The Big Move

To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, August 6.

By Andrew McChesney

S

ayén and Natán are sister and brother, and they were born in Santiago, the capital of the country of Chile in South America.

Sayén and Natán lived in a tall, tall building. From the windows, they could see the great snow-capped mountains of the Andes that surround the city.

The city is big, and there are many streets filled with many tall and short buildings.

There also is a lot of noise in the city. On the streets are many, many honking cars.

The children’s father is an Adventist pastor. Almost every Sabbath, he preached a sermon. Sometimes he preached at big Pathfinder campouts.

One day, Father received a very important telephone call. He was invited to go to another country to serve as a missionary. Of course, he wouldn’t leave Mother behind. Of course, he and Mother wouldn’t leave Sayén and Natán behind. The whole family was invited to move to the country of Uruguay to serve as missionaries.

Everyone was very happy when they heard the news.

“What would it be like to live in a different city?” Natán wondered.

“What would it be like to live in a different country?” Sayén wondered.

Soon the children had to sell and get rid of all their things, even a lot of their clothes, books, and toys.

“We don’t have room to take everything with us,” Father said.

“Let’s take only what we really, really need,” Mother said.

It was not easy, but Father, Mother, Sayén, and Natán could only take one suitcase each, and they could only take what they could fit into their suitcases.

Sayén and Natán had to leave more than their clothes, books, and toys. They also had to leave their grandparents. They couldn’t pack Grandmother or Grandfather in a suitcase. It would be a long time before they would see them again, Father said.

Sayén and Natán flew on an airplane to their new home in Uruguay.

“What will it be like to live in a different city?” Natán wondered.

“What will it be like to live in a different country?” Sayén wondered.

They soon found out. Unlike Chile, with its snowy mountains, everything in Uruguay was green. The family moved into a house near a large river.

Nowadays, while Father is working, Sayén and Natán go out with Mother to explore the river and the green parks near the river. Mother likes to draw pictures of nature, and Sayén and Natán are her best helpers.

“Here, it’s different from Chile,” says Sayén.

“It is very hot, and it rains very hard,” says Natán.

The children have learned to be brave and not to be afraid when a storm starts and the lightning flashes and the thunder roars. They know that God and His angels are taking care of them. In their new town there is an Adventist school: a small, blue school. Sayén and Natán really enjoy going to school. They have made new friends at school, and they play and learn with them. Being a missionary is a fun adventure!

Thank you for your Sabbath School mission offering that helps mission schools like Sayén and Natán’s teach many children about Jesus.