find a young lady with the right character. So I got off my camel and prayed, ‘O LORD, God of my master Abraham, if you will, please grant success to the journey on which I have come. See, I am standing beside this spring; if a maiden comes out to draw water and I say to her, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar,” and if she says to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too,” let her be the one the LORD has chosen for my master’s son.’

“Before I finished praying in my heart, Rebekah came out, with her jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water, and I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’

“She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too.’ So I drank, and she watered the camels also.”—Genesis 24:42-46

When the visitor had finished telling his story everyone was speechless. The visitor asked Bekey’s dad, “So what do you say? May I take Bekey home with me to be my master’s son’s wife?”

“This is from the Lord. We don’t really have anything to say about it. It’s obvious that God has planned that Bekey and Isaac get married!” They responded, and Bekey readily agreed.

I know this story may seem a little strange to you because people don’t get married like that anymore but did you notice that Rebekah was blessed because she had built a good character that loved to serve? Our character is what we’re like when we don’t think it matters. Rebekah didn’t know that her character was being watched; she just served because that’s how she was. But God used that character to bless her in ways far beyond her wildest imagination. She became the wife of the patriarch Isaac, the one God chose to make the earthly ancestor of Jesus!

What are you like when no one’s watching? Are you building a character that loves to serve and share? I hope so!

Originally posted and (c) 09-30-2007

This year, since we’ve recently moved, our summer schedule is much trimmed down. Here’s what we have so far. We may be adding a local VBS later on this summer.

• May 30-June 7: Uncle Steve, Mr. Guteeair, T.J., Fred, Cammy, and Jamison and Gertrude (our computers) will all be helping in the primary division at Kansas-Nebraska Campmeeting in Lincoln, NE. You’ll get a top secret badge that will give you access to the top secret primary room where there is an amazing time machine. We’ll be learning about the Israelites in Egypt. For more info click here or here.
• June 29-July 6: The whole FrogSpot team will be at Broken Arrow Ranch for Adventurer Camp. If you’re 7 to 9 years old (or close to those ages!) you can come and spend an exciting week of camp! Uncle Steve will be the camp pastor! Click here to view the camp poster. Email the camp director, Pastor Michael Paradise m p a r a d i s e @ k s - n e . o r g (take out the spaces) or call him at 785-468-3638 to find out more or to sign up.

–Uncle Steve