Growing up as a missionary kid in rural Papua New Guinea was a great adventure. Once we took a boat trip up a river to visit a village for Sabbath. The houses are built on stilts to help catch the breeze and keep out pesky mosquitoes.
Ten-year-old Vahid looked up as his sister walked home from church. He admired her uniform—green skirt, white blouse, and yellow neckerchief. He walked toward her. “When can I join Pathfinders and wear a uniform like yours?” he asked.
Leanne is 6 years old. She lives in a city in Papua New Guinea. There are many Adventists in Papua New Guinea. Leanne has a special gift; she loves to pray for people. “My mommy and daddy have taught me to pray about everything,” Leanne says.
Six-year-old Andrew wandered down the steps of his parents’ bamboo-and-thatch home in the mountains of Papua New Guinea. The warm breeze pushed clouds across the blue sky. Andrew picked up a stick and swatted the wildflowers.
Today let’s visit Kora, a village that sits on a mountainside in the highlands of Papua New Guinea.
Gabi is 9 years old and in third grade. She lives on an island called New Britain, which is part of Papua New Guinea. Her family isn’t Adventist, but her father sends her to the Adventist school so she can learn English.
Children who live near the sea are taught young to swim and handle a boat. Apolosa and John often went fishing with their dads and uncles. Often they were told never to venture out to sea without an adult. But sometimes the boys sneaked away to go fishing alone. One day they learned the foolishness of disobedience.
Lina studies at an Adventist school. Many students who study there aren’t Adventists, so Lina makes it her mission to share God’s love with them.
Come on, William,” some boys called. “We’re going to the forest to play!” William liked playing with his friends, but his mother had warned him, “Don’t play in the forest. It’s dangerous, and you could get hurt.”
When Millie-Anne was 6 years old, she met a girl in her neighborhood named Julie, and the two girls became close friends. When school started that year, Millie-Anne realized that Julie wasn’t there. She attended a different school.
Today is Thirteenth Sabbath. Today we give a special offering to help the people in Madagascar, Namibia, and South Africa share God’s love through several specific projects.
The longest river in South America is the Amazon. It flows from the Andes mountains of Peru, only 85 miles [140 kilometers] from the Pacific Ocean, almost 4,000 miles [6,400 kilometers] to the Atlantic Ocean.