The Story About Ping

We decided to take a trip down the Yangtze River in China. While we traveled we met a little yellow duck named Ping; passed by several tourist boats, cargo boats, and families who were also traveling down the river; we visited a Chinese school and learned how to write "God loves you" in Chinese; we went to the markets and saw beautiful fabrics, neat little gadgets, and many different kinds of food, some of which we weren't quite sure what they were; we learned about the Chinese government and about the fact that the Chinese people are not allowed to freely worship Jesus Christ; we also learned about ducks because, after all, Ping was a duck and the main character of our book.

The Story About Ping is about a little duck and his family who live on a houseboat on the Yangtze River. Every day the master of the boat lets down the boat's ramp and Ping and his family march down the ramp to find food for the day. At the end of the day, the master of the boat calls out to Ping and his family, "La-la-la-la-lei." When the master calls everyone is to stop what they are doing and immediately obey his call. They are to come running back to the houseboat, march up the ramp, and find their place on the boat. Sometimes little ducks tend not to obey so quickly and the last one up the ramp gets a spank on his backside.

On one particular occasion Ping did not hear the call of his master, because his head was under the water. When he finally heard the master call and realized that he was going to be the last one up the ramp, the one who would receive the spank on his backside, he opted to hide from his master. Ping hid in the tall grasses beside the waters of the Yangtze River.

As the sun set on the river that night Ping was all alone, no family, no house, no master. The next day he began looking for his houseboat, but everywhere he looked on the river his boat was nowhere to be found. Ping met some rather interesting birds that day, diving birds who looked much different than he. He also met a little boy who was floating in the river. Ping almost became dinner for the little boy's family, but because of the kindness of the little boy, he secretly released Ping before dinner. It wasn't until Ping heard the call of his master at the end of the day that hope returned to his heart.

"La-la-la-la-lei," came the familiar call. Ping looked and saw his houseboat, his family, and his master. But, drat, he was late. His family had already begun to march up the boat ramp. Would he be last again? Would he be the one to be spanked? He ran. Faster and faster and faster. As fast as his little waddling self would take him, he ran toward the boat in hopes that he would not be last. But alas, he was the last one. As he ran past his master and received a spank on his backside, this time the spank was well received. Because this time, Ping was back with his family, safe on his houseboat, and in the care and protection of his master.

Oh how our Master calls out to us. "Come to Me all who are weary and heavy laden. I will give you rest." "Come to Me, dear child, for My yoke is easy and my burden in light." "Come to Me dear one and rest under shelter of My wings." "Come follow Me." "Come to Me, for I have provided for you a way out of your life of sin." "Come to Me and receive this gift of eternal life that I have for you." "Come. Come. Come."

There are times we don't hear Him calling because we are preoccupied with the things of this world, enjoying too much it's pleasures instead of basking in the protection of the Master. Other times we blatantly refuse to come because we know we are in for some major discipline due to the fact that we haven't been living the life of righteousness He has called us to. And then there are those times when we just want to venture out on our own because we think we know what's best and can do it all ourselves with no help from anyone else.

Dear friend, nothing good comes from a failure to hear and obey the voice of the Master. We end up alone. We end up confused, not knowing which way to go or whom to trust. We become dinner for the enemy; and let me tell you- HE.WILL.EAT.YOUR.LUNCH., if given the opportunity.I challenge you today, as the Lord challenged me, and I challenged my children, always be listening for the call of the Master and when you hear Him calling, drop what you are doing and run to Him as fast as you can.

We had a Chinese celebration after we finished our study of Ping. Princess Momma made Chinese lanterns and we decorated the dining room.

Yummy Chinese food.

Our Ping lapbooks.