“I was a stranger and you invited me in.”
—Jesus (Matthew 25:35)
Activity: Hard choices, distant dreams
Over 65 million people around the world have been forced out of their homes by things like war and hunger. And the conflicts in Syria, Iraq, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic are forcing more people from their homes all the time. Today, you can choose from two activities to help your family understand the plight of refugees and other displaced people.
Activity: Hard choices, distant dreams
Over 65 million people around the world have been forced out of their homes by things like war and hunger. And the conflicts in Syria, Iraq, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic are forcing more people from their homes all the time. Today, you can choose from two activities to help your family understand the plight of refugees and other displaced people.
What would you take?
Watch this video.
- As a family, talk about how you would feel if you had to leave home quickly because of a flood, a wildfire, or another emergency. Take a little time to think about what you would do to quickly prepare.
- Spend five minutes writing a list or drawing the things you would want to take with you.
- Talk about your lists or drawings. Why did you make your choices? How did you feel about the choices you had to make? What was hard, and what was easy?
Drawing your dreams
When World Vision helps people who have left their homes as a result of crisis, we create Child-Friendly Spaces where kids can safely play, recover from frightening experiences, and learn during the time that they’re out of school. One popular and helpful activity is having kids draw their dreams for the future. Watch this video for inspiration before starting the following activity.
- Take a few minutes to have each person in your family talk about their dreams, then draw them.
- Give everyone a chance to talk about their dreams and why they have them. How are you trying to reach your dreams? What in your life may make it easy or hard? Is your family a part of your dreams?
- Talk about the circumstances that refugee children face. They don’t have homes, and sometimes they have to work just to make money to buy food. Because they left their schools behind, it’s hard for them to study and learn. What kind of dreams do you think they have? How do you think they’re the same or different from yours?
Dinner devotional questions:
- Do you know what a conflict is? Can you think of times you’ve seen a conflict?
- Did you know that countries and communities sometimes have conflicts or natural disasters, like famine, that force people to leave their homes to stay safe?
- People who leave their countries because they are fleeing a conflict or fleeing a natural disaster like famine are called “refugees.” Refugees often have to live in a camp or in crowded apartments in cities. Some of them are able to try to make a new home in another country that is very different from their own. How can we be kind to people who have had to leave their homes?
- How can we share the stories of people who have lost their homes so that other people have sympathy for them?
Ways to pray
- Pray that God would protect children and families from harm in war zones.
- Pray that families who have had to leave their homes will find safety, be able to stay together, and be able to recover from their experiences.
- Pray for organizations that are trying to help these families, and that other people around the world won’t forget about their needs.