Opening Prayer

         First: please take a colourful Bristol-board with the word MISSION written on capital letters; or write this word on the board. You could also draw seven strokes on the board and ask the children to guess which word that is. Please note we should avoid playing the gibbets game, since should not even joke about hanging someone. We suggest you play this game with the children as if you were “cultivating a flower”; that is, draw the stages of the development of a flower with the letters that are not part of the word MISSION.

         Please ask the children the meaning of the word MISSION. Write all the answers which are in accordance with the topic discussed. In order to facilitate this process, please take some dictionaries so the children can search for the meaning of this word.

          * MISSION means obligation, commitment, duty to fulfil our function, role, task, occupation for goodness.

         Second - please establish a dialog with the children:

          What is each one’s mission? Our mission is to develop spiritually, morally and intellectually; plus it is to make the world a better place. Missions are more or less universal and important. The one who cultivates the soil performs a mission which is just as important as the one who commands or teaches another fellow creature. Therefore, our mission will be in accordance with our capabilities and the advancement of the spirit.

         Our main mission is with ourselves; related to our spiritual progress. We need to aim to improve our attitudes and thoughts. After that, there comes our mission with the group we are inserted on; such as our family, our school, our community. Please highlight we have a collective mission with our planet: to transform planet Earth into a more evolved world spiritually speaking.

          How does the evolution of the planet happen? It happens with the spiritual evolution of each individual. Hence, the spirit will advance in accordance with the way he develops its mission.

          How can we accomplish our mission? We should pay attention to our intuitions. We can’t find out exactly what is our specific mission in this reincarnation. We should fulfil our tasks and our profession as best as we can, since by having good attitudes we will for sure be fulfilling our mission. Ex: being a good teacher, good mother, good father, good friend, good son, practice goodness in our profession, etc. Please mention attitudes that could be followed by the children every day (this will enable this lesson to get closer to their reality).

         Obs.: please remind them we can’t complete other people’s missions. We can’t study for others; we can’t help at home on their behalf; we can’t look after animals and nature on behalf of our brothers and friends. We can’t obey parents and relatives on behalf of our brothers. We need to help through our example; through our thoughts, feelings and words. Each individual is responsible for his/her own attitudes.

          What kind of world do we want for ourselves? We want a world without war, without violence, without hunger. What are we doing about this? We are studying, helping others, practicing goodness. Each one can do our part to change the world.

         Third - activities.

         Atividade 1: please talk to them about some missionary spirits (below described). Please split the children into different groups. Give each group a card and ask them to write down the mission of these spirits.

          PARENTS

         * Parents have the mission of educating their children towards the practice of goodness.

          PROTECTOR SPIRIT (GUARDIAN ANGEL)

         * Protector spirit (guardian angel: has the mission to follow an incarnate spirit; giving guidance and helping him to progress spiritually.

          CHICO XAVIER

         * Chico Xavier: missionary who gave continuity to the spiritist revelation. He was a medium who worked with the dissemination of the Spiritist Doctrine and Jesus’ teachings.

          ALLAN KARDEC

         * Allan Kardec: missionary chosen to codify the Spiritist Doctrine.

          JESUS

         * Jesus: spiritual governor of Earth; He incarnated to teach us and lead by His example. He showed us the way which will take us to spiritual perfection.

         The spiritist teacher should help the groups, if necessary, by adding any comments.

         Please bring the class into a closure by remembering that we all have one mission (it could be a profession, or to look after someone, or be someone’s friend, to help a group of people, etc). This mission could involve one or more people. It’s important to remember our mission is always important for our spirit and for the ones he lives close to. These missions are always for the good (no one reincarnates with a mission to kill or cause damage; these attitudes are a deviation from the mission which was previously accepted by this spirit in the spiritual plane).

         Resource for the spiritist teacher: THE SPIRITS’ BOOK questions 558 to 584.

         Activity 2: please make a panel with our planet and the following phrase drawn into it: I will, for the spiritual evolution of the Planet... Distribute small pieces of colourful Bristol-board for the children to write down the actions they can take to help the planet; for it to become a better place (become a world of regeneration). This is also the mission of each reincarnate spirit. This panel could be placed around the classroom.

         Obs.: if there is enough time to complete both activities, please attach answers from the 1st activity into the panel as well.

         Closing Prayer

         Class Suggested being suitable for: 2nd cycle (9 to 10 years old) and 3rd cycle (11 to 12 years old).

         Translation: Carolina von Scharten, London, Sir William Crookes Spiritist Society linked to BUSS - The British Union of Spiritist Societies.