Tamariki A Ihowa Issue 19

TAMARIKI A IHOWĀ Tamariki Me Te Taiohi Pukapuka

MAORI POSTAL AOTEAROA Issue 19, HAKIHEA 2020 Children’s and Teens Magazine

M&M KIRIHIMETE STORY As you hold these candies in your ringa, turn them and you will see …….

The M becomes a W, an E, and then a 3.

They tell a Kirihimete story. It’s one I’m sure you know.

It took place in a stable a long, long time ago.

The E is for the East where the whetu shone so bright.

The M is for the Manger where pēpi Ihu slept that night.

The 3 is for the Wise Men bringing koha for the King.

W is for Worship. “Hallelujah” the anahera sing!

So as you eat these candies or share them with whanau, remember Ihu is the reason for Kirihimete here below.

Te Koha Tuatahi O Te Kirihimete ……. 03 Te Koha A Te Ihowā Ki A Tatou ……. 06 Te Maatau Koha Ki Te Ihowā ……. 07 Hoani 3:16 ……. 09 Kirihimete, Word Find ..….. 10 He Haerenga Roa, Maze ……. 11 Movie Time “The Star” …… 12 “The Star” Activity Page …… 13 He Kirihimete Pohutukawa ……. 15 Waiata “Pohutukawa Tree” ……. 16 Kirihimete Baubles ……. 17 Candy Cane Kirihimete ……. 19 Aotearoa ……. 20 The First Kiwi Christmas ……. 21 Enrolment Form ……. 22 Translation of Words Used in this Issue:

Ihowā – Jehovah God Ihu Karaiti – Jesus Christ Iwi – People

Kāo – No Kararehe – Animals Kau – Cow Kingi – King Kino – Bad Kirihimete – Christmas Koha – Gift Koti – Goat Kukupa – Dove Kupu – Words Kuri – Dog

Kaihe – Donkey Kakariki – Green Kamera - Camel

Mahi – Work Mamae – Injury Manawa – Heart

Anahera – Angel Aroha – Love Ataahua – Beautiful Hepara – Shepherd Hipi – Sheep Hoa – Friend

Paipera Tapu – Holy Bible Pēpi – Baby Porohita – Circle Rangi – Sky Ringa – Hand Tama – Son Tamaiti – Child Tamariki – Children Toru – Three Wahine – Woman Whanau – Family Whero – Red Whetu – Star

TE KOHA TUATAHI O TE KIRIHIMETE Kirihimete is coming!

Are you excited? Most tamariki are excited about Kirihimete. Maybe you’re excited about whanau that might be visiting or a koha you’re hoping to get.

The first Kirihimete story is about a koha too – the greatest koha of all. The Kirihimete story is not a make-believe story; this actually happened a long, long time ago. We know this because Ihowā tells us in the Paipera Tapu.

About 2000 years ago in Judea (now called Israel), something amazing happened! There was a young wahine named Mere who lived in the town of Nazareth. One day Mere had a very special visitor, an anahera named Gabriel. The anahera said to Mere, “Do not be afraid. I have wonderful news for you. Ihowā has a very important job for you. You are going to have a pēpi. You will name him Ihu. He has been sent to save the world.”

Mere was confused because she was very young and wasn’t married, but said to Gabriel “I’m not sure I really understand but I trust Ihowā and will do whatever He wants me to.”

Mere was engaged to the village carpenter, a man named Hohepa. When he found out that Mere was going to have a pēpi, he decided to break up with her.

But that night when Hohepa was sleeping, an anahera appeared to him and said, “Do not worry. Marry Mere for she will give birth to a tama and you are to name him Ihu because he will save iwi from their sins.”

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When Hohepa woke up, he was much happier and did what the anahera told him.

It was nearly time for the pēpi to be born, when the Emperor decided to hold a census to count everyone. Mere and Hohepa had to travel to Bethlehem.

This was where the whanau of Hohepa came from.

It was about 140kms to Bethlehem. There were no cars so they had to walk, and Mere sometimes rode a kaihe. It took them about toru days to get there.

They slept where they could, wrapped in their warm coats.

When they reached Bethlehem they couldn’t find anywhere to stay. So many iwi had come for the census that there were no spare rooms.

Hohepa knocked on the door of an inn. “Do you have a room please?” The inn-keeper shook his head. “I’m sorry but we are completely full.”

Then the inn-keeper noticed how tired Mere looked, and offered them his stable to stay in. This is where the kararehe slept. So that’s what they did – they stayed in a stable with kaihe, kau, hipi, etc.

And it was in that dark and smelly stable that their special pēpi was born.

Mere wrapped her pēpi in long strips of cloth to keep him warm.

“Hohepa, we don’t have a cradle”, she whispered. So Hohepa placed some clean straw in the kararehe feeding box.

“I’ve made a little bed”, said Hohepa, and he lay the pēpi gently in the manger.

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Out in the fields around Bethlehem, some hepara were looking after their hipi when suddenly an anahera appeared.

“Don’t be afraid! I bring you good news.

Tonight the Saviour of the world has been born in Bethlehem. You will find him in a stable, lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a group of anahera appeared and began singing praises to Ihowā “All glory to Ihowā and peace on earth.”

When the anahera had gone back to heaven, the hepara went to Bethlehem to find the new pēpi. They found him with Mere and Hohepa, lying in a manger just as the anahera had told them. They worshipped him because he was the tama of Ihowā.

The hepara were very excited and happy about this first Kirihimete. They told everyone they met about the greatest koha from Ihowā, then went back to looking after their hipi singing praises to Ihowā.

Ihu is the greatest koha given by Ihowā to us. He came to make a way for us to be part of his whanau. He has so much aroha for you, and wants to be a part of your life.

Before Ihu came to earth, there was no way we were able to be a part of the whanau of Ihowā. Ihu has changed that. By asking Ihu to forgive us for the kino things we do, thanking him for coming to earth and taking the punishment we deserved, and asking him to be in control of our lives, we all have the opportunity to become part of the whanau of Ihowā.

THE FIRST CHRISTMAS GIFT 5

GOD’S GIFT TO US 6

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TE MAATAU KOHA KI TE IHOWA (OUR GIFT TO GOD)

Ihowā gives his tamariki many wonderful koha, but the greatest Ihowā gave to us is the koha of His tama, Ihu Karaiti. He gave Ihu to us, to take the punishment for the kino things we do so that we could become a tamaiti of Ihowā.

But what can I give to Ihowā? If we aroha Ihowā and appreciate all the great things He has done for us, we will want to give Him the koha that will please Him the most of all. Is it the koha of money? Kāo, Ihowā does not need my money. Is it the koha of my mahi for Him? Kāo, it is not this either. The koha that Ihowā wants most of all is the koha of ourselves!

What does this mean? It means that I am giving my life to Ihowā, follow what He wants me to do instead of doing what I want to do.

Our enemy, Satan, does not want us to give ourselves to Ihowā. He may say to us “Don’t give your life to Ihowā. If you do, He will make you do things you don’t want to do.” But Satan is a liar.

Suppose a kind and loving papa has a tamaiti he adores. This tamaiti aroha her papa. One day she climbs up onto the knees of her papa, gives him a hug and says “Papa, you are so good and wise, and you know what’s best for me. I aroha you so much that I want to do whatever you want me to do.”

What do you think papa would say? Would he say “Oh good. I’ve been waiting to hear you say that. From now on you can’t have any fun. You cannot go outside to play, and you have to eat things you don’t like every day.”

Would a papa who has aroha for his tamaiti say this? Kāo. He would say “My precious tamaiti. I aroha you and only want what is best for you.”

This is the way it is with Ihowā. He aroha His tamariki and only wants what’s best for us.

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Why should I give my life to Ihowā?

Ihowā has so much aroha for us, that He would like us to be a part of His whanau.

But there’s a problem. You and I and everyone else in the world sometimes do kino things, and these kino things put space between us and Ihowā so we can’t know Him very well.

But Ihowā thought of a solution, and sent His tama to earth to take the punishment that was ours so we could be forgiven and become a part of His whanau.

Ihowā has a plan for your life. He knows what He wants to do with your life to make it ataahua and useful. He wants to fill you with His joy and power. But He cannot do this until you give your life to Him. He will not force you to do this.

Bible study, going to church, hanging with Christian hoa are all good things but these do not make you a part of the whanau of Ihowā. If you would like to give your life to Ihowā and become part of His whanau, you could say something like: “Dear Heavenly Papa. I believe in you and that your word is true. I believe that Ihu Karaiti is your tama, and that He died on the ripeka so that I may have forgiveness for the kino things I do. I know without you in my manawa, my life is meaningless.

I believe in my manawa that you, Ihowā, raised Ihu Karaiti from the dead. Please forgive me for every kino thing I have ever done. Please come into my manawa as my personal Saviour, I need you to be my Lord and hoa.

I give you my life and ask you to take full control from this moment on. I pray this in your holy name. Amine.”

When you give your life to Ihowā, you will still be a tamaiti of your whanau but you will also be a part of the whanau of Ihowā.

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Ko ano te aroha o te Ihowa ki te ao,

homai ana e ia TAMA kotahi, kia kÄ hore ai e ngaro te tangata e

whakapono

ana ki a ia, engari kia whiwhi ai ki te ora tonu.

Hoani 3:16

For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

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KIRIHIMETE K

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KARAITI IHU HEPARA ANAHERA MERE HOHEPA

KOHA AROHA KIRIHIMETE IHOWA PEPI TAMA

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Help Mere & Hohepa find their way to Bethlehem.

HE HAERENGA ROA

A LONG JOURNEY - Hohepa and Mere went on a long journey from the town of Nazareth to the town of Bethlehem.

Ruka 2:1-5

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A kaihe doesn't dream. Well, not in a "follow your dreams" way, anyway.

But Boaz is no normal kaihe. Marching in a circle grinding grain is not Bo's vision of life. Kāo, Bo and his hoa (Dave the kukupa), have royal dreams of marching with the iwi of the Kingi caravan.

Bo breaks his ropes and escapes his angry owner, but a mamae to his hoof keeps him from going far. He soon takes shelter in the courtyard of a young couple named Hohepa and Mere. The tender-hearted, miraculously pregnant young wahine helps Bo's hurt hoof.

Meanwhile, a dazzling, mysterious whetu appears in the rangi, prompting wise men and their kamera - Deborah, Cyrus and Felix - to begin the long journey toward, well, actually, they don't know quite where. But they're convinced the whetu points to the birth of a kingi.

Someone else has seen the whetu too: Kingi Herod.

It means something but he's not sure what. The unexpected arrival of the wise men from the East only confirms his suspicion, especially when they talk about bringing a koha for a different kingi than Herod.

Back in Nazareth, the birth of Mere’s pēpi is near, but she and Hohepa must take a long trip to Bethlehem for a census ordered by Kingi Herod. Little do they realise that their kingi has ordered an ogrelike henchman and his fearsome kuri to track down the identity of this would-be kingi … and end his reign before it begins.

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Can you find the real Ruth among these baaaaaaad hipi?

Can you unscramble these kupu from THE STAR?

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Can you spot the 5 differences between these pictures of Deborah the kamera?

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H E A P O H R E E M U E H T W ANSWER: KAIHE, KAMERA, HIPI, HOHEPA, MERE, WHETU

Dream big like Zach the koti and solve the puzzle!

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K G K O K H H A K R I K H U N

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K N H K A H M K

W K O K H K E K

N M U P E K K K K K I N G I O K E K W U R K K K K N M T K U K K K P K E U G A U H K U H H K I H R K

HIPI HOHEPA IHU

K O N A H E K N H E K

P K E K P K I K H K

KAIHE KAMERA KINGI

U U N W H A K U H K

N H K H K T H U K

KURI MERE PEPI

H K I K P K I K N

A K H K K

M K U J E K A K

R H N M E N N O M P H R A G H H H K W K H R I H K K K WHETU

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However, in Aotearoa, the Pohutukawa tree is often called our Kirihimete tree. It is often seen on Kirihimete items in stores. One reason is because it is the traditional Kirihimete colours of whero and kakariki. It also flowers around Kirihimete time.

So how did the Pohutukawa tree come to be known as our Kirihimete tree?

In 1833 Henry Williams held a Kirihimete church service underneath the native Pohutukawa.

It wasn’t until 1867 that it was written down that the Pohutukawa tree was thought of as a Kirihimete tree by New Zealanders.

Ferdinand von Hochstetter noted that the early pakeha settlers decorated their churches and homes with its branches and beautiful whero flowers.

In 1941 a Kirihimete carol was written about the Pohutukawa tree. Ted Forsman said that the tufts (flowers) were “our snow”.

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HE KIRIHIMETE POHUTUKAWA

When people think of Kirihimete trees they often think of pine trees. Pine trees traditionally grow well in cooler places and are native to Europe (although we now grow them here).

He kakano Pohutukawa Poua ki te whenua Nga hihi o te ra, hei oranga Hihiri pupuke, te kune e.

He ira ki te whai ao Ka tipu, tu, ka roa Uhia I te raukura Ko koe no Aotearoa.

Tu mai ra Pohutukawa Tu whakahi ki te ao Pupu ake ko te aroha Ko koe no Aotearoa.

WAIATA “POHUTUKAWA TREE” I am a Pohutukawa seed Plant me in the ground and water me.

Plenty of sunshine is what I need, Then guess what you will see?

Out will shoot a tiny twig And it will continue to grow so big, Beautiful flowers of whero, The native tree of Aotearoa.

Pohutukawa tree, Pohutukawa tree New Zealand’s Christmas tree, You fill my heart with aroha, The native tree of Aotearoa.

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KIRIHIMETE BAUBLES YOU WILL NEED: Paper or Light Card to print out porohita Glue Thread (Silver, Gold or Kirihimete colours) Heavy Duty Single Hole Punch Scissors INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Print out the patterned porohita and chose between 3 and 10.

2. Fold each porohita in half with the pattern being folded in on itself.

3. Apply glue to one plain half of each of your first two porohita. Press the two plain sides of the porohita together.

4. Continue to glue porohita together using their plain sides.

5. When you have used the final porohita, glue the last porohita to the back of the original starting one.

6. Fold the porohita flat and use a hole punch to create a hole through all of the layers for the thread and attach the thread through this.

7. Spread out the porohita to plump out the decoration.

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CANDY CANE KIRIHIMETE Do you know the story of Candy canes and God’s great love; Why we celebrate His birth, And why Jesus came to earth?

Don’t chew candy canes, just lick!

Candy canes are rock hard sticks.

Jesus is my ROCK, my friend.

On His love I can depend.

Once there lived a candy man Stripes on candy canes are red, Who thought up a special plan.

Like the blood that Jesus shed.

He mixed up a candy treat See the scars and wounds He bore.

To share a story oh so sweet. See the crown of thorns He wore.

Candy canes can tell us all Of God’s tama, born so small.

Jesus – God’s great gift of love, Sent to earth from heaven above.

Jesus gave His life for me, To forgive and set me free.

He will wash away my sin; Lives in me – I’m born again!

Candy canes are first made white, ‘Cause the pēpi born that night Was the pure and holy one, Jesus Christ, God’s only son.

One big stripe reminds us all Of the wooden cross so tall.

Jesus is alive today, Close beside me He will stay.

Candy canes look like a “J” Now you know the story of “J” for Jesus, born this day. Candy canes and God’s great love; JESUS is his special name, Why we celebrate His birth, Saviour from all sin and shame.

And why Jesus came to earth!

Turn it round and you will see Celebrate this Christmas Day. A shepherd’s staff – He cares for me.

Love each other, hug and pray.

I am weak, but He is strong. Share some candy, laugh and sing.

He is with me all day long.

Jesus loves us. He’s our KING!!

With a cane to tend their sheep, Shepherds guard and safely keep Little lambs like me from harm.

I am safe in Jesus’ arm.

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by Helen Haidle Sing to the tune “Jesus Loves Me” (omit chorus)

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Would you or someone in your whānau like to know more about Ihowā and the Paipera Tapu?

Ask an adult in your whānau to fill in this form, and send it to us. You will receive lessons each month teaching you about Ihowā.

Send them back to us for marking, and earn certificates (3 month, 6 month & yearly thereafter).

Name ………………………………………………………………………….

Birthdate …………………………………………………………………….

Name ………………………………………………………………………….

Birthdate …………………………………………………………………….

Name ………………………………………………………………………….

Birthdate …………………………………………………………………….

Address ………………………….…………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………….…………………. ………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………….

Post Code …………………………………….

Send this form to: Maori Postal Aotearoa P O Box 10 Whanganui 4500

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MAORI POSTAL AOTEAROA P O Box 10, Whanganui info.maoripostal@gmail.com www.maoripostal.co.nz