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Page 4 • Faith Today
CHILDREN S STORY HOUR
Lost in a storm
By Janaan Manternach
NC News Service
“I’m lost!” Jim said to himself
with a shudder.
“The path must be over there,”
he thought. “The deer ran straight
from the path to here.”
He searched out what he
thought was the path he took
when he ran after the young deer.
He walked for five minutes. There
was no sight of the path. There
was no sound of his friends.
“I’ll go back to where I lost
sight of the deer,” he decided.
But he could not guess in which
direction that spot was. So he just
walked through the shadowy
woods hoping to find a way out.
The woods became darker and
darker. He began to hear sounds
he had never heard before. His
heart beat faster. Then the soft
patter of rain dampened the other
sounds, except for the distant
rumble of thunder.
“A storm is blowing up,” Jim
told himself. As the rain fell more
steadily, Jim found a small hollow
in a large rock formation. He
crouched down, safe from the
rain.
Just as he breathed a sigh of
relief, a tremendous thunderclap
made him jump. A lightning bolt
struck nearby, lighting up the
woods. Jim trembled in awe and
fear.
“God, be with me!” he prayed.
Jim felt God’s power close to him
as another lightning bolt crashed
into the forest.
Soon the storm passed. The
rains stopped. “I’ve got to find
my way back to the troop,” he
decided. So he began again to
pick his way through the
darkness. The leaves on the
ground were soft and wet.
The deep darkness of the woods
slowly seemed to brighten with
moments of moonlight. After
about half an hour Jim walked out
of the woods into a large clearing.
He looked up. The moon sailed
silently above a few remaining
clouds. The rest of the sky was
dotted with sparkling stars.
Jim stared in wonder. “I’ve
never seen anything so beautiful,”
he sighed. He could not take his
eyes off the black sky with its
thousands of diamond stars and
Word Game
Read this week’s children’s story.
Then work the puzzle based on the story. The clues
will help you fill in the blanks.
1. Jim was lost in the
2. When it began to rain,
Jim hid among some _
3. The sky was filled with
4. Jim’s uncle was named
5. The sailed overhead.
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HOW ABOUT YOU?
□ In our story, Jim wanted to pray but couldn’t think of words to
say. How do you think he could have prayed at that moment?
Children's Reading Corner
“Maroo of the Winter Caves” by Ann Turnbull tells of a family liv
ing at the end of the last Ice Age in Europe 25,000 years ago. Maroo
and her family are hunters who follow the reindeer on their long
seasonal migrations. The father dies and Maroo and her brother
undertake a courageous trek over the mountains in search of help.
It is an amazing story of how a family’s vision gives hope and mean
ing to their lives, enabling them to do what is necessary no matter
how fearful they are. (Ticknor and Fields, Houghton Mifflin Co., 52
Vanderbilt Ave., New York, N.Y., 1984. Hardback, $10.95)
the gliding silver moon.
He felt linked in a strange way
with each star, with the whole
world. “They are so far away but
feel so close,” he thought. Jim
stood there for a long time. God
felt very close to him. He felt like
praying but couldn’t think of
what to say.
He tried to count the stars but
there were far too many. “I
wonder if God knows how many
there are,” he thought.
Suddenly a familiar voice broke
his contemplation. “Jim, thank
God we’ve found you!”
It was his Uncle Marvin, the
scoutmaster. A forest ranger was
with him. They had strong
flashlights.
Jim ran to his uncle. They held
each other for a few moments.
Jim began to tremble with relief
and joy. “I was scared,” Jim ad
mitted. “But God seemed closer
than ever.”
(Ms. Manternach is the author
of catechetical works, scripture
stories and original stories for
children.)
Healing
Bringing Holy Communion to an
85-year-old shut-in in the poverty-
ridden backwoods of southern Mis
souri is one way Sister Mary Claudia
Wissman, D.C., serves God.
Because she is a registered nurse,
Sister Mary brings medical assistance
to a deprived people who rarely see
either a doctor or a hospital. She
serves with two other sisters who are
religious education and social services
experts.
Supported by a grant from the
Catholic Church Extension Society,
they work as a team to heal the spirit
and bodies of people who will never
realize the American dream. Their
work is demanding, frustrating, re
warding—and vital. But their team is
too small to succeed alone. It needs
you.
Join us and become a member of the
Extension Society team. Although you
won't be present personally in the
home missions, your impact will be felt
in this holy effort. Together we can
bring the word of Christ to those who
might never hear it.
Write for a free subscription to
Extension magazine today and discov
er the difference you can make.
Together we can achieve God’s goal
here in our own beloved country.
The Catholic Church
Society
35 East Wacken Drive, Room 400 F ■ Chicago, Illinois 60601
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