VOM’s Kids of Courage resources help parents and educators teach children ages 5 to 13 about persecuted Christians around the world. The resources also provide opportunities for the children to serve and pray for suffering believers. 

After some minor editing changes, the Kids of Courage VBS curriculum is again available.

The curriculum includes true stories of children from 5 countries: Egypt, China, North Korea, India, and Nigeria. 

Kids learn that Kids of Courage: Trust God, Get Prepared (by learning about how Christians in other countries and in the Bible faced difficulties), Forgive Others, Witness Boldly, and Remember Persecuted Christians. They learn that they, too, can be Kids of Courage.

Learning about persecution does not have to include graphic details. Kids can understand from a young age that we can trust God when we are afraid or having problems, and that we can praise Him even in adverse circumstances. Kids can be introduced to the concept that some people have false ideas, and that non-Christians may get angry with people who tell the truth and do the right thing. 

Children can discover that persecuted Christians may experience joy and victory in times of struggle, and they can learn about obedience to God and perseverance in tough situations. They can also learn about forgiving and praying for enemies.

The VBS is being used in small and large churches, and is quite affordable for all groups. Some children’s workers are finding that the curriculum includes so much information, they can also use it in Sunday school and other settings after their VBS is over. Several groups have said they plan to use it for two years. 

The curriculum includes opportunities to share and explain the gospel to children who have not yet trusted in Christ as their Savior. Directors who have used the curriculum report that children have come to Christ during the VBS.

Each kit includes:

• 5 teachers’ guides, one for each country

• Director’s guide

• Skits and plays book

• Games, snacks, and activities book

• Craft and classroom activities book

• Photo CD; Music CD

• Resource and project guide

• VOM prayer map

www.kidsofcouragevbs.com has more information, samples of the curriculum, and feedback from VBS directors. www.kidsofcourage.com provides additional resources, including free downloads of material similar to what is in the VBS.

Bibles Unbound  is a VOM project that provides Bibles to people in countries where access to Bibles is limited. Most of the recipients are adults, but VOM receives delightful thank-you letters from grateful children who have been given their first Bibles through the program. These children may be the future Christian leaders in their countries.

The following are a few of the translated letters received recently from Chinese children to VOM supporters who provide the Bibles:

*Thank you for giving us the word of God to read it. When I was in trouble, it was you who helped me obey God.

I am not a model student. I still remember in Grade Eight, I didn’t study in class, and made trouble such as sleeping, making faces. I ignored what my teachers said. Later, my mother believed in the Lord. In the beginning, I didn’t believe. But after reading the Bible, I came to believe in Him. Sometimes I went to church to listen to the sermons. I felt meaningful. After believing in the Lord, I was changed. I was no longer a trouble maker. I stopped sleeping and began listening to my teachers carefully.

Lord, thank you for letting me know You. I will follow You forever.

*Respectful aunts and uncles,

Greetings! I am Wang, 12 years old. I am in Grade Six. From my childhood I went to church with my mother and she often reads the Bible for me. Several days ago, my mother gave me the Bible and told me it was your contribution in love. I am glad. God bless you.

Every day, I read two chapters and share them with my mother. The words of God are good. Once I played with friends. Two of them argued with each other, and they didn’t speak to one another. I had no idea [what to do]. Suddenly, one verse in Matthew came into my mind: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God… so I did work with them and they both agreed to make their peace. I had the blessing of God. Thank the Lord!

I will read the Bible carefully, and use it to help more people. I want to become the one who loves the Lord like you. May the Lord bless us! Amen! Love you.

*Aunts and uncles, greetings!

The teacher of our church has given me the Bible from you. I am a student in Grade Five. I attend Sunday school. I believed in the Lord last year. I didn’t have the Bible. When my teacher asked me to recite verses, I borrowed from my classmate and copied. I asked my teacher for the Bible. She said when she had the Bible she would give it to me. I prayed to God: please give me the Bible. You see, [everyone had a] Bible except me. This year, when I went to Sunday school last time, the Sunday school teacher gave me one new bible. I was so glad to have it. After I got home, I told my parents I had the Bible at last. They didn’t believe and laughed. So I told them how I got the Bible. They were excited hearing it. They told me it was because of the grace of God.

I give thanks to God. I also thank you for your contribution in love. I appreciate your help to house churches. May everyone have the Bible to read.

God remember you. Bless you, revive your church and add believers to your church. Amen.

*Spiritual fathers, peace from the Lord!

I am a student. I have been in Sunday school from my childhood. I often tell my classmates the story of Jesus and they listen to me carefully. I thought how wonderful it would be if there was the Bible for them. I have prayed to God for it over one year. The day before yesterday, when I came back home, my mother told me brothers from a distant place had supported our church with the Bible. I was overjoyed enough to jump high. Glory be to the Lord. May God bless you with good health, abundant life.

*I am Liu, 11years old. I am in Grade Five in the primary school. Two years ago, I believed in Jesus with my mother. By the Bible and biblical books I know about the Lord. So I know I will trust in the Lord. I also thank uncles and aunts far away from us for giving us the Bible. I am willing to tell Jesus to my schoolmates.

(Edited from original sources for clarity)

VOM’s Kids of Courage resources help parents and educators teach children ages 5 to 13 about persecuted Christians around the world, and provide opportunities for children to serve and pray for them.  www.kidsofcourage.com

With a gaggle of kids among us, ranging from infants to 3-years-olds, my friends and I have been tossing around ideas about how to educate our kids.

The issue of how to educate their children is a big one for persecuted Christians as well. Two Christian Egyptian families have had to go into hiding in the last five years after they tried to have their official religion changed from "Muslim" to "Christian" on their national ID cards. The parents wanted the change in part so that their children would have the option of attending Christian schools. Unfortunately for them, the Egyptian judicial system denied their requests, and Muslim extremists began sending death threats.

I met one of these men, Mohammed Hegazy, in 2010. He's my age, with two young children. His oldest, Miriam, would be ready for kindergarten this year. His son, Joseph, is about 3. He told me, "When my wife was pregnant with our first child, I had that in my heart that I don't want my child to suffer like all the children of converts in Egypt. You know, the children of converts are having a dual identity – they have to be a Christian at home, Muslims at school and with their friends. And this is really complicated for the psychology of a child to understand or to bear."

I've wept with Egyptian Christian parents who agonize over sending their kids to schools that train them to be Muslims and teach them to hate Christians. These Egyptian parents wonder whether they should wait to introduce their children to Christ until they're older and more able to handle the attacks, taunts and degrading they'll certainly face if their classmates learn they are Christians. Or do they tell them about Christ and force them to live double lives, participating in Muslim worship and prayers at school as required and celebrating Christ's love at home?

Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani got into trouble when he learned in 2009 that a change in Iranian education policy would require his two boys to take a course in studying the Quran. Nadarkhani would go on to spend three years in prison before he was acquitted of apostasy.

Sometimes it's not the parents who suffer the consequences of being Christians in a Muslim majority nation. One 12-year-old Christian boy, Amin, painted a picture of Jesus in art class. When his teacher saw the painting, she questioned the boy about his faith in front of the class, openly ridiculing him for his outdated and superstitious beliefs. On the way home from school that day, three of Amin's classmates attacked and beat him, damaging his face. When he got home and told his parents, first they prayed with him, then they took him to the hospital.

When Amin returned to school, he stood up in front of the class and told the three bullies, "God has forgiven me. I forgive you and want to be your friend." The three bullies became some of Amin's closest friends.

WEIGH IN: Can children be lights for Christ? How much responsibility should we as parents give them, and how much should we try to protect them? What would you do if you were trying to raise your child as a Christian in a Muslim society?

Dory P. has worked with VOM for six years. She grew up in Ecuador, met her husband while working with another mission organization, and now lives in Oklahoma. Between Dory, her husband and two-year-old son, they share five passports. Dory helps tell the stories of the persecuted through VOM's newsletter, and her husband serves with VOM's international department.

If you've followed VOM for any length of time, you might have seen reports about a children's home in Nigeria. The Stephen Centre, run by a VOM partner, is home to more than 300 "Nigerian Special Children."

Almost all of these children lost at least one parent in religious violence in northern Nigeria. So they have come to the south, to a safe place where they live together on a small campus, have all their needs met and attend school. It's a long, expensive journey back to their homes in the north, and the children make that trip just once a year, during the July-August summer holidays. The rest of the year, they have to make do with a few phone calls to help connect them to the rest of the family.

To our Western ears, this may sound like an awful situation for a child to be in. It's not ideal, obviously. We'd prefer that these children's parents were alive and able to care for them. But the reality is that when these men are killed (it's usually the men who are killed, though not always), the mothers struggle to support their families. VOM helps address this through job training and small business creation, but often it's still not enough.

One of the driving principles of VOM's international work is to come alongside the persecuted church, ask them what they need and help them accomplish it. In the case of the children of martyred parents in Nigeria, that need is education, room and board. Their remaining family members were willing to send them to a safer place to study while they maintained their Christian witness in the North. For many, it wasn't an easy choice, but it was a necessary choice.

In Africa, there's a strong tradition of children being sent to live with relatives far away to gain a better education. Africans, and especially Nigerians, who have to pay for even elementary-level schooling, understand the crucial importance of an education. Many of the mothers of children at the Stephen Centre work as "petty traders," selling produce, cloth, grain or wares in a small market. Today, their children are dreaming of becoming doctors and lawyers. And through the help of the Stephen Centre, those dreams can be fulfilled.

YOUR TURN: Can you imagine having to live apart from your children in order for them to be safe and get an education? How will thinking about that separation affect the way you pray for Nigerian Christians?

"I have concerns about materials that might introduce pain, torture, and death to a young child without a context for them" — Scottie May, author and professor of Christian Spirituality, quoted in Christianity Today

There is widespread recognition that teaching children skills and academic subjects should be done in an age-appropriate and kid-friendly manner. But some Christians seem to doubt that the same approach is possible when teaching kids about persecution.

Certainly it would be inappropriate to "introduce pain, torture, and death to a young child without a context for them." The following are just a few of the concepts that ARE, in general, appropriate to introduce to children that can help them learn to "Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also" (Hebrews 13:3).

Children can learn that:

*Some people do not know that the Bible is true, so they oppose Christianity. (See John 16:3.) Christians can stand strong in the face of such opposition.

*Christians can praise God even when they are afraid. (See Psalm 56:3-4.) We can trust God in the middle of trials and struggles.

*Following God may sometimes mean being in the minority. (See 2 Timothy 1:15.)

*Christians can continue to do good even when rewards are not immediate. (See Hebrews 11:39-40.)

*It is difficult to reach some countries with the gospel. Christians around the world witness boldly and in creative ways. (See Ephesians 6:19-20.)

The Voice of the Martyrs' Kids of Courage materials, many of them available for free download at www.kidsofcourage.com, provide resources to introduce these and other appropriate concepts to children.

VOM's Kids of Courage resources help parents and educators teach children ages 5 to 13 about persecuted Christians around the world, and provide opportunities for children to serve and pray for them.

Today I'd like to share with you a wonderful post that is found on our Kids of Courage website.  If you don't read the blog at our Kids of Courage page on a regular basis, I want to encourage you to start.  Please click here to read some of the other posts.

I Don't Hate Those Who Harm Me

Delviana is a Christian teenager in Indonesia. One day last year, she was leaving church with her parents and sister when she stopped to check her cell phone. “Suddenly I heard an explosion,” said Delviana.

The explosion was a bomb. Delviana’s church was one of about 60 churches attacked, burned, or vandalized in the past two years by radical Muslims.

Shrapnel (pieces of the bomb) hit Delviana in the forehead. As her father wiped her face with his shirt, Delviana called out to Jesus to help her. “I felt the Lord Jesus was beside me,” said Delviana. “I didn’t feel any pain. I didn’t even cry.”

Delviana’s father took her to the hospital where she had surgery to remove the shrapnel. “I knew the Lord would never leave me alone,” said Delviana. As she was wheeled into surgery, she sang, “In the name of Jesus there is victory.”

Delviana often had headaches after the surgery, but she returned to church less than two weeks after the bombing. “Whatever my condition, I don’t hate those who harm me,” she said.

None of the church members died in the bombing, but the bomber died. “[I felt] no hatred or revenge in my mind,” said the pastor of the church. “Only love for this bomber who had chosen the wrong path.”

Ask God to protect Indonesian Christians and heal those who have been hurt. Pray that radical Muslims will open their hearts to Jesus, who never leads anyone down a wrong path.

One of the most important things we can do as parents and Sunday school teachers is to teach our kids about the persecuted church.  Which is exactly the reason why we are accepting submissions now through September 1st from any child who has been involved in serving the persecuted church.

In order to submit your photos or video, all you have to do is follow the directions below.

• Send photos, e-mails, and a description of your project to kidsofcourage@vom-usa.org.
• Upload videos to YouTube, and send the link and a description of your project to kidsofcourage@vom-usa.org.
• Send letters and photos to:
  • Kids of Courage Projects
  • c/o The Voice of the Martyrs
  • P.O. Box 443
  Bartlesville, OK 74005-0443

The deadline for sending submissions is September 1, 2012.

This is the perfect time of the year to capture your child serving the persecuted church.  Please click here for all the necessary details and be sure to tell a few friends.  This is a great way to encourage one another for the sake of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Today I had to tell you that there is a very inspiring post over on our Kids of Courage website that I'd love for you to click here and go and read.

What you'll read about is a pastor who took time to answer a Muslim's questions because a Muslim teacher had some Christian students who prayed.

Make sure to look around all of the Kids of Courage website and use all of the free resources there for your ministry to children.

Today I wanted to alert you to a need that you may be able to help us with.  Our Kids of Courage network is looking for pictures and/or video of  children who have ministered to the persecuted church.

Here's what the guidelines are that we're hoping you can help us with:

Have you helped persecuted Christians by working on a VOM project? Have you learned about them by reading or viewing VOM materials? Maybe you have made a parachute, written to a prisoner, packed an Action Pack, attended a Kids of Courage VBS, watched a VOM DVD, or prayed for suffering Christians. Or maybe you helped your family write letters to a PSP pastor, sponsor Bibles through VOM’s Bibles Unbound program, or send a blanket to Sudanese Christians through the Blanket and a Bible project. You may even have shared information about persecuted Christians on the Internet, through a speech or report, or through a prayer request.

We want to see or hear about you serving with the persecuted church! The next time you work on a project, remember to snap a photo, record a video, or write an e-mail or letter showing what you are doing to serve our persecuted brothers and sisters in restricted nations. Send your submissions to Kids of Courage, and your project might be featured on this site or in an upcoming Kids of Courage video!

Rules for Submission

By submitting photos, video links, e-mails, or letters to Kids of Courage, you agree to the following:

• You are the sole owner of all rights in the videos, photos, and information you submit and of all components thereof, including music and any other content.
• You grant VOM the right, without compensation to you, to use the photos, videos, and information in any publication or online, in video or in print. Submissions may be edited.
• You have received the necessary permission from everyone appearing in photos or videos (as well as permission from the parents of children appearing in photos or videos) to submit the photos, videos, and related information to VOM for use in any publication or online, without compensation. Note: In most cases, VOM/Kids of Courage will include only first names and last initials of people described or depicted in correspondence, photos, or videos..

Methods of Submission

• Send photos, e-mails, and a description of your project to kidsofcourage@vom-usa.org.
• Upload videos to YouTube, and send the link and a description of your project to kidsofcourage@vom-usa.org.
• Send letters and photos to:
  • Kids of Courage Projects
  • c/o The Voice of the Martyrs
  • P.O. Box 443
  Bartlesville, OK 74005-0443

The deadline for sending submissions is September 1, 2012.

Source: Kids of Courage

One of the minstries of The Voice of the Martyrs is the Kids of Courage ministry, which has its own website at www.kidsofcourage.com , and today I was delighted to see a lovely letter from a girl in Virginia.  The reason this touches my heart is because if a child can take a moment to write a letter to a ministry that is helping persecuted Christians around the world, how much more so, those of us who are adults take action for our persecuted brothers and sisters.

Well done Susannah!

Dear VOM,
My name is Susannah S. I am 10 years old and I would like you to know that I am praying for you. I think that you are doing very well. I hope that you understand what this must mean to Christians who are being persecuted for their faith. I think that you are really brave to go into the countries where Christians are restricted. Love and God bless.

Please visit the Kids of Courage website for all of your VBS needs and child friendly resources to educate your child about the persecuted church.