Amazing Wonders Aviation Puppet Scripts - LifeWay
Amazing Wonders Aviation Puppet Scripts - LifeWay
Amazing Wonders Aviation Puppet Scripts - LifeWay
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<strong>Amazing</strong> <strong>Wonders</strong> <strong>Aviation</strong><br />
Children Worship Kid’s Style<br />
Children’s<br />
Sermons<br />
Children’s Sermons follow the themeand<br />
scriptures used in Children’s<br />
Bible Teaching to come for to Kids* claim our prize, isn’t it?<br />
(Note: These scripts can be used with<br />
puppets and/or with live characters<br />
equally well. There are four characters.<br />
Three appear the first three days and<br />
one appears on Day #4. They are written<br />
with older children who may be ready to<br />
become Christians in mind.)<br />
Day #1: People Are Like Volcanoes<br />
Script Summary and Purpose<br />
Two puppets have won a trip around the<br />
world to visit many exotic sites. The pilot<br />
will meet with the excited winners to discuss<br />
the flight plan and show some slides<br />
of the places they will get to visit. The trip<br />
will begin in Mexico where the youngest<br />
volcano in North America, Mt. Paricutin,<br />
was born. The pilot, dressed in Goggles<br />
and an old fashioned fliers cap (if possible),<br />
a scarf and a leather bomber jacket<br />
will explain the amazing story of how<br />
this volcano was born. (I found a costume<br />
minus the leather jacket at halloweencostumes.com.)<br />
This history lesson will lead<br />
to a simple object lesson of how people<br />
tend to “erupt” and do all kinds of damage<br />
to those around them. That “eruption”<br />
is evidence of the sin that dwells in our<br />
hearts (Romans 7:17).<br />
P uppet #1: Can you believe it? We actually<br />
won a trip around the world!<br />
P uppet #2: This is the most exciting thing<br />
that has ever happened to me! To think<br />
that I bought a hamburger and fries<br />
and a soda pop and I got the prize winning<br />
ticket. Wow! I can hardly wait to<br />
get started. What an adventure we have<br />
ahead of us!<br />
P uppet #1: And we have our very own<br />
pilot and our very own plane to take us<br />
to some of the most amazing places that<br />
God ever created on the earth!<br />
Summer 2012<br />
VBS <strong>Puppet</strong> <strong>Scripts</strong><br />
by RICk SHOEMAkER<br />
by JUDI HAYES<br />
<strong>Puppet</strong> #2: This is where we are supposed<br />
<strong>Puppet</strong> #1: Yep ... <strong>Amazing</strong> <strong>Wonders</strong><br />
Airlines. Here we are. Wonder where our<br />
pilot is?<br />
(Enter the Pilot: A puppet/person dressed<br />
in old fashioned pilot goggles, a pilot<br />
leather cap, a scarf, and a leather “bomber”<br />
jacket. I suggest that this be a real person so<br />
he can perform the object lessons; but you<br />
may prefer making this character a puppet<br />
and he can ask his assistant to set up the<br />
object lesson demonstrations)<br />
P ilot: Good [evening/morning] boys! So<br />
you’re the grand prize winners of the allexpense-paid<br />
trip around the world! I am<br />
Captain Shepherd. Now before we climb<br />
aboard the plane, I want to discuss my<br />
flight plan with you.<br />
P uppet #1: Sounds great Captain<br />
Shepherd! Where are we going to go<br />
first?<br />
P ilot: Our first stop will be Mexico! Now<br />
Amigos ... that’s Spanish for friends!<br />
Amigos, I will be flying you to the newest<br />
volcano in North America! We will visit<br />
Mt. Paricutin, “the cornfield that became<br />
a raging volcano!”<br />
P uppet#2: A cornfield that became a volcano!<br />
How did that happen?<br />
P ilot: One day, way back in February of<br />
1943, a Mexican farmer by the name of<br />
Dionisio Pulido, was out working in his<br />
field. Suddenly, he heard a roaring sound<br />
coming from under his feet. Then the<br />
ground began to crack and the odor of<br />
sulfur, just like the smell of rotten eggs,<br />
began to fill the air! Boy, that had to<br />
stink! And then hot, molten lava began<br />
to bubble up out of the ground from deep<br />
inside the earth!<br />
P uppet #1: Wow! That must have been<br />
really scary!<br />
P ilot: I’m sure it was! That lava kept spewing<br />
up from the ground and spreading<br />
farther and farther and getting higher<br />
and higher! In one year, that volcanic<br />
mountain had grown over 1,100 feet<br />
into the sky! (Show slides of Paricutin<br />
erupting.)<br />
<strong>Puppet</strong> #2: That is amazing!<br />
P ilot: And Mt. Paricutin kept erupting for<br />
nine years! By 1952, that volcano stood<br />
1,345 feet tall, the hardened lava covered<br />
10 square miles and the volcanic sand<br />
stretched for 20 square miles beyond<br />
that! (Show slides of Mt. Paricutin today.)<br />
P uppet #1: Was anyone hurt in that<br />
eruption?<br />
P ilot: Thank the Lord, nobody was killed,<br />
but there was great damage done. Two<br />
entire towns, the town of Paricutin and<br />
the town of San Juan Parangaricutiro,<br />
were totally destroyed. And of course,<br />
Senor Pulido lost his land and his home.<br />
P uppet #2: Volcanoes can really be dangerous!<br />
When they erupt, you had better<br />
run!<br />
P uppet #1: And running isn’t easy for us<br />
puppets!<br />
P uppet #2: What caused that terrible<br />
eruption in the first place?<br />
P ilot: Deep down inside the earth, there<br />
are rivers of hot liquid called magma.<br />
Sometimes that heat and the gas pressure<br />
build up so high that it causes an explosion!<br />
The magma shoots up through the<br />
cracks in the ground and into the air and<br />
the magma becomes flowing lava above<br />
ground. (Show magma/lava slides.)<br />
P uppet #1: So it all begins deep down<br />
inside the earth and the pressure builds<br />
up until it explodes!<br />
Pilot: That’s right.
P uppet #1: I know some people that are just<br />
like volcanoes, Captain Shepherd! They<br />
seem to be calm on the surface and then<br />
suddenly, they explode with anger! And it<br />
can be really, really scary!<br />
P ilot: I think you’re right! The Bible says that<br />
inside every human heart is something<br />
called sin. In the book of Romans chapter<br />
7 and verse 17, it says, “Sin dwells inside<br />
of me” [author paraphrase]. Sin is kind of<br />
like magma or lava under the ground. You<br />
can’t see it but sometimes, when the pressure<br />
builds up, it explodes or erupts and we<br />
kind of lose control. We get angry or jealous<br />
or upset, then watch out! Could I tell you a<br />
story about a boy I once knew who used to<br />
erupt like a volcano? Let me tell you … The<br />
Sad Story of Reggie.<br />
Reggie was edgy most every day. When<br />
Reggie got edgy, most folks would say,<br />
“Reggie is edgy! Stay out of his way!” One<br />
day Reggie rolled out of his bed. He slipped<br />
on a slipper and fell on his head. The word<br />
that he shouted should not have been said.<br />
He expected his breakfast but breakfast<br />
was late. Reggie just hated when he had to<br />
wait. He glared at his mother and slammed<br />
down his plate. He entered his classroom;<br />
plopped down on his seat, Sat on a tack<br />
and jumped to his feet. Quick as a lick he<br />
grew red as a beet! He took a test; thought<br />
each answer he knew, But on one he wrote<br />
“False” when the answer was “True.” Down<br />
in his heart trouble started to brew! His<br />
friend hurt his feelings and Reggie was sad.<br />
But the more that he thought, Reggie got<br />
mad. The thoughts in his head were badder<br />
than bad! The pressure inside him beginning<br />
to rise, The anger expanding he could<br />
not disguise, Smoke was emerging from his<br />
ears and his eyes! And finally it happened!<br />
A volcanic eruption!*<br />
(*At this point, demonstrate the object lesson<br />
so that the vinegar/baking soda or the diet<br />
soda/Mentos erupts behind and through the<br />
face of “Reggie.”)<br />
What followed then, a colossal disruption!<br />
Out of his mouth came words of corruption!<br />
Reggie was yelling and screaming so<br />
loud, Before he knew it, he’d drawn quite<br />
a crowd, Sunshine was covered by a dark,<br />
stormy cloud! The sin that erupted did<br />
damage that day. Mouth washed with soap<br />
from the words he did say. Mom’s plate<br />
that he broke to replace he must pay. Sent<br />
from his classroom to the office would stay.<br />
Scared off his friend; so alone he must play.<br />
It was a good time for Reggie to pray!<br />
P uppet #1: You know, Captain Shepherd, that<br />
story about Reggie kind of reminds me of<br />
(<strong>Puppet</strong> #2)! I remember that time when he<br />
blew his top and got really mad at me just<br />
because I ate a couple of his cookies. He had<br />
a whole package of cookies and he wouldn’t<br />
even share! So when he wasn’t looking, I<br />
took two. When he saw the crumbs on my<br />
chin, it was pretty bad the way he erupted<br />
just like a volcano at me!<br />
P uppet #2: Oh yeah! Well I was thinking<br />
that story about Reggie reminded me of<br />
you, [Insert name of <strong>Puppet</strong> #1.] Remember<br />
that time when I accidentally bumped you<br />
and you dropped your ice cream cone in the<br />
sand? You got so mad at me that you said<br />
you were going to call the police and have<br />
me arrested for assault and battery! And I<br />
thought that was so dumb. I didn’t even<br />
have salt or batteries in my hand when I<br />
bumped you.<br />
P ilot: Well, boys, when I heard that story<br />
about Reggie, I thought about me! My name<br />
is Captain Reginald Shepherd and that story<br />
is about me when I was a boy. My bad temper<br />
erupted more than once when I was a kid and<br />
it got me into lots of messes and I hurt a lot<br />
of people. The Bible says it is easy for us to see<br />
sin in other people but it is hard for us to see<br />
the sin in our own lives. But sooner or later,<br />
sin comes to the surface and when it does, it<br />
does lots of damage. Today, I want us to learn<br />
a memory verse, “Sin dwells inside of me”<br />
Romans 7:17 [author paraphrase]. Will you<br />
repeat that verse with me now boys and girls?<br />
P uppets and children: “Sin dwells inside of<br />
me” Romans 7:17<br />
P ilot/Pastor/VBS Director: Boys and girls,<br />
today we have learned a very important<br />
truth. Inside the heart of every person is<br />
something called sin. Sin is kind of like<br />
magma or hot lava that is hidden deep down<br />
in our hearts. And in all of our lives, sooner<br />
or later, it erupts like a volcano and it makes<br />
a terrible mess. Often, it does great damage<br />
and many people get hurt. It is very easy for<br />
us to see sin in others but sin is inside all of<br />
us. This week, we will learn what God has<br />
done to help us overcome our sin problem. It<br />
is very important for you to come every day<br />
of Bible School so you can learn more.<br />
Come back tomorrow and hear more<br />
about the rest of Flight Plan that Captain<br />
Shepherd has for us this week!<br />
___________________________________<br />
Object lesson choices: The thrust of this<br />
lesson is to illustrate to the children that there<br />
is something inside all of us, called sin, that<br />
causes us to erupt with anger or other bad<br />
behavior and when we do that, we do damage<br />
all around us; much like Mt. Paricutin erupted<br />
and destroyed two entire towns and the farm<br />
of Senor Pulido.<br />
Option #1: Glue a hand-drawn or hand<br />
painted face or a mask on a large glass or a<br />
clear plastic pitcher. Have the glass/pitcher<br />
filled with vinegar. After the puppet pilot<br />
shares his story, pour a hidden bag filled with<br />
baking soda into the container and let it overflow,<br />
making a mess on the table. This illustrates<br />
the way some folks get ‘boiling mad”<br />
and it reveals a sin problem.<br />
Option #2: Do the same thing gluing a face<br />
or a mask on a 2 liter bottle of diet soda. Once<br />
again, tell the story and the can create a real<br />
splash by using the diet soda and Mentos<br />
trick. This is best done outdoors, of course!<br />
See this experiment by checking out youtube.<br />
com/watch?v=YNgl6z5Z7k4.<br />
If you are really ambitious, you might get a<br />
Styrofoam head and bore a hole through the<br />
top so that it fits over the 2 liter bottle of diet<br />
soda. Paint a face on the head. Bore a hole<br />
through the ears of the head and place a stick<br />
across the opening. Have the Mentos inside<br />
the head and when you pull the stick away,<br />
the Mentos eruption will not only send soda<br />
up through the top but out through the ears<br />
as well!<br />
Memory Maker: Give each child a copy of<br />
“The Sad Story of Reggie” poem on card stock<br />
and print Romans 7:17: “Sin dwells inside of<br />
me.”<br />
Note: Pictures to illustrate are easily found<br />
by doing an Internet search. Downloading<br />
each picture and then pasting them into a<br />
power point presentation is very easy. If you<br />
are not adept, you can ask help from a tech<br />
savvy church member to help you!<br />
___________________________________<br />
Day #2: “Tragedy on a Mountain”<br />
Script Summary and Purpose<br />
The Matterhorn is an amazing mountain that<br />
many men have tried to climb. But tragedy<br />
took place on that mountain the first time<br />
climbers tried to get to the top. Four men died<br />
when they tried to descend. This experience<br />
reminds the pilot of another mountain where<br />
a greater tragedy took place. It was called Mt.<br />
Calvary in the city of Jerusalem. There a man<br />
named Jesus would die a painful death; but<br />
from that death, God would offer the forgiveness<br />
of sin for all who would believe.<br />
P uppet #1: Where else will we be flying<br />
Captain Shepherd?<br />
P uppet #2: Yes. Where else? I want to travel<br />
around the world! I want to see everything<br />
there is to see! God has created so many<br />
amazing places!
P ilot: Indeed He has! God has created so<br />
many wonders that nobody could possibly<br />
visit all of them in a single lifetime.<br />
P uppet #1: Did I read in the brochure about<br />
visiting Switzerland? What will we see there?<br />
P ilot: That’s right! We will fly to Europe to<br />
the country of Switzerland to see one of the<br />
most beautiful snow covered peaks in the<br />
world, the Matterhorn! (Project a picture of<br />
the Matterhorn.)<br />
P uppet #2: It really is beautiful! How tall is it?<br />
P ilot: The Matterhorn is located on the border<br />
of Switzerland and Italy in the Swiss Alps<br />
mountain range. The summit ... the highest<br />
point ... is 14,690 feet tall or two and three<br />
quarter miles high! That means it is almost<br />
11 times taller than Mt. Paricutin in Mexico!<br />
P uppet #1: Has anybody ever climbed all the<br />
way to the top?<br />
P ilot: Oh, yes. The first time anyone reached<br />
the top of the Matterhorn was in 1865. An<br />
Alpine explorer by the name of Edward<br />
Whymper (show a picture of Edward<br />
Whymper), along with six other men, set out<br />
to conquer the mountain. On July 14, 1865,<br />
after about a 10-hour climb, they made it! It<br />
was a time for great celebration. But sadly,<br />
on the way back down, one of the men by the<br />
name of Douglas Hadow, lost his footing and<br />
fell down on another of the climbers. The<br />
men were all connected by a rope. As the<br />
first two men fell, two others were dragged<br />
along with them. Four of the seven climbers<br />
died. It was a terrible tragedy! (Show picture/<br />
drawing of the Matterhorn tragedy.)<br />
P uppet #2: What a sad story, Captain<br />
Shepherd!<br />
P uppet #1: I climbed a rock wall once. That<br />
was scary enough for me! And I had a safety<br />
harness so if I lost my grip, I wouldn’t fall<br />
and get hurt! But I think I will leave the<br />
Matterhorn to experts! (Show a picture of a<br />
rock wall.)<br />
P ilot: Yes. It was a very sad tragedy indeed.<br />
You know, since that first tragic climb in<br />
1865, there have been over 500 climbers who<br />
have lost their lives on the Matterhorn. It is<br />
very beautiful but also very dangerous. You<br />
know boys, that story reminds me of about<br />
another tragedy that happened on a mountain<br />
top.<br />
P uppet #2: What mountain was that, Captain<br />
Shepherd?<br />
P ilot: It happened at a place that some folks<br />
call Mt. Calvary. It was really more like<br />
a large hill on the outskirts of the city of<br />
Jerusalem. (Show picture of Calvary.) Two<br />
thousand years ago a man named Jesus<br />
climbed that hill carrying a large wooden<br />
cross. Some cruel and vicious men falsely<br />
accused Him of committing crimes. Jesus<br />
was an innocent man but He was still condemned<br />
to die on that hill by being crucified.<br />
In these days, criminals are sometimes<br />
executed or put to death in an electric chair<br />
or by injecting poison. But 2,000 years ago,<br />
crucifixion; hanging a person on a wooden<br />
cross and letting him die a slow and painful<br />
death, was how they did it. (Show a picture of<br />
Jesus hanging on a cross.)<br />
P uppet #1: You mean, Jesus wasn’t guilty of<br />
doing anything wrong and they still killed<br />
Him?<br />
P ilot: That’s right! Jesus never did anything<br />
wrong but He was sent to Mt. Calvary and<br />
was nailed to that cross.<br />
P uppet #2: You mean they hammered nails<br />
into His hands and feet?<br />
P ilot: Yes. And He would hang there in terrible<br />
pain for six long hours.<br />
<strong>Puppet</strong> #1: Oh, my! That is just terrible!<br />
P ilot: Yes. It was the saddest day in history<br />
because Jesus was not only an innocent man<br />
who did not deserve to die, He was and is the<br />
Son of God.<br />
P uppet #2: But if Jesus is God’s Son, why<br />
didn’t He fight back? Couldn’t He could have<br />
saved Himself if He is God’s Son<br />
P ilot: Yes, He could have saved Himself. He<br />
had the power to come down from that cross<br />
but He chose to remain there and die on that<br />
cross for one very important reason.<br />
P uppet #2: What reason was that?<br />
P ilot: The Bible tells us in the book of Romans<br />
chapter 5 and verse 8; “God proves His own<br />
love for us in that while we were still sinners<br />
Christ died for us!” Would you say that verse<br />
with me? “God proves His own love for us in<br />
that while we were still sinners Christ died<br />
for us” (Romans 5:8). (Project on screen.) Let’s<br />
make that verse more personal. “God proved<br />
His own love for me, in that while I was still a<br />
sinner, Christ died for me!” Will you say that<br />
with me now, everyone? (Project on screen.)<br />
P uppet #2: So Jesus died on the cross because<br />
God loves us?<br />
P uppet #1: And Jesus died on the cross on<br />
that Mt. Calvary because of the sin that<br />
dwells inside of people that we learned about<br />
yesterday?<br />
P ilot: That’s right. When people sin, that<br />
means that they break the laws of God.<br />
When a person breaks the law, he deserves<br />
to be punished and the punishment for sin<br />
is death.<br />
P uppet #2: But you said that Jesus never did<br />
anything wrong. He was innocent.<br />
P ilot: That’s right. And because He never<br />
sinned, He could die in our place. And<br />
because Jesus loves us, that is exactly what<br />
He did!<br />
P uppet #1: Jesus must love people a lot to suffer<br />
so much pain for them.<br />
P ilot: He really does. You know, when I<br />
learned how much Jesus loves me, I made a<br />
decision way back when I was in grade school<br />
that I wanted to ask Jesus to forgive my sins<br />
so I could live my life for Him. I knew that I<br />
had done some bad things in my life and that<br />
I needed God’s forgiveness.<br />
P uppet #2: What kind of bad things did you<br />
do, Captain?<br />
P ilot: I was sometimes disobedient to my<br />
parents and didn’t do what they told me to<br />
do. I got angry at times and really blew my<br />
top. Do you remember “The Sad Story of<br />
Reggie” I told you yesterday? I am ashamed<br />
to say that was a story about me! When I<br />
would get angry, I sometimes broke things<br />
and yelled and threw fits and I hurt people’s<br />
feelings all the time. And sometimes, I told<br />
lies. I remember once when took my sister’s<br />
candy bar. Actually, I guess I stole her candy<br />
bar. When you take something that belongs<br />
to someone else, that is stealing. Well, I<br />
ate it and then I put the wrapper under my<br />
brother’s pillow. When my mother found<br />
that wrapper, she punished my brother and<br />
I never told her that I was really the candy<br />
bar thief!<br />
P uppet #2: Hmm. I did that once myself…<br />
but don’t tell my brother! He would be really<br />
mad! He got grounded for a week for stealing<br />
and for lying about it but I was the one<br />
who was guilty! I never told anybody that<br />
until now!<br />
P ilot: Well, after I heard about how Jesus died<br />
for my sins, I invited Him to come into my<br />
life to forgive all the bad things I had done<br />
and to help me live the right way. And after<br />
I did that and became a Christian, I knew in<br />
my heart that I needed to apologize to my<br />
sister for stealing her candy bar and to my
other for making him take the blame. I<br />
really felt bad because of what I had done. Do<br />
you know what happened? They forgave me<br />
because they are Christians, too. They said,<br />
“Because Jesus has forgiven us, we will forgive<br />
you.” And later, I bought two candy bars,<br />
one for my sister and one for my brother to<br />
let them know how sorry I really was.<br />
P uppet #1: Wow! That is so cool, Captain<br />
Shepherd! Forgiveness is awesome!<br />
P uppet #2: And Jesus is more awesome<br />
because if He hadn’t died on the cross,<br />
nobody could ever be forgiven of their sins!<br />
P ilot: That is absolutely right! You know, I<br />
hope that the boys and girls here today have<br />
learned something about the Matterhorn<br />
and how awesome it is. But more importantly,<br />
I hope they have learned about Mt.<br />
Calvary and how awesome Jesus is; that He<br />
would die on a cross there so we all could be<br />
forgiven of our sins! I think we should pray<br />
now and ask God to help the boys and girls<br />
understand!<br />
P ilot/Pastor/VBS Director: Dear Lord, You<br />
are truly an awesome God! We are amazed<br />
by Your creation. The Matterhorn is beautiful<br />
to behold and we thank you for it. But we<br />
thank You even more for Mt. Calvary where<br />
Jesus died on the cross so we could be forgiven<br />
of our sins. That proves just how much<br />
You love us. God, help us to love You back!<br />
Help us to come to Jesus in prayer and ask<br />
Him to forgive all our sins this week so that<br />
one day, we can see Your most awesome creation<br />
that is called Heaven! In Jesus’ Name,<br />
Amen.<br />
___________________________________<br />
Memory Maker: Give each child a small<br />
wooden cross with Romans 5:8 or “Christ<br />
died for us” in indelible ink. Oriental Trade<br />
sells inexpensive ones at orientaltrading.com/<br />
mini-crosses<br />
Memory Maker 2: Give each child a miniature<br />
candy bar taped to a 3x5 card that has<br />
the Romans 5:8 verse “Christ died for us.” Or<br />
“Christ died for me!”<br />
___________________________________<br />
Day #3: The Missionary Who<br />
Named Victoria Falls<br />
Script Summary and Purpose<br />
Missionary David Livingstone was the one<br />
who named Victoria Falls. The pilot will<br />
explain why Livingstone went to Africa in<br />
the first place, to tell the story of Jesus to the<br />
many villages of people in Central Africa<br />
who had never heard the gospel! Today, we<br />
will explain God’s plan of salvation using the<br />
ABC’s of salvation. We want each child to<br />
hear this and to take home a copy so that he/<br />
she will better understand before the decision<br />
service on Day #4.)<br />
P uppet #1: Captain Shepherd, will we get to<br />
travel to Africa? I have always wanted to see<br />
Africa!<br />
P uppet #2: I hope we can go to Africa, too!<br />
What an exciting place to visit! Wouldn’t it<br />
be great to go on a safari to see all of the wild<br />
animals! Lions and tigers and elephants and<br />
zebras!<br />
P uppet #1: Yes! Please tell us we are going to<br />
visit Africa, Captain!<br />
P ilot: As a matter of fact, we will! We will be<br />
flying to see Victoria Falls, the largest water<br />
fall in the entire world located on the border<br />
of Zambia and Zimbabwe in the middle of<br />
the southern portion of Africa. It is magnificent!<br />
(Show slide of the falls.) The natives call<br />
it “mosi-oa-tunya” which means “smoke that<br />
thunders!” But in 1855, one of the greatest<br />
men in history, Dr. David Livingstone, discovered<br />
the falls on his missionary journeys<br />
and named the thundering waters, Victoria<br />
Falls!<br />
P uppet #2: Why did he call them Victoria<br />
Falls? Thunder Falls sounds much cooler<br />
to me!<br />
P ilot: Well, David Livingstone was from the<br />
country of Scotland. Queen Victoria ruled<br />
over Great Britain for over 63 years. The<br />
people of Scotland, England, Ireland and<br />
Wales loved her very much. I suppose this<br />
was one way that Dr. Livingstone felt he<br />
could honor his queen. (Show picture of Dr.<br />
David Livingstone.)<br />
P uppet #1: What was a man from Scotland<br />
doing in the middle of Africa anyway?<br />
P ilot: Great question! When David<br />
Livingstone was a boy, he went to church<br />
every Sunday. When he was just 9 years old,<br />
he memorized the longest chapter in the<br />
Bible, Psalm 119. It has 176 verses!<br />
P uppet #2: I memorized a verse in the Bible<br />
once. It is John 11:35.<br />
P uppet #1: John 11:35. And what does that say?<br />
P uppet #2: It says, “Jesus wept!”<br />
P ilot: Yes ... That is the shortest verse in the<br />
Bible. But that is a good verse to remember.<br />
It reminds us that Jesus cares about us very<br />
deeply.<br />
P uppet #1: Pretty easy verse to memorize<br />
though! I don’t think I would brag about<br />
that! Now, memorizing 176 verses; that is<br />
impressive!<br />
P ilot: David Livingstone was an extraordinary<br />
boy. He got a job when he was just 10<br />
years old! He was on the job and went to<br />
class from 6 in the morning until 8 at night!<br />
He worked and went to school in a cotton<br />
mill in Scotland.<br />
P uppet #1: Can you imagine that! From 6 in<br />
the morning until 8 at night!<br />
P uppet #2: That makes me tired just thinking<br />
about it!<br />
P ilot: When David was 20, he made a decision<br />
to become a Christian and to serve Jesus the<br />
rest of his life! One day, he heard a man by<br />
the name of Robert Moffat speaking at his<br />
church. Pastor Moffat was a missionary in<br />
Africa and he spoke about seeing “the smoke<br />
of thousands of villages where no missionary<br />
has ever been.” From that day, David knew<br />
that God wanted him be a missionary and to<br />
travel to those villages and tell the people of<br />
Africa the good news of Jesus Christ so they<br />
could go to heaven one day.<br />
P uppet #1: Wow! That sounds like quite an<br />
adventure!<br />
P ilot: Yes, it was quite an adventure, but it<br />
would take lots of hard work! He spent the<br />
next seven years studying both the Bible and<br />
medicine so he could become a medical missionary.<br />
And then he made the long journey<br />
to the Continent of Africa. He would spend<br />
over 30 years of his life traveling from one<br />
village to the next helping people who were<br />
sick and sharing the gospel story of Jesus<br />
Christ. These people had never before heard<br />
how God sent His Son to die on the cross<br />
so they might be forgiven of their sins and<br />
how Jesus rose from the dead so they could<br />
go to heaven one day. But after they heard<br />
Dr. Livingstone, many of the African natives<br />
believed and invited Jesus to become their<br />
Savior and Lord!<br />
P uppet #2: The story of Jesus is the best news<br />
ever!<br />
P ilot: Dr. Livingstone was determined to tell<br />
as many of the African people that story<br />
as he could so they might be forgiven and<br />
receive God’s gift of eternal life! One of the<br />
tribal chiefs that Dr. Livingstone met said, “I<br />
wish you would give me medicine to change<br />
my heart. It is proud and angry always.” Dr.<br />
Livingstone told him that when a person<br />
invites Jesus into his heart, the Lord will help<br />
to conquer that pride and anger.
P uppet #1: That’s right! Jesus helps people to<br />
control their anger and pride so they don’t<br />
erupt like a volcano!<br />
P ilot: Exactly! I’m glad you remember that<br />
important lesson! David Livingstone kept<br />
doing his missionary work. He refused<br />
to give up even though one time, he was<br />
attacked by a lion and he nearly lost his arm!<br />
Many other times, he came down with serious<br />
fevers and he almost died more than<br />
once. He fought against the cruel slave trade<br />
in Africa and had to send his wife and children<br />
back to Scotland to protect them from<br />
slave traders who might do them harm.<br />
Dr. Livingstone was an amazing man! I<br />
wish there were a lot more men like David<br />
Livingstone in the world!<br />
P uppet #2: After hearing the story of David<br />
Livingstone, I think the name Victoria Falls<br />
sounds way more cool than Thundering<br />
Falls! Whenever I see Victoria Falls, I will be<br />
reminded of Dr. David Livingstone and his<br />
brave missionary work to the people of Africa!<br />
P ilot: You know, you don’t have to travel to<br />
Africa to be a missionary. God might call<br />
you to do that one day, but wherever you are,<br />
you can be a missionary by telling the story<br />
of Jesus!<br />
P uppet #1: I learned the ABC’s of the gospel<br />
of Jesus in Sunday School.<br />
P ilot: Would you like to share that with the<br />
Boys and Girls?<br />
P uppet #1: Sure! Boys and girls, if you want<br />
to have your sins forgiven and have a home<br />
in heaven someday, this is what you need to<br />
understand. A — You must Admit you are<br />
a sinner. That means that you must tell God<br />
that you are really sorry for the bad things you<br />
have done in your life. (Project on the screen.)<br />
P uppet #2: Yeah. Like when you steal somebody’s<br />
cookies.<br />
P uppet #1: Or when you yell and scream and<br />
lose your temper and won’t share.<br />
P ilot: Or when you say bad words or break<br />
your mother’s plate. We all have done bad<br />
things that the Bible calls sin. Remember,<br />
Romans 7:17: “Sin dwells in me.”<br />
P uppet #1: Then there is the letter “B.”<br />
B — Believe that Jesus is God’s Son; that<br />
He died to forgive your sins and rose again<br />
from the grave so you could have a home in<br />
heaven some day! (Project on the screen.)<br />
P ilot: Very well done. And what is the C of<br />
salvation?<br />
P uppet #1: C — Confess your faith in Jesus as<br />
your Savior and Lord. (Show on the screen.)<br />
P ilot: What does it mean to confess Jesus as<br />
your Savior and Lord?<br />
P uppet #1: That means that you need to ask<br />
Jesus to come into your life and forgive your<br />
sins. It means that you really, really believe<br />
that Jesus is God’s only Son and you want to<br />
live your life for Him so He can take you to<br />
heaven some day.<br />
P ilot: Very good! Today, you were a missionary<br />
puppet because you just explained<br />
to all the boys and girls how to become a<br />
Christian!<br />
P uppet #2: That is way cool! I hope that the<br />
boys and girls understand and that they will<br />
decide to become Christians!<br />
P ilot: Tomorrow, we will be inviting the boys<br />
and girls who understand what it means to<br />
become a Christian to ask Jesus into their<br />
life so they can be forgiven and have a home<br />
in heaven some day.<br />
P uppet #1: And who knows! Maybe God will<br />
call some of them to travel around the world<br />
as missionaries just like David Livingstone!<br />
P uppet #2: That would be awesome!<br />
P ilot: It sure would be awesome. But, for that<br />
to happen, the children would need to study<br />
the Bible and go to church like David did<br />
when he was a boy. That is important for<br />
anyone who wants to follow Jesus! Let’s say a<br />
prayer that tomorrow, many of the boys and<br />
girls will decide to become Christians.<br />
P uppet #1: Dear God, what an exciting story<br />
we heard tonight about Victoria Falls and<br />
David Livingstone. How wonderful to be a<br />
missionary and to tell others about Jesus. I<br />
pray that the boys and girls listened tonight<br />
and that tomorrow, many of them will ask<br />
Jesus to forgive their sins and that they will<br />
follow Him. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.<br />
P astor/VBS Director/Pilot: Boys and girls,<br />
be sure to come back tomorrow. We are<br />
going to learn about some more places we<br />
will visit on our around-the-world grand<br />
prize vacation trip. But more important, we<br />
will learn about the greatest trip ever and<br />
how we can be sure we will get to heaven<br />
some day! Don’t miss it!<br />
___________________________________<br />
Memory Maker: Give each child a copy<br />
of the ABC’s of Becoming a Christian tract<br />
(available through <strong>LifeWay</strong>) or print the ABC’s<br />
of Becoming a Christian on 5 x 7 cardstock.<br />
Encourage the kids to read this before they<br />
come the next night/day.<br />
Memory Maker 2: There is an excellent<br />
short story by Julia H. Johnston written in<br />
1913 that can be found at wholesomewords.<br />
org/children/heroes/hlivingston.html. Print<br />
this on cardstock and give a copy to each child<br />
to learn more about this great man of God.<br />
___________________________________<br />
Day #4: Are You Sure This Plane<br />
Is Safe?<br />
Script Summary and Purpose<br />
This session will show pictures of the remaining<br />
wondrous places they can visit. In order<br />
for the boys to get to these wondrous places,<br />
they must exercise faith and get on board<br />
the plane. One of the boys will be somewhat<br />
reluctant to get on board. As amazing as all of<br />
these earthly places are that God has created,<br />
we can only imagine how glorious Heaven<br />
must be! But the only way we can hope to see<br />
the wonders of Heaven is by exercising faith<br />
and trusting in Jesus to take us there. Jesus<br />
is the way, the truth, and the life and no one<br />
comes unto the Father but by Him!<br />
This will lead to the VBS decision service<br />
for the week.<br />
P uppet #1: What a great trip this is going to<br />
be! We will see a real volcano in Mexico.<br />
P uppet #2: And in Switzerland, we will<br />
visit the Matterhorn! What a breathtaking<br />
mountain; all covered with snow!<br />
P uppet #1: And we get to go to Africa and see<br />
the largest water fall in the world, Victoria<br />
Falls!<br />
P uppet #2: And see some of the places that<br />
Dr. Livingstone saw when he went on his<br />
missionary journeys telling people about the<br />
good news of Jesus Christ!<br />
P ilot: Those will be exciting places to see, but<br />
that isn’t all! One of my favorite spots to visit<br />
is located in the United States of America.<br />
The Grand Canyon is breathtaking! (At this<br />
point you may want to show this three-minute<br />
video of a flight over the Grand Canyon<br />
youtube.com/watch?v=h3jY4wzQPGs or<br />
you may prefer showing still slides.)<br />
P uppet #1: As good as that looks on the<br />
screen, I’ll bet it is even more amazing seeing<br />
it in person!<br />
P ilot: Oh, yes! Trust me! I have seen the<br />
Grand Canyon many times and I still marvel<br />
at God’s handiwork!
P uppet #2: I think I read something about<br />
visiting the Arctic Circle. What will we see<br />
when we get there? Just lots of ice and snow?<br />
P uppet #1: I was wondering about that<br />
myself? What is there for us to see way up<br />
north?<br />
P ilot: One of the most magnificent sights<br />
will be the Great Northern Lights! The sky<br />
explodes with some of the most dazzling<br />
colors your eye will ever behold! It is like<br />
the Lord paints the horizon with dancing<br />
rainbows!<br />
(At this point show a short video or use<br />
this short slide presentation: huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/25/northern-lightsaurora-borealis-pictures_n_1030854.<br />
html#s433304&title=Aurora_Borealis_<br />
October.)<br />
P ilot: Whenever I see the Northern Lights, I<br />
am reminded of Psalm 19:1, “The heavens<br />
declare the glory of God!”<br />
P uppet #2: Those pictures are awesome!<br />
P uppet #1: I have seen laser light shows<br />
before. I kind of understand how that works.<br />
But how does God make the Northern<br />
Lights happen?<br />
P ilot: The Northern Lights are also called the<br />
Aurora Borealis.. When there is a solar storm<br />
on the Sun, energy particles make their way<br />
to the outer atmosphere of the earth. When<br />
those particles of energy mix with the gasses<br />
in our atmosphere, they glow in a kaleidoscope<br />
of colors that blanket the sky!<br />
P uppet #1: I can hardly wait to see the Oreo<br />
Boreos!<br />
P ilot: That was close. That is the Aurora<br />
Borealis. The farther north we fly, the<br />
brighter the lights in the northern sky!<br />
P uppet #2: It said in the travel brochure that<br />
we would see something called the Great<br />
Barrier Reef.<br />
P ilot: That’s right Mate! That is what they call<br />
a friend in Australia. The Great Barrier Reef<br />
is one of the most incredible places on the<br />
planet! (Show several slides or a video of the<br />
reef at this point. This is about a 1 minute<br />
and 20 second clip that would work very well:<br />
youtube.com/watch?v=4HhyHswjlJ8.)<br />
P uppet #1: So when do we leave, Captain<br />
Shepherd?<br />
P uppet #2: Yes, when do we get to take our<br />
trip around the world?<br />
P ilot: Well, we can start as soon as the third<br />
Grand Prize winner arrives.<br />
P uppet #1: The third grand prize winner?<br />
P ilot: Yes. I am a bit surprised that she isn’t<br />
here yet. We are scheduled to take off soon. I<br />
wonder where she might be.<br />
P uppet #2: Too bad she missed the flight<br />
plan presentation. This trip is going to be so<br />
awesome!<br />
(Enter <strong>Puppet</strong> #3.)<br />
P uppet #3: Hello. I am here because I won a<br />
Grand Prize and they told me that I could<br />
take a trip all the way around the world.<br />
P ilot: Pleased to meet you. I am Captain<br />
Shepherd. I will be your pilot for the flight. I<br />
would like you to meet <strong>Puppet</strong> #1 and <strong>Puppet</strong><br />
#2. They will be your traveling companions.<br />
Now we need to be getting on board in the<br />
next few minutes.<br />
P uppet #3: Wait just a minute ... Captain<br />
Shepherd do you have a license to fly this<br />
plane?<br />
P ilot: Yes. I have a pilot’s license.<br />
P uppet #3: But, have you ever actually flown<br />
a plane before?<br />
P ilot: Yes. I have logged thousands of hours<br />
of flight time. I am a very experienced pilot.<br />
P uppet #3: Well, I don’t mean to question<br />
your skill but have you ever crashed a plane<br />
before?<br />
P ilot: No. My flight record is clear. Never had<br />
an accident in all my years of flying.<br />
P uppet #3: Could I see the plane? Is it safe?<br />
P ilot: The plane is right outside. (Show a picture<br />
of a small passenger propeller type plane<br />
that appears safe and sound.)<br />
P uppet #3: You know. I really, really want to<br />
visit all the places I read about in the travel<br />
brochure. I have always wanted to visit<br />
Mexico and the Grand Canyon. And I am<br />
sure that the Matterhorn is amazing. And<br />
Victoria Falls in Africa! How great would<br />
that be? The Northern Lights would be<br />
gorgeous. In would love to see them. And<br />
the Great Barrier Reef sounds wonderful.<br />
But, I don’t know about getting on board<br />
that plane.<br />
P ilot: Let me assure you that this plane is<br />
in excellent condition. It has been well<br />
maintained by some of the finest mechanics<br />
in the business.<br />
P uppet #3: Well, just how do I know that what<br />
you are telling me is true? How do I know<br />
that you really know how to fly that plane.<br />
P ilot: Miss, I guess you will just have to trust<br />
me. If you want to see all those places that<br />
you say you want to see, you will need to<br />
have a little faith and get on board. If you<br />
don’t get on board, you’ll never get to see the<br />
amazing places that God has created for you<br />
to see. The choice is yours.<br />
P uppet #2: I don’t know about you, miss, but<br />
I trust Captain Shepherd and his plane. I am<br />
getting on board right now. I wouldn’t miss<br />
this trip for anything!<br />
P uppet #1: You can count me in! We won this<br />
Grand Prize and somebody else has paid for<br />
everything! An all-expenses-paid trip to see<br />
and experience some of the most incredible<br />
sights in the whole world. I hope you decide<br />
not to forfeit this great prize! You will regret<br />
it for the rest of your life if you don’t get on<br />
that plane!<br />
P uppet #3: Well, maybe you’re right ... But<br />
I don’t think so! I would like to go to those<br />
places someday, but not today. That plane<br />
just doesn’t look very safe to me. And I’m<br />
just not so sure about Captain Shepherd’s<br />
credentials. How do I know if he is really a<br />
good pilot? What if he loses his way up in the<br />
clouds? What if he runs out of fuel? What if<br />
he flies into a flock of geese? What if I get<br />
airsick? What if you lose my luggage? No<br />
thanks! I’m not going to go. (Leaves)<br />
P uppet #1: Oh, man! How could she do that?<br />
She could have had an all-expenses-paid<br />
grand-prize trip to travel around the world<br />
and she said, “No!”<br />
P uppet #2: That is just crazy! Why would<br />
anyone forfeit such a wonderful opportunity<br />
to go on such a great trip? That is just crazy!<br />
P ilot: I think it very sad that she didn’t have<br />
enough faith to get on board to make the trip<br />
with us. Very sad indeed. You know boys,<br />
what she just did reminds me of a young man<br />
who came to Jesus about 2,000 years ago. He<br />
wanted to know how he could have eternal<br />
life and life forever in heaven. Jesus told him<br />
that he needed to follow Him, but the man<br />
went away because in order to follow Jesus he<br />
would have had to leave all his riches behind.<br />
And that young man missed out on going<br />
to heaven when he died. He missed out on<br />
heaven because he didn’t trust Jesus.<br />
P uppet #2: Just like that girl missed out this
great trip because she didn’t trust you or<br />
your plane?<br />
P ilot: That’s right. In the Bible, Jesus gives us<br />
a glimpse of a place called heaven. The Bible<br />
says that heaven is so amazing that “Eye has<br />
not seen and ear has not heard, neither have<br />
entered into the heart of man the things that<br />
God has prepared for those who love Him”<br />
(1 Corinthians 2:9). It is sad that <strong>Puppet</strong> 3<br />
will miss out on this trip because of her lack<br />
of faith, but it is more sad when people miss<br />
out on an all-expenses-paid trip to heaven<br />
because they lack faith in Jesus!<br />
P uppet #1: I sure hope that the boys and girls<br />
in Bible School this week have learned that<br />
they can trust Jesus.<br />
P ilot: So do I! When Jesus died on that cross<br />
on Mt. Calvary, He paid for our sins and<br />
offers us an all-expenses-paid trip to heaven<br />
if we turn from our sins and trust in Him.<br />
That is the grandest of grand prizes!<br />
P uppet #2: Before we get on board our plane,<br />
do you think we might ask the boys and girls<br />
if they would like to trust Jesus to forgive<br />
their sins and to give them the gift of a trip<br />
to Heaven some day?<br />
P ilot: Let’s ask the Pastor/VBS Director to<br />
ask the children if they would like to do that<br />
right now. I have a feeling that some of the<br />
boys and girls understand just how important<br />
it is to put their trust in Jesus and that<br />
they are ready to do that today.<br />
P astor/VBS Director: Boys and girls, when<br />
we visited Mexico this week, we saw how<br />
that volcano erupted. That reminded us that<br />
deep down inside each of us there is something<br />
the Bible calls sin. Sin is what makes<br />
us do bad and hurtful things. When we visited<br />
the Matterhorn, we learned about four<br />
men who died climbing the mountain. That<br />
was a great tragedy. But we also learned of<br />
a tragic day on another mountain called Mt<br />
Calvary. There Jesus, an innocent man, was<br />
nailed to a cross and He hung there for six<br />
long hours until He died. But we also learned<br />
that His death was the way that God chose<br />
to pay the price for our sins so one day, we<br />
could spend our lives in Heaven with Him!<br />
When we saw Victoria falls, we learned<br />
about a great missionary named Dr. David<br />
Livingstone. He made a decision to follow<br />
Jesus and become a Christian when he<br />
was a young man. He decided that everyone<br />
needed to hear about how Jesus died<br />
on the cross and rose again from the grave.<br />
We went over the ABC’s of Becoming<br />
a Christian and learned about what Dr.<br />
Livingstone told the people of Africa.<br />
Today, if you will ...<br />
“A” Admit you are a sinner; that you have<br />
done bad things in your life and are truly<br />
sorry for your sins.<br />
“B” Believe that Jesus is God’s Son and that<br />
He died on the cross to forgive your sins and<br />
rose again from the dead.<br />
“C” Confess your faith in Jesus as your<br />
Savior and Lord, then you can be saved and<br />
know that one day you will go to Heaven!<br />
Like <strong>Puppet</strong> #3 had the chance to take an<br />
all-expenses-paid trip around the world,<br />
God offers you an “all-expenses-paid” trip to<br />
Heaven. But each of us must decide to trust<br />
Jesus or not to trust Jesus.<br />
<strong>Puppet</strong> #3 chose not to get on board that<br />
plane and she missed out. Today, you can<br />
choose to get on board and follow Jesus so<br />
that one day, you will travel to the most awesome<br />
place in God’s entire universe! The<br />
place called Heaven where God Himself<br />
lives!<br />
___________________________________<br />
Invitation Suggestion:<br />
At this time, an invitation may be given. A<br />
good way to do this is to ask all the children<br />
to bow their heads and close their eyes and<br />
to raise their hands if they want to accept<br />
the invitation of Jesus to be forgiven and<br />
accept the all-expenses-paid trip to heaven<br />
that Jesus died on Mt. Calvary to purchase.<br />
Those who respond should be asked to<br />
move to a counseling area for further discussion.<br />
Provide a trained counselor for each<br />
child if possible. No more than two children<br />
per counselor is suggested. Each counselor<br />
should discern the level of understanding he<br />
thinks the child possesses and rate on the<br />
decision card from 1-10 (1 being little understanding<br />
and 10 being clear understanding).<br />
Each child should then be visited in the<br />
next week or two in the presence of parents.<br />
Then baptism and church involvement can<br />
be better addressed. Do all you can to help<br />
each child deepen his or her understanding<br />
of what it means to follow Jesus in the<br />
weeks that follow. Follow-up is crucial for<br />
each child.<br />
___________________________________<br />
RICK SHOEMAKER has been the senior pastor<br />
of the First Baptist Church of New Carlisle,<br />
Ohio, since 1979. He and his wife, Elizabeth,<br />
have been married since 1974 and have two<br />
daughters and three grandchildren.<br />
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®,<br />
copyright © 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used<br />
by permission.<br />
© Copyright 2012 <strong>LifeWay</strong> Christian Resources of the<br />
Southern Baptist Convention.