On April 25th, World Malaria Day, adults at DCC came together and learned how they join the fight in ending Malaria deaths by 2015. While the adults were being empowered to do their part, the kids were learning a little of their own.

For them it all centered on a simple bed net. Stories were told under nets and games played around them. Nets hung from the ceilings and draped around chairs. Everything that day centered around learning about mosquitoes and coming up with ways to protect their friends across the world from getting sick.

For the kindergartners, the concept of getting sick from a mosquito was a little strange. They have never been afraid of getting sick to the point where their moms and dads thought they may die, especially from a bug. But they do know what it is like to be taken care of, to be held and kissed by a mom and dad, to get medicine, to be healed. When they were told that little kids could keep safe from mosquitoes and that these bed nets were taking care of kids, they understood that. They also understood that for the past eight weeks they had been learning about Jesus and how he cared for people that were sick, how he loved by his actions. They read the story of Jesus telling his disciples to go and tell others about him. They understood that caring for people by keeping them safe under bed nets was being Jesus. They read the story Bear Feels Sick, and they talked about all the ways they could help people stay safe, warm, and healthy.

However, the older kids understood sickness, fear, and worry a little bit more. They have seen friends, parents, and siblings get sick. They hear of sad news even at such a young age and they understand what it means. So they had a little different learning to do. They learned about how many kids every year die from something that’s much like the flu. They printed off ideas of ways adults are helping from www.tenthousandnets.org, and their lesson was to brainstorm ways they could make a difference. They thought of things like: selling all their old toys to raise money; having all their friends parents buy one net; collecting money here at church for a month; asking friends to bring a present and a net to their next birthday; or even have a Lemonade stand.

A week later, that’s what two siblings did. They raised $30 dollars, enough for 3 nets in one afternoon! And they have grand plans for another one this summer. We will keep talking to our kids about how they can be Jesus to people in this world, and we will keep their imaginations moving on ways they can join any cause that helps others.

Mandy Lester, Children’s Pastor