Daily Missions Scripts
Day 1: Ehani (Nepal)
SHOW: “Forged in Hope” slide
As we spend this week learning about standing strong in God’s truth, we are also going to get the chance to meet a boy or girl living in a different part of the world. We are partnering with Children’s Hunger Fund to help children who are living in poor conditions and don’t have enough to eat. 
But the best part is that you can help them! And along with sending food, you can help them hear about the truth of the gospel, too!
SHOW: “Forged in Hope—Ehani” slide
Are you ready to meet the first child?  Great! Today, we’re going to meet a very little girl named Ehani (eh-ha-nee), who lives in the country of Nepal.  
SHOW: Video 1—Ehani
Country: Nepal
Problem: Generational poverty
Ehani doesn’t have the same opportunities that you have here. If her mom can’t afford school supplies, Ehani doesn’t get to go to school. Without an education, Ehani’s children could live in poverty someday, too. Thankfully, a pastor from a local church came to break the cycle of poverty for Ehani and her family!
Do you want to help kids like Ehani?  Great! This week at VBS, we will be collecting coins to put in these Coin Paks . Take this home today and tell your family and friends about Ehani. Ask them to help you collect coins for meals. Only 25 cents can provide a nutritious meal for a hungry child. 
These meals will be packed into a Children’s Hunger Fund Food Pak, which is a box of nutritious food. This will be enough to feed a family for several days.
Each day this week, bring back any coins you’ve collected, and we’ll count how many meals you’ve given so far. With your help, we can deliver hope to suffering families all over the world. 
DO Mission Activity: A heavy load
Divide students into groups of 5–8 (adjust for the size of your VBS). Have the students in each group line up in rows.
Have the first student in each row place a backpack on their backs.
Add one heavy object to each backpack.
Ask the student to do a variety of activities (e.g., jumping jacks, squats, push-ups, run to the other side of the room and back).
Pass the backpack to the next student in the row and add another heavy item.
Ask the students to do the same activities as the last group.
Repeat this process with each student, adding more items each time the backpack is passed to the next person.
Talking Points
For those of you with the nearly empty backpack, was it hard to do the different activities?
What about those of you with a few more things in your backpack? Was it hard to move around with more weight on your shoulders?
What about those of you at the end with the full backpack? How did you feel doing those different activities?
Geenerational poverty means you are impacted by the poverty you inherited from the generation before you. 
For those of you with a lighter backpack, there wasn’t much that was holding you back, was there? Children with regular meals and access to education and resources don’t have much that holds them back from chasing their dreams.
For those of you with a heavier backpack, you had more of a challenge, didn’t you? It was a lot harder for you to do the same things that the other kids did with ease.
Ehani and many children like her around the world have much bigger challenges to overcome so that they can do basic things like go to school and eat regular meals.
What are some ways that you can help people like Ehani to have a better future and help her break the cycle of poverty?
Send each child home with a “Ehani” prayer journal.
Do the “Map of the World” activity sheets. Pass out the maps and have kids cut and paste the item for today on the map. Then collect the maps when you’re finished with the activity. 
Day 2: Chiumbo (Kenya) 
SHOW: “Forged in Hope” slide
Do you guys remember Agnes who we met yesterday? She’s going to be introducing us to children around the world who need to hear about God’s truth. Each one of these children lives in poverty, and you will have a chance to help them!
Have you started collecting coins for your Coin Pak yet?  Great! Remember, each quarter you put into your Coin Pak means one meal for a hungry child.
SHOW: “Forged in Hope—Chiumbo” slide
Today, Agnes is going to introduce us to a little boy named Chiumbo, who lives in the country of Kenya. Let’s hear his story.  
SHOW: Video 2—Chiumbo
Country: Kenya
Problem: Orphan
Chiumbo’s story is very different from the story we heard yesterday, isn’t it? In the story we heard yesterday, Ehani has a mother to care for her and her sister. Chiumbo doesn’t know where his parents are.
But despite his circumstances, Chiumbo is pretty blessed, right? The woman who found him took him in and continues to care for him. A local pastor comes to visit, bringing food to eat. He even takes the kids to learn about God’s Word!
Did everyone take home their Coin Paks?  Did you tell anyone what we are collecting coins for?  Every 25 cents you collect this week means one meal for a child like Chiumbo—a child who doesn’t know when they will get their next meal. You are helping to deliver hope to suffering children around the world.
Now, do you want to hear how many meals we can provide so far?  Well, we’ve counted the coins you brought in and we’ve raised enough to provide ____ meals! SHOW: Daily Count Day 2 slide with current meal count filled in. 
That’s not bad for just one day. But we’ve still got the rest of the week, so keep bringing in coins all week long! Share what you’ve learned about Chiumbo and Ehani with someone else and see if they want to help provide meals, too. Ask your parents if you can earn money for your Coin Pak by doing some special chores around the house. Get creative!
DO Mission Activity: Make it last
Call on five volunteers (adjust for your VBS size and adjust the number of cookie packs accordingly). 
	Hand each volunteer a bag of crackers/cookies and have them open the bag and count how many are inside. 
Add another student to each group and have them divide the snack evenly between the two of them. Instruct them not to eat the snack until they are told to.
Add another two students to each group and have them divide the snack evenly between everyone.
Keep adding students to each group and dividing the snack until every student is in a group and has a portion of the snack. Note: Groups may have to break the crackers/cookies in order to make sure there is enough for everyone.
If you choose to, you may allow the student to eat their snack (what little of it there is). If you’ve purchased snack bags for everyone, pass those out during the following discussion. 
Talking Points
Many families living in poverty are faced with the problem of too many mouths to feed and too little food.
For Chiumbo in Kenya, his parents were faced with this problem.
When the woman who found Chiumbo took him in, she knew she was adding one more mouth to feed, even though her ability to provide more food was limited.
When a local pastor came to visit Chiumbo, he brought with him enough food to feed everyone.
(Optional) Pass out a bag of snacks to everyone.
How do you think Chiumbo felt, knowing that there are people who care enough about him to make sure he has enough food to eat?
What can you do to make sure children like Chiumbo have enough food to eat?
Send each child home with a “Chiumbo” prayer journal.
Do the “Map of the World” activity sheets. Pass out the maps from yesterday and have them cut and paste the item for today on the map. Then collect the maps when you’re finished with the activity.
Day 3: Orik (Albania)
SHOW: “Forged in Hope” slide
It’s time to check in on our friend Agnes and meet another child from around the world!
Who remembers how much it costs to provide one meal for a hungry child?  That’s right! Only 25 cents can provide a nutritious meal to a child in need. So that means one dollar can provide 4 meals, ten dollars can provide 40 meals, and twenty-five dollars can provide 100 meals! Isn’t that incredible?
SHOW: “Forged in Hope—Orik” slide 
Who knows where the country of Albania is?  If you don’t know, picture the country of Italy, which looks like a long boot. Well, if that boot swung backward, it would kick right into Albania. Today, we’re going to meet a little boy named Orik, who lives in Albania. 
SHOW: Video 3—Orik 
Country: Albania
Problem: Extreme hunger 
Did you notice the place where Orik and his family live? Do you think it would be cold there in winter? Do you think they have a good way of keeping warm in an abandoned building? They don’t have any electricity or heating; they just have blankets and jackets to keep them warm. And they often don’t have enough money to buy food.
Can you imagine how Orik must feel whenever he sees the pastor coming with another box of food? That box means he gets to eat that day! And the pastor who visits doesn’t just bring food; he brings the truth that Jesus came to bring eternal life!
What have you been doing this week to earn coins for your Coin Pak? Are you asking your parents if you can do an extra chore to earn money? Are you sharing with people the stories of the boys and girls you are meeting this week? Talk to your parents about different ways you might be able to raise money for meals.
Now, do you want to hear how many meals we can provide so far? In only two days, we can provide ___ meals!  That’s pretty fantastic!
SHOW: Daily Count Day 3 slide with current meal count filled in.
You are doing an amazing job! All the coins you bring in this week represent children who will receive a nutritious meal and have a chance to learn about the loving God who created them! Who’s excited to see how many more meals we can provide tomorrow? 
DO Mission Activity: Which do you choose?
Before the students arrive, create a task for them to accomplish to “earn” some money (e.g., scatter chairs or papers around the room and have them all quickly put everything back where it belongs).
As payment for a job well done, every student gets $2 in play money.
Explain that $1.90 is the average amount that someone living in extreme poverty makes in a single day.
Tape the image of food to the wall and ask how many students would use their $2 to buy food for the day.
Tape the image of school supplies to the wall and ask how many students would use their $2 to buy school supplies. (Note: The ability to go to school helps them get a good job when they are older. This can help them earn more than $1.90 per day.)
Tape the image of medicine to the wall. Ask them to imagine that someone in their family is sick and needs medicine to get better. Who would use their $2 to buy medicine?
Talking Points
Are you surprised to know that some people only earn $1.90 for an entire day’s work?
Was it difficult to decide how to spend your money?
How many of you still don’t know if you made the right choice?
For many people, like Orik’s grandmother, this is a daily struggle. Orik’s father is sick, so he needs medicine, but Orik and his older sister also want to go to school. And, of course, everyone needs to eat.
Lots of times, people in this situation have to go a day without food in order to use their money for things that take a higher priority, like medicine or school supplies.
How do you think a box of food would be helpful in this situation?
How can YOU help provide children like Orik with food?
Send each child home with a “Orik” prayer journal.
Do the “Map of the World” activity sheets. Pass out the maps from yesterday and have them cut and paste the item for today on the map. Then collect the maps when you’re finished with the activity.
Day 4: Diego (Honduras)
SHOW: “Forged in Hope” slide 
Well, today is our fourth day raising money to provide meals for hungry kids! Can anyone tell me how much it costs to provide one meal?  Right! Just 25 cents can provide a meal! Can anyone tell me what else the family receives with those meals?  Yes! They can hear the message of the gospel.
It’s time for Agnes to introduce us to another child.
SHOW: “Forged in Hope—Diego” slide
Diego is a boy from the country of Honduras. Honduras is one of several countries that connect North America—where we are now—with South America.  
SHOW: Video 4—Diego
Country: Honduras
Problem: Disaster
In Honduras—where Diego lives—they sometimes get storms that are strong enough to destroy buildings. In 2020, Honduras was hit not just by ONE big storm but TWO! It takes a long time to rebuild after a natural disaster, but it often takes far longer in developing countries, like Honduras.
For someone like Diego, whose entire community was flooded and buried under mudslides, do you think he might have a lot of fears and questions?  Do you think that knowing about a loving God who sent his Son to save him would bring him comfort?  Well, the pastor who brought Diego’s family food was able to share that same message of hope!
We have had a few days to raise money to provide meals for kids just like Diego. Are you ready to be blown away by how many meals we can provide so far?  I don’t think you sound excited enough. Are you ready to find out how many meals we can provide?  That’s better! In just three days, you can provide ___ meals! That’s incredible!
SHOW: Daily Count Day 4 slide with current meal count filled in.
And the best news is that these meals will do so much more than fill empty stomachs! These meals will allow pastors around the world to share the hope of the gospel with children and families in need. But the week isn’t over yet! We have one more day to collect coins, so see if there is anyone else you can ask to help donate coins or if there are any chores you can do to earn extra money.
DO Mission Activity: What’s the problem?
Tape the six country maps along the top of the whiteboard and the various disaster icons along the bottom of the whiteboard.
Today you learned about Diego in Honduras, whose house was destroyed in a hurricane. Natural disasters can happen anywhere, even in the US. In many countries, poverty makes it extremely difficult to recover from natural disasters.
Starting with the first country, ask the students if they can guess which natural disasters happen in which countries.
Draw a line between the country and the natural disasters that happen there, giving answers from the What’s the Problem? instruction sheet printed from your Resource USB.
Talking Points
What do you think people might need after facing these different disasters? (Food, bedding, medicine, clothing, housing, etc.)
How do you think people get these things?
There are a lot of humanitarian organizations that respond to a natural disaster with food and other resources. It’s very important to meet the immediate needs of people who have lost everything in a natural disaster.
Once those organizations leave the area or go respond to another disaster somewhere else in the world, do you think that everything is back to normal?
For Diego and many other people like him, life will not go back to “normal” for a very long time—often many years later.
Do you know who STAYS in the area to help after a major disaster? It’s the local church! They were there before the disaster, and they will be there long after the disaster.
And the church does more than help meet people’s physical needs—it helps to meet their spiritual needs, too, by teaching people about Jesus!
Send each child home with a “Diego” prayer journal.
Do the “Map of the World” activity sheets. Pass out the maps from yesterday and have them cut and paste the item for today on the map. Then collect the maps when you’re finished with the activity.
Day 5: Olivia (United States)
SHOW: “Forged in Hope” slide 
Every day this week, Agnes has introduced us to a different boy or girl facing poverty in a different part of the world. We’ve also learned this week that we have the ability to make a difference!
SHOW: “Forged in Hope—Olivia” slide
The little girl we are going to meet today doesn’t live in a remote village in Rwanda or a tiny apartment in Thailand. She’s not an orphan, and her home wasn’t destroyed in a natural disaster. Her name is Olivia, and she lives here in the United States. 
SHOW: Video 5—Olivia
Country: United States 
Problem: Invisible poor
Did you know that there are children in the United States who don’t have food to eat? Olivia’s family didn’t always struggle. Her family lives in a house. Her parents both used to work. When the pandemic hit, a lot of people lost their jobs, just like Olivia’s parents.
The coins that you have been collecting all week can be used to provide meals for children like the ones you met this week. Children like Ehani in Nepal, Chiumbo in Kenya, Orik in Albania, Diego in Honduras, Olivia in California, and so many more children.
Children’s Hunger Fund partners with churches around the world who search for families in need of food and the saving knowledge of Jesus. Every box of food means a chance to share the gospel. Your quarters are making a huge difference! Isn’t that incredible?
Are you ready to see how many meals we can provide this week?  
The grand total number of meals we can provide this week during Forged in Hope is ____ meals! You guys have done an amazing job collecting coins to feed children in need. Because of you, more children and their families will learn about the love of Jesus.
Did you know that you can keep sending meals to children in need even after this week is over? You can keep making a difference for children around the world with Children’s Hunger Fund. Ask your parents how you can continue to share meals and the love of Christ with children in poverty. 
DO Mission Activity: Whose house is this?
Print the images and talking point instructions for Activity 5 from the Resource USB.
On the whiteboard, tape the home images across the top of the whiteboard and write the below categories down the left side of the whiteboard.
						
Country						
Protection from weather						
Access to education						
Employment opportunities						
Generational poverty						
Adequate food to eat						

Ask the students which homes belong to families living in poverty. Don’t provide an answer at this point—just let them make their guesses.
Ask the students to guess which home belongs to each country. Tape the country signs in the Country row beneath the images of the homes.
Now that the students know which country each home is in, ask them to determine which homes belong to families living in poverty. Don’t provide an answer at this point.
Do this with each problem, giving answers from the Whose House Is This? instruction sheet printed from your Resource USB.
Talking Points
Were you surprised by any of the answers you heard? Which ones surprised you the most?
Do you think it is always obvious that someone is living in poverty?
We call poverty in America “invisible poor” because it doesn’t look like what we see in other countries. 
Poverty doesn’t always mean being homeless or living in a mud hut. Poverty doesn’t mean not having a job.
There are many people right here in America who live in poverty. They may live in your neighborhood or go to your school.
How can you be a part of bringing hope to families who may be suffering right here in the United States?
Send each child home with a “Olivia” prayer journal.
Do the “Map of the World” activity sheets. Pass out the maps from yesterday and have them cut and paste the item for today on the map. Kids can take the maps home today.