You have probably heard that every single Compassion-assisted child will learn about the love of God at his or her local center or church. But have you ever wondered what that looks like? What their teachers are actually sharing? Or how the story of Easter is being taught?
One of the beautiful things about the churches Compassion partners with is that no two are the same. Though the truths of the Bible are taught around the world, the lessons each look different based on their individual cultures.
Now is your opportunity to get some of your questions answered, and to learn about what is actually being taught to children at their local church. As you keep reading, you’ll experience what an Easter lesson might look like for many sponsored children around the world.
So, go ahead! Get your imagination rolling and put yourself in the shoes of a child in poverty.
Time for Class
It’s a sunny morning. I just finished playing soccer with my friends, and my teacher has called us in for class. This is the time of the day when we learn about the Bible!
I step into my classroom, greeted by the smiling face of my teacher. The walls are covered in Bible verses and artwork — the room feels warm and inviting. I see the drawing I did last week hanging next to the chalkboard. I sit down at a table with three of my best friends. We chat about the crazy awesome goal I scored in soccer today until the teacher tells us to quiet down.
“I’m happy because today I get to tell you the happiest story in the whole Bible. Do you know what story I’m talking about?” my teacher asks.
A girl across the room raises her hand — she’s really good at knowing answers about the Bible.
“Easter!” she says.
Singalong Time
Almost every day we sing a song, and today is no different. I love singing! Today we sing about Jesus’ resurrection, to the tune of “Here We Go ’Round the Mulberry Bush”:
“Jesus has risen from the dead,
From the dead, from the dead.
Jesus has risen from the dead.
He is alive!“Will you love Jesus? Yes, we will!
Yes, we will! Yes, we will!
Will you love Jesus? Yes, we will!
He is alive!”
Story Time
Singing helped get all my sillies out, so now I’m ready to hear the lesson. I remember that my teacher said it’s about Easter — I love the Easter story! Our teacher describes Jesus’ death on the cross and His awesome resurrection.
“But, very early on Sunday morning, three days later, something happened in Jesus’ tomb. The ground began to shake and a bright angel appeared. The angel rolled away the heavy stone that was in front of the tomb,” she explains.
It’s really cool to know that Jesus paid for our sins. That story never gets old!
Get Crafty
Now it’s my favorite time of the class — craft time! Some days at craft time we draw, other days we make jewelry. Today we get to paint with rocks! Our teacher hands us each a small stone and a piece of paper.
“Today you will be making rolling-stone paintings,” the teacher says, “to help you remember that Jesus rose from the dead for our sins!”
We dip our stone in paint and roll it around on the piece of paper. It gets pretty messy, but it’s super fun! I use green, blue and yellow paint. I’m happy with how it turned out. Our teacher says that the story of Easter gives us joy and hope, and my painting reminds me of that!
Time to Go
Before we go, our teacher reminds us about our Easter lesson. “What do you remember about the story we heard?” she asks. We pass around a cross as we each answer her question. When it’s my turn, I say, “Jesus died for our sins!”
“Before Jesus died and rose again for us, it was like God was on one side of a cliff and we were on the other side of a cliff with a big valley in between,” our teacher says. “The big valley was made because of all of the sins or bad things we had all done in our lives.”
She moves to the chalkboard. She draws two cliffs with a valley in between.
“Then Jesus came. Because He paid for all of our sins, He built a bridge for us to God.” She draws a cross between the two cliffs. “Jesus saved us and brought us close to God! Let’s pray.”
I still love the story of Easter. And I can’t wait to tell it to my family when I get home!
I hope reading about an Easter class through the eyes of a child gives you a clearer glimpse into Compassion-assisted children’s lives. And now that you know what a lesson might look like, please pray that the story of Easter will be life-changing for children all around the world.
Looking for ways to pray for children in poverty? Learn about our Prayer Network!
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Please note that this Easter lesson is not representative of what ALL Compassion-assisted children learn. Lessons may vary depending on country, culture and church-community.
