Deuteronomy 29:5 Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandal has not worn out on your foot. 

The warm sand felt good between her toes. Climbing up steep dunes and down the other side was an adventure! Going up was a lot of work and Mary Rose needed a bit of help to keep up. Going down was not as hard and you could run, but you had to be careful that you didn’t tumble or you could end up with a mouthful of sand. Sitting to scoot down was a lot of fun and much more safe. It was almost like a sandy slide. She took her shoes off for they kept filling up with sand. The sand seemed to never end! As they walked the sun beat down on them. By now the sand was getting quite warm so Mary Rose put her shoes back on so her feet would be better protected. Places with shade were few and far between. Their hats helped to keep the sun off their faces. At the top of the dunes they saw water in the distance. Beautiful, cool, blue water. They even spotted two large islands. Mary Rose could hardly wait! Along the way they saw brightly colored wild flowers in the long grasses. In one dune valley they looked up and saw tall hills of sand all around them. “Wow!” Said Mary Rose, “How are we ever going to climb that one?” Again she was going to need some help. Finally the long walk was about complete. Up the last hill and a short distance more and it opened up to a lots and lots of water. The shoreline of Lake Michigan. The air coming off the water was nice and cool. Waves with white caps came rolling in. Mary Rose was anxious to get in. As she walked down to the water she noticed that there were many smooth, colorful rocks. Some were very thin. Others were almost round. The water had washed over them so much until they were very smooth. Mama found a Petoskey stone and Mary Rose had found one shaped like a heart! After they played and rested again, it was time to start the 1½ hour hike back. Mary Rose wished they could stay all day but her parents reminded her of the long walk ahead. After putting several souvenirs in Daddy’s back pack they started the walk back. Walk, walk, walk, and walk some more. With the shifting sand seemed it was one step forward and another one back. Everything looked different. The sun was not as hot for it had been covered by clouds that had rolled in. At the top of one of the dunes it was so foggy they couldn’t see very far at all. But that was Okay for Daddy was a good leader. Being in a cloud was a lot different than what Mary Rose had expected. It was actually a cool moist feeling on her skin. On they walked. Daddy’s back pack was quite full and became a little heavy. Mary Rose thought of all the souvenirs. One of them was a baggie packed full of sand. She was happy when Daddy said she could take it. She thought it would be perfect to remember the day her family went to the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. Stopping every now and then for a short rest and a drink was nice and much needed. During their rest Mary Rose wanted to see how heavy the back pack was. She put it on and discovered it was pretty heavy! She was glad she did not have to carry it. The day had become long and wearisome. Mary Rose was surprised how the activity of walking could make them so tired. Just as they were going down the last hill Mama’s sandal broke. Good thing they did not have much further to go. The next morning Mary Rose walked into Bible class with a bag that normally held just her Bible but today she also pulled out a plastic jar that contained the sand from the dune trip! The teacher remarked how nice and clean the sand was and Mary Rose told a little about their trip and how tired they got. The teacher asked if she could display it in their class room for that morning and Mary Rose was pleased for her to do so. They had been studying about the Israelites and their wilderness wanderings. Mary Rose and her parents only spent a day in the sandy “wilderness”. The Israelites had not only spent a day but 40 YEARS in the wilderness! “Can you imagine?” Said Mary Rose, “Living and camping in all that sand for 40 years?” Mary Rose thought back to the heavy back pack. The Israelites had a LOT more to carry while they traveled than just a heavy back pack. For one the tabernacle and all its many furnishings!

Exodus 25-40.

• Alter of burnt offering
• Bronze Laver for washing so the priests could be cleansed before entering the tabernacle
• Alter of incense. God had given them his own recipe for the incense. Exodus 30:34-38.
• Golden lampstand that gave light to the High Priest in the Holy of Holies,
• Table for showbread. 12 loaves of bread sat on top representing each tribe of the Israelites. The priests ate of this bread and it was replaced each Sabbath.
• Ark of the Covenant with the mercy seat. Inside the ark was a bowl of manna, stone tablets of the 10 commandments, and Aaron’s rod that budded.
• Rope, cloth, polls, etc.,

Such a lot to carry! The teacher had a nice display of large pictures of the furnishings of the tabernacle and also smaller medal furnishings set on the table for the students to touch and learn where they were inside and outside of the tabernacle. They all liked putting the lamb on the Alter, the water in the laver, the 12 loaves of bread on the table, and the different items in the Ark of the Covenant. As the tribes were in Moab (Deuteronomy 29) nearing the end of their journey; Moses was renewing the covenant of the Lord with them. (Saying it a second time.) He reminded them of how he had lead them through the wilderness. How God took care of them making sure they had food to eat and how their clothes and sandals NEVER wore out. Mary Rose thought of her mother’s shoe that broke just after one day! “How great if your favorite pair of shoes never wore out.” As the lesson went on, Mary Rose and her classmates all enjoyed the power point presentation on the new monitor for their visual aids! Instead of having paper pictures they were now large and up on a stand so everyone could easily see each visual aid used! They learned that God gave his people rules to live by and they would receive blessings if they obeyed and curses if they did not. Even though 3 tribes, (Gad, Rueben, and ½ the tribe of Manasseh) had settled on the Eest side of the Jordan River, there was still much land to be conquered together on the West side. Canaan Land awaited them! Mary Rose was very happy for all she had learned that morning.

The teacher gave her back her jar of sand and she was so glad that she never had to travel in the wilderness for 40 years even if her shoes would not have worn out.

Greetings!

To my Sister Bible class teachers,

Mary Rose had quite an adventure this month with the trip to the dunes and all. The teacher in the story used the sand as an impromptu visual aid and put it to good use before it became a distraction for Mary Rose and the others around her. She could have even used it as an aid during the lesson if she wanted to pass it around at the appropiate time.

How good it has been to be back in the classroom this quarter! I love my students and sometimes their comments make me laugh inside and other times are so meaningful and heartfelt. Just before the quarter began I had a surprise in our teachers meeting. The picture of the power point monitor is really something we have been blessed with for classroom use! It wasn’t too long ago that it was all just a dream. But I asked and voilà! Never be afraid of asking for aids that help and enhance your teaching! Power point has been a great experience so far! The students and I love it!.

The visual aid showcased this month is the set of Tabernacle furnishings and Tabernacle Kit! Purchased below:

Home – The Tabernacle Place (the-tabernacle-place.com)

Free Downloads here!

My prayers and encouragement go with you.

Serving in Christ,

Gwendolyn Schnell

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Gwen Schnell

Gwendolyn (Gwen) Schnell is a dedicated Christian wife, mom, Grandma, Nina, daughter, sister, and friend. She is known to many as “Miss Gwen”.
She enjoys opening the Word of God with various ages, but children are one of her all-time favorites. Gwen has had the pleasure of putting the Word into the hearts of children for over 40 years and loves it still! Gwen also loves to conduct personal home Bible studies.
Gwen has been married to her husband Dan for over 45 years. He has been the pulpit minister at the Owasso Church of Christ in Owasso Oklahoma for over 26 years. They both love working with this congregation. They are richly blessed with 3 grown children who along with their spouses love and serve in the Lord’s kingdom in various ways. Gwen and Dan are even further blessed to have Jonathan, Matthew, Micaiah, Lydia, and Esther Rose join the ranks making them Grandma/Nina and Opa!
Gwen enjoys lectureships, outdoors, good movies, reading, crafting/sewing, organizing, pizza, and a comfortable chair.

She is the author of the book, Mary Rose & Me Learn Bible Truths Together! Mary Rose will help you love God, others, and yourself! Check it out at the link below!
https://www.amazon.com/Keaac-Womens-Pieces-Crewneck-Sleeve/dp/1943245150#customerReviews

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