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For the tots
I wonder how many of you go to Sunday School. I can remember very clearly asking my mother if I could go every week. Why don't you try it? If you have been already please come back, if you are new you will be very welcome. Sunday School gives you a chance of learning about Jesus as well as doing activities of many kinds, playing games and so on.
When you are out and about have a look at the trees. They are beginning to get ready to drop their leaves off. Count how many colours of leaves you can find. It will surprise you how much variety God has made.
For the teens
A journey against the odds
We all experience delays when we travel around. Spare a thought for those who live in Israel and the Occupied Territories who have restrictions caused by checkpoints and the separation 'Wall' (twice the height of the Berlin Wall). Here are two stories about going to school.
"Six-year old Lina lives about five minutes' drive from the School but, due to the current situation, the journey now takes over an hour because it involves going through two checkpoints. Earlier this year, Lina, her two older sisters and her father set out on their long journey. Both checkpoints were closed and Lina's father thought it was best to return home. Lina was so upset at the prospect of missing school that she began to cry and insist that they find another way - so her father agreed.
"They eventually arrived at the school hours late. Soon afterwards, Lina started getting severe pains in her stomach and she was taken to the local hospital, where the doctors diagnosed nerves as the cause of her illness. Thankfully Lina soon recovered but there have been no signs of improvement to the journey to and from school for the whole family.
"Maryam is a Science teacher at the School and lives in Bethany village. She travels to School with her colleague Tania. One morning in May, Maryam and Tania left home at 6.30 am. When they reached the gate in the separation 'Wall' the soldiers would not let them pass. Maryam and Tania then hid in a stranger's house for a while before they found a hole in the Wall that they attempted, unsuccessfully, to squeeze through.
"Next, they tried to cross the security fence. A young man offered to help them by lifting them over to the other side, causing them discomfort and no little embarrassment, as one of them tore her clothes, while the other injured her leg.
"Maryam and Tania were so determined to reach the school that they continued their journey undaunted. Having crossed the fence, the women found themselves at the top of a steep hill, which they had to slide down, among the dust, stones and sewage water. Finally just when their long ordeal seemed to be over, they were again confronted by the soldiers. Humiliated, frustrated and exhausted by their journey, both women returned home in tears, unable to get to school that day.
"Such examples of humiliation and frustration are not limited to the young. At a Mothers' Day celebration, grandparents arrived at the school exhausted after experiencing similar frustrations. They told of how they had undergone body searches and that all the gifts they had brought for the children had been taken and thrown away.
"Sadly, stories like these are typical of children and adults across Israel and the Occupied Territories. Please hold them in your prayers as they continue to live and work in such impossible circumstances."
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