Game / Bible / Life Connection:  In the Game The Players had to be Patient and Persistent to Win / In the Bible God blessed Zachariah and Elizabeth for their Persistent Prayers / In Life God Answers Persistent Prayers of Faith 

 This is Step 1

1. Have two Coaches stand side-by-side at the finish line facing away from the Players. [For today’s game have the coaches stand far far away from the players so it takes a long time to win].
   2. Have the Players line up along the starting line shoulder to shoulder and say “What time is it?”
   3. The Coach on the right should yell a time like “5 o’clock.”
   4. When the Players hear this they should take 5 steps forward and stop.
   5. The Players should continue saying, “What time is it?” and the Coach on the right should continue to answer with a new time each round. [Important: for this game only call out small numbers like 1, 2 or 3 o’clock.  Children have to be patient and persistent]
   6. Important: About every third time, the Coach on the left side should shout, “It is time to go to jail!” That Coach then turns around and chases the Players back to the starting line. If that Coach tags a Player, that Player has to sit out for one round.
   7. Important: The only time the Players will cross the finish line is when the Coach on the right calls out “It is time to come home!” This means all the Players can safely run to the finish line.

 Game / Bible / Life Connection:    In the Game The Players had to be Patient and Persistent to Win / In the Bible God blessed Zachariah and Elizabeth for their Persistent Prayers / In Life God Answers Persistent Prayers of Faith

Home for the Homeless: The class seven children were taken on a school field trip. They were to visit a Home for the destitute. Diantha was very interested to see what homeless people looked like. When they arrived, a caretaker greeted them and took them in. There was a big hall where a lot of men were sitting. They looked quite sad. One person was lame. Another was blind. One man had a bandage wrapped on his arm. Diantha felt very sad.  They were then shown a prayer room. A lady was all alone in the room. She was kneeling down and praying with her eyes closed. The children spent two hours at the home. They helped sort and wash vegetables. It was fun. When they were leaving, Diantha noticed that the lady was still praying in the prayer room! Was she a statue? She wondered. The caretaker noticed the puzzled look on Diantha’s face
and said, “Child, that is Sister Maria. She is a prayer warrior. She prays for many hours each day. She prays for each inmate, for all the staff and volunteers, for our donors and sponsors, and for strangers who send us prayer requests.” Diantha was dumbstruck.  How could someone pray for so many different people, and for so long? Maria’s selflessness and devotion inspired Diantha.

The story of Zachariah (a priest) and his wife Elizabeth, who lived in the time when Herod was king of Judea, also teaches us about the power of prayer. Zachariah and Elizabeth loved and obeyed God, but one thing made them very sad. They had no children. Though they became very old they kept praying year after year for God to bless them with a child. One day, an angel of the Lord appeared to Zachariah, who was scared upon seeing the angel. The angel said: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayer
has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will go on before the Lord, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous – to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”(Luke 1:13-18)

Zachariah doubted the angel. “How can I be sure that what you’re saying is true?” the old man said. “I’m an old man, and my wife is also too old to become a mother.” The angel answered, “I am the angel Gabriel.  God sent me to tell you this good news. But now since you won’t believe me, you won’t be able to talk until God’s promise comes true.” Then Gabriel disappeared. Zechariah tried to talk, but he couldn’t speak! Elizabeth soon gave birth to a baby boy! Praise God! Zechariah got back his words. The baby boy was named John, which means ‘Jehovah is gracious.’

Diantha noticed two messages on the wall of the prayer room. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING BECAUSE PRAYER CHANGES THINGS.

She entered the prayer room, knelt down on the cotton rug, and silently prayed: “Dear God, please bless this home for the homeless. Please bless Sister Maria, who prays ceaselessly, because she knows that prayer changes things. Thank you dear God, for our field trip today. Amen.” She got up and instinctively dusted her knees and joined the rest of the class. She felt good.

  Game / Bible / Life Connection:    In the Game The Players had to be Patient and Persistent to Win / In the Bible God blessed Zachariah and Elizabeth for their Persistent Prayers / In Life God Answers Persistent Prayers of Faith

Memory Verse:  “And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?”  Luke 18:7