VOLUME 131, NUMBER 25 DISTRIBUTE JUNE 20, 2020

Kelli’s Choice

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Ending Soon

Help Nicodemus find his way through the maze to Jesus.

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Kelli’s Choice

Jane Landreth

M ia walked over to Kelli after church and asked, “Kelli, can you go on a picnic at the

park with us today?”Kelli shook her head. “I can’t today. I’m going

to visit Grandma Lillian.” Mia frowned. “You told me she isn’t even your

real grandma. You can visit her some other time. Come with us for a picnic at the park. We will have fun feeding the ducks.”

“Grandma Lillian is my friend,” Kelli said. “She will be looking for me today. I visit her the first Sabbath of every month. I don’t want to disappoint her. She does not have family close by, and she gets lonely. She says I am the only young friend who visits her. Why don’t you go with me?”

“Not today. Maybe some other time,” Mia said. “I want to go to the park with my parents.” Mia waved and hurried to catch up with her parents.

At the dinner table, Kelli thought of some-thing her Sabbath School class had talked about. “Mommy,” Kelli said, “today we talked about mak-ing good and bad choices. Mrs. Chaney said it was important that we make good choices.”

“Yes, the Bible tells us to make good choices,” Mommy said. “I heard you talking to Mia after church. I think you made a good choice today.”

“What good choice did you make?” Daddy asked Kelli.

“Mia asked me to go with her family on a picnic at the park this af-ternoon,” Kelli explained. “I really wanted to go, but I knew Grandma Lillian would be looking forward to my visit.”

“That is what made your choice so impor- tant,” Mommy said. “You thought of someone besides yourself. The choices you make every day are important.”

“Sometimes it is hard to make good choices,” Kelli said. “But I know that Jesus is pleased when I make good choices.”

Kelli looked at her mommy and daddy. She saw smiles on their faces. It made her feel good to know that her parents were proud of her. She knew Jesus was proud of her too.

Do and SayStudy these suggestions for something to do each day besides reading the lesson story. Select those that are appropriate for your child’s developmental stage, and repeat them often. The Baby Steps story complements the third suggestion.

• Review the memory verse. Sing the memory verse song if you can.

• Read the Bible story interactively with your child.• Read the Baby Steps story together, and then

build something with blocks. Take turns put-ting down blocks.

• Make a fish rubbing by cutting a fish shape out of a piece of paper. Place it under another piece of paper, and rub the top one with a crayon to see the outline appear. Give it to someone special.

• Sit on the floor, and roll a ball back and forth with your child. Talk about sharing.

• Visit a pet store or aquarium, and look at fish.

Big blocks, little blocks,In-between blocks,Blocks, blocks, and more

blocks,Lots to share with Daru.She likes blocks.She builds big block buildings.I build big block buildings too.Who is happy when you

share?

This Baby Steps story teaches your child to share with others.

Building Blocks

VOLUME 131, NUMBER 25 DISTRIBUTE JUNE 20, 2020

(ISSN 0030-6894)Managing Editor: Anita Seymour

Art Direction & Illustration: Kim Justinen, GoodSaltDesign & Layout: Fred WuerstlinCirculation: (800) 545-2449

Published weekly by Pacific Press® Publishing Association, a Seventh-day Adventist publisher, 1350 North Kings Road, Nampa, ID 83687-3193, USA. Single subscription rate in the United States and its possessions: $31.04 for one year. All other countries: $39.04. All prices at US exchange. Periodicals postage paid at Nampa, Idaho. For a change of address, please send both old and new addresses.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Our Little Friend ®, PO Box 5353, Nampa, ID 83653-5353.Bible credits: Scriptures credited to NIrV are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL READER’S VERSION®. Copyright © 1996, 1998 Biblica. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of Biblica. Scripture quotations marked ICB are from the International Children’s Bible ®, copyright © 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.Letters and author queries: anita.seymour@pacificpress.com or Our Little Friend ® Editor, PO Box 5353, Nampa, ID 83653-5353. Web pages: www .ourlittlefriend.com; www.adventistbookcenter.com. Credits: Baby Steps (p. 5) is written by Eric Stoffle. The Sabbath School lesson material, including art, on pages 4–6 (except for Baby Steps) is provided by the General Conference Sabbath School Department. Art credits: Pages 1, 2, 5, 7, 8 © Kim Justinen and Justinen Creative Group. Page 3 © Mary Bausman. Copyright © 2020 by Pacific Press® Publishing Association. Printed in the USA.

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Lesson 3 for June 2020Memory Verse: “Let us do good to all people” (Galatians 6:10, NIV).References: Matthew 14:13–21; John 6:1–13; The Desire of Ages, pp. 364–371.The Message: I will share with others.

Loaves and FishesJ esus is feeling tired. (Yawn and stretch.)

“No more stories for now,” Jesus says. (Help your child echo, “No more stories.”) Jesus needs a rest from telling stories. Jesus and His friends climb into a boat. (Go sit in a different chair.) Goodbye, Jesus. Take care! (Wave goodbye.)

Where is Jesus going? He is going to cross the lake.

See all the people. (Point to the peo-ple.) See all the boys and girls. (Point to the boys and girls.) They want to be with Jesus. They want to hear Jesus tell stories. Hurry, Little Child. Bring your lunch. What is in Little Child’s lunch basket? (Count the loaves and fish.) Come, Little Child. Let’s go find Jesus.

Run, Little Child! (Pick up your child or take his or her hand.) Run after the people. Bring your lunch. (Grab a lunch box or basket.) Let’s find Jesus. Run around the lake. (Jog

around a table.) Run to find Jesus!See Little Child. He sits and listens to

Jesus. Jesus tells a story. All day Jesus tells sto-ries. Little Child is hungry. (Rub your tummy each time you say “hungry.”) Jesus is hungry. Everyone is hungry.

Is that your lunch, Little Child? (Point to the lunch basket.)

The day is late. Everyone is hungry. (Rub your tummy.) “Send the people away,” Jesus’ friends say.

“No, the people are tired,” Jesus says. (Punctuate each word by pointing a finger.) “The people are hungry. You feed them.”

But Jesus’ friends have no food.“Here!” Little Child says. “Take my food to

Jesus.” (Have your child hold up the lunch bas-ket.) Very good, Little Child! (Hug your child.)

Parents: Ensure that this Bible story becomes part of your child’s spiritual heritage by reinforcing it at home all week. The Baby Steps story and the “Do and Say” activities will help you.

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Thank you for sharing your food.

Jesus is praying. (Fold your hands in prayer.) “Thank You, God, for this food. Thank You for Little

Child who has shared.”Do you share? Yes. (Nod vigorously.) You

are learning to share. See Jesus. Jesus breaks the bread. (Break

a piece of bread.) Jesus shares the bread. (Share the bread.) Everyone is sharing the bread.

Yum, yum, yum! (Pretend to eat.) This bread is fresh.

Yum, yum, yum! This is good food. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You for the

story and for the food. Thank you, Little Child. Thank you for

sharing your lunch.The Bible says, “Let us do good to all

people” (Galatians 6:10, NIV).

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Lesson 12 for June 20–26, 2020Memory Verse: “A friend loves at all times” (Proverbs 17:17, NIV).References: John 3:1–21; 7:45–53; 19:38–42; The Desire of Ages, pp. 167–177.The Message: Friends always care for each other.

Special FriendsDo you have a special friend? What do you do with your special friend? Did you know Jesus had special friends too?

N icodemus opened the door just a tiny little bit. The night was dark. There wasn’t

anybody on the street. He closed the door gen-tly and walked to the city gate.

While he walked, he thought about the new Teacher. He had listened to Him teach. Nicodemus had studied his Bible scrolls, and he was sure this new Teacher was someone sent by God. Nicodemus thought this new Teacher was the promised Savior, the Messiah they had been waiting for, but he wanted to be sure.

Nicodemus had important friends. And this new Teacher was not popular. Nicodemus’ friends didn’t like the new Teacher. So Nicodemus had decided, “I’m going to see Him at night!”

And that’s what he did. He walked in the darkness to see Jesus. “I know that You are a Teacher from God,” Nicodemus said to Jesus. “No one could do miracles like You do unless He came from God.”

Jesus spoke kindly to Nicodemus. “God loves everybody,” He told Nicodemus. “God loves people so much that He has sent someone very special, His own Son, to help people on this earth.”

Now Nicodemus was sure Jesus was very special. As he thought and thought and read his Bible scrolls, he was con-vinced that Jesus was the Messiah, the Savior, that God had promised to send.

However, Nicodemus had a problem. His friends didn’t like Jesus. They didn’t want Jesus to teach and heal people, so they tried to stop Him.

When Jesus died, Nicodemus was there to help. He didn’t care if other people saw him. Nicodemus had been a secret friend, but now everybody could see he was Jesus’ friend.

Nicodemus was rich. He spent his money helping other people know about Jesus. He wanted others to be Jesus’ special friends too. Would you like to be Jesus’ friend today, as Nicodemus was? Would you like to tell your friends about Jesus?

Good Friends ForeverRob Robinson

M irajah was enjoying her working-and- helping vacation at her auntie Gail’s house.

Even though there was lots of work to do to help clean up their house from the big flood, Mirajah still had time to play with her cousin Tanisha.

Sometimes the two girls would chase after fire-flies and try to catch them in a jar. One night they caught 12 fireflies! They loved to watch the fireflies light up and glow in the dark.

“I think they miss their families,” Tanisha said.“Me too,” Mirajah agreed. “I think we better let

them go.”Sometimes the two girls would see how high

they could swing on Tanisha’s swings.“I think we both swing the highest,” Mirajah

said.“Me too!” Tanisha agreed. “It’s a tie.”But one evening Mirajah couldn’t find her

cousin.“Have you seen Tanisha?” Mirajah asked her

mommy.“No, I haven’t,” Mommy replied. “I’ll help you

look for her.”“Have you seen Tanisha?” Mirajah asked

Auntie Gail and Uncle David.“We thought she was playing with you.

We’ll help you look for her.”Soon they were all looking for Tanisha.“Tanisha! Where are you?” Mirajah called.But Tanisha didn’t answer back.“Tanisha! Where are you?” Mirajah called again.But still Tanisha didn’t answer. But then

Mirajah heard something. It sounded like a little sniffle sniffle coming from the tent.

“Tanisha, are you hiding in the tent?” Mirajah called out.

“No, I’m not,” Tanisha answered.“Yes, you are,” Mirajah said as she climbed into

the tent. “I can hear you!”Mirajah found Tanisha lying on top of her

sleeping bag with her face buried in her pillow.“Come out and play with me,” Mirajah urged.“I don’t want to play,” Tanisha replied between

sniffles and sobs.“Why? What’s the matter?” Mirajah asked.Tanisha sat up on her sleeping bag. “I don’t

have any of my toys to play with anymore,” she explained. “The flood took some of them away and ruined lots and lots of my other ones. Now I don’t have any of my favorite toys to play with.” Tanisha cried and cried some more.

Mirajah went over and sat next to her cousin. She put her arm around her.

“It will be OK,” Mirajah said to encourage her cousin. “You will get new toys for presents. And I’m still here to play with you.”

“I know,” Tanisha said. “I’m glad I’ve got a good friend like you to play with.”

“Me too,” Mirajah agreed. “We’ll be good friends forever!”

And before too long, both girls were giggling as they chased after fireflies again!

Kindergarten Lesson Message: Friends always care for each other.

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Parents: Daily lesson activities can be found in the Kindergarten Bible Study Guide (quarterly). The page 7 story will help you help your child apply the lesson story to his or her life. 77

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“Mama says it may storm, and she wants me to come home with her,” she explained.

Rachel looked at the sky and said, “I did not see those big black clouds either. I hope you can come back and play tomorrow.”

“Me too, or maybe you can come to my house,” Emma agreed. “Bye.” She hurried to her mother. To-gether they walked down the road toward their own house.

The wind began to blow.“Let’s hurry, Mama. I do not want to be outside in

the storm,” Emma said.“We are not going to melt, even if it does rain,”

Mama said, laughing. “And we do need the rain. Ev-erything is so dry.”

“Rain will make the grass grow in the fields for our cows and their calves to eat,” Emma agreed. “But, Mama, the lightning scares me. And I don’t like it when there is thunder.”

“God made the lightning too,” Mama explained. “We do not need to fear the spring storms that come, but we do need to go inside.”

Emma smiled as they reached the back door

of their house. She looked up. The falling

raindrops were soft and wet on her face. “I don’t feel afraid now. I am glad that

God sends us rain when we need it.

Look, Mama.” She pointed to the small blue flowers in her mother’s gar-

den by the back door. “I think the

flowers are happy for the rain too.”

Not Afraid Now Sharon B. Miller

Emma brought her doll to Rachel’s house to play on the swing set in Rachel’s backyard. They put their

dolls in the baby swings and fastened the safety belts.“Are you ready?” Rachel asked.“Ready!” Emma declared as she pulled the swing

back and let it fly into the air. “This is so much fun!” she said happily.

The girls laughed as the swings flew back and forth.

“Do you think your little brothers have this much fun when they swing?” Emma asked.

“The twins do,” Rachel said. Suddenly, she stared at the road. “Emma, isn’t that your mother coming toward our house?”

Emma grabbed the swing to stop it. “It is,” she said. “Something must be wrong. Mama said I could play until lunchtime.”

Quickly, she grabbed her doll and ran across the backyard to meet her mother.

“Mama, are you coming for me?” she asked.

“I am. I need you to come home,” Mama said. She was smiling, but her voice sounded serious. “Look at the sky, Emma. See all the dark clouds over there? Did you notice that the sun is no longer shining? I believe it is going to rain.”

Emma shook her head. “Will it storm, Mama?” she wanted to know. She felt her stomach bunch up inside.

“Perhaps,” Mama said. “I do think it would be good for you to come home before it begins to rain.”

“OK,” Emma agreed hurriedly. She ran back to where Rachel was still pushing the baby doll in the swing.

*OLF200620*OLF200620

©2020Pacific Press® Publishing Association. Please contact your ABC for pricing in Canada. 2051151038

For eBooks, go to Adventist-eBooks.com!

This beautiful magazine will introduce your kids to Jesus with true stories featuring kids their age, Bible characters, animals, and more!

Ask your Sabbath School teacher for your Our Little Friend magazine.

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Ending Soon