This is a great family activity to help your children develop compassionate hearts and understand the needs facing impoverished children. It can also be used for a youth group or small group activity.
- Choose a country to be the theme of the cultural night.
- Prepare dinner using a recipe from that country.
- Together, locate that country on a map or globe and talk about the length of time it would take to travel there.
- Set up your chairs like an airplane and "fly" to your destination for the evening. As the flight attendant, teach your "passengers" about where they are going. You may even be able to find and watch a movie or informational video relating to the country and its culture.
- When you "land," have each person put on clothing from that country.
- Learn some common phrases, such as greetings and counting to 10.
- During dinner, listen to music from that culture and discuss the culture.
- Talk about the different religious practices common to that culture. Then spend some time praying for Christians living in that country.
- Discuss what a child's day looks like in that country. How is it different from a typical day here in the United States? Talk about issues such as school, work, housing, food and water, and church.
- Pray together about how you might continue to learn about other cultures and ask God to give you a compassionate and generous heart.
Following are some good Web sites for information about specific countries:
