“Today’s a special day,” Miss Nettie told the children at the orphanage for Native American children. “The kids’ ministries team is coming to present a special program for you.” The children chattered excitedly, for they didn’t often get special visitors.

Kayla and Mica stood near the window watching for the bus containing the young people. “They’re here!” squealed Mica as the big van came into view.
While some of the visitors set up the puppet stage for the program, other young people led the children in singing some happy choruses about Jesus.

Koko and the Promise Box

Then the kids’ ministries team presented a puppet show that told the story of KoKo, a little girl who kept a box containing broken promises—promises that people had made to her but had not kept. Kayla and Mica knew about broken promises.

Koko asked her friend what to do with the broken promises, but her friend didn’t know. So she asked her dad. “Wouldn’t it be better to think about the promises people have kept rather than those they haven’t? her father asked her. The puppet show paused as Koko thought about her father’s advice.

God’s Promise

A girl asked for two volunteers among the children to help tell a story. Kayla and Mica timidly raised their hands. The girls sat quietly as two girls painted something on their faces and another girl read the story about Noah and the ark. “God told Noah that people on earth had become so wicked that He planned to destroy them by a flood. ‘Build a boat large enough for animals of every kind and people who want to be saved,’ God said. Noah built the ark and invited the people to come. But no one entered the ark except Noah and his family. Then God sent the flood.

“After the flood God put a rainbow in the sky as a promise that He would never again destroy the world with a flood. This is one of God’s great promises,” the girl said. “You can read it for yourself in the Bible.”*

KoKo the puppet had listened to the story of God’s promise. She realized that God’s promises are different from people’s promises because God always keeps His promises. Koko emptied her box of broken promises, and the kids’ ministries team helped the children find more of God’s promises to fill Koko’s promise box with promises that would never be broken.

Claiming God’s Promises

The puppet show ended. Kayla and Mica looked at each other and giggled, for Kayla’s face was painted to look like a cat, and Mica’s like a dog—two of the animals that God sent into the ark with Noah.

Kayla and Mica are excited about learning more of God’s promises. Part of the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering this quarter will help kids’ ministries teams take the message of God’s love and His promises to Native American children across North America.

*Genesis 9:13-17.