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		Program Theme Age Divisions The children in the program are divided into four age groups: the Hikers (3 – 5 Years Old including Kindergarten), the Trackers (1st – 2nd Grade), the Pathfinders (3rd – 4th Grade), and the Trailblazers (5th - 6th Grade).   Moving through the Books           All children begin the year by going through the Training Camp Booklet. This short paper back book takes the children along many of the verses of the Romans Road. This book serves a couple of purposes. It serves as an introductory book that allows the gospel to be presented to every child at the start of the program each year. The Training Camp booklet introduces the children to some of the things a missionary would come across in being a missionary. All children begin each year with a training camp booklet. These booklets are different each year to avoid monotony. This is the booklet that is also given to any new visitor that starts the program throughout the year.                     After completing the Training Camp booklet, the child will move on to their expedition book for the year. These books all cover the life of the same missionary, but have different age appropriate memory verses and materials.                      After completing the Expedition, the child would then move into the review contained in the back of their expedition book They will review scripture verses, facts about the missionary and the fruit of the spirit that they learned about.  If the child is able to complete the entire Training Camp booklet, The Expedition, and the review, they can move on to an advanced book called the Beyond Book. Vital Elements in the Books             1. Missionary Element. A strong emphasis has been placed in each one of the books on missions. Each book follows a different missionary through the country that they ministered in. Throughout the book, the missionary writes letters to the children updating them on what has been accomplished in the country during his or her ministry there. The children learn not only about their particular missionary, but also about mission work in general.A number of exciting events and wonderful things that Lord did in the missionaries’ life are recorded for the children to read. Each letter also has some questions about the events described in the letter for the children to answer.             2. Fruit of the Spirit Element. Each booklet also emphasizes a specific Fruit of the Spirit or character trait of the believer. All of the memory verses that the child learns within the book will be about this fruit or character trait. Some application is also made into how the missionary displayed this fruit in their life.             3. Exploring Element. We stop and set up camp in the books just like you would on a real adventure. There are 10 camp sites in each book. The children must complete all of them in order to finish the book. These pages inform the child of their current position in the Expedition. As they complete each camp site, they receive a sticker on the back cover of their book to mark their progress. These camp sites are also used to give the children a little more information about the country that they are exploring. Not only will they learn scripture and missions in the book, but just like a missionary they get to learn abut other places and cultures as well.             4. The Devotional Element. The Bible is very descriptive about how Christians out to meditate on the scripture. In Expeditions we have been careful to place a very high emphasis on the understanding of what the verse teaches rather than just how many verses one can memorize. The verse is explained by Murph and then the children are given questions to answer from the devotional and verse which encourages them to read and truly understand and apply the content of the verse. We want to make sure that the children not only know God’s Word, but that they also know how it applies to their lives.             5. Review Element. Back tracks are used in the books as a built-in-review to ensure that children remember the verses that they are learning. Many children are guilty of the stuff and flush mentality. They stuff the verses in and then flush them out of their mind once they have said them to the leader. These pages occur right before each camp site in the book. They allow the leader to choose one of the verses since the last camp site and the child has to be ready to say it. The more times a child says a verse, the better chance it will stay with them.             6. Outreach Element. Missionaries bring others to Christ. Each book contains an outreach page to encourage the children to invite their friends to Expeditions. It focuses on the fact that they too can be a missionary to their community.             7. Scripture Search Element. God’s Word is the map for the Christian. Though the children are learning much of God’s Word, it is equally important that they know how to read the map. The scripture searches encourage the children to learn to navigate their way through various books of the Bible. It is the first step in training them to find the answers to what they are facing in life in God’s Word.             8. Prayer Element. These pages are designed to get children involved in praying for missionaries and others around them. It is vital that children learn to pray. Prayer is a key element that is found in every missionary’s life in the Expeditions program. No child is too young to learn to pray. This section offers the leader or parent an opportunity to help a child learn to pray.             9. Fun Element. Children like to have fun and play games. These pages are in the books simply to add a fun side to the books. In most instances, these games also reinforce something about the fruit of the Spirit, the country, or the missionary of the book.             Overall the books are designed so that the children would grow in their knowledge of scripture and see what the Lord can do in the life of a person who is willing to serve Him.