Newmachar Holiday Club
Photos  Day 3: “The Action Continues”

Reach for
the Stars!

   After singing, dancing and the daily memory verse, it was time for the day’s Team Challenge! But NO ONE could have known how much of a challenge it would be!

    The object was to bend over, without bending your knees, and pick up the box of cereal with your teeth.  Think it sounds easy?

   Round one completed successfully for all teams and it was time to lower the target. Between rounds the tops of the cereals boxes were cut down and the boxes became shorter and shorter....

   Round two was also successful for all teams, but it was obvious the taller teams were in for a real challenge on round three! Once more the cereal boxes were cut down...  It was then that it was announced that the leaders would be taking the challenge for round three....

    Astounding form from Kerry, ‘the Human Pretzel’, tallied victory for Team Megastars!

    The theme for the day was Daniel so the craft project was to make a lion mask!

    The lion masks were perfect for wearing during the day’s Bible Drama Theatre... “Daniel in the Lion’s Den.”

    King Darius ruled over Babylon. King Darius gave to Daniel a high place in honor and in power. Among all the rulers over the land, Daniel stood first, for the king saw that he was wise and able to rule. This made the other princes and rulers very jealous, and they tried to find something evil in Daniel, so that they could speak to the king against him.

    These men saw that three times every day Daniel went to his room and opened the window that was toward the city of Jerusalem, and made his prayer to God.

   These nobles thought that in Daniel's prayers they could find a chance to do him harm, and perhaps cause him to be put to death.  
 
   They came to King Darius, and said to him: "All the rulers have agreed together to have a law made that for thirty days no one shall ask anything of any god or of any man, except from you, O king; and that if any one

shall pray to any god, or shall ask anything from any man during the thirty days, except from you, O king, he shall be thrown into the den

where the lions are kept. Now, O king, make the law, and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed."

    The king was not a wise man; and being foolish and vain, he was pleased with this law which would set him even above the gods. So without asking Daniel's advice, he signed the writing; and the law was made, and the word was sent out through the kingdom, that for thirty days no one should pray to any god.
   Daniel knew that the law had been made, but every day he went to his room three times, and opened the window that looked toward Jerusalem, and offered his prayers to the Lord, just as he had prayed in other times. These rulers were watching near by, and they saw Daniel kneeling in prayer to God. Then they came to the king, and said:

"O King Darius, have you not made a law, that if any one in thirty days offers a prayer, he shall be thrown into the den of lions?”

   "It is true," said the king. "The law has been made, and it must stand."
   Then the king was very sorry for what he had done, for he loved Daniel, and knew that no one could take his place in the kingdom. All day, until the sun went down, he tried in vain to find some way to save Daniel's life; but when evening came, these men again

told him of the law that he had made, and said to him that it must be kept. Very unwillingly the king sent for Daniel, and gave an order that he should be thrown into the den of lions. He said to Daniel: "Perhaps your God, whom you serve so faithfully, will save you from the lions."

And out of the darkness in the den came the voice of Daniel, saying:

   "O king, may you live forever! My God has sent his angel and has shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because my God saw that I had done no wrong. And I have done no wrong toward you, O king!"

   Then the king was glad. He gave to his servants orders to take Daniel out of the den. Daniel was brought out safe and without harm, because he had trusted fully in the Lord God.