May Mentor Monthly
May Focus: Coronavirus Quarantine Survival
“The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:5-7: (ESV)
Week 1
1 Peter 5:7: “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” (NIV)
This week, do a virtual craft with your mentee using FaceTime, Zoom, or another way to video chat.
Supplies:
- Paper: notebook, construction, or computer paper
- Writing utensil: Washable markers, crayons, pencils, colored pencils, etc.
Have your mentee or their legal guardian trace their hands on a sheet of paper. In each of the fingers of one of the hands they traced, have them write things that they are anxious about or things that are causing them to worry.
Share with them this month’s theme verse: “The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (ESV)
Remind your mentee that they can always share their fears and worries with God, because He cares for them. Explain to your mentee that God is at hand and working, and He can be trusted to take care of them.
After sharing these truths with your mentee, have them write characteristics of God in the fingers of the other hand they drew. Encourage them to think of traits of God they can remind themselves of when they are afraid. Help your mentee to think about the characteristics of God that might comfort the specific fears they wrote down. For example, if your mentee feels anxious about getting sick, remind them that God is our protector and healer. Discuss with your mentee how God is always listening to their prayers and they can talk to Him any time they feel afraid. Then, have them use the hand with the traits of God to cover the hand with their worries and share with your mentee that when they pray to Him, Philippians 4: 6-7 says God’s peace will cover them.
Week 2
2 Timothy 1:7: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (ESV)
This week, share with your mentee that God has not given them a spirit of fear, but instead He has given them a spirit of power and of love (2 Timothy 1:7). Remind them of this month’s theme verse – Philippians 4:5-7 – and share that they do not need to feel afraid or anxious because of God’s power and His love for us.
Do something this week to show your mentee that you love them and that you do not have a spirit of fear in this season because of your trust in the Lord. In this way, you are leading them by example and demonstrating this verse to them. You could plan to do a fun activity with your mentee electronically, or do something else just to let them know you are thinking of them.
Some ideas you might try are:
- Use video chat to play a game together, like Battleship, Charades, Pictionary, Hedbanz, or Bingo.
- Send them a card in the mail with an encouraging note.
- If you typically take your mentee to church with you, share the link to your church’s service with your mentee and talk about it together afterwards.
- Set up a time to explore something new with your mentee, from your own homes. Many organizations – like zoos, aquariums, and museums – are giving people virtual tours and video access to their facilities. Libraries are offering virtual story times read by famous celebrities, and there are many free online concerts for kids. This link has many options for virtual events and activities to do with your mentee.
Check out this link for more ideas on ways to connect electronically while being healthy at home.
https://mommypoppins.com/boredom-busters/fun-games-kids-play-with-friends-virtually
Week 3
Mark 12:30-31: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (NIV)
John 13:34: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (NIV)
Review with your mentee what you discussed last week about how God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of love. Share with your mentee that when we know God’s great love for us, we desire to love God too and share His love with others. Discuss Mark 12:30-31 and John 13:34, explaining that our neighbor can be anyone – our next-door neighbors, but also our family and friends. Discuss some ways to love your neighbors with your mentee and encourage them to pick someone out to do something special for this week:
- Make a card for an elderly neighbor and put it in their mailbox.
- Do a chore for your legal guardian without being asked.
- Go out of your way to be nice to your sibling(s).
- Write a kind note to a friend or your teacher and mail it to them.
- Pray for medical professionals and those who are sick.
The possibilities are endless! We can’t wait to hear what you and your mentee come up with.
Week 4
Philippians 4:8-9 “…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (NIV)
Your mentee is probably missing their friends, teachers, and school, as well as after school activities, church, meeting with you in-person weekly, and other things they enjoy. They may be irritated or frustrated with their siblings or legal guardians because they are ready to return to their normal routine. It can be easy to focus on the things around us that we don’t like and can’t control, which can give us a bad attitude and an ungrateful heart. While it is important not to make light of the many things that people are experiencing right now that are very hard, it is also important to remember that God is still good and He is worthy of praise in the middle of every situation. Share this truth with your mentee and encourage them to strive to live out Philippians 4:8-9 this week.
Challenge your mentee to make a list of things that are “excellent and worthy of praise”. Make a list yourself and take the opportunity to share with them the things you have to be grateful for. If you and your mentee make a list, please share a picture of it with MentorKids on the MKK Mentors Facebook Page!