Read All About It!

Have you taught your kids how to read a banana?

No?! You say you don't know how to read one yourself?

Well, pull up a blog and have a seat!

Here's another question: Have you ever longed for a practical way to instill a heart for missions in your kids (or yourself) and remember to pray for missionaries? You may be surprised to find that these two things go hand in hand, or should I say, banana in hand!

The next time you are at the grocery store, pick up some bananas. Look at the sticker that should be on at least one of the bananas in the bunch. You will notice that in addition to the brand name, such as Dole or Chiquita, it will also say what country the banana was imported from.

This banana is from Ecuador. Right there in the store you and/or your kids can say a silent prayer for that country and the missionaries serving there. You can encourage your children to pray for the kids in that country, that they would learn about Jesus.

Other fruits have stickers like this too - the produce department can become an international missions adventure!

My sister came up with this since so many bananas come from South American countries. We found bananas with stickers from the country where she serves and she uses them. She often uses audience participation - she asks for a 1st or 2nd grader who is anxious to show off their new reading skills to come up to the front to read something for her. They come up all excited and proud, and then she hands them a banana and asks them to read it and they look at her like she has lost her mind!

But when she did this at my church, moms told me weeks later that their kids wanted to read the bananas in the grocery store and pray for the kids in those countries!

And now you, too, are among the elite banana-reading public! Who knew blogs could be so informative!