Peggy Augustine - It Looks A Lot Like Easter

Copyright 2007 by Abingdon Press.

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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Las citas bblicas son tomadas de la Santa Biblia, Reina-Valera 1995, Edicin de estudio, derechos de autor 1995 Sociedades Bblicas Unidas. Usado con permiso.

LEGO is a trademark of The LEGO Group, which does not sponsor or authorize this book. Used here with permission. 2007 The LEGO Group. All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-0-687-49158-2

English text by Peg Augustine

Texto en espaol por Pedro Lpez

Illustrated by Terry Julien

07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 1610 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Manufactured in the United States of America

"I'm tired of winter," I say as I stomp into the house.

"Me, too," Mom says. She helps me take off my coat and hat and hang them up.

"Do you think God forgot to send spring?" I ask.

"Oh no," Mom laughs. "Come and look out the window."

At first all I see is dead grass, mud, and a little patch of dirty snow. Then, right in the middle of that patch of snow, I see something amazing! Tiny little flowers! Purple and yellow!

"They are crocuses," Mom explains, "some of the first flowers to come up in the spring. They always help me remember that God never forgets. The changing seasons are one of God's promises."

As long as the earth endures,

seedtime and harvest, cold and heat,

summer and winter, day and night,

shall not cease.

Genesis 8:22

"E stoy harta del invierno", digo pataleando al entrar en casa.

"Yo tambin", dice mam mientras me ayuda a quitarme el abrigo y el gorro y los cuelga en el armario.

"Piensas que Dios se ha olvidado de mandarnos la primavera?" pregunto.

"Oh no", se re mam. "Ven y mira por la ventana".

Al principio todo lo que se ve es el csped, el barro y una pequea seccin con nieve sucia. De pronto, justo donde la nieve est, noto algo increble. Veo unas flores pequeitas! Son de color violeta y amarillo!

"Son flores de azafrn", explica mam. "Son las primeras flores que salen en la primavera. Me ayudan a recordar que Dios nunca se olvida. El cambio de estaciones es una de las promesas de Dios".

Mientras la tierra permanezca

no cesarn la sementera y la siega,

el fro y el calor,

el verano y el invierno,

el da y la noche.

Gnesis 8: 22

It rained in the nightnot a storm, just a gentle rain. This morning the air feels warmer. Mom lets me go out and splash in mud puddles. I see birds building nests. The grass already looks greener. It looks like spring is on the way.

When Dad comes home, he has a nice surprisean Easter lily. Its buds are closed up tight, but Dad says they will open soon. He shows me a picture in a book of the bulb the lily is growing out of. The bulb is brown and dead-looking, but it will grow a beautiful living plant. Dad says that the lily reminds us that Jesus rose from the dead.

Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor

reap, they have neither storehouse nor

barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how

much more value are you than the birds!

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they

neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even

Solomon in all his glory was not clothed

like one of these.

Luke 12:24, 27

Llovi por la noche. No era una tormenta, ms bien un lluvia gentil. Esta maana el aire se siente caliente. Mam me deja salir a saltar en los charcos de barro. Veo pjaros construyendo sus nidos. El csped ya parece ms verde. Parece ser que la primavera est de camino.

Cuando pap llega a casa, tiene una sorpresa para m: un lirio de Pascua. Sus flores estn todava cerradas, pero pap dice que se abrirn pronto. Me muestra una foto en un libro del bulbo de donde salen los lirios. El bulbo es marrn y parece seco y sin vida, pero de l saldr una planta viva y preciosa. Pap dice que el lirio nos recuerda que Jess se levant de los muertos.

Considerad los cuervos, que ni siembran

ni siegan; que ni tienen despensa ni

granero, y Dios los alimenta. No valis

vosotros mucho ms que las aves?...

Considerad los lirios, cmo crecen: no

trabajan ni hilan, pero os digo que ni

aun Salomn con toda su gloria se visti

como uno de ellos.

Lucas 12:24, 27

Oh no! It is cold again! The wind is rattling the tree branches against the window. But I remember God's promise. Soon spring will come.

Mom tells me that some families are going to have to spend the night at our church. We will go and help them get dinner.

At the church I meet a little boy just my age. His name is Trevor. We have fun building with LEGO blocks. Then Mom calls us to the kitchen. She has lots of hot rolls on the table. She gives Trevor and me tubes of icing and shows us how to make a cross on the rolls. They are called hot cross buns, and they are delicious!

Little children, let us love, not in word or

speech, but in truth and action.

1 John 3:18

Oh no! Hace fro otra vez! El viento sacude las ramas de los rboles contra mi ventana. Pero recuerdo la promesa de Dios. Pronto llegar la primavera.

Mam me dice que unas familias van a pasar la noche en la iglesia. Iremos a ayudar a darles de cenar.

En la iglesia conoc a un nio de mi misma edad. Se llama Trevor. Nos lo pasamos muy bien jugando con los bloques LEGO. Al rato mam nos llama a la cocina. Ha puesto un montn de panecillos sobre la mesa. Nos da unos tubos de crema y nos ensea a decorar los panecillos con cruces. Se llaman panecillos de Pascua y son deliciosos.

Hijitos mos, no amemos de palabra ni de

lengua, sino de hecho y en verdad.

1 Juan 3: 18

Today at church all the children had a big parade. The choir sang a song with lots of "Hosannas" as we came down the aisle. We waved palm branches in the air. At the end we all shouted, "Hosanna!" My new friend Trevor was there. We shouted louder than all the rest.

The pastor told us how Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a gentle donkey. People threw their cloaks on the ground and waved palm branches. They were happy to see Jesus.

Hosanna to the Son of David!

Blessed is the one who comes in the

name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest heaven!

Matthew 21:9b

Hoy en la iglesia todos los nios y nias participaron en un gran desfile. El coro enton canciones con muchos "Hosannas" conforme pasaban por los pasillos. Nosotros agitbamos las hojas de palmera en el aire. Al final todos gritamos: "Hosanna!" Mi nuevo amiguito Trevor estaba conmigo. Gritamos ms fuerte que nadie.