ETHIOPIA MISSIONS#9 FAMOUS MISSIONARIES 2 ND /3 RD GRADE MAIN POINT

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1 MISSIONS#9 FAMOUS MISSIONARIES 2 ND /3 RD GRADE MAIN POINT ETHIOPIA God loves all the different kinds of people in Ethiopia and desires them to have a relationship with Him through Christ. Missionaries share God s message of love and forgiveness with them. PASSAGE: EPHESIANS 2: 8,9 Key Verse: God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (NLT) PRE-CLASS CHECKLIST Pray with your team! Activity Stations Red, green, yellow, blue construction paper White cardstock, 1 sheet/student Toothpicks, several/student Red, green, yellow, orange glass beads Cord/ string Glue/glue sticks Passports (made by the kids who were there last missions lesson) Pre-made passports (for those students who don t have one) Ethiopia flag stickers, 1/student; culture stickers, 2/student Ethnic snack* Picture books on Ethiopia* Date stamp/stamp pad Introduction World map or inflatable globe Video Ethiopia DVD Laptop/video projector Lesson/Lesson Continued Laminated picture of injera Game Egg-carton mancala game board Seeds *Missions teacher to bring 1

2 LESSON PLAN SET UP INCORPORATION MIN INTRODUCTION LG GROUP 5 MIN LESSON LG GROUP MIN Take the pictures of the adopted missionary child from the poly envelopes in the bottom drawer of your carts. Put them on the white board to remind everyone to pray for them during small group. Please remember to put them back in the poly folder, then the bottom drawer of your cart at the end of class. ACTIVITY STATIONS Passport Station -- In a separate area of the room, have a team member help students. Instructions: Have each student pick up their passport. New students will need to get a passport and write their name in it and draw their own self-portrait. Give each child an Ethiopia flag and cultural stickers to place on the page 7 (blank page write Ethiopia on it) of the passport. Stamp the page with today s date. The students can also look through the library books and enjoy an ethnic snack at this station. PASSPORTS SHOULD GO HOME WITH THE STUDENTS TODAY. Craft -- Ethiopian Flag Instructions: Have students create an Ethiopian flag, using colored construction paper and other provided supplies. Craft -- Colorful Bead Necklace/Bracelet Instructions: Make a colorful beaded necklace or bracelet using the provided supplies. Thread red, orange, yellow and green beads onto the string or cord. Ethiopians are known for their brightly colored glass bead jewelry. They use a variety of reds, oranges, yellows and greens. Selam (seh-lamh)! Hello! Dehna nachu (deh-na-nah-choo)! How are you? That means, hello, how are you? in Amharic, which is the official language of Ethiopia. Today is our last missions lesson of the year. We are traveling with our passports to Ethiopia. Who can find Ethiopia on the map? It is in Africa. Ethiopia is a large country in east Africa. It is about twice the size of Texas. It is surrounded by other countries and does not have an ocean port. The capital of Ethiopia is Addis Ababa; it is the largest city in the country. Ethiopia is close to the equator and has some very hot places. It has many mountains as well and is cooler in those parts. DVD NORTHERN ETHIOPIAN MINISTRY There are about 80 different ethnic or people groups that live in Ethiopia. Most of these groups have their own language, but Amharic is the official language of the country. Amharic is the language of the Amhara people, the second largest people group in Ethiopia. Children learn Amharic and English in school. Ethiopia has a rainy season and a dry season. It rains a lot from June through September and then is dry from October through May. Some years it does not rain at all. This is called a drought, when crops grown for food can die and food becomes limited. Though there are cities, most people live outside the cities in the countryside and work as farmers. They grow wheat and another grain called teff. They also grow vegetables, fruits and herbs. They raise cows, chickens, sheet and goats. Ethiopia is famous for growing coffee; their coffee is sent to many other countries. 2

3 The most common food in Ethiopia is injera. Injera is made from a grain called teff. Injera is a type of bread but made in the shape of a huge pancake; it is large, thin and spongy. Ethopians love injera and put spoonfuls of stews and vegetables on top of injera. Instead of using forks or spoons, they tear off pieces of injera and use it to pick up the stews and vegetables. Then they eat the injera with the stew. No silverware to wash! Ethiopia has its own calendar with 13 months. They say they have 13 months of sunshine! The Ethiopian calendar has 12 months of 30 days and a 13 th month of 5 days. The Ethiopian new year is September 11. Ethiopians do not start their days at midnight like we do. When the sun rises at 6am, this is their 12:00. The day begins at the time we call 7am. Ethiopians call this one o clock. The Ethiopian flag has 3 stripes, one each of green, yellow and red. The green represents good land that grows food. The yellow stands for justice for all people. The red stands for people who have given their lives to protect Ethiopia during war. The blue circle represents peace and the yellow pentagram (star) represents the unity and equality of all the peoples of Ethiopia. Religion is an important part of Ethiopian life. Almost half of the people belong to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and represents the largest religion in Ethiopia. Though the members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church believe in God, they also believe they have to perform many rituals and do good things in order to go to heaven. These good things include attending church services most days of the week. They also fast, whiche means they cannot eat meat, eggs or dair products on certain days. They fast every Wednesday and Friday as well over 50 days before Easter and 40 days before the Christmas season. These add up to about 250 days of fasting each year. They pray to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and many other saints to go to God on their behalf. GOOD NEWS Can anyone do enough rituals or good things to earn their way into heaven? (Let kids answer.) God wants the followers of Ethiopian Orthodox to know this is not possible. How can we begin a friendship with God and know that we will go to heaven? (Let kids answer.) Even if they follow the fasting days and other rituals, the Ethiopian Orthodox people can never be sure if God forgives them. God loves all the Ethiopian Orthodox, just as He loves all people and wants them to know the truth about Him. God wants them to know that they can be sure they are forgiven and will be in heaven one day with Him. He wants them to know they can have Jesus as their friend right now, while they are living on this earth. Our key verse today says, God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it (Ephesians 2:8,9). God wants all people to understand that it is not about what we DO for Him that gets us into heaven, but what He has DONE for us. What has God done? He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross to pay for our sins. God offers us His gift of forgiveness and all we have to do is accept it. What do you do when someone gives you a gift? (Let kids answer.) We accept God s gift in the same way, by telling Him, I want your gift of forgiveness I accept!. Thank you! This is the truth God wants the people of Ethiopia to understand. He loves them and is offering 3

4 them the gift of forgiveness through Jesus death on the cross. They do not have to do certain things to earn it. They can t possibly do that! God has done it already! They only need to put their faith in Jesus Christ and they can be sure they are going to heaven! They can pray directly to God and be confident He hears them. LESSON CONTINUED This is the message Lou and Genet are bringing to the people of Ethiopia, especially those in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. (See display board; if any of their kids are your class s adopted MKs, remember to show the children their pictures.) Over 20 years ago, Lou and Genet accepted God s gift of forgiveness by putting their faith in Jesus death on the cross. They were excited and began sharing this message, called the gospel, with friends and family. Within 2 years, many people also accepted God s gift of forgiveness. This group grew into a fellowship of over 100 people. LEARNING ACTIVITY #1 LG GROUP 5 MIN LEARNING ACTIVITY #2 SM GROUPS 10 MIN LEARNING ACTIVITY #3 LG GROUP Lou and Genet left Ethiopia to come to the United States to attend college. Two years ago, they returned to their homeland to continue sharing the good news of the gospel with the people in northern Ethiopia. Lou and Genet, with other Christians, have helped to start 26 house churches. These house churches are places people can go to study the Bible together, pray together and bring their friends and families to learn more about the Bible and God s love and forgiveness. Object Lesson Current Giving Campaign Let s talk about our current giving campaign. (Hold up the classroom giving globe.) What is this for? Every penny, nickel, dime or more that goes in here will help show Jesus love to people. When we combine all that is given by all the Oasis kids, it is amazing what God can accomplish. Be sure to check out the bulletin board by the Oasis storage room! We have some work to do before we can reach our goal! Your giving and prayers are wonderful ways each of you can show God s love to/for people who don t yet know about God s gift of forgiveness. Discussion What do you remember most about what you learned today? (You may want to touch on the idea of the key verse, Ephesians 2:8,9, in an age-appropriate manner.) How do you think you would feel if you talked with someone or groups of people for a long time and they never decided to accept God s gift and believe in Jesus? Share some ways that the children can make money to bring in for the current Nepali/neighborhood VBS support campaign. (Refer to the parent flyer and ask children to discuss with their parents ways they can earn money.) Prayer Maybe some of you have never made a decision to have the death of Jesus count for your sins you can do that now. For continued growth, health and protection of the 26 house churchs in northern Ethiopia. That the hearts of the Ethiopian people would be open to hearing about God s love and the gift of forgiveness He wants to give them. That we would continue to have giving hearts and meet the goal of our current giving campaign. GAME -- Mancala (GebeTa) African Board Game Game concept: The object of this game is to collect the most seeds (or pebbles) in your mancala (mancalas are the large bowls at the end of the board). There are many regional 4

5 variations or ways to play. Instructions: Start with 4 sees in each hole. Sit facing your partner with the game board between you. You each have 6 pits that are yours and the hole to your right is where you put your captured seeds (the hole to your partner s right is theirs). The goal is to get as many seeds in your pit as possible. Each player starts by choosing a hole on his side, and picking up all of the seeds in that hole. Then, moving in a counterclockwise direction, he/she should deposit them one by one in the following holes (as if taking a lap around the holes). This player continues to pick up seeds and place them in holes until the last seed goes into an empty hole. When the last seed of the turn is placed into an empty hole, there are 3 possibilities: 1) If the hole is on your opponent s side, the turn is over; 2) if the empty hole is on your side and the opposite hole is empty, the turn is over; 3) if the empty hole is on your side, but the opposite hole has some seeds in it, you get to capture the seeds and place them in your pit to the right. The game ends when one row is empty. Additonal directions attached at the end of the lesson. *Remember to send home passports, the Mission Possible page and giving flyer/update with each student. 5

6 Ethiopian Recipes Dabo Kolo Dabo kolo is a popular snack made of fried dough that is often served as an appetizer. 2½ cups all-purpose flour ½ tsp salt 2 tbsp sugar ½ tsp cayenne pepper ¼ cup oil about 1/3 cup water Put 2 cups fluur, salt, sugar, pepper and oil into large mixing bowl. Knead them together and add water as needed to form a stiff dough. Continue kneading for a few minutes longer. With a small handful of the remaining flour, lightly flour the cutting board. Tear off a small handful of dough. Use your palms to roll the dough into a long strip about ½ inch thich. Cut the strip into pieces about ½ inch wide. Repeat steps 3,4 and 5 for the remaining dough. Put the pieces into an ungreased frying pan. Cook over medium heat about 10 minutes, or until they are light brown. Turn and stir to prevent burning. Makes 8-10 servings. Kolo Ethiopia doesn t have any desserts native to its cuisine; for snacks between meals or after a meal, Ethiopians often enjoy crunchy grains with coffee. This dish is easy to make and good to munch any time. Think of it as Ethiopian trail mix. 1 cup barley kernels ¼ cup dried chickpeas ¼ cup dried soybeans (optional) ¼ cup peanuts (optional) ¼ to ½ tsp berbere Salt (optional) On a pan in an oven, roast the barley and chickpeas until they get crunchy and begin to crackle, turning and tossing them occasionally. The basic recipe for kolo uses these two items, but if you choose to use soybeans, cook them in the oven as well. When these two or three items are crunchy, put them in a bowl and dust them lightly with berbere. You can sprinkle a little salt over the kolo to suit your taste. Note: In Ethiopian markets around the country, you can buy various brands of commercially prepared kolo. Elsa Kolo (named for its creator), Wub ( beautiful ) Kolo and Dinsho Kolo (named for a city) are three brands that are now being imported from Ethiopia, and Addis Kolo is made by a company in Woodbridge, Va., that s owned by an Ethiopian-American. Ingredients: 3/4 cup teff or millet flour, finely ground 3 1/2 cups water Salt Sunflower or other vegetable oil Injera Flat Bread 6

7 Directions: Mix teff with water and let stand, covered, in a bowl at room temperature until it bubbles and has turned sour, up to 3 days. It should be the consistency of pancake batter. Slowly stir in salt until it can barely be tasted. Lightly oil skillet and heat over medium heat. Pour in enough batter to cover the bottom of a skillet. Cook briefly until holes form in the injeraand the edges lift from the pan. Do not let brown. Remove and let cool. Chicken Doro Wat Wat is the national dish of Ethiopia. It is a stew that may be prepared with chicken, beef, lamb, a variety of vegetables, spice mixtures such as berbere and niter kibbeh, a seasoned clarified butter. Ethiopians serve this dish by placing the stew on a large platter in the center of the table and using injera (flat bread) to scoop up individual bites. 2-3 lbs chicken pieces, without skin 3 sticks butter 3 lbs onions, finely chopped 2 large garlic cloves, minced (or 2 teaspoons powder) 3 tbsp authentic Ethiopian berbere, spice mix 9 ounces tomato paste Water 10 hard-boiled eggs 1 tsp ground black pepper Remove skins from chicken and score each peice with a knife. In a large pot, melt the butter. Saute the onions and garlic in the butter for 5 minutes. Add berbere, followed by tomato paste, stirring occasionally. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir in a piece of chicken at a time, coating well with the sacue. Continue to simmer, adding enough water to maintain the consistency of a thick soup. After about 20 minutes, or when the chicken is half done, add the hard-boiled eggs. Cover and continue simmering until chicken is tender. The dish is ready when the oil has risen to the top. Add black pepper and let stand until slightly cooled. Serve with injera. Lay out a piece of injera on each individual plate. Dish the stew into the middle of the injera. Diners should tear off pieces of injera from the edges as scoops to eat the stew. Yield: 8-10 servings Berbere Spice Mixture 1 tsp ground ginger ½ tsp cardamom seed ½ tsp fenugreek seeds ½ tsp nutmeg ½ tsp coriander seed, ground ½ tsp cinnamon, ground ¼ tsp clove, ground ¼ tsp allspice, ground 2 tbsp salt ½ cup cayenne pepper (or any finely ground hot pepper) ½ cup paprika, sweet Heat a large, heave pan or saucepan. Add all the spices up to and including the allspice. Roast over a fairly low heat, stirring to prevent burning. After a couple of minutes, add the rest of the spice ingredients; mix and roast over very low heat for about 10 minutes. This makes about 1 cup. When cool, store in a glass jar with a lid. 7

8 MANCALA (GebeTa) Mancala is really an easy game to play. There are many variations... SET UP: Before the game begins, place the board between you and your opponent, long side facing you. You will see two rows of 6 holes, with a long mancala on each end. The board is divided into two parts your side and mancala, and your opponent s side and mancala. Your side is the 6 holes closest to you; your mancala is to your right. The same is for your opponent their side is the 6 holes closest to them and their mancala is to their right. To set up, place 4 seeds or pebbles in each hole, excluding the mancalas. This should total 48 seeds or pebbles. BASIC GAMEPLAY: Players decided who goes first using whatever method they want: rock-paper-scissors, coin flip, loser-of-last-game-goes first, whatever. During a turn, a player grabs all of the seeds or pebbles in a hole on their side and drops the, one by one, in succeeding holes in a counter-clockwise direction. Players MAY place stones in their own mancala (it counts as a hole), but they MUST skip over their opponent s mancala. Players MAY place stones in holes on their opponent s side. This continues until the player has no more stones in his hand. It is then their opponent s turn.* SCORING & WINNING: The game is over when a player (not both) has no more seeds or pebbles on his side. His opponent then takes all of the seeds or pebbles on his side and places them in his mancala. The winner is the person with the most seeds in his mancala after counting. EXCEPTIONS, TRICKS & STRATEGY: If, when dropping seeds or pebbles in holes, you drop a seed into your own mancala and this is the last seed in your hand, you get to go again. If, when dropping seeds or pebbles into holes, you drop a seed into a hole that was previously empty AND the hole is on your side AND that was the last seed in your hand, you take all of the seeds in the hole directly above and place them in your mancala. Good strategy is to, on your first turn (and if you re going first), play the hole that is 5 holes away from your mancala. That way, the last seed you place will land in your mancala and you get a free turn. After using your 2 nd turn, if your opponent plays a hole that is two or one hole(s) from their mancala, play the hole that is 6 holes away from your mancala. You get another free turn! 8