Mustard Seed Actions “The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. Though it is the smallest of seeds, yet it becomes a tree that shelters many.” (Matthew 13:31-32)

Andrew & Grace in Malawi This is Andrew and his wife Grace, they are farmers in rural Malawi in Africa. Their village has been affected by climate change. It was flooded when the nearby river burst its banks, covering their land in tonnes of sand. Andrew & Grace in Malawi

Andrew’s land covered in sand. After the floods subsided, their field was covered in over a metre of sand (get someone to stand up and show how the sand would have come to their head or over their head depending on height), and, despite strenuous efforts and lots of digging, they were unable to reach enough of the soil beneath to plant the next year's maize crop. This resulted in Andrew having to leave to work in the city to support his family that year. Do any of your parents have to go away to work? Do they go away for months at a time? Is that hard for the family? (If you have forces children in your group you may need to be sensitive about this question, but you could ask how hard that is etc.) We believe that the church is God’s plan to bring hope to the world, and that God’s kingdom makes a very positive difference to people’s lives.

The church and community helped clear the land so Andrew and Grace could grow their food again. In Malawi, Tearfund’s partner Eagles Relief and Development, works in Fombe, Andrew and Grace’s village. They were able to help the community to clear the land covered by sand, and now it is fertile again and Andrew and Grace are able to stay in their village with their field producing a good crop which can support them. They also planted trees to help protect the village from flooding.

Tearfund was also able to get some DFID (British Government) funding which Eagles used to build a stone dyke (a strong wall) to protect the village from future floods. Now they can farm without having to worry about the river flooding their land. Jesus shared a story about what the kingdom of God is like. By kingdom he meant places where the world is how God would like it to be, where his ways are ruling. (If the children are old enough you could ask them to shout out adjectives that would describe a world where God’s rule was evident, maybe give them some examples to get them started). If the world was exactly as God would like it to be, it would be fair and just, people would have enough and would share with each other, the earth would be cared for, there would not be any wars or violence etc. This is the dyke built by Tearfund partner, Eagles, which now protects the village from floods.

Jesus said “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” Matthew 13:31-32 Jesus said: ’The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.’ Matthew 13:31-32 Pass around mustard seeds so that everyone can have one in their hands. Remember that mustard taste at the beginning and the strong reaction to it... if possible remind the children how the people tasting the mustard described it. Mustard comes from these seeds, ground up, with some sugar and salt added, it’s a very strong taste for something so small. Seeds also grow into plants. Have any of you ever planted any seeds? What have you grown? What do think this little mustard seed will grow into?

A very small seed can grow into a tree that shelters many birds A very small seed can grow into a tree that shelters many birds. Jesus likened this seed to his kingdom. His kingdom can start with something very small and grow into something beautiful and large, a place that can shelter many. The church and Tearfund partner in Malawi started with just small actions, coming together to dig away some sand from Andrew and Grace’s land, which helped that family immensely. Then they were able to build the dyke, this action has now helped protect the whole village, to make it a safer place. Mustard tree

This is the Strickett family This is the Strickett family. They are a normal family who decided that they wanted to make a difference by planting small seeds of everyday actions. They started by eating less meat, and this is a photo of them having one of their regular veggie dinners. They’ve added to that by turning their heating down a bit and putting on jumpers, walking more rather than driving and they’ve written to their MP... if all around the UK Christians plant small everyday action seeds like this it will make a difference around the world to those affected by climate change. The Strickett Family