Dear Parents,
   The story of Ruth is our Bible lesson this week.  As you recall, after their husbands died,
Ruth decided to stay and take care of Naomi, her mother-in-law, instead of going  back
to her own homeland.  God has this kind of love and compassion for us, and we need to show
this to others.

                                                                    Ruth

 * During the time when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land.  A man named Elimelech
    took his wife Naomi and his two sons to the country of Moab because there was food in that 
    land.

 * Elimelech died, and Naomi was left as a widow with two sons.  The sons married.  One married
    a woman named Orpah, and the other married Ruth.  After about ten years, the two sons died
    also.  Naomi decided to go back to her home country, to the town of Bethlehem.

 * Both of her daughters-in-law wanted to go with her, but she told them that they should 
    stay in the land of Moab.  Ruth insisted on going with her mother-in-law.  The two of them
    went to Bethlehem.  Naomi's friends were so glad to see her again!

 * In those days, according to God's command, when a farmer harvested his field, he had to leave
    the grain that fell for the poor people to pick up.  This gathering of the left-over grain was 
    called  "gleaning".  Ruth went to "glean" in the field of a man named Boaz.  He was a relative 
    of Naomi's   family.  Ruth worked hard gathering grain to feed herself and Naomi.  Boaz
    noticed how hard  she was working and told her to stay in his field to glean.  He invited her
    to eat with him and he said he would protect her from harm.

 * Boaz wanted to marry Ruth, but there was another relative who had first choice of taking care
    of Ruth.  The two men had a meeting.  The other man decided that he couldn't take care of
    Ruth, so he took off his sandal, as the custom was, to seal an agreement. He told Boaz to buy
    the land and marry Ruth.

 * They were married and later had a son named Obed.  Obed, when he was grown, had a son
    named Jesse.  Jesse's son was David.  The great-grandson of Ruth became king of Israel,
    King David!

   This story about Ruth and Naomi can be found in the book of Ruth chapters 1-4.
 
Memory Verse

But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you, or to turn back from you.
Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay.
Your people will be my people, and your God my God.

                                   Ruth 1:16

You can listen to the story of Ruth at:  http://gardenofpraise.com/bibl13s.htm