The reflection activity, in the devotional for the Fourth of July Celebration Setting, is a simple activity to help families pray for other countries with their kids. I wanted to share a few additional ideas and resources for how to teach and pray for other nations with our kids.
Why should we pray for other countries with our kids?
1. God's word implores us to pray for other nations and the salvation of all people (1 Timothy 2:1-6).
-There are over 3 billion people who have never had a chance to hear the gospel and know Jesus Christ. These people make up 7,000 unreached people groups. 42% of the world's population is unreached*. Our prayers matter, and praying for other countries is an opportunity to teach our kids the importance of prayer (*data from the Joshua Project).
2. It helps our kids know God more. God's heart is for all people! When we understand His heart for all people, it helps us know Him more (John 3:16, 1 John 2:2)
3. We are able to be a part of God's work (Ephesians 2:8-10).
-We can pray for other nations and missionaries which supports them in God's call. Great joy is found when we get to be a part of what God is doing.
4. It gives our kids perspective.
-International mission trips are eye-opening experiences because we visually see the differences in how we live vs. how others live around the world. Those opportunities aren't always available, but intentionally praying for other countries gives our kids a bigger perspective of the world.
Practical ways to learn about and pray for the nations with our kids:
1. Contact the missions pastor at your church and ask for information about the missionaries that your church supports. Put their picture, or their names, up on your refirgerator as a reminder to pray for them.
2. Sponsor a child in another country through Compassion international or World Vision. You can even pick a child with the same birthday as your own child so they can see how someone their age is living across the world.
3. Pick a country each month to learn about and pray for. Go to your local library and check out books about that country, listen to music from that country, cook food from that country, learn a few phrases in their language, and locate it on a map.
Resources to help:
Books:
Kids Edition: “Window on the World: An Operation World Prayer Resource” by Molly Wall
Adult Edition: “Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation” by Jason Mandryk
“The Big Book of Christians Around the World” by Sophie de Mullenheim
Websites/Apps:
https://everyhome.org/
Operation World App