 |
FOR KIDS
|
 |
| |
|
|
|
|
The following is a story
that teachers or parents may desire to use with their children.
Between Part 2 and Part 3 there are some questions that may be
useful in checking the understanding of the story. |
| |
|
|
|
|
An Apache
Veteran's Stand for God
by Ann Murphy |
|
How many of you think you are important and precious in
Gods sight? Raise your hand! Many times, because you are a young
person, you may feel you are not as important in Gods sight as an
adult. The Bible tells us that God has a plan for each one of our
lives. |
|
In Exodus,
chapter two, we read how God who protected baby Moses in a bed of
bulrushes preserved him to later lead His people out of the slavery
of the Egyptians and into the promised land. Then there was David
who was only a boy herding sheep when God called him to be King of
Israel! Remember Daniel who was taken captive in his youth to a
strange heathen land called Babylon? Daniel purposed in His heart
that he would not serve strange gods but only the God of the Bible.
God honored Daniel for this stand, and soon Daniel became an
important leader in Babylon, able to testify even to the King of
Gods power and protection in his life. God also had a plan and a
purpose for Hanson Bullis, an Apache who lived on the San Carlos
Reservation in southern Arizona. The following story is based on his
life, as told to us at a Bible study in his home. |
 |
 |
The year is 1934,
and we are at a small Indian settlement known as Camp Verde. It is a
hot Sunday afternoon, and even the breeze that rustles the leaves of
the brush shelter overhead offers little relief for 6 month-old
Hanson who nods his head sleepily in his cradleboard. The voices
Hanson has been listening to have been quiet up until now, but
suddenly Nalte's voice becomes harsh and angry as he shouts at
Hanson's father.
"You always make fun of me. I am tired
of it! Be quiet, or I will stop your mouth!"
"You never can take a joke, Nalte,"
says Hanson's father. "It is a sign of a little man when he cannot
laugh at himself. You drink too much wine." |
|
"I told you to
stop," says Nalte, as he pulled a gun from his belt. "Now I will
stop you!" A shot rings through the air causing little Hanson to cry
while his father, shot in the leg, staggers to their wickiup home to
arm himself. Hanson is quickly picked up by his mother who runs for
the cover of the brush nearby. As grandfather wrestles Nalte for his
gun, another shot is fired, this time killing Grandfather!
"Nalte, STOP!"
cries Father, but Nalte swings and shoots, fatally wounding Father.
"I cannot let him kill my wife and son," cries Father. With what
little strength is left, Father manages to aim his rifle at Nalte
and shoots. Within five minutes three men lie dead: Hanson's father.
Grandfather, and their neighbor, Nalte. Little Hanson is too young
to |
 |
 |
know what all has happened, but as his mother
holds him close, he senses the horror which has filled her life.
Alone and with a young baby--what can she do now? Both her husband
and her father lay dead.
If only she knew how God had protected her
and little Hanson so that they might come to know and serve Him even
as He had protected Moses, David, and Daniel of long ago. But no one
had ever brought the good news of salvation to them. How could she
know that God loved them so much that He had sent His Son, the Lord
Jesus, to die on the cross to pay for their sin? |
|
But lets get back
to you. We have already learned that God has a plan for your life.
We can find His plan for your salvation in the Bible. First of all,
we must realize we have sinned against God. Who can tell me what sin
is? That's right, not obeying all of Gods Word is sin. How many have
sinned? That's right, Romans 3:23 says ALL have sinned. Now who can
tell me what the result of sin is? Romans 6:23 says "The wages of
sin is death," or to be forever separated from God in Hell. But who
can tell me the rest of the verse? That's right, "but the gift of
God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." This is the good
news that Hanson's family did not know about. Jesus died on the
cross to pay for our sins. He was buried, and He rose again from the
dead. Perhaps right now |
 |
 |
you are not sure that your sins are forgiven,
and you would like to know more of what the Bible says about being
saved. This is the first step in God's plan for your life. Perhaps
right now you have already received Christ as your Savior, but you
would like to give your life completely to Him for whatever purpose
He has. There are many like Hanson's family who have never heard the
gospel. God is calling out missionaries today, and just as
importantly God is calling out others who are willing to pray for
them and give that they might reach others for Christ. If you would
like someone to talk and pray with you now, please see your teacher.
We will be happy to help you also. |
| |
Part 2
|
|
|
With the murder
of both her husband and her father, Hanson's mother decided to make
the long trip from Camp Verde to the San Carlos Reservation where
distant relatives lived. Perhaps they would take her and little
Hanson into their home. It was a long, hot, and dusty journey, and
as Hanson's mother knocked on the door of an aunts home whom she had
never met, she was just too tired to be afraid. "Of course you may
stay," were the welcome words of Aunt May. "You may help me weave
baskets and make beadwork to sell at the Trading Post. Perhaps we
can even fix up Grandma's old house for you and the little one."
Life was lonely that first year in San Carlos, but there was always
Hanson who brightened each day with his childish antics. Soon a
young man was coming to visit quite regularly, and before the year
was out, Hanson had a new father! |
 |
 |
Although the
little family attended all the Apache ceremonies, and no one ever
went to the Medical Clinic without first consulting the Medicine
Man, it was decided that Hanson would attend the Lutheran Mission
School in the nearby community of Peridot. After all, he could learn
English and some of the white mans ways which would help him to get
a good job someday. The white mans God had some strange ideas about
sin, but as long as Hanson observed the old Apache way too, it could
not hurt him to know about their God. |
|
It was a very
frightened little boy who walked into the schoolyard that first day
of school. Hanson had not seen many white people before. Oh, there
was a white nurse who had given him a shot at the clinic one time,
but that did not exactly improve Hanson's opinion of the white race!
Hanson's teacher could best be described as friendly but firm. It
was awfully hard to sit in one place for more than five minutes, but
she expected a fellow to stay in his seat for at least twenty
minutes at a time! And then there were the endless Bible stories and
memory verses. Why, if he didn't know his memory verse, he just
wasn't served any lunch. That only happened once, 'cause Hanson sure
loved to eat! She had some weird ideas about lying and stealing too.
Everyone knew they weren't wrong if they didn't get caught, but
according to the Bible, it was always |
 |
|
wrong to lie or steal 'cause the white mans
God saw everything he did! That gave Hanson a guilty feeling quite a
few times when he thought about it, but never once did he really
understand that the God of the Bible was not just the white mans
God, but the God of all people, including the Apache, and that He
loved them enough to send His Son, Jesus, to pay for their sin.
|
 |
Things were going
well for our little family. Hanson was learning to read and write
English. His mother was so proud of all the Bible verses he had
learned. There was a new church in San Carlos called the Apache
Independent Church. The preaching was from the white mans book, the
Bible, but was translated into the Apache language so even Hanson's
mother could understand. Hanson enjoyed the singing most of all and
found himself repeating the songs over and over all during the week.
One Sunday morning Hanson's mother went forward at the end of the
service, and she later explained to Hanson that she had accepted the
Lord Jesus as her own personal Savior. |
But tragedy was
about to strike again. It was Saturday night, and Hanson's father
had gone with some men who were drinking. No one would ever admit
knowing what happened. but the following morning his fathers body
was found lying on the railroad tracks where a train had run over
him!
Have you ever wondered why God allows
"bad things" to happen? When we choose to sin instead of obeying
Gods Word, we are not allowing God to control our lives. A wrong
choice affects not only our lives, but many others.
|
 |
|
At age ten Hanson had lost not one father, but two. There
was a heavenly Father, however, who was concerned about our little
Apache boy, and little by little was drawing Hanson to Himself. Do
you think Satan wanted Hanson to receive the Lord Jesus as his
Savior? No. I am sure he didn't, but in spite of all Satan's power,
the next time we are going to learn how Hanson was saved. |
| |
Part 3
|
|
Who can tell me
what has happened in Hanson's life so far?
1. Can someone tell me where six month-old Hanson and his mother
moved after the murder of his father and grandfather? (The San
Carlos Apache Reservation)
2. Where did Hanson go to school? (The Lutheran Mission School at
Peridot)
3. What were some of the white mans ways that Hanson thought
strange? (Having to sit in one place for more than five minutes.
That lying and stealing were sin, even if you did not get caught.
That the white mans God saw everything you did.)
4. Where was Hanson's Mother saved? (The Apache Independent Church)
5. What happened to Hanson's second Father? (He was found lying on
the railroad tracks after being run over by a train.)
|
|
Hanson's Mother
married for the third time. Since the Lutheran Mission School only
went through sixth grade, many of the Apache boys and girls
schooling was complete at age twelve. In 1946 it was unthinkable for
an Apache child to continue his schooling in the nearby white
community of Globe. But God had plans for Hanson, and so he was
selected to travel 100 miles to attend the Phoenix Indian High
School in Phoenix, Arizona. There Hanson met young people from many
different Indian Tribes. There were Navajo, Pima, Papago, and Hopi
among others. It was also Hanson's first real contact with the white
man's world. It was an exciting world with so many new things to see
and do. The more Hanson studied and learned about the outside world,
the more he knew he wanted to join the service when he graduated
from high school. And that is just what he did! |
| |
|
 |
Somewhere Hanson
had seen pictures of paratroopers parachuting out of airplanes. It
looked exciting, and with the Korean War underway, Hanson was sure
it would be adventurous. So he joined the Paratroopers. Although he
went along with the crowd, drinking and smoking, somehow he knew his
mother was praying for him; So he attended chapel services when
possible. It was funny how |
 |
| memory verses
learned back at the Lutheran Mission School would haunt him from
time to time. There was John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life." With death all around
him, the verses took on new meaning. One that especially bothered
him was I John 5:12, "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that
hath not the Son of God hath not life." Hanson did not realize it
then, but the Holy Spirit was speaking to his heart through the Word
of God. |
 |
When Hanson returned home to San Carlos,
he had had all the adventure he wanted for awhile. The handsome
young man in uniform was particularly attractive to Ethel Little.
and soon the idea of settling down with a pretty young wife became
very appealing to Hanson. The offer of a job at the new Bureau of
Indian Affairs Hospital in San Carlos assured him of employment, and
so the two were married. They built a small house in the Gilson Wash
area near San Carlos. |
|
It was the fall of the year, and Hanson had just started
a fire in the wood stove when there came a knock at the door. Hanson
could not have known how God had led this stranger to his door. Don
Rovey was a Pima Indian who had |
|
heard the Gospel through a missionary on the
Pima Reservation southwest of San Carlos. He had received Christ as
his Saviour. and with a heart full of compassion for his Apache
brothers, he had come to their reservation to share the good news of
salvation. Hanson hesitated in inviting the Pima stranger in, but
Ethel (who had been saved as child) was anxious to hear more about
Gods Word. And so the weekly Bible studies in their home began. Many
nights Hanson would be tired, and as they studied the book of John,
once more sin bothered him. Instead of listening, Hanson would walk
out of the room. One |
 |
 |
night Don Rovey announced that it would be the
last time he could come for he was returning to his people the
following week. As he once again opened his Bible to the book of
John, Hanson knew he was ready to turn from his sin and trust the
Lord Jesus as Saviour. Suddenly it did not matter what others would
say, it mattered only what he was going to do with the Lord Jesus.
That night Hanson knelt and prayed, asking Christ to forgive his sin
and become his Saviour. |
Looking back, Hanson has told us many times of how the
Lord protected him and worked in his life to bring him to salvation.
Yes, God works in the hearts and lives of young people! God later
used Hanson and Ethel Bullis along with their four children to open
their home for a Bible study which resulted in the establishment of
an Independent Baptist Church on their reservation.
May I ask you a very important
question? If you were to die, are you 100% sure you would be with
God in heaven, or do you sometimes wonder about this? If you would
like someone to share some wonderful Bible verses with you that
clearly answer this question, please let us know. God has an
exciting plan for YOUR life!
|
| |
|
"Train up a child in the
way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
Proverb 22:6 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
