Monkey in the House

To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, July 13.

By Andrew McChesney

L

ittle Karyeri loved her great-grandmother very much. Great-Grandmother loved Karyeri very much.

When Great-Grandmother fell ill, they spent hours together in the bedroom where Great-Grandmother stayed in the family house in Costa Rica.

Then Great-Grandmother got very, very sick, and she died.

Karyeri was very sad.

Father and Mother saw Karyeri’s downcast face and bought her a little Schnauzer puppy. They hoped that little Tinky would make their daughter smile.

But the puppy died.

Now Karyeri was very, very sad.

“Mommy, everything that I love is gone,” she said.

Mother held the little girl in her arms. They cried together.

A few days later, something scary happened. Evil entered the house.

Karyeri first saw the brown monkey wearing a red-and-white shirt in the living room. She was scared, and she ran to the kitchen. But the monkey was in the kitchen. Then Karyeri fled to her bedroom, but the monkey was there, too.

Now Karyeri was very scared, and she told Father and Mother.

But her parents could not see the monkey. They didn’t understand what was happening. They asked a Seventh-day Adventist pastor for help.

The pastor spoke with the little girl. She told him about her deep sadness over losing her great-grandmother and the puppy. She described how the monkey was appearing in the different rooms of the house.

The pastor had never heard such a story before. He prayed. He wondered if the monkey might be connected to Karyeri’s deep sadness.

He told Father and Mother that their only hope was in God.

“Spend time with God, pray and read the Bible, and He will help,” he said.

Father and Mother decided to make more time for God. The family had morning worship, but not every day. Sometimes Father and Mother were so busy that they forgot to call Karyeri to the living room to read the Bible and pray for morning worship.

Something had to change. Father and Mother decided to have family worship, not only every morning but also every evening. So, before Karyeri played with her toys or ate breakfast in the morning, she went to the living room for worship. Before going to bed at night, she joined her parents for worship again.

Karyeri loved hearing stories from the Bible. As she listened, her sadness disappeared. As she listened, she smiled. When she learned that Jesus will return to the earth and raise the dead back to life, her face beamed with joy!

“Mommy, I want Jesus to come quickly,” she said.

“Why’s that?” Mother asked.

“Because I want to see my great-grandmother,” she said. “I know Jesus will raise her back to life.”

At every morning and evening worship, Karyeri prayed for the scary monkey to go away. Father also prayed, and Mother prayed.

As they prayed, the monkey grew smaller and smaller.

Then the day came that the monkey was no more. Karyeri stopped seeing it in the house.

Today, Karyeri is 10 years old, and she reads the Bible by herself for her personal morning devotions. Then she goes to the living room to have worship with the rest of the family. She loves to read about the Jesus who loves her and protects her from all scary things.

“Every morning, I have my own worship before I do anything else,” she said. ⎭

Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help open a center of influence that will teach at-risk children about the Jesus who loves and protects them in Costa Rica. Thank you for planning a generous offering on September 28.