Elisha-The King Who Died Hungry

By Mary Vee
II Kings 6

From Elisha's Scrolls

Photo Courtesy

I sat in my house with the elders of the city. We discussed the Word of God and problems our city faced. 

Ben-Hadad, king of Aram took great joy in making life difficult for us here in Samaria. Not that long ago he sent the captain of his army, a man named Naaman, to be healed from leprosy. God chose to heal the man.

Despite this kindness given to the Arameans, Ben-Hadad gathered his army and circled the city. His goal was to starve us to death, break down the gates, and steal all that we had. Not the best way to say thank you for helping his captain.

They have been here for quite a while and our food is mostly gone. No one, not even the rich can afford to buy what little food is left in the city. Of course, no one can leave the city walls lest they be killed by Ben-Hadad's army.

God chose to let me know the Israelite king had felt overwhelmed and turned to rage. He sent a messenger to my house, he should arrive soon. The king is following close behind him. 

Once God finished letting me know, I leaped to my feet and shouted to the elders, "A murderer is sending someone to cut off my head. When the messenger arrives, shut the door and hold it shut against him because his master will be close behind."

While I was speaking, the messenger pounded on my door. The king did the same within a moment's time. The king shouted through the door, "This disaster is from the Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord to give an answer any longer? We are starving."

I said to him, "Hear the word of the Lord. About this time tomorrow, flour and barley will sell in the city streets as it once had."

I peeked through the window and saw the king leaning on an officer. He had little strength left due to his hunger. 

The officer who the king leaned on said, "Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, how could your words possibly come true?"

Yes. The doubt. When will these Israelites learn to believe the Word of the Lord and trust Him to take care of them?

I sighed. "You will see this all right. With you own eyes. But, you will not eat any of it."

The king's eyes squinted his continued unbelief. Foolish man. 

The king and his guards left my door, mumbling and complaining. Little did they realize God's answer to their problem was about to be shown to them.

**********************************
1. What did the Elders and Elisha talk about?
2. What did God tell Elisha would happen?
3. What had God done for Ben-Hadad's captain?
4. Did Ben-Hadad show his thanks?
5. What did Ben-Hadad do to the city of Samaria where the Israelite king and Elisha lived?
6. What happened to the people of Samaria?
7. When the king of Israel went to see Elisha, what did Elisha tell him?

Why Do We Tell Bible and Missionary Stories?

By Mary Vee

Happy New Year!!






We celebrate the start of a fifth year of this blog.

Sharing Bible stories on Wednesdays and Saturdays, 

Missionary stories on Mondays

These stories are told in the first person to help take you back in time to the event.

See the sites

Smell the scents

Taste the food

Touch the objects

Hear the sounds

The purpose of this blog is:

to help you experience these very real events 

to help you understand in maybe a small measure why God included this important event in His word.

to help you want to learn more and grow closer to God

For this reason you will not see advertisement on this page. 

This blog is all about God, His word, and how its importance in our lives.

In five years we have:

Walked from creation to Elisha's life events 
Walked with Gladys Aylward through her missionary journey in China
Walked a portion of J. Hudson Taylor's journey
Played Bible games (see tab at the top to find the games)
Discussed ways to keep safe (see tab at the top)



This year we will:

Continue Elisha's story
Continue and probably finish J. Hudson Taylor's journey.

May God bless you and your family in this new year. 

We look forward to your visits.

Celebrating! Three Years of Bible Stories

Celebrating Three Years 

of Bible/Missionary Stories

Stepping into the lives of those who lived long ago,

 yet have so much to share today.

Bible Stories Posted Wednesdays and Saturdays

What did Noah's sons pass the time while on the ark? Did they pull the tiger's tail, slide down bales of hay, or tickle the giraffe's throat? 
How did Abraham, an old man, rescue his nephew, Lot, from the five wicked kings? How did he gather an army so fast and win a battle two other kings lost? 
Did Jacob weep when he finally found Joseph not only alive but also a powerful man in Egypt? What was Jacob's side of the story? 
Why did Boaz redeem Ruth? She wasn't an Israelite. She came from Moab. Why did he let her gleam in his fields for free?

Come read their stories. 

Look at the labels in the right column to find a Bible story.

Is the Missionary life easy? 

No one believed Gladys Aylward could learn Chinese at age thirty. Why would a woman want to travel by herself across the land of Russia during a time of war? Who would take a hundred children over a mountain for a fifteen day journey to save their lives?  Read Gladys Aylward's exciting series.  Click on Gladys Aylward in the column to the right

Want to play a Bible Game?

Click on the Bible Games tab at the top. Games are sorted by type: mazes, word search, dot to dot, crossword puzzles, and etc. Have some fun.

Summertime or after school boredom hit?

Click on the tips and fun ideas tab. Here are some money saving ideas. How to go to summer camp at home. How to be a super hero. Making friends. Make your own vacation to a foreign country while in your pajamas, and many more.

What's next?

Every Wednesday and Saturday new Bible stories continue to be posted. Step into the days of David, Solomon, and a host of other people who tell their stories in the Old Testament.


Every Monday a new missionary story is posted. At this time, step into J. Hudson Taylor's journey to China.

Let others know you read these Bible stories by becoming a follower. 

Click "Join this Site" in the column to the right.


This site is perfect for families, homeschoolers, Christian Schools, Sunday Schools, individuals who want to read about the lives of real people recorded in God's Word, and many more.

Villagers Screamed: "Foreign Devils"

By Mary Vee

Glady's Thoughts

photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

If someone had asked me what a missionary did in a foreign country, I would have said, "Tell people about Jesus, help the community, and start a church."  Well, wouldn't you?

But that wasn't my assigned work in Yengcheng, China. I scraped dirt from mule's hoofs, fed and cleaned them, and the area where they stood. Who'd want to stand near me?  I really stank. 

I tried to finish the work while the muleteers ate then join the story time to learn Bible stories in their language.

When word spread to other muleteers that our inn offered stories each evening plus a clean place to sleep, and food all for the same price as other inns I didn't have to drag the first mule into our court anymore.

Jeannie Lawson and I worked hard in the mornings and evenings. In the afternoons, I studied Chinese with Yang, our cook. Sometimes I'd go for a walk or join Jeannie Lawson on her walk.  

Yangcheng was built on the tip of a mountain where a trail had been for muleteers. Every traveler had to go through one gate, pass through the town, then go out the other gate to complete their journey. Unless someone wanted to tumble down the mountain, they had to go through the city. 

On one walk, Jeannie stopped and sighed. "We need to tell more people about Jesus. This Sunday, we'll walk to a village and tell Bible stories."

"But won't they throw dirt at us?"

"I'm sure they will. They'll call us names and try to run us away. But we'll stand outside the village walls and tell Bible stories. You'll see. In time their curiosity will force them to listen."

The next Sunday we walked to the closest village. Chinese villagers ran out to us, scooped up mud or dirt and threw it at us, shouting "foreign devil, go away."

Jeannie marched forward to the village wall. I wished I could ignore the mean words like Jeannine. It broke my heart and reminded me of the times kids from school called me names.

Jeannie found an good place to stand outside the village wall. She chose the story of Jesus' birth.  Her words seeped into empty air. The people had stomped back inside their village.

Jeannie kept telling the story as though a crowd of people sat on the grass.  I looked around and saw no one there. After a moment a few villagers crept out of the village and sat close to the wall. As Jeannie kept talking, more villages joined them. They moved closer to us to hear better. 

My heart pounded with joy. Jeannie was right!  

I feel like a real missionary. Now, I don't mind cleaning mules or any other chore.

I'd like to tell you more. Come back next week.

Gladys  

Dear Reader,

I am grateful you have stopped by today. If you've enjoy these stories, would you show me by becoming a follower?  There is a button "follow me" on the right side to click. Thank you.  

Mary Vee

Summer Tip #3 -Mission Trip Part 2

By Mary Vee

What to say on your Make a Missions Trip

Last week we talked about ways you could set up a Missions trip near your home. Now that you've decided where to have your trip, and how you can help someone, what can you tell them about Jesus?

Here are two ideas for you:

1.  You could tell the person you are helping what Jesus has done for you.  Here are ten ideas to get you started:

 

**Tell them about a time Jesus took care of you and that is why you want to help take care of them.

**Tell them about a time Jesus caused you to smile, and that is why you want to help them smile.

**Tell them about a time Jesus comforted you when you were lonely and that is why you want to be their friend.

**Tell them about a time Jesus gave you food and something to drink and that is why you want to give them food and something to drink.

**Tell them about the special letter (the Bible) Jesus wrote to all of us and that is why you want to write them a special letter.

**Tell them how you know Jesus loves you, and that He loves them too.

**Tell them about a time God helped your family, (by not getting in an accident, sending someone to help with a flat tire, having enough money to buy things you need, not running out of gas before you arrived at the gas station, etc.) and that is why you want to help them.

**Tell them about a time God healed you from a cut or sickness and that is why you want to help them.

**Tell them how singing Jesus songs makes you happy and that is why you want to sing Jesus songs to them.

**Tell them about a time Jesus helped you (find something missing, do a project, remember something, etc) and that is why you want to help them.



Take your time.  The person will enjoy listening to you. Don't worry if you stumble.  The person won't mind, he or she wants to spend time with you.

2.  You could tell them a Bible story you know.  Here are ten suggestions:

     Creation

     Jesus birthday

     David and Goliath

     Daniel in the Lion's Den
     Gideon and his tiny army win the battle
     Joseph saves the world from starvation
     Elijah and the prophets of Baal
     Peter walking on water
     Paul and his shipwreck
     Jesus feeding the 5000

Or pick your own idea.  Tell the story that is easiest for you to remember.  The person will love to listen to you.  Don't worry if they ask questions you don't know.  Just say you don't know the answer then tell them something else about Jesus.  Maybe, just maybe, you'll be the first person they hear something about Jesus from. Maybe they will ask you to tell them more!  Maybe they won't--they might just think about your words and then ask someone else.  Either way...you've been a missionary. :)

Next week:  Using the wordless book as a tool.