Kids On A Mission, Part 7: Uganda

Our “Kids On A Mission” series has allowed children to explore countries all over the world, and they have learned how Jesus has invaded different cultures!  In some countries, the Christians must be brave in the face of resistance; in some countries, the Christians are welcomed and even celebrated.  Jesus has made every country and every culture unique, and He wants His people to be part of redeeming it all!  This week, children will  travel to the unique and exciting land of Uganda, where Christianity is spreading like fire but still faces great challenges. 

Kids On A Mission:  Uganda

Lesson 7

Purpose:

By the end of this lesson, children will:

• Be able to compare and contrast the pro’s of a fast-growing church with the con’s of a fast-growing church.
• Locate Uganda on a map and share some of the unique and special characteristics of the country.
• Understand how different their own life is compared to the life of a Ugandan child, as well as engage in a particular aspect of Ugandan culture.
• Experience a Ugandan church service

Materials:

• Bible
• Map / globe
• Pictures of Uganda (this could be books, Google Images, etc)
• Baskets
• Tape, string, scissors, paper
• Empty blue kiddy pool (if you have one)
• Empty tin cans (with labels removed)
• Packing tape
• Large, colorful balloons (deflated)
• Access to the song “He Reigns” by Newsboys
• One long and one short 2×4 (to make a cross)
• Hammer and nails
• Passport

Lesson Prep:

1. Prepare several sheets of paper, each with a fact concerning the church in Uganda:

2. Choose an outdoor location to conduct your lesson.  A grassy, shady area works well.  Go ahead and set up your lesson stations:

• Fact-Gathering Activity:
  You will need:  blue pool, baskets, tape, string, scissors, and the fact sheets that you have already made
  Crumple the fact sheets and toss them all in the pool.  Set the baskets and remaining materials aside.  Spread a blanket.
• Drum Craft:
  You will need:  tin cans, balloons, scissors
  Designate a “craft area” in the yard and spread a blanket there.  Set aside all craft materials.
• Lesson and Church Service:
  This will be where you conduct the bulk of the lesson.  Designate an area and spread another blanket there.  Set aside the boards, nails, hammer, map/globe, pictures of Africa, and your Bible.  Make sure the song “He Reigns” is easily accessible.

3.Prepare the children’s passport and set aside in the Lesson Area.

Introduction:

Gather children outside and invite them to sit on the blanket in your Lesson Area.

Teacher says:

• Welcome back to our “Kids On A Mission” adventure!  Can you believe that this will be the 7th time that we have traveled to another country?  Does anyone have a favorite country that we have visited so far?  [Allow children time to answer.]
• We have read about God’s mission that He has given to all Christians.  It is a mission that tells us to share the Good News of Jesus with everyone we meet, no matter where or when or if they are different than us.  Do you remember the name of the mission that God has given us?  [Allow children time to answer.]
• Let’s read the words of the Great Commission right now!  And let’s stand up while we read it, because these are powerful and exciting words!  [Read Matthew 28:18-20.  At the end of the verse, have the children clap and cheer!]
• Today, children, we are traveling to a beautiful and wonderful part of the world.  We are traveling to Uganda!  [Set your map/globe in the center of the blanket.]
• Uganda is a country located on the far east side of Africa.  Does anyone know where Africa is?  [Allow children time to answer, and demonstrate on the map/globe where Uganda is located.]
• There is no other place in the world that is like Africa.  God has set it apart, and is doing really neat things with the wonderful people that live there.  [Show children the pictures of Africa]
• Ugandans are a very friendly people.  Most people in America like to have a lot of personal space, but in Uganda the people are very happy to be close to each other.  Friends will hold hands and hug a lot.  They are not in a rush to go somewhere; they would rather stick around and talk for a while!  Can you imagine living life without such a strict schedule?  What if it was ok to be late somewhere because you stopped to talk to people?  This is how it is in Uganda.  The people are very loving and kind.  They will share everything they have with their neighbors.
• Why do you think sharing our personal space and our time is hard?  Do any of you share a bedroom with a brother or sister?  What is hard about that?  What is fun about that?  [Allow children time to answer.]
• Not only are the people in Uganda friendly and kind, they also live very differently than we do.  There are a couple of busy cities in Uganda, but most of the people live in small villages out in the countryside.  The Ugandans who live in the country grow their own food and raise their own livestock.  They don’t have big, brick houses like a lot of us do; instead, they build their houses out of mud and make straw roofs.   Most people don’t have electricity the way we do, either; instead, they use fire for light and to cook with.
• The Ugandans are a people with big hearts who live happy, simple lives.  They work very hard to do things that have been made easy for us…like getting a drink of water.  If you want a cup of water, how do you get it?  [Allow children time to answer.]
• The Ugandans who live in the countryside don’t have water pipes the way we do.  They can’t just turn on a faucet to get some water.  Instead, the women walk for long distances to rivers or streams and bring water back with them.  They carry their water back to their home in the neatest way:  they balance a huge jar of water on top of their head!  Can you imagine??
• We are going to do a fun activity that will give each of you a chance to balance a basket on your head the way the Ugandans do!

Activity:  Fact-Gathering Game

Move the children to the blanket designated for the activity.  At this station, you should have the blue pool and the crumpled facts tossed inside.  Baskets, string, tape, and scissors should also be set aside.

Children are going to take turns gathering facts out of the blue pool.  Using the string and tape, tie a basket to the top of the child’s head.  They will go to the “river” and gather facts out of the water and place them in their baskets.  After all the facts have been gathered, read them aloud.

Teacher says:

• We are going to pretend to be Ugandans for a few minutes!  I want all of you to take turns balancing a basket on top of your head, just like the Ugandan women do.  But instead of gathering water, you are going to hunt for special messages inside of our river.  Each message is going to tell us something about the kind of church that God is building here in Uganda!  [Children will take turns gathering the messages out of the pool and carrying them back to the blanket using the baskets on their head.  Once they are all seated, have them pass the messages to you, one at a time, so that you can read them aloud.]

Once all of the messages have been read, Teachers says:

• The church in Uganda is so different than the kind of churches that we go to!  Would any of you like to share what your church is like?   Think about what the building is like, what the music is like, and what kind of teaching you listen to.  [Allow children time to answer.]
• When I read the messages about the Ugandan church to you, did anyone hear me say how quickly the church in Uganda is growing?  It really is!  It is one of the areas in the world where Christianity is spreading the fastest.  What good news!  Christians from all over the world are traveling to Africa to help share the news of Jesus and to teach the Africans new and helpful ways of growing food and finding clean water.  God is doing some really neat and wonderful things in Africa!
• But you know what?  There are some dangers that come with a fast-growing church as well.  When there are so many people traveling to Africa to tell huge crowds of people about Jesus, it is easy for tricky men to sneak in and start teaching things that are not true.  There are bad teachers.  These teachers are tricking many people, telling them that if they join the church and do what they say then only good things will happen to them?
• Is that true?  Do only good things happen to people who follow Jesus?  How do you know?  [Allow children time to answer.]
• The Bible teaches that no matter how rough or difficult things can be for us, we are still loved and protected by our mighty King Jesus.  There are no promises that only good things will happen to us.  That only happens when we get to Heaven!  Let’s stop and pray for a moment for the Africans and the bad teachers who are telling them lies:  “Heavenly Father, thank you so much for your great love for the Ugandan people, and for all the Africans!  Thank you for sending men and women to Africa to share the truth from your Bible.  We ask that you would keep bad teachers from deceiving the people in Africa.  Give the Africans wisdom to know when something is true and when something is a lie.  Bring peace to their land, and strengthen the church there.  We love you Father!  Amen.”
• In Uganda, the people who live in the villages experience a very different kind of church service.  There are no nurseries, no speakers or microphones, and no colorful glass windows.  Instead, a large crowd of people will gather outside.  They might try to get underneath some trees for shade.  The people will song lots and lots of songs.  Some people will play drums, and everyone will be clapping and dancing and jumping and cheering.  Their hearts will be filled with a love for Jesus.  No one is in a hurry to leave or go somewhere else.  When it’s time for the pastor to speak, he goes up in front of everyone to teach them what the Bible says.  Instead of flowers and lights, there might be a simple wooden cross behind the pastor.
• Guess what we are going to do now?  We are going to pretend like we are at our very own Ugandan church service!  Before our service starts, we are all going to make a drum to play music on, just like the Ugandans do!  [Bring children the blanket in your craft area.]

Craft:  Drum

Using an empty tin can with the labels removed, you are going to help the children make a cute and colorful drum.  Cut the neck off of several deflated balloons of varying colors.  Carefully stretch one balloon over the empty can.  Seal with tape.  Cut some small holes in another balloon (so that the other color can show through) and stretch over the first balloon.  It’s a drum!

While assisting the children in making their drums, Teacher says:

• We are going to worship Jesus the way the Ugandans do!  They sing so joyfully and make such honoring music to Jesus!  Does anyone have a favorite song that you sing at church?  [Allow children time to answer.]
• Everyone grab your drums and let’s go set up our church service!

Conclusion:  Church Service

Gather the children back on the blanket in the Lesson Area.  It is time to wrap up with a Ugandan church service!

The children will help you construct a simple wooden cross to set up as the decoration.  Once you are done with the cross, it will be time to turn on your music (“He Reigns”) and sing and play drums!

Teacher says:

• Alright children, before we begin our Ugandan church service, we need to make it look like a church out here!  Come help me nail these boards together so that we can have a cross!  [Allow children to help nail boards together, as you see fit.]
• Now, our church is ready!  I’m going to turn on a very special song.  Try to listen to the words as we play drums and clap…it is a song about every kind of person in the world worshiping Jesus together!  [Turn on music.  Sing, dance, clap, and play drums!]
  
  
• That is the end of our lesson today, children.  I hope that you have learned some neat things about the wonderful people who live in Africa.  Let’s close by praying for them:  “Heavenly Father, thank you for this time we had together today to learn all about the Ugandans and what you are doing in their country.  Please continue to send faithful men and women to Africa to teach the truth about what the Bible says.  And help us to be obedient to share our faith, too!  We love you, Father,  Amen.”

Additional Activities To Do Throughout The Week:

1. Make ugali, a traditional Ugandan dish!
2. Go without electricity for an entire day!  As you experience discomfort, use that as a reminder to pray for the Ugandans.
3. Print out and color some of the fascinating animals that live in Uganda.  Make a book!
4. Play a traditional Ugandan children’s game!
   All the children sit in a circle, and one child is the leader. All the kids sing the song “Nyaga Nyaga Nya” as the leader walks around the circle. When the song is over, the child who is in front of where the leader is standing must get up and dance until he falls down. That child is now the leader; the song begins again.

Have you enjoyed participating in the “Kids On A Mission” series?  We would love any feedback!

Lauren Souers

Hi, my name is Lauren. I am the wife of one fine man and the momma of four (huge) young children – three boys and one princess! I love all of them. I mostly clean up messes and feed people all day, and it’s really fun to write about it. Jesus is the rock of my family – we love and serve a mighty King! I hope you leave here full of hope that “tired” can be good.