Activities to practice sharing thoughts and feelings about the gospel using questions from Sharon Eubank’s talk from 2017 October Conference.

These activities could be used in Family Home Evening and Church lessons or as youth activities. In connection with these activities Young Women could work on Personal Progress Good Work 7 about sharing your testimony with a friend.

Being able to clearly express our ideas and feelings brings order to our thoughts. The more we put anything in order the easier it becomes to create more order in our lives. And having Order in our lives positively impacts our Wellness and Relationships.

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A discussion about motherhood – could be used in personal study or as a family home evening or class lesson for kids that are old enough to have a discussion.

As ones who have access to the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ we should have different perspective on parenting than much of the rest of the world. We can understand the role a mother and father play in God’s great plan! For now let’s discuss motherhood.

Questions to Consider:

• Why are mothers important? (Consider how motherhood fits into God’s plan.)
• How can kids, men, and women honor and protect motherhood?

Ideas for Leading this Discussion:

• Read through the resources listed (or others you know about or are inspired to read). Pick out a few paragraphs that fit points you feel are important for your family or class.
  • For a small group: Ask the group to think of answers to the two questions. Have each person read their paragraph to themselves and think about how it answers those questions. Then have everyone read their quote and share their thoughts with the group.
  • For larger groups: Split into smaller groups. Give each group one of the quotes to read together and discuss how it answers the two questions. Then have the groups share what they have discussed.
• Use three pieces of paper and label each with kids, men, and women. Ask your family or group how kids, men and women defend motherhood. Split large groups into smaller groups and give the small group one of the papers. Have them write ideas on the paper so they can share them with the rest of the group. In a family, give out the papers and have everyone think of ideas. But try giving the kid paper to dad and the mom paper to a daughter etc. It will probably be easier for someone to come up with ideas for someone else than for themselves.
• Use a children’s story book about mothers or examples of animal mothers leading babies as examples for what mothers do and why they are important.
• Ask people to share, and share your own feelings, about why motherhood is important.

Resources:

• Family Proclamation

• Defenders of the Family Proclamation by Bonnie L. Oscarson (4/2015) – this talk includes a great story about a mom who chose to talk about the skills it takes to be a mom at a career day presentation.

“Everyone, no matter what their marital circumstance or number of children, can be defenders of the Lord’s plan described in the family proclamation. If it is the Lord’s plan, it should also be our plan!” -Bonnie L. Oscarson

• Christine C. Gilbert’s Address at BYU-I

“Sisters, when you know why the Lord wants you to be a mother, you will have more courage to stand up against a society that would belittle that choice. You will also have the depth of character to develop the talents and skills needed to be an effective mother.

“To the brethren, you can learn now to support, defend, and encourage the women in your lives. Start with your own mothers and sisters by respecting and showing gratitude to them for all they do. Secondly, be considerate to the women you come in contact with each day…

“For all of us, if we don’t hold up the role of motherhood, others in the world will tear it down!” -Christine C. Gilbert (from a devotional at BYU-I)

• Ways that Kids, Men, & Women can honor and protect motherhood. (Note, this isn’t only about honoring your own mother. It’s about defending the idea of and importance of mothers. And everyone has the responsibility to do that!) There are many more ideas that could be added to this list.

• Kids – obeying, not speaking bad about mom, encouraging friends to obey and respect their moms, helping at home, giving mom hugs, doing nice things for mom, spending time with & helping grandmas.
• Men – respect women in words & actions, help kids respect women, fathers show kids he loves & respects their mother, devote time & effort & thought to own mother as well as wife, work together with wife to care for home & family, help teach own kids & others about kindness & respect & service, pray for wife & mother & daughters, express gratitude for & to women, help kids find ways to help & celebrate mom.
• Women – be kind to self & other women, do your best & be ok with that, express gratitude to other women, don’t compare, pray for guidance, develop & boldly use unique gifts you’ve been given, know why women and mothers are important to God, privately & publicly claim your role as a mother, talk to children about why mothers/being a mother is important to you.

Let kids choose a topic by tapping a picture. Then listen to the prophets speak about it. Great for kids at home or in primary!

This slide presentation has video clips from the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from October 2016. (Note: It may take a little while to load the videos. If you’re using a handheld device for this presentation you will need the Google Slides app to make it work correctly.)

Instructions:

• Press play or start presentation.
• The 2nd slide is the main slide. Each of the pictures in the speaking bubble links to a clip from a different Apostle.
• Have your children pick a picture and click on it (if you are on a mobile device you may have to click on the link under the action links. There is a guide to which image goes to which slide in the speaker notes.)
• Once you pick the link the video should automatically play. (The small picture of the Quorum of the Twelve or associated link will link back to the second slide)
• When the video is over click once and it will go to the next slide which will be blank.
• At this time you can ask people to identify which it was that just spoke.
• One click on this page will reveal the speaker’s name and picture. A second click will reveal some thoughts or questions.
• After you are done discussing the quote for as long or short as you want you can click on the small picture of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to take you back to slide 2 to pick another topic.

Ponder or discuss Alma’s reminder to follow the words of Christ (Alma 37:38-46). Combine that discussion with any of these compass activities for Family Home Evening or use the scriptures for family study one day and follow it up with a family activity later in the week.

Scriptures

In Alma 37:38-46, Alma talks to his son Helman about their forefathers’ experience with the Liahona and how that is an analogy for us in our lives.

A few questions to ask while reading and discussing these scriptures:

• What is the Liahona? What did it do? How did it work?
• Nephi’s family had this compass that miraculously guided them. That seems like such an amazing and vital tool. How could those using the Liahona forget to do what they needed to do to make it work?
• What happened when they didn’t follow the compass?
• The word “easy” is used in vs 44 and vs 46. How is the way easy? What else could easy mean? (clearly marked, explained and defined; simple and repetitive; small actions that lead to big results)
• What things are like our Liahona, to guide us back to Heavenly Father? (Holy Ghost, scriptures, commandments, Prophets, etc)
• Where did the Liahona lead Nephi’s family?
• Where will the words of Christ lead us?
• Those with the Liahona didn’t always follow it. In what ways do we follow that same pattern? What choices can we make to change that?

“[There is a] divine source of strength. It is a source often underestimated, yet it can be used daily to lighten our load and guide our precious children. That source is the guiding gift of the Holy Ghost.” – Mary R. Durham from April 2016 General Conference

Ways to Talk About “A Child’s Guiding Gift”

by Mary R. Durham from April 2016 General Conference:

(Quotes listed here are from that talk unless otherwise noted.)

• Read, tell, or watch the story at the beginning of this talk about the man who starts to sink while swimming across a lake. His wet shoes were weighing him down.
• Play or show a video of President Monson speaking (like this one), then start adding distractions (a loud song or a show playing, kids role playing an argument, etc) until they are loud enough that you can’t hear President Monson anymore. Discuss ways to make sure you don’t let the noise of the world overcome the voice of the Spirit

“We live in ‘a noisy and busy world. … If we are not careful, the things of this world can [drown] out the things of the Spirit.'” (Mary R. Durham quoting Joseph B. Wirthlin)

• Have someone hold their arms straight out. Stack books on their arms. For dramatic effect you may want to place the books on their arms one at a time. (Choose the size and amount of books depending on the person who will be doing this activity. An older child can probably hold more.) Don’t add too many they can’t hold it, but add enough that they’ll get tired quickly and need to stop. You can always add another book or two if they don’t get tired quickly enough.
  • As they are getting tired, ask the person and the group what would help them be able to hold the books longer…
    • One idea would be to take some books away (go ahead and take some away, but not all of them).
    • Another idea might be to support their arms somehow (go ahead and let them support their arms, not by bending them, but by resting them on something like someone’s shoulder or the back of a chair or by having other people support the person’s arms with their own hands).
    • Listen to other ideas that people suggest. Try them out if they would work with the message you are presenting.
  • Discuss how that support is helpful.
  • Use quotes or other ideas listed here to connect this experience to life:
    • The books are weighing him/her down. Discuss what things weigh us down every day.
    • Sometimes the Holy Ghost helps us know how to set those weights down. But we still have to hold other weights, bear other challenges, so He helps and supports us as we hold them.

“Feeling and recognizing the Spirit will bring spiritual capacity into our children’s lives, and the voice they come to know will become clearer and clearer to them. It will be as Elder Richard G. Scott said: ‘As you gain experience and success in being guided by the Spirit, your confidence in the impressions you feel can become more certain than your dependence on what you see or hear.’”

• We can increase our capacity to receive help from the Holy Ghost.
  • If you use the book experience above, you could point out that just as an older child would be able to hold more books because he/she has grown stronger, with time and effort we can also increase our capacity for receiving the Holy Ghost and knowing how to use that skill. It is something we can learn and develop and improve.
  • With young kids, discuss things that they have learned how to do (dress themselves, tie shoes, read etc). Being able to hear and recognize the Holy Ghost is something they can learn too. And the more they practice the easier it will become.
• We can make the effort to learn to recognize His voice.
  • Samuel learns to hear the voice of the Lord. (1 Samuel 3:4-10 or the summary from this talk)
  • “Sometimes…[children] don’t realize that a recurring thought, a feeling of comfort after they cry, or remembering something at just the right time are all ways that the Holy Ghost communicates [with them].”
  • Use any of the stories, scriptures and songs below as examples of how the Holy Ghost can speak to us.
  • A book like “The Holy Ghost Is Like a Blanket” by Annalisa Hall could be used to talk to kids about what the Holy Ghost might feel like to them.

To Consider

Parents, remember that we are trying to teach our children these skills so they will understand them and know how to use them on their own.

“How do we as parents increase the spiritual capacity of our little ones? How do we teach them to kick off worldly influences and trust the Spirit when we are not with them and they are alone in the deep waters of their lives?”

Here are 3 things to help us do that: “First, we can bring to our children’s attention when they are hearing and feeling the Spirit….Second, we can prepare our homes and our children to feel the still, small voice….Third, we can help our children understand how the Spirit speaks to them. “

Resources

• Scriptures
  • Mosiah 24:12-15 – The Lord lifts the burdens of a righteous people in bondage.
  • 3 Nephi 27:20 – The Holy Ghost sanctifies and cleanses us.
  • Moroni 10:4-7 – By the power of the Holy Ghost you may know the truth of all things.
  • John 14:26 – The comforter will teach all things and bring all things to your remembrance.
  • D&C 9:8-9 – Study out a decision in your mind and go to the Lord for confirmation. If it is right, you will have a warm feeling and know it is right.
• Songs
  • The Holy Ghost – Children’s Songbook, 105
  • The Still Small Voice – Children’s Songbook, 106
  • Let the Holy Spirit Guide – Hymns, 143
  • I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus – Children’s Songbook, 78
• Articles & Stories
  • Yichen prayed when she was scared. The Holy Ghost removed the fear from her mind. “I Felt the Holy Ghost” by Yichen, Age 6, Taiwan in the Friend, June 2014.
  • A young girl and her friend find a wallet on the sidewalk. Instead of returning it they spend some of the money. The Holy Ghost helps the girl do the right thing by sending feelings of guilt and sorrow. “Lost and Found” by Shyrl L. Sevey in the Friend, July 1995.
  • As a young boy, Elder Cardon feels the Holy Ghost with overwhelming emotion. “The Holy Ghost is Real” by Elder Craig A. Cardon in the Friend, December 2007.
  • Melissa gets baptised and realizes that the Holy Ghost can help her do better in school. “My Companion” by S. Melissa Ochsenhirt in the Friend, May 2006.
  • A young woman feels the prompting of the Holy Ghost in a recurring thought/idea. “What if I don’t Feel a Burning in the Bosom?” by Rachel Nielsen in the New Era, June 2014.
  • Elder Clark’s Mission President felt the Holy Ghost to send him to another area at the end of his mission. He just felt the decision was right. Elder Clark was needed to help a mother find her daughter. “Becoming What You Want to Be” by Elder Don R. Clarke in the New Era, January 2011.
  • Renee heard the Holy Ghost speak, “Stop!” She listened and was kept safe from a falling snow pile. “Stop!” by Barbara J. Jones in the Friend, February 1998.
• The footnotes of the talk reference several other articles. Check those out for more information and inspiration.

As always, TAKE & TWEAK these ideas to fit your needs.

“May we choose to build up within ourselves a great and powerful faith which will be our most effective defense against the designs of the adversary—a real faith, the kind of faith which will sustain us and will bolster our desire to choose the right. Without such faith, we go nowhere. With it, we can accomplish our goals.” -Thomas S. Monson (“Choices” from April 2016 General Conference)

Ways to Talk About it

Look at these ideas to see which ones would work for your family. Depending on your group use one idea or a few together and of course add your own ideas too.

• Share and discuss the quote from President Monson. (Read it, watch the clip from his talk, or show the meme.)
• Set out blocks or recyclables (cereal, tissue and other boxes) and let everyone build a tower as tall as possible. Talk about how building faith is like building a tower, you build it a piece at a time or line upon line.
• Discuss what things (pieces) help build our faith.
  • For older kids: Have everyone look up scriptures about faith. See what you find out about building faith and what blessings come from having faith. This is a great chance to help kids learn to share what they learn from the scriptures. You could give everyone a scripture to look up or even better have them search for scriptures about faith. Help them learn how to find things in the scriptures by using the topical guide and search features.
  • For younger kids: Come up with a few scriptures about faith or a few things that help us build faith. (Praying, Reading Scriptures, Keeping Commandments, Going to Church, Family Home Evening, etc.) Write the words or scripture references on small pieces of paper and attach them to blocks. Hide the blocks around the room beforehand. When the kids find the blocks look up the scriptures and discuss how those things can help make our faith tall and great like the tower. Use the blocks to build a tower.
  • Other people who have faith and who care about us can help us build our faith. To discuss this point, read or tell the story from General Conference about Elder Stanfill needing more light while riding bikes through a long tunnel. Just as he needed the light of his friends to help him through the tunnel, the light, or faith, of those around us (family, friends, ward family) can strengthen our faith. Talk about how the faith of others can help us on a daily basis? How can it help us when our own faith doesn’t seem strong enough? You could also discuss the opposite of this, how somepeople test and drain our faith.

“Those who truly love us can help us build our faith.” -Elder Stanfill, October 2015 General Conference

• Read Helaman 5:12 and discuss how to build our foundation (our faith in Christ) or discuss the protection we receive when we have the foundation mentioned in the scripture.
• Have a nerf gun fight (or it could be a pillow fight, water balloon fight, or even a sock ball fight while folding laundry). Make comments about everyone’s efforts to defend themselves. Afterward (now or a different day) discuss those defense strategies. Relate it to President Monson’s quote and discuss how faith protects us and what it protects us from.
• Plant flowers or a garden. Discuss the needs of plants (water, sun, soil, weeding, patience).  Discuss how nourishing faith and testimony is similar to caring for a garden. (This could be used as a goal or project for older primary children or youth.) 
• Choose a goal or read scriptures from the Faith section in the Personal Progress book. Everyone could set a goal to increase faith, not just young women.

Resources

• Scriptures
  • JST, James 2:15 – show faith through works
  • Moroni 10:20 – faith, hope, and charity
  • Ether 12:6 – things hoped for and not seen (Faith is trusting God)
  • 1 Nephi 3:7 – believing that God prepares a way for us
  • Alma 32:28-36 – when talking about Alma’s experiment remember that the seed represents Christ. That means at any given time the seed could represent any principle of the gospel of which someone wants to increase their testimony. Faith is like the soil used to nourish the seed. And as we nourish the seed (study and learn about the principle and show faith by practicing the principle), our testimony of it will grow little by little, line upon line.
  • 2 Nephi 28:30 – line upon line
• Songs
  • Faith (Children’s Songbook, 96) – Faith grows through obedience.
  • I’ll Follow Him in Faith
  • How Firm a Foundation (Hymns, 85)

Related Ideas

• Build on this lesson by preparing a lesson about The Faith of Joseph Smith for next week. (It could fulfill the requirement in Faith in God, 2nd bullet point, for older primary children).

As always, TAKE & TWEAK these ideas to fit your needs.