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Kudyara Mbeu Yekubudirira - Chidzidzo #1

This week’s destination: INTRODUCTION TO ZAKALANDA (MORINGA)
Moringa known as the Zakalanda tree in Zimbabwe is know around the world as the 'Miracle Tree' whose leaves have the potential to save the lives of millions of people on our planet. This session begins the education of the children on Zakalanda, recognized as the ‘Miracle Tree’, ‘Mothers Friend” and “Mother’s Milk.”

• The Trinity
• The Zakalanda (Moringa) seed
• Sowing Seeds of Success .

1. GUESSING GAME: (10 minutes) Guess which hand I am holding the Zakalanda (Moringa) seed. Everyone that thinks it’s in my right hand stand on the right. Everyone that thinks it’s in my left hand stand on the left eliminating the children that made the incorrect choice repeat the game until there is a winner.

2. TEAM GAME: (Optional 10 minutes) Three in one challenge. (This game will work for English speaking chidlren only).

Each team has to come up with three possible meanings of a word. Bank=Place to store money, edge of a river, turning of a plane in the sky. Road/Rode/Rowed = Something to travel on, rode a horse, rowed a boat. Praise/Preys/Prays = Say something that is great. What a lion does. How to talk to God. Rains/Reins/Reigns = Water from the sky, straps on a horse’s bridle, what a king does.

TEAM GAME: (10 minutes) TO TEACH THE TRINITY

3. ACTIVE PRAISE CHORUS: (10 minutes)

Prayer: Dear Father, help us to remember that we are in this place to worship you and that true worship comes from the heart. Help us to quiet ourselves and truly worship you. Amen.

5. TEACHING:
a. “Back Track” Review
No review this is the first session of this series

b. Learn a Shona Bible Verse (5minutes)

(Provide tree branches to wave)

Sword Play Ready…Swords up… Genesi 2:9a … CHARGE! “9Jehova Mŋari akameresa pasi miti yose inofadza meso, neyakanaka kudya” (Genesi 2:9a) Download Shona Bible Verse Visual Aid

b. Learn an English Bible Verse (5minutes) “The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.” (Genesis 2:9a) Optional: Download English Bible Verse Visual Aids (Pass out pieces of fruit for the children to eat.)

c. Teach the Lesson

DOWNLOAD Lesson #1 Shona Visual Aids

Optional: DOWNLOAD Lesson #1 English Visual Aids

Introduction:
This week we are going to learn about a very special tree, we will teach you all about it and what it needs to grow.

ZAKALANDA (MORINGA): Zakalanda the Miracle Tree’s leaves have the potential to save the lives of millions of people on our planet. This session begins the education of the children on Zakalanda (Moringa), recognized as the ‘Miracle Tree’, ‘Mothers Friend” and “Mother’s Milk.”

Today we’re using this cup of flour and this cup of table salt and water to understand the Trinity.
(Hold up the cup of flour.) Let’s pretend this is God the Father. White is a symbol of purity, and we know that God is purest of the pure. (Turn the flour over into your bowl.)

(Hold up the half cup of salt) Let’s pretend this salt is Jesus. Jesus told us, “You are the salt of the earth” in Matthew 5:13, meaning we Christians “flavor” the earth by sharing God’s word. And Jesus would certainly know about that; he was the original salt. (Turn the salt over into your bowl.)

(Hold up your half cup of water.) Let’s pretend this is the Holy Spirit. Water is often associated with “spirit” in the Bible. In John 3:5, Jesus says “no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the spirit.” (Mix all ingredients with your hands)

We’re mixing all three ingredients together.

Is the salt still in here? (“Yes.”)

Is the flour still in here? (“Yes.”)

Is the water still in here? (“Yes.”)

All three are still here.( Stop mixing.) Yet now we have one substance. (Hold up some dough and squish it around in your hand.)

It’s one thing now—it’s dough. And yet, all three ingredients are still there. (Mould it into a cross.)

Discussion Questions:
1. Can you name the three persons of the Trinity? (Father, Son and Holy Spirit.)
2. Are there three Gods? (No, one God, three persons)

Moringa Teaching:

Zakalanda (Moringa) Teaching:

Zakalanda grows where over 5-35% of the population are malnourished.

Zakalanda has many uses. The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. Young-seeded fruit, flowers, roots and bark of the tree, are used as food.

The leaves are rich in minerals and vitamins. This is an ideal food in time of famine.

The leaves are used more than any other parts of the Zakalanda . It is advisable to pick the leaves when they are young. The leaves are removed from the stalks. The leaves can be steamed or cooked like spinach. Providing a leafy green protein source

Zakalanda can be fed to your animals, cattle, rabbits, sheep, pigs, goats and chickens consume the pods, leaves, branches and young plants as food.

Zakalanda has been used worldwide to treat a variety of diseases including Malaria.

Tests performed on Ewe Igbale proved that:

1. Children maintained or increased weight and improved health.
2. Pregnant women are healthier
3. They had babies with higher birth weights
4. Produce more breast milk
5. Children grew up stronger.

If you see a young tree wilting in high heat, you should give it some water.

Research has shown that young plants that are deprived of water in their early growth period become far more drought-tolerant when they become full-grown plants. If you overwater the leaves turn yellow. The main reason for the ZakalandaTree's hardiness is the fact that it has a tubular taproot. This is where it stores all it energy. If you feel at the base of the stem, just below the surface of the soil, you will feel a 'ball'. This 'ball' actually gets larger as the tree gets older.

6. APPLICATION / ENCOUNTERING GOD:
Let’s spend some time holding our Moringa seed feel each side of the seed and as you do pray to God the Father, thanking Him for loving us so much that He sent God the Son, Jesus. Pray and ask Jesus to forgive us any sins that might be blocking God the Holy Spirit from having full control over our lives.

CLOSING PRAYER:
Heavenly Father we pray 1 Corinthians 3:7 we understand that neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only you God make all things grow. Help us to grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us with the help of the Holy Spirit grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

NEXT WEEK:
Come back next week to learn about a farmer who went out to sow his seeds. Bring your empty water bottle with the top cut off and a few holes in the bottom we are going to sow your Moringa seed.

CLICK to view Session #2.

A DROP OF HOPE

GROW AND GO CURRICULUM

ENGLISH/SHONA

CHICHEWA

ENGLISH/NUER

ENGLISH/YORUBA

ENGLISH

ENGLISH/EFIK

SWAHILI

DUTCH

PORTUGUESE

FRENCH/LINGALA

FRENCH/HAITIAN

NEW LIFE CURRICULUM