“The Earthquake Prayer,” Friend, Mar. 2022, 4–5.
The Earthquake Prayer
When Violet woke up, everything was shaking!
This story took place in Peru.
Violet was asleep when a rumbling sound woke her up. At first, she thought it was thunder.
But the rumbling got louder and louder. It shook her bedroom windows.
Violet sat up quickly. This was an earthquake!
She and her family had moved to Peru not long ago. She knew that earthquakes often happen here. And she and her family had prepared for them and practiced what to do. But this was much scarier than she thought it would be. She could feel her body shaking!
Violet ran to the kitchen and crawled under the table. A few seconds later, her brother and sister joined her. So did Mom and Dad.
“Good job remembering what we practiced,” said Dad. “Is everyone OK?”
Violet’s brother and sister nodded.
But Violet was scared. She closed her eyes. It was hard to ignore the shaking around her.
Then Violet remembered to pray. She folded her arms and bowed her head. “Dear Heavenly Father,” she whispered, “please take care of my family.”
Violet kept praying. She felt like someone was giving her a hug. When she finished, she looked up. Mom and Dad had their arms folded. Her brother and sister did too. They were all praying! The ground was still shaking. But Violet felt peaceful in her heart and mind.
At last, the shaking stopped. Violet and her family stayed under the table a little longer, just to be safe.
“How do you feel?” Mom asked Violet.
“OK,” Violet said. “At first I was really scared. But praying helped me feel better.” She gave Mom a hug. She was glad Heavenly Father had helped her feel peace.
Illustrations by Toby Newsome