Village Well
From SPARK
One-sentence summary
Two African children pray, asking God for a well for their village.
Description
This is a five-part short story for children. It was written by an SIM missionary to Nigeria. The story explains the importance of having a plentiful and clean water supply in rural villages. The two main children are Christians who believe that God will answer their prayers for a village well. How this comes about leads to an exciting and surprising ending.
The individual sections are meant to be told over a five-day period or five-week period such as in Sunday School. Each section contains a full-size black and white illustration suitable for coloring. Permission is given for these to be photocopied. Each section ends with questions about the story. The final question deals with a spiritual issue. Each succeeding episode suggests a review using the illustration from the previous story. This allows children to review the main points of the story. The Bible memory verse for all five parts of the the story is Matthew 19:26, “With God all things are possible!”
Considerations
- If the target culture has an existing Christian church, the concept of seeking God for circumstances in life would be enriched or reinforced. Adults as well as children are seen as humbling themselves before God in prayer.
- If the culture does not have an existing Christian church, this story has the possibility of opening their desire for instruction.
- The fact that missionaries provide the well-drilling equipment may seem paternalistic in some cultures.
- In the final episode, one of the main characters, (a child) has a very realistic dream which comes true the following day. If the target culture believes that dreams come from spirit worship this may be a problem.
- Picture literacy is assumed for interpretation of one half of a boy in second illustration.
- Activity suggestions offered at the end of the story may or may not be useful in the target cultures.
- Dust on the ground and clouds in the sky are both illustrated in the same way in the final picture. This might cause confusion for those not picture-literate.
- The book was written for children aged 5 – 10 years, but in oral cultures, both older children and adults might enjoy hearing the story told.
- The script of this story would also be useful as a five episode radio drama for children.
- The introduction is directed to Western children and would need to be adapted for the target audience.
- Used in a class or church setting, or by a storyteller, the presenter/storyteller could involve the audience by asking the review questions as well as the spiritual issue.
Limitations
Guidelines for Use
- For oral cultures, this story could be adapted for use by a storyteller in at least five different sessions.
- The text also lends itself to translation onto audio-cassette with illustrations in the form of large flash cards and take home papers to color.
- The addition of culturally appropriate music to an audio-cassette format would present a more powerful tool.
Where to Obtain
Link to Producer or Source Organization
Cost
Cost: $1.00 (USD) As of 2006.
