Scary First Day

To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, May 17.

By Andrew McChesney

D

o you remember your first day of school? Was it scary? Were you nervous? What can you do when you are scared or nervous?

Shim-Shim was a missionary kid who was scared and nervous on her first day of school in Korat, Thailand. She had been homeschooled for first grade. But now Mom said she was a grown-up girl and should study with the other girls and boys at the Seventh-day Adventist mission school. Mom was a missionary who taught fifth grade at the school, so she wouldn’t be too far away if Shim-Shim needed help.

Mom saw that Shim-Shim was anxious, and she reminded her that God was always nearby if she needed help. “God will always be your friend,” Mom said. “He will always be there for you when you need Him.”

Shim-Shim was glad for the reminder. But she still felt scared and nervous. She felt wiggly all over as she put on her school uniform for the first time. She liked the white-and-blue uniform. She felt shy, and she was glad that all the children at the mission school wore the same white-and-blue uniform. That way, she wouldn’t stick out.

After breakfast, Shim-Shim went to school.

The first thing that she learned was that no one wears shoes into the school building. Shoes carry dirt, and the new school building, which was built with the help of a Thirteenth Sabbath Offering, was very clean. So, all the kids took off their shoes and put them into a cupboard. At recess time, the children put their shoes back on to play on the playground. Then, when recess ended, they clapped their shoes together to get rid of the dust and put them back into the cupboard until school was over.

Shim-Shim slipped off her shoes and put them into the cupboard. Then she joined other children walking to their classrooms. She walked very slowly toward the second-grade classroom. She felt so scared and nervous as she neared the door. Before opening it, she stopped and prayed.

“Dear God,” she said. “Please help me to be kind so I can be a nice girl in class. Amen.”

Inside the classroom, the teacher called Shim-Shim to the front. Shim-Shim was a new student, and she needed to meet her classmates. Even though Shim-Shim knew God had heard her prayer, she felt nervous as she went up front. Her fingers trembled.

“What’s your name?” the teacher said.

“My name is Shim-Shim,” Shim-Shim said.

She smiled and waved to the other children.

“Class, this is Shim-Shim,” the teacher said.

“Hello!” all the children exclaimed together.

Shim-Shim liked the greeting, but she still felt a little scared and a little nervous. What would happen next?

The morning hours passed quickly as Shim-Shim studied grammar, English, and geography. She liked playing outside for PE.

By lunchtime, Shim-Shim felt like she had been studying at the school for a whole year. She was no longer scared. She no longer felt nervous. The other children were nice, and she had made many new friends. God had answered her prayer, and Shim-Shim was super-super happy!

Even missionary kids get scared and nervous at times. While Shim-Shim’s parents are Seventh-day Adventist, many children at Korat Adventist International School in Thailand come from families who haven’t heard about God. When they get scared and nervous, they don’t know that they can pray to Him. Part of a previous Thirteenth Sabbath Offering went to this school to help more kids learn about God. Your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering this quarter also will help children learn about God.