Welcome to Sunday School kids! Come on in and sit down. 

Mrs. Allen had been volunteering as a Sunday school teacher at Spring Valley Church for over a year. While she had enjoyed working with the kids, sometimes she felt like she wasn't making a difference. Reading Bible stories was fine, but was she getting through? Did the kids understand the message behind the stories? Today, she planned on challenging her class!

"Hi Kids! Today we are going to learn straight from Jesus himself," smiled Mrs. Allen. The kids looked around in anticipation as if Jesus was going to walk in the door. Mrs. Allen giggled and said, "In the Bible, Jesus spoke to us in parables. Parables are stories that help us understand what Jesus wants us to know about how to live. When we read His words, it's as if He was speaking to us in this very room."

The Parable of The Good Samaritan 

Luke 10:25-37

Tanner, the class clown, spoke up and asked, "Is He going to tell me to clean my room?"  "Well, since He asks you to honor your parents, I'm guessing you should," smirked Mrs. Allen. The other kids laughed aloud. Once the kids settled in, Mrs. Allen proceeded to read the parable of the Good Samaritan. The kids were fascinated that two men simply walked past the beaten man. Questions like, "How could they ignore him? and "Was he ok? came from the kids.

She explained to the class that Jesus wants us to be people that love our neighbors. "That doesn't mean just the people who live next door. Everyone is your neighbor," she explained. "What about people you don't like? questioned Molly.  "Everybody means everybody!" responded Mrs. Allen. "Jesus wants each of us to be people that notice those in need and show kindness to all, even when it isn't easy," explained Mrs. Allen. "Class, can you think of ways you can notice those in need and show love?" The kids excitedly yelled out a variety of ways to be kind to others.

"That is wonderful! I'm so proud of your ideas, and so is Jesus. Now, He wants you to do it in real life. Can you do that?" Mrs. Allen explained, "I will teach Sunday school again in three weeks. When I come back, I want to hear all of your stories." 

There was excitement in the air as kids began sharing ideas they had with each other. Mrs. Allen couldn't wait until the next class...It was three weeks later and she was not disappointed. As the kids filled the room, they were buzzing with excitement over the challenge.

Jacob was the first young man to share his experience. "On the way home from church, I talked to my mom about the command Jesus gave us to be kind to our neighbors," explained Jacob. "As we were driving, we passed a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk. He looked tired and hungry.

We didn't have anything to give him, which made me sad, but it did give us an idea. We immediately drove home and made a list of items to put in a care package. That afternoon, we went shopping for the items on our list. Our care packages included granola bars, candy, water, socks, toothbrush and toothpaste, and a $5 bill."

"We made up several bags and put a few in each car so that we wouldn't be empty-handed the next time we came across a homeless person," he explained. "The next day, I saw the same man sitting at a bus stop. My dad pulled over and we gave him a care package. The man was surprised and thanked us over and over. It made me feel so good! I can't wait to make more." The class cheered, "What a great idea! I want to do that too!"

Marley asked to tell her story next. "After church, I went with my parents to visit my grandma. She lives in a nursing home downtown. While I love seeing her, going to the nursing home makes me sad. So many of the people look lonely and depressed. Grandma says that many of the residents don't have family in the area and don't get regular visitors like she does. The idea of people being alone made me so upset. 

My mom suggested I do something to make them feel special. I thought it was a great idea. My parents own a flower shop. They agreed to give me some flowers to make bouquets to deliver to the residents.  I also made cards for each of them. It took me two weeks to make them all, but it was worth it. People were so excited when I gave them their gifts. I got a ton of hugs from people I didn't even know. Grandma said that my cards brightened up everyone's mood. Seeing their faces brightened my day too."