Grace Bible Day Camp Junior 2019 is a wrap! All of our incredible racers finished their course with lots of smiles and laughter.

Our memory verse today was 1 John 4:11: "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

In our Bible lesson, we learned about the story of the Good Samaritan from Luke 10. In this story, a man was robbed, beaten, and left to die on the road. Two religious leaders saw the man and passed him. The third man, a Samaritan, stopped to help and saved his life. The religious men knew they should show love but didn’t want to become unclean by helping the beaten man. The Samaritan may not have known God’s laws like religious men did, so he would have been the least likely to realize he should show love—but he’s the one who did! He saw somebody who needed help, and he did the right thing.

God loves us and wants us to love others, not just in words, but in actions. If we see somebody needing help, we’re supposed to help them, no matter what they look like, where they live, what religion they follow, what shade of skin they have, how rich or poor they are, how young or old they are, what language they speak, or if they have a disability. The religious men looked down on Samaritans because they looked and acted different. They were prejudiced (thought they were better), and that is sin. God is kind and loving and wants us to be kind and loving, not prejudiced. Each person is made in the image of God, and when we say something against someone else, it’s as if we’re saying it against their Creator God.

When we are part of God’s family, He helps us to grow in love and kindness. We must always look to God’s Word to know right and wrong, and at the same time, treat others with respect and kindness even when we disagree with them. None of us can perfectly keep all of God’s commands, even though we may try. We need Jesus to save us, to forgive us when we fail, and to help us live with love and kindness toward others.

We practiced showing kindness to each other all day -- at snack time, crafts, and especially in games! Outside was a little wet from rain this morning, so we played inside today. But that didn't mean we had any less fun!

Our parents came at the end of the morning so we could show them everything we learned this week. We said our verses and sang songs. Then everyone went outside for a yummy picnic! Eventually we had to say a sad goodbye to our fellow racers, counselors, and everyone who helped make GBDC Junior a great week! The good news is, we can see each other again next year!