Prophet Noah's Ark

A very, very long time ago there lived a prophet called Noah. Noah told people about goodness, honesty and God. But most people did not listen to him and would not give up doing bad things.

One day God told Noah to build a great ship. Noah began cutting and nailing planks on top of a dry hill. People passing by laughed: "Where is the sea, that you are building a ship?" Noah did not get angry; he just smiled and kept working. Because being patient means not giving up a good deed you believe in, even when others mock you.

When the ship was finished, the sky grew dark. Noah called the people who believed him and a pair of every animal to board the ship. First the elephants came, thump, thump, thump. Then the giraffes came in, bending their necks. Lions, lambs, rabbits, tortoises, birds... All of them boarded the ship side by side, without a single quarrel. That day the lion did not touch the lamb, and the cat did not touch the mouse.

Then the rain began. It rained for days and nights. The water rose, and the ship slowly lifted and began to rock on the waves. Inside, the animals snuggled up to one another; the elephant sheltered the little birds with its trunk, and the cats slept beside the tiny rabbits.

Days passed. One morning the rain stopped. Noah let a dove fly out. After a while the dove came back with a green olive branch in its beak. That meant land could be seen! At last the ship came to rest on top of a mountain. A huge rainbow appeared in the sky.

The doors opened. The animals came down two by two and spread out into the meadows and forests. The people began a new life and gave thanks to God.

This story tells us: keep doing a good thing patiently, even if others laugh. And friends who snuggle together on hard days get through the storm together.