Sunny U Faith Harvest Week 1 devotional

Here is Week 1 of the Sunny U: Faith Harvest Edition — a cozy devotional and mystery scene featuring Rita Logan in The Case of the Forgotten Faces, set in your beloved Maple Lane universe.

---

🍂 Sunny U: Faith Harvest Edition

Maple Lane Mystery Devotional — Week 1: “The Hidden Scrapbook”
Theme Verse:
"I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago."
— Psalm 77:11 (NIV)

---

🍁 Devotional: Remembering What Matters

Sometimes the past gets dusty, tucked away in attics or hearts, forgotten by time and covered in cobwebs. But God doesn't forget. He sees every act of kindness, every quiet tear, every seed of faith sown in secret. Our stories matter to Him. When we’re tempted to believe our lives are overlooked or our contributions forgotten, He whispers: “I remember.”

The book of Psalms reminds us to "remember the deeds of the Lord." Looking back helps us see the pattern of His faithfulness, even when today feels confusing or heavy. This week, let’s dust off a corner of our own hearts. What stories have we buried that still hold beauty? Who are the “forgotten faces” God wants us to see again—maybe even in ourselves?

---

✏️ Reflection Prompt:

Is there a part of your life that feels forgotten—by others, or even by God?
Write about a moment when you felt invisible or overlooked, and then write a short prayer asking God to help you see how He’s been with you all along.

---

🔍 Mystery Scene: “The Hidden Scrapbook”

From the journal of Rita Logan, teen sleuth of Maple Lane

It started on a crisp fall morning, the kind that smells like cinnamon, burnt leaves, and possibility. My Saturday to-do list included exactly two things:

1. Help decorate the church fellowship hall for the Harvest Pie Social.

2. Try not to trip over Lane’s younger siblings while doing so.

Instead, I found myself in the attic above the rec center, brushing cobwebs from a dusty crate labeled: “Community History: Maplewood Faces Project — 1987.”

“Why do I feel like we just found the beginning of something?” I murmured to Kyle Carlyle, who was pretending the old rotary phone in the corner could still dial ghost towns.

Lane had just gone to track down his mom for more tablecloths. Georgia, as usual, was skeptical. “It’s just old newspaper clippings and photos, Rita.”

But it wasn’t. Not after I pulled out a weather-worn scrapbook with a note that read:

“To be shared when the town is ready to remember.” — M.G.”

“‘M.G.’?” I asked aloud.

Kyle raised an eyebrow. “Mystery Ghost? Maplewood Grandma? Mysterious Giver of Pie?”

I laughed, but Georgia leaned over my shoulder, brushing aside a strand of her auburn curls. “No. M.G. — That’s Mrs. Gladys Garrow. She ran the Faces Project before she passed in ’88. My grandma said she documented everyone who ever made a difference in town... and some who got erased.”

Flipping through the scrapbook, we found photos of Maplewood’s old baseball teams, teachers from the early integration years, and names we’d never heard in history class. One page was marked by a pressed maple leaf and a photo of a young Black man standing in front of the old train station—caption smudged, faded.

We exchanged glances.

Georgia looked at the crumbling edges of the scrapbook. “So why hide it away?”

Lane reappeared, breathless. “The pastor says the attic’s off-limits because of a leak in the corner. What are you guys—whoa.”

The air changed, like it does just before a big storm or a big breakthrough.

“This,” I said softly, “isn’t just about the past. I think someone wanted us to find this now.”

Maybe the Case of the Forgotten Faces wasn’t just a mystery. Maybe it was a calling—to remember what others forgot, and to bring light to the hidden stories that still matter.

---

🍂 Closing Thought:

Faith sometimes starts with remembrance. This week, ask God to help you remember what He’s done—and to help you see the forgotten people, places, and moments that still carry His fingerprints.