Jessie’s Miracle Sandwich Bait

“That’s so cool how Jesus made Simon catch so many fish!” Justin exclaimed after Sunday school class.

“Yeah!” said Justin’s friend Jessie. “Except for the stinky fish—ick!” She made a face.

Justin rolled his eyes. “You don’t know what you’re missing. Fishing’s great!”

“Well,” Jessie replied, “fish are gross, but I bet I could catch a few—maybe even more than you.”

“Oh, yeah?” Justin pretended to be a tough guy. “Okay, come with us on Saturday and prove how great a fisherman . . . uh, fisher girl you are.”

Jessie laughed. “Sounds great. See ya then!”

Early Saturday morning, Jessie scurried around making sandwiches and packing her backpack. Soon she and her dad climbed into the van with Justin and his dad. Jessie chattered excitedly. “This is my first time in a boat. I’d hate to end up in a storm like the disciples did.”

“Nahh, we won’t. It’s nice and sunny,” Justin assured her.

“Well, I brought these just in case.” Jessie opened her backpack and pulled out a pair of bright pink arm rings. She blew into one until it puffed up. “I’ll put these on my arms, and then if a storm hits, I’ll be fine if I go overboard.”

When they got to the lake, they unloaded the van and put the boat into the water. Jessie put a bright orange life vest on along with her bright pink arm rings. “I’m ready now,” she said.

Everyone stepped into the boat and sat down, and off they went, skimming across the water. Justin enjoyed watching the waves curl around the boat as it sped along. Jessie liked it, too—until a wave sprayed her face. “Eeek!” she squealed in surprise. Justin laughed.

Finally, Justin’s dad turned off the motor. “Now for some fishing,” he said. “Here’s your pole, Justin. Can you help Jessie with the bait?”

Justin nodded. “Which do you want, Jessie?” Justin held out two kinds of bait. “You want fish eggs or paste?”

“No, thanks. I’m not hungry,” Jessie replied.

“It’s not for you, Jessie. It’s for the fish. They might be hungry,” Justin explained.

“Oh!” Jessie finally understood. “I don’t know.”

“Here. Use this paste. It’s pink,” suggested Jessie’s dad, opening the jar of bait.

“Eww! It stinks!” Jessie pinched her nose while her dad baited her hook.

“There, now throw the line in the water,” her dad instructed.

Jessie threw the line in, then sat, clutching her fishing pole, waiting for a fish to bite. After a while, she pulled her line up only to find an empty fishhook. “Hey! Someone stole my stinky pink stuff,” she said.

“Uh-oh,” said Justin. “You have to put more bait on your hook.”

“Okay.” Jessie thought for a moment. “I wonder if fish like peanut butter.” She opened her backpack and pulled out a sandwich. She broke off a piece and wadded it into a ball. “Daddy, will you put this on my hook, please?”

Her dad grinned. “Don’t know if this’ll work, but it’s worth a try.”

Jessie tossed her line into the water again. Suddenly, she felt a tug. Jessie pulled with all her might. The little boat jiggled as Jessie’s line flew up into the air—along with a fish!

“Reel it in, Jessie!” Justin hollered as he grabbed the little fish net.

Jessie reeled as fast as she could, then held up her pole, proudly displaying her flip-flopping fish. But when it splattered Jessie in the face, she let go of her pole. “Eww! Eww!”

The pole dropped, and the fish skittered and flopped around in the bottom of the boat.

“Get the fish!” someone shouted.

Justin dove forward and trapped the fish in the net.

“Whew! That made me hungry,” Justin announced, crawling back into his seat. He reached for his lunch then asked, “So, Jessie, what kind of sandwich did you use for bait?”

Jessie held it up. “Peanut butter and raisins. “But I also made a tuna sandwich. I’ll eat that one for lunch and the peanut butter one for dessert,” Jessie explained.

“Sounds good,” Justin said. “Ya think the fish would like them both? Together?”

“Yuck!” Jessie made a face. “That sounds disgusting. But you can try it.”

Jessie tore a piece from both sandwiches and gave them to Justin. He rolled them into a ball, stuck it onto his hook, and plopped it in the water.

Suddenly, Justin’s pole jerked. “Hey! I got one!”

“Wow!” said his dad. “That’s a beaut!”

“Hey, Jessie, can I have some, too?” her dad asked. Soon they were all baiting their hooks with tuna fish-peanut butter-raisin balls.

“They love this stuff!” exclaimed Justin, reeling in another fish.

“We should name it ‘Jessie’s Miracle Sandwich Bait,’” said Justin’s dad, laughing.

“And sell it at the bait shop,” added Jessie’s dad with a wink.

“I thought a miracle was something only God can do,” said Justin.

“It is,” his dad replied. “I’m just teasing. But this reminds me of Jesus’ miracle when he gave Simon that huge catch of fish after he hadn’t caught anything.”

“Well, we didn’t exactly get a boatload of fish,” said Jessie’s dad, glancing at the sky. “But those clouds look pretty dark. We don’t want to get caught in a storm like the disciples.”

“Yep, we better go,” Justin’s dad agreed. “But we all got some great catches today.”

“Yeah,” said Justin, “thanks to Jessie and her ‘Miracle Sandwich Bait.’”

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