The following is a sample from a project I did with the young sister's in our hall.
Each chose a woman of the Bible and wrote one page from their diary.
Here are the two samples I wrote as example prompts for the writers.
Jael
Judges 4:17-22
Durring the time that Israel and the Canaanite Sisera were at war my husband and myself had our tent set up in Kadesh. My husband told me that since we were Kenites we had no part in Israel’s wars. That’s where my husband and I don’t see eye to eye. I know my history too. I knew that Moses who led the Israelites to this land had a Kenite wife. So I’ve always felt a special kinship with these Hebrews. Plus I’ve heard the stories and how mighty Jehovah their God is.
So you can imagine my dismay when I head Sisera himself passing by just outside our tent, and my husband wasn’t even home! What did this great warrior want? I don’t know what made me do it but I found myself outside urging him to stop and come in. The Israelites had won the battle and he was running away. Jehovah is a mighty God! I reminded myself. If this is His enemy maybe Jehovah will help me too.
So I invited Sisera in and started to gather blankets under which he could hide. He looked huge in his heavy armor as he took a seat in my tent. He asked for some water. While I turned to fetch some it occurred to me how exhausted he must be and how milk can be so relaxing. So I opened the skin bottle with milk instead and poured the milk into a banquet bowl. The warrior didn’t object and drank it down, all of it!
As I put the blankets over him he yawned.
“Stand at the entrance of the tent, and if anybody comes and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?’ say, ‘No!” he ordered me and yawned again.
I came back to check on him later and he was sound asleep. I watched him for a moment and wished my husband were home to deal with this. Then it dawned on me. Jehovah’s enemy was in my tent, sleeping. It was up to me to act.
I went back outside to think. I had no sword or any weapon in my position. That’s when I saw it. The hammer and tent pins. I may not know how to weild a sword but I can drive a tent pin into the ground with a single blow, I’ve been doing it my whole life.
Quietly I crept back into my tent and watched the military commander sleep. With the tent pin in one hand and my hammer in the other I knelt beside him. Jehovah if it’s you who has delivered this man into my hands make my aim good, I said under my breath.
With one swift stroke it was done. The enemy of God’s people lay dead in my tent. The rest of the day was a blur. Eventually Barak, leader of the Israelite army came. He had followed the tracks of Sisera. I showed him the dead warrior in my tent. I was astonished to hear that the prophet Deborah had prophicied that Sisera would die at the hand of a woman. Later, Deborah even wrote a victory song about that day. In it she praised Jehovah and called me the “Most blessed of all women”!
Mary
Luke 10:38-42
What a busy day! Martha and I cleaned the house through and through and even then she seemed to finding something to tidy up. And the meal we cooked made the whole house smell amazing. I’ll bet the neighbors knew we were having guests.
Finally, my brother Lazarus threw open the door and in walked Jesus the Teacher and the rest of our guests. I walked Jesus over to the best chair in the room. After all the guests’ feet were washed and refreshments served a lively conversation began. I sat right down at his feet. I didn’t want to miss one word of what he said. I always learn so much about Jehovah when I listen to him. I would not miss one of these priceless conversations for anything!
Martha kept darting in and out of the room fussing over every detail. I could tell from the looks she kept giving me that she was annoyed. Well, she could scold me later, I was enthralled with what the Teacher was saying.
Finally my sister stops in the middle of the room and says, “Lord, does it not matter to you that my sister has left me alone to attend to things? Tell her to come and help me.”
She actually said that right in front of Jesus! I was so embarrassed.
I’ll never forget what he said next. “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and disturbed about many things. A few things, though, are needed, or just one. For her part, Mary chose the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.”
I could have hugged him! So many men think women are just good for cooking, cleaning and raising children. I know those things are important too, but to have the Teacher confirm that there is much more to women made my spirits fly.