Forgotten Voices International demonstrates the love of Jesus Christ by

equipping local churches in southern Africa to meet the physical and

spiritual needs of children orphaned by AIDS in their communities.

Kids Serving Kids of Forgotten Voices International is the outreach of the

organization that is committed to equipping parents, kids and families to

know, love, give and serve kids whose voices are forgotten throughout

their communities, southern Africa and the world. Kids Serving Kids

connects parents with resources, materials and opportunities to empower,

inspire and serve side-by-side with their kids to demonstrate the love of

Jesus Christ to children throughout the world.

This material contained in this booklet is one such resource. It is intended

to be a launching point for further discussion, creativity and spiritual

growth. We pray that it blesses and inspires you and your family. As you

use and build upon ideas contained in this resource, please contact us to

tell us about your experience. With your permission we will share your

story to inspire and encourage other children and their families.

Blessings,

Kathy Goss

Kids Serving Kids Coordinator

kgoss@forgottenvoices.org

www.forgottenvoices.org

“All the believers were together and had everything in common. ..Everyday they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.”

Acts 2:44 & 46

Family mealtime can be used for more than feeding our family’s

bodies; it can also be an opportunity to feed their minds and souls. It

is an ideal time for parents to connect and communicate with their

children by sharing food, stories, life lessons and faith. Jesus taught

many lessons to his disciples around the dinner table; the Last

Supper is one of the most well-known. Similarly, after Jesus

ascended into heaven, the early church continued the practice of

eating together.

By continuing to meet together, share meals together, and

worship together, the early believers developed a powerful bond

with one another and remained dedicated to the purposes God had

for them. Not only can food connect us to God and the people sitting

at our dinner table, but food can also connect us to people of other

cultures throughout the world. Mealtime can be used to involve the

entire family in learning about, experiencing and praying for people

in other cultures. The suggested activities below are designed to en

gage parents and children in learning first-hand about the lives of

the orphaned children and HIV/AIDS- ravaged families in Zimbabwe

and Zambia, to whom Forgotten Voices International ministers. Our

intention is that these activities will be used to facilitate conversa-

tions, promote spiritual development and foster hearts of service in

parents and their children.

So What Can You Do?

NEWSLETTER TITLE

Prepare a traditional Zimbabwean meal or dish to serve for dinner. Children can assist in making the meal. Use this as an opportunity for your family to experience African culture particularly through their taste buds! Try one of the menu items below. Click on each food idea to link to

the recipe online.

Prepare a

Zimbabwean or

Zambian Meal

Recipe Ideas:

Chicken Stew with Sadza (Corn Porridge) Dumplings

Sadza (Corn Porridge)

Pineapple Ham with Avocado

Zimbabwean Malva Pudding

Zimbabwean Sweet Potato Biscuits or

Cookies

For more ideas go to

www.africaguide.com/culture/recipes/

Chicken Stew with Sadza

Sweet Potato Biscuits Malva Pudding

Phone: 555-555-5555 Fax: 555-555-5555 E-mail: someone@example.com

The Bible provides us with many stories of Jesus dining with people in their

homes: Mary and Martha, Zacchaeus, a Pharisee leader, Peter’s mother-in-law, the

wedding feast at Cana, to name a few. Jesus used this time to get to get to know

people, to teach them, to correct them, to forgive them, and to show them the way

to God.

Tell your children that you are “transporting” them to a small hut in Zimbabwe to

eat a meal with children there. Explain that just as Jesus shared meals with people in

their homes in order to deepen his relationship with them, this meal will help them

learn more about the children in Zimbabwe Before eating, pray for the children,

families, pastors, churches and leaders in Zimbabwe. As you eat the traditional Zim-

babwean meal, discuss the differences between the food, culture, climate, and life-

style of your country than Zimbabwe’s. Then highlight some of the similarities all

people share: the same basic needs for food, water, clothing, shelter, love, rest, play,

protection; all are children of God; all are loved by Jesus. As your children deepen

their understanding of the daily conditions of children in Zimbabwe, remind them

to be thankful for the abundance in their own lives. Encourage your children to re-

flect on and to ask God how they can help children around the world, whether

through prayer, tithing, fasting, fundraising, or other opportunities.

Respectfulness

Compassion

Thankfulness

Tithing

Good manners

CHARACTER QUALITIES

Teachable Moment

Fast or serve a simpler meal of rice and beans and

donate the money you would have spent on dinner

to Forgotten Voices International or another

charity. Consider making a meal from a different

country once a month, several times a year, or

once a year, to learn about their culture and

praying for their people.

WAYS TO GO FURTHER

So What Can You Do?

NEWSLETTER TITLE

Read the Blog on the Forgotten Voices Web Site www.forgottenvoices.org/blog or subscribe to the Forgotten Voices Newsletter. Both chronicle stories by staff members, as they work with Forgotten Voices around southern Africa and the US. These resources contain the very latest status updates on projects, as well as updated prayer requests and praise reports.

READ THE BLOG AND

NEWSLETTER

Write a letter to a staff member in Africa or

America telling them that you have prayed for

them.

WAYS TO GO FURTHER

Reading these resources will help personalize the people of Southern Africa to you and your children. As a family, pray and commit to praying regularly for the Forgotten Voices prayer re-quests, staff members and people of Southern Africa.

PRAYER

COMPASSION

COMMITMENT

FAITHFULNESS

CHARACTER QUALITIES

Many of the books in the New Testament are letters. Throughout

the New Testament, the apostle Paul wrote letters to many different

churches to connect, uplift, correct, strengthen, and encourage them.

Since there were no phones, cell phones, computers, emails, text

messages, web sites, blogs, or even telegraphs, letters were the only

available means of communication across distances. Depending on the

distance, letters could take months to reach the recipient. We are

fortunate to live in an era of nearly instantaneous communications.

Share with your children that through its blog site and monthly

newsletter, Forgotten Voices International tries to connect with and

update its supporters in much the same way that Paul did with his

letters. As you read the updates from Forgotten Voices with your

children, pray for the identified needs and praise God for the triumphs.

Emphasize that this helps your family stay connected to the children,

pastors, churches and leaders of Forgotten Voices, sharing in their joys

and helping to bear their burdens.

Teachable Moment