A long time ago there were no trees on these mountains. No animals lived here. No water flowed in the streams.

God made all of these things just the way He wanted them. He commanded them to begin. He said, "Let there be light; and it was light." Then He said, "Let there be rivers, and lakes, and let there be dry ground." Immediately it was so.

Next He said, "Green grass, trees and all plants sprout up." Up they sprouted; fruit trees, tomatoes, squash, everything that grows began to grow. In the same way God made birds, and fish, and animals; all that there is, God made by His command [word].

He made people, too. But at first He just made one man whom He called Adam. Later He caused Adam to sleep a deep sleep. While Adam slept God took out one of Adam's ribs and from it made the first woman. God gave the woman to Adam for a helper (to be his wife.) Adam called her Eve.

Now God placed Adam in a good place where every kind of fruit grew. He had told Adam, "You may eat of all the trees except that one which grows in the centre of the orchard. Don't eat that fruit." But one day Satan came to the garden. Satan is an enemy of God, and the enemy of God's people. He came in the form of a serpent. He told Eve that it was good to eat the fruit which God had said not to eat. Eve listened to Satan and thought he was right. She was deceived. She ate some of the fruit and gave some to Adam and he ate of the fruit also.

Then they heard God in the garden. They were afraid and hid themselves.

God called, "Adam, where are you?" Adam answered, "I hid myself because I was afraid." God asked, "Have you eaten the fruit I commanded you not to eat?" Adam replied, "The woman gave the fruit to me and I ate it."

God spoke to Eve and said, "Because you have disobeyed my word, you will have much pain each time you give birth, and you will be subject to your husband always."

To Adam God said, "Because you disobeyed me the ground will not produce abundantly for you. It will produce thorns and thistles. You will work hard and earn your living by the sweat of your brow. Later you will die and return to the ground from which I made you. You will no longer be My close friends. This is your punishment."

Then God sent Adam and Eve out of that good place where they were living. He did not allow them to live there any more. They had to find a place to grow their food. Life became hard, and God seemed far away. They knew they were going to die.

My friends, we are like Adam and Eve. We disobey God's Word. We do many other things that displease God. We too deserve to be punished. The punishment for Adam and Eve is also our punishment. But God loves us, and He has a plan to rescue people.

He sent His Son, Jesus, to live in the world, to make a way for us to come back to God again. Jesus received our punishment. He died for our disobedience, but He came back to life. He took the punishment we deserved, so that we will not have to suffer. If we trust Jesus, God will receive us. You can talk to God. You can thank Him for sending Jesus to help you.

Now I will tell you more about God's judgment and His rescue plan. Here is a conversation in the village.