Lenten Missionary Journey

Lenten Missionary Journey

Kindergarten – 3rd Grade

Week 4:

Read the story from Gregory Darr. He is a Maryknoll Lay Missioner. Show the students the photos of African refugees and the refugee East African boy celebrating his new home in the U.S. (he is standing at the foot of the Statue of Liberty). Greg is the White young man on the left in the last photo (he is meeting with a family in eastern Kenya along with two other Maryknoll missionaries). Have the students pull out the “My Lenten Missionary Journey” Map and find Kenya on it. Mark it with a green cross (green is the world mission rosary color for the Africa).

You may need to explain some aspects of the story to the students. They may be concerned about the situation of refugees. It might be best to explain that some people live in dangerous places and refugees are people who cannot stay at home because of this danger. They must leave and find a new home. The missionaries were given the honor of helping these people find new safe homes, like the United States! Greg did not realize that helping this family find a home would also include explaining how to ride an escalator. It took some courage! Ask the students if they get scared when they ride an escalator. This African family was afraid, but they took courage and learned how to do it and made it to their new home. Now ask the students to draw Greg showing the African family how to ride the escalator (on the sheet above where it says, “Missionaries in Kenya”). Who is the missionary? What did he do in the story? Who did he help? How did he share the love of God in his context?

After drawing, read over the heading “Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus: How can I show courage?” and the summary of the mission story that is below. Ask the students if they have ever done anything that took courage. Would they be brave if it meant showing love to someone who needed it? That’s what Veronica did: she walked past the soldiers and up to Jesus on the road to the cross. She wiped His sweaty, tired face with great faith and love. She was courageous because she loved Him so much. In Greg’s story the family he helped had great courage. They were in danger and they managed to get away and live far from home. Greg also showed courage in helping them. They had courage because of their great faith and love of Jesus too. We can show courage and help Jesus carry the cross by learning about missionaries, praying and making donations to support their work.

Pray with the students, following the words listed under “Let Us Pray.” Finally encourage the students to make even a small contribution to the Missionary Childhood Association. The money they give will go to help fund many projects that serve children in the missions (hospitals, schools, orphanages).

Lenten Missionary Journey

4th – 6th Grades

Week 4:

Read the story from Greg Darr. He is a Maryknoll Lay Missioner. Show the students the photos of African refugees and the refugee East African boy celebrating his new home in the U.S. (he is standing at the foot of the Statue of Liberty). Greg is the White young man on the left in the last photo (he is meeting with a family in eastern Kenya along with two other Maryknoll missionaries). Have the students pull out the “My Lenten Missionary Journey” Map and find Kenya on it. Mark it with a green cross (green is the world mission rosary color for the Africa).

Now have the students look at the activity sheet. This week on the journey Veronica wipes the face of Jesus. Under the heading of “On the Journey…” have the students answer the questions:

· Who is the missionary: Greg Darr, a Maryknoll lay missioner (originally from Minnesota but living and working in Chicago today)

· Where did he go to share the Good News: Kenya, East Africa

· Who did he walk with: the refugee family that was in danger from a political leader

· How did he share the Good News: he helped find a safe place for the family to hide, he organized asylum for the family in the U.S., he planned a celebratory dinner for the family, he explained to them what to do, he showed them how to ride an escalator and snet them on their way to live in the U.S.

After answering the questions, turn the sheet over and now the students must think more reflectively. Under the heading “In Love…” it says, Who showed courage? What did they do? On the road to Calvary, Veronica was very brave to wipe Jesus’ face. She had to walk past the soldiers to approach Him. They did not want her to show Him mercy. But she did it anyway because of her overwhelming faith and love. As for the story, make sure the students recognize that both the refugee family and Greg showed courage. Greg was brave for traveling to Kenya in the first place, choosing to live in a dangerous place and helping poor people. But don’t forget that Greg himself says that the courage of the refugee family impressed him deeply. That family was leaving everything they knew to go live half a world away. They had no choice, but that just makes their actions all the more amazing! For the second question, Why do you have to be brave to be a missionary? Have the students think about the decision Greg made to go live in Kenya. Have the students think about the danger of living somewhere like sub-Saharan Africa. Make sure the students understand that Greg chose this life because he wanted to help families like the one in the story. If it had not been for him and the priest, they might not have survived. Like Veronica, we have to take risks to show love sometimes. We must go outside ourselves to be a missionary and meet people where they are. There are many people who live in dangerous places who need love even more! We can show courage and help the refugees in Africa by listening to their story, praying for them and making a donation to MCA. (And share their story with others too!)

Pray with the students, following the words listed under “With Christ.” Finally encourage the students to make even a small contribution to the Missionary Childhood Association. The money they give will go to help fund many projects that serve children in the missions (hospitals, schools, orphanages).

Lenten Missionary Journey

7th – 12th Grades

Week 4:

Have the students look at the activity sheet. This week on the journey, Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus. Under the heading of “On the Journey…” have the students answer the questions:

· Who is the missionary: Greg Darr, a Maryknoll lay missioner (originally from Minnesota but living and working in Chicago today)
Where did he go: Kenya, East Africa

· Who did he walk with: the refugee family that was in danger from a political leader

· How did he preach the Gospel (Good News of God’s love): he helped find a safe place for the family to hide, he organized asylum for the family in the U.S., he planned a celebratory dinner for the family, he explained to them what to do, he showed them how to ride an escalator, he made sure they traveled to the U.S. in safety

· What kinds of problems: danger from political causes, war or famine, refugee status, poverty, feeling unwelcome in new home, danger of being forced to return to “home” country
Did they display deep courage: they did! they lived in hiding, they sought out help, they moved from their home and traveled to the U.S., they learned how to ride an escalator

After answering the questions, turn the sheet over and now the students must think more reflectively. Under the heading “In Love…” Imagine life as a refugee. Would you miss home? Have the students research refugees. How many are there in the world? Which parts of the world have the most? What is the US’s policy for refugees entering? Who are refugees- is it true that most are women and children? Why? Now have them think about what life would be like as a refugee. Living in a new home would be difficult, especially if you are not welcome. Perhaps that would make someone want to go back, but then think about the danger or suffering back home! Life as a refugee is very difficult and unfair. For the second question, How did the missionary show courage? Why do missionaries need courage? This time the students need to think beyond the story. Missionaries choose to live in faraway countries and places where there is great danger. They choose it because they want to offer assistance to families like the one in the story. Greg reflected on his return home after living in Africa. It was a painful experience because of the dangers he experienced and because it changed him. He came home unable to explain to people here what he saw. At the same time he was deeply satisfied because he has a strong faith and a great love of God’s people. Greg showed courage in the story because he took the risk of protecting the family. He went out of his way to make sure they were safe. He was in danger because of it! We too can show courage and help refugee families by listening to their story, praying for them and making a donation to MCA. (And sharing their story with others too!)