Mormon Life - FHE

FHE: Commandments

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "It is my prayer that each day will find us striving to be more obedient to the laws, ordinances, and commandments of the gospel of Jesus Christ in order that He may more fully bless our lives." - Bruce Carlson Conference Talk: For more information on this topic read "When the Lord Commands," by Bruce A. Carlson, Ensign, May 2010, 38-40.

Thought: It is my prayer that each day will find us striving to be more obedient to the laws, ordinances, and commandments of the gospel of Jesus Christ in order that He may more fully bless our lives.

(Bruce A. Carlson, "When the Lord Commands," Ensign, May 2010, 38-40.)

Song: "Keep the Commandments," Children's Songbook, p. 146.

Scripture: And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated. (Doctrine and Covenants 130:21)

Lesson: Have everyone read the scripture (above) aloud together. Ask: What does this scripture tell us?

Tell the family that Heavenly Father has made promises through the scriptures and his prophets that if we are obedient and obey his commandments he will bless us.

Point to the lists below (and place them side by side). Tell them that you will read a blessing and they must choose the commandment that best goes with it. Draw a line between the commandment and the blessing.

Commandment

Tithing
Sabbath Day
Word of Wisdom
Fasting
Book of Mormon
Baptism
The Sacrament

Blessing

A. Helps us remember our baptismal covenants. When we do this, we should think about how much Jesus loves us. B. Helps us become more humble and receptive to the Spirit. C. Windows of heaven are opened and blessings are poured out. D. Takes away our sins. This is necessary for all people to have dome before they can become members in Christ's church. E. President Benson said that reading this brings peace to our lives. F. Can help us have a healthier body. G. Helps us feel spiritually new as we remember the Savior and his sacrifice for us.

(Beth Lefgren and Jennifer Jackson, Sharing Time, Family Time, Anytime, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1992], p. 53.)

Story: (Patriarch Eldred G. Smith)

I am often reminded of an experience that I had while on a mission in Germany. Once a month we went to the little town of Uelzen, which was a self-sustaining branch. We went there to get their reports and to help them as we could. My companion was assigned to the branch the same time I was, so this first visit to Uelzen was a new experience for both of us.

We took our seats in the first meeting we attended in the front of the hall. The branch president announced that the meeting would be started by the choir singing such and such a song. I looked about and found no choir up in front, but before I could ask any questions or discover an answer to the problem in my mind as to where the choir was coming from, my companion and I found ourselves the only ones sitting in the audience. The entire congregation, except for my companion and I, had gone up to the front and sang as a choir. It is no wonder we have Saints who can come here and produce a chorus such as we had yesterday.

I found from the reports that they not only all sang together, but they worked together. I found that there was 100 percent membership of the branch paying 100 percent tithing - and that was not just the month that I went there on that one visit, but that was the report I got all the time I was there. Attendance in their meetings was the same. They worked together in everything they did. I discovered also that there were two women in the branch at that time whose husbands had gone to America, and that the branch had agreed together, before these two men left, that they would all work together. They would keep the commandments of the Lord to the best of their ability; they would do all that was required of them without excuse; nothing would stop them from fulfilling the responsibilities given to them. Those who remained in the branch would see to it that the wives of these two men were taken care of, that they would not be in need.

The two men who left for America agreed that they would do likewise in living the commandments of the Lord, and that they would find jobs and work hard and save their money and send for their wives as soon as possible. It was not long until I was transferred from that section of Germany, and then soon after, I was released to come home.

Some twenty years later, after I became the Patriarch to the Church, I had an appointment to give a blessing to a young girl. When she arrived, her mother was with her. I found that the mother was one of those two sisters whose husbands had left Uelzen when I was over there. I had a long talk with this sister and her daughter. The daughter, of course, had grown up from a small child, and her mother told me this story: that one by one, or two at a time, as occasion came, different members of the branch would have the opportunity of leaving and coming to America, until finally, before World War II broke out, there was not one member of the Church left in that branch in Uelzen. They had all come to America safely before the war broke out.

Then she told me also that in the end of the war, when the American soldiers invaded that section of Germany, for some reason unknown to her, the German soldiers set up a resistance in Uelzen which resulted in a four-day battle. The bombings and general destruction were such that there was not a house left in the section where most of the Saints had lived, yet there was not a member of the Church left in Uelzen - a result and reward of unity, working together to keep the commandments of the Lord.

This is a challenge to us, brothers and sisters, that we might do as they did in Uelzen - that we might live the commandments of the Lord as they did.

(Leon R. Hartshorn, Outstanding Stories by General Authorities, vol. 2, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1971], p. 231.)

Activity: Divide the family into two teams and give each team a piece of paper. Tell them to number from one to ten on their paper. Ask each group to work together and list, in order, as many of the ten commandments as they can. Turn to Exodus 20:1-17 and correct each group's answers.

(Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The Old Testament, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2009], p. 44.)

Refreshment Fresh Fruit Platter with Fruit Dip Celebrate the tastes of summer.

1 head romaine lettuce
1 small cantaloupe
1 small honeydew melon
1 fresh pineapple
1 pint basket strawberries
8 red grape clusters

Wash and separate romaine lettuce leaves and place on eight serving plates or 1 large platter. Cut cantaloupe and honeydew melons in half. Remove seeds and cut each melon into eight wedges. Remove peel. Cut pineapple into eight wedges. Remove skin. Arrange all fruit on top of lettuce leaves.

Serve with Fresh Fruit Dip. Makes 8 servings.

Fresh Fruit Dip

1 cup sour cream
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Stir together and serve with fresh fruit.

(Julie Badger Jensen, Essential Mormon Celebrations, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2005], p. 82.)

Click here to download the PDF version of this lesson.

FHE: Diligence

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com

Conference Talk: For more information on this topic read "Act in All Diligence," by Henry B. Eyring, Ensign, May 2010, 60-63.

Thought: We are to learn our duty from the Lord, and then we are to act in all diligence, never being lazy or slothful.

(Henry B. Eyring, "Act in All Diligence," Ensign, May 2010, 60-63.)

Song: "I Will Be Valiant," Children's Songbook, p. 162

Scripture: But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Joshua 22:5)

Lesson: If possible, find a picture of a sloth and show it to your family.

Share the following story from A. Theodore Tuttle, a former member of the First Quorum of Seventy:

"One day in South America we had the interesting experience of seeing in a hot jungle area a small brownish gray animal hanging upside down in a tree. It had rather long front paws and short back legs. Its movements were so slow that it was hard to know whether it was alive or dead. We were told that it was a sloth. I was intrigued because reference to the sloth appears in scripture."

"The Lord used it [the word] with disdain, referring to those who were slow to act. . . . The word sloth or slothfulness appears in scripture twenty-five times, generally to condemn those who were slow to act. As we watched that sloth hanging in the tree, it reached out ever so slowly to pull off a leaf, then slower still brought it back and put it into its mouth. As we watched it we could understand the Savior's reference to the sloth and slothfulness of a person who is slow to act, who is slothful." (Ensign, May 1978, 87-88.)

Invite your family to read and mark D&C 107:99–100. Ask:

Where can a person go to learn his or her duty?
Why is it important to be diligent in our responsibilities?
What will happen if we don’t learn our duties and perform them with diligence?

(Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The Doctrine and Covenants, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2004], pp. 120, 240.)

Story: I have seen many shepherds who feed their flocks. One was the president of a deacons quorum. One of his quorum members lived near my home. That neighbor boy had never attended a quorum meeting nor done anything with the members of his quorum. His stepfather was not a member, and his mother did not attend church.

The presidency of his deacons quorum met in council one Sunday morning. Each week they were fed the good word of God by the fine adviser and teacher. In their presidency meeting, those 13-year-old shepherds remembered the boy who never came. They talked about how much he needed what they received. The president assigned his counselor to go after that wandering sheep.

I knew the counselor, and I knew he was shy, and I knew the difficulty of the assignment, so I watched with wonder through my front window as the counselor trudged by my house, going up the road to the home of the boy who never came to church. The shepherd had his hands in his pockets. His eyes were on the ground. He walked slowly, the way you would if you weren't sure you wanted to get where you were headed. In 20 minutes or so, he came back down the road with the lost deacon walking by his side. That scene was repeated for a few more Sundays. Then the boy who had been lost and was found moved away.

Now, that story seems unremarkable. It was just three boys sitting in a room around a small table. Then it was a boy walking up a road and coming back with another boy. But years later, I was in a stake conference, a continent away from the room in which that presidency had met in council. A grayhaired man came up to me and said quietly, "My grandson lived in your ward years ago." With tenderness, he told me of that boy's life. And then he asked if I could find that deacon who walked slowly up that road. And he wondered if I could thank him and tell him that his grandson, now grown to be a man, still remembered.

(Henry B. Eyring, Ensign, May 2001, 38–39.)

Activity: In the dark, have everyone hide except for one person who has a flashlight. When everyone has had time to hide, the person with the flashlight goes out to search. When the person with the flashlight finds someone and can see him well enough to call out his name, the two trade places. The person who was found takes the flashlight and the former searcher hides.

(George and Jeane Chipman, Games! Games! Games!, [Salt Lake City: Shadow Mountain, 1983], p. 116.)

Refreshment Snowballs

Vanilla ice cream
Toasted coconut or chopped pecans
Chocolate, caramel, or other favorite topping
Maraschino cherries

Scoop ice cream with large ice cream scoop into desired size balls. Make balls as rounded and smooth as possible. Drop ice cream balls into bowl of chopped pecans or toasted coconut and roll around until well coated. Place on cookie sheet that has been lined with wax paper or plastic wrap. Make an indentation on the top of each snowball with your thumb. (This is to put the maraschino cherry in before serving.) Place pan in freezer until time to serve. At serving time, place snowballs in individual serving bowls. Pour a small amount of chocolate, caramel, or other favorite topping on top of snowball and top with a stemmed maraschino cherry. To toast coconut: Place desired amount of coconut on a cookie sheet and put in the oven at 350° F for 3 to 5 minutes or until light golden brown. Coconut will continue to brown a little after you remove it from the oven.

Note: Snowballs can be made up to one week ahead, if they are well covered after they are frozen solid.

(Lion House Desserts, [Salt Lake City: Eagle Gate, 2000], p. 58.)

FHE: Perspective

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: The gospel gives us the perspective we need to emphasize those things which are truly important. Conference Talk: For more information on this topic read "All Things Work Together for Good," by James B. Martino, Ensign, May 2010, 101-3.

Thought: Now, I realize that it is much easier to look back when a trial is over and see what we have learned from our experience, but the challenge is to gain that eternal perspective while we are going through our tests.

(James B. Martino, "All Things Work Together for Good," Ensign, May 2010, 101-3.)

Song: "I Know My Father Lives," Children's Songbook, p.5.

Scripture: For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility. (2 Nephi 2:11)

Object Lesson: Materials needed: A yellow highligher pen, a marked book.

Procedure: Show the pen to the class and a page from the book that has been marked.

Explain that you use the marker to emphasize important passages. This helps you to recognize essential points when you review for a test. In our everyday lives, many things demand our time and attention. The gospel gives us the perspective we need to emphasize those things which are truly important. If we use the gospel to set priorities, we will be able to pass the "test" of this mortal existence.

(Alma Heaton, Tools for Teaching, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1979], p. 35.)

Story: Mom wasn't a great typist, but she was better at it than I was. She had to be. She was a receptionist/assistant/mother hen for a local obstetrician. Typing was just one of the many services she offered, along with scheduling appointments, rejoicing with those who had reason to rejoice (and comforting those who did not), and taping cartoons (most of them lampooning doctors) on the ceiling above the examining table so patients had something to occupy their minds while the doctor was . . . you know . . . doctoring.

I, on the other hand, was a high school sophomore who typed like a mother hen searching for grub worms: hunt and peck. Hunt and peck. Hunt and . . . oops!

Where's the White-out?

So I assumed Mom would see the wisdom of my plan as clearly as I could.

"You want me to WHAT?" she asked when I mentioned it one evening after dinner.

"Type up my debate cards," I said, only a tad less confidently than I said it the first time.

"So you're basically asking me to do your homework for you?"

"No - not at all," I assured her. "I'll do all the research. I'll find the quotes and I'll organize them. I just need you to . . . you know . . . type them."

The more I said it the better I liked it.

"And how many of these cards will there be?" she wanted to know.

"Oh, just a few dozen this year," I said. "But Mr. B says that if we do well and make the debate team next year we'll be typing hundreds and hundreds of cards." I hesitated then added: "Won't that be great? Think of all the time we'll get to spend together!"

Mom smiled. "It sounds like you need to learn to type," she said. "And these debate cards are going to provide you with a wonderful opportunity to learn!"

Which is when Mom introduced me to the Green Monster, an avocado-colored typewriter that was just a step above pounding out letters with a hammer and chisel. A very small step.

The Green Monster was a portable typewriter, as long as your definition of the word portable includes "something that can only be moved from place to place by two linebackers and an intricate system of winches and pulleys." And it was a manual typewriter, which meant you had to push each letter key hard enough that this long arm would come out and strike the paper through black tape. The only thing missing was a little prehistoric bird perched on the end to squawk "Ding!" when you reached the end of a row - otherwise it was positively Flintstonian.

To be honest, I was pretty hurt that Mom wouldn't type my debate cards for me. Other moms were doing it for their kids. Why wouldn't my mother do this one small thing for me?

"You can do this," Mom would calmly say every time I whined about how hard it was to push the keys on the Green Monster. "Before long you'll be the fastest typist in the class."

That didn't happen. But by the time I got to college I was pretty darn fast, especially on my friend's cool IBM Selectric typewriter (he was still hunting and pecking his way through college English - evidently his mother had typed his debate cards for him, if you can believe it). Eventually I stumbled into a career path that requires me to type - a lot - and I live in a computerized world in which typing . . . er, keyboarding isn't just a handy skill - it's a matter of survival.

Now, I'm not saying Mom foresaw all of that when she refused to type my debate cards. Mostly, she wasn't willing to do something for me that I could do for myself. But in saying "no" to one small thing in high school, she actually said "yes" to a lot of big things in my life.

Whether or not I became a great typist.

(Joseph Walker, Look What Love Has Done, [Salt Lake City: Shadow Mountain, 2007], p. 28.)

Activity: Have two family members link arms, back-to-back. They must run across the room and back (one person runs forward for the first leg, but then needs to run backwards as they return). Give everyone a chance to run a few times. Discuss the different perspectives of going forwards and backwards.

Refreshment Fruit Dip

1 8-ounce tub strawberry or pineapple soft-style cream cheese
1 7-ounce jar marshmallow cream
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a mixer bowl, beat together cream cheese, marshmallow cream, orange juice, and lemon juice. Beat until smooth. Refrigerate before serving. Serve with fresh fruit. Makes about 2 cups.

(Lion House Entertaining, [Salt Lake City: Eagle Gate, 2002], p. 25.)

Click here to download the PDF version of this lesson.

FHE: Priesthood Blessings

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "In these times of worldwide turmoil, more and more persons of faith are turning to the Lord for blessings of comfort and healing. We have this priesthood power, and we should all be prepared to use it properly." - Dallin H. Oaks Conference Talk: For more information on this topic read "Healing the Sick," by Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, May 2010, 47-50.

Thought: In these times of worldwide turmoil, more and more persons of faith are turning to the Lord for blessings of comfort and healing. We have this priesthood power, and we should all be prepared to use it properly.

(Dallin H. Oaks, "Healing the Sick," Ensign, May 2010, 47-50.)

Song: "The Priesthood of Our Lord" Hymns, #320.

Scripture: They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. (Mark 16:18)

Object Lesson: Show your family a tool (such as a hammer or wrench). Ask what it is used for. Explain that using the tool makes it much easier to drive a nail or tighten a nut.

Tell them that priesthood blessings are a tool for healing the sick. In combination with faith, the priesthood of God gives power to priesthood holders as they give blessings. The sick are healed, the lame walk, and evil spirits are cast out.

Story: Shortly after my call to the Council of the Twelve, one of my assignments was to direct missionary labors in the missions of the West Coast of North America.

I held a meeting one day in San Mateo, California, and as I listened to the testimonies of the missionaries, I noted that one elder had a terribly scarred face. The mission president, Howard Allen, advised me that Elder Nichols had been thrown through the windshield of his automobile in a terrible accident just a few months earlier. He then pointed out that Elder Nichols' parents were nonmembers and were threatening to sue the Church due to the injury. Doctors had despaired of the boy ever again regaining a pleasing appearance and felt that plastic surgery could do but little in his particular case.

I felt the strong impression to give to Elder Nichols a blessing. President Allen and I took him aside and gave him such a blessing. The spirit was surely present.

In the fall of 1969 my wife, Frances, and I were looking at carpeting in a store in Salt Lake City. The young man handling the carpet came forward and asked if I remembered him. I told him that he looked vaguely familiar, but that I couldn't quite place his name. He then stepped over and sat behind a lamp so that the light of the lamp cast its brilliance upon his face. He said, "Look closely at my face and then see if you can remember."

As I examined his face, I noted thin, scarcely discernable scars running across his nose, forehead, and cheeks. It was then that I realized this was Elder Nichols, the horribly scarred boy who had received a blessing in San Mateo while serving as a missionary in the Northern California Mission.

When I identified him, he smilingly said, "Brother Monson, even the plastic surgeons have called my case a miracle. I told them it was the intervention of Divine Providence through a priesthood blessing coupled with faith."

Elder Nichols was among the most handsome of young men.

(Thomas S. Monson, Inspiring Experiences That Build Faith, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1994], p. 126)

Activity: Give each person a paper and pencil. Place a variety of household tools in a box. Have one family member take one of the tools out of the box without the rest of the family seeing what the tool is.

Instruct the others that they should guess what the tool is. Each person may ask one question that can be answered "yes" or "no." They cannot ask directly if it is a certain tool. For example, they can't say, "Is it a hammer?"

After everyone has asked his question, have each write on his piece of paper what he thinks the tool is. When this has been done, have the person show the tool. Next have each person tell one thing the tool can be used for. Begin with the person who had the tool.

The next person takes a new tool out of the box. Be sure the other players don't see it and repeat the game. At the conclusion of the game, see who guessed the most tools correctly.

(adapted from Allan K. Burgess and Max H. Molgard, Fun For Family Night: New Testament Edition, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1995], 105.)

Refreshment Layered Cookies

1/4 pound butter or margarine
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup coconut
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup nuts
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Melt butter in 9x13-inch pan. Sprinkle remaining ingredients over butter, in layers. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Immediately after removing from oven, cut cookies away from sides of pan. Cut in squares while still warm.

(Lion House Classics, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2004], p. 108.)

Click here to download the PDF version of this lesson.

FHE: Family History

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "Our inborn yearnings for family connections are fulfilled when we are linked to our ancestors through sacred ordinances of the temple." -Russell M. Nelson Conference Talk: For more information on this topic read "Generations Linked in Love," by Russell M. Nelson, Ensign, May 2010, 91-94.

Thought: Our inborn yearnings for family connections are fulfilled when we are linked to our ancestors through sacred ordinances of the temple.

(Russell M. Nelson, "Generations Linked in Love," Ensign, May 2010, 91-94.)

Song: "Family History," Children's Songbook, p. 94.

Scripture: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. (Malachi 4:6)

Lesson: Display some of your family's journals and ask:

Why are journals important?
Do you think your journal will be more or less valuable ten years from now? Why?
How valuable do you think your journal will be to your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren?

Ask family members to read JS-H 1:1-2. Ask:

What reasons did Joseph Smith give for writing the history of the Church?
When did the writing of the history begin?
Why are you grateful that Joseph recorded his history?

(Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The Doctrine and Covenants, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2004], p. 317.)

Story: My father had sent a telegram saying he would meet me in New Zealand at the conclusion of my mission.

I arrived in New Zealand and took a taxi to the mission home. It was winter in the southern hemisphere, and I was very cold. However, meeting my father was such a warm experience that the cold didn't seem to bother. Dad's grandparents were converted and baptized in Christchurch, New Zealand, and immigrated to the United States in the 1870s. They were the only members of their family to join the Church, so we still had lots of relatives in New Zealand.

It was fun looking up and visiting family members, none of whom were yet members of the Church. We had some great discussions and gathered a lot of genealogical and family history information. We visited some cemeteries and made arrangements for more appropriate headstones and had many wonderful and heartwarming experiences. There is a special feeling about visiting graves of ancestors in distant lands. You feel a kinship or linkage that is hard to express.

(John H. Groberg, In the Eye of the Storm, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1993].)

Activity: Give your family a writing assignment to record in their journals the events leading to their conversion, or a spiritual experience from their life.

(Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The Doctrine and Covenants, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2004], p. 317.)

Refreshment Mini-Cheesecakes Top these little treats with cherries.

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
18 vanilla wafers
1 (21-ounce) can cherry pie filling

In a large bowl beat together cream cheese, eggs, vanilla, sugar, and lemon juice. Put 18 paper baking cups into muffin tins. Place 1 vanilla wafer in bottom of each cup. Pour batter into muffin tins. Bake at 350° F. for 12 to 15 minutes. When cool, top with cherry pie filling. Makes 18 mini-cheesecakes.

(Julie Badger Jensen, Essential Mormon Cookbook, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2004] p. 120.)

Click here to download the PDF version of this lesson.

FHE: Divine Nature

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "Remember who you are! You are elect. You are [children] of God." -Elaine S. Dalton Conference Talk: For more information on this topic read "Remember Who You Are!," by Elaine S. Dalton, Ensign, May 2010, 120-23.

Thought: Remember who you are! You are elect. You are [children] of God.

(Elaine S. Dalton, "Remember Who You Are!," Ensign, May 2010, 120-23.)

Song: "I Am Like a Star," Children's Songbook, p. 163

Scripture: I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. (Psalms 82:6)

Object Lesson: Materials Needed: One apple and a knife.

Procedure: Cut the apple in half widthwise, and show the inner part. Tell the class that every apple has a similar five-sided star inside that holds seeds. No matter what the condition of the apple is (withered, bruised, or ready for picking) the star and its seeds are still inside.

Explain that we are like the apple. Each of us has the potential (seed) of becoming like Heavenly Father. No matter what happens to us, we still have the seeds of a divine nature and the potential of godhood.

(Beth Lefgren and Jennifer Jackson, Power Tools for Teaching, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988], p. 19.)

Story: Late one afternoon in the San Jose, California, airport, people were milling around, waiting for the luggage to appear on the carousel, with few seats available for waiting. The usual airport noises added to the restlessness of the impatient travelers. A group of strangers, we were each interested in our own destinations.

Against the wall near the outside door, an elderly woman sat hunched over on one of the few benches in the waiting room, a couple of boxes tied with string tucked next to her feet. I moved over near her and watched. She seemed not to notice me. She wrung her frail hands, spotted with age, over and over again, while deep lines furrowed her face. Many people walked by with little notice as she kept a steady watch on the outside door.

Taking a few steps closer, I asked, "Could I be of any help to you?" She looked up, startled, then said, "I'm supposed to meet my daughter out in front. She said she would come and pick me up, but I don't know where to go, and I can't carry my things."

Together we got through the big door with her packages and found a bench near the area where people were being picked up. I wondered how long she had been waiting, and if her daughter knew how frightened and unsure her mother was in this unfamiliar place. Might better arrangements have been made for this elderly woman who seemed so alone, frightened, and unsure? The anxious traveler slowly sat down once again and pulled her packages close to her. Looking up through her wire-rimmed glasses, she asked, "Who are you anyway? You must be somebody."

I told her my name and then asked this stranger bent with age and the care of years, "Who are you?" "Oh, I'm nobody," she said. Nobody? I thought. You're somebody's mother and you're . . . At that moment a car pulled up, and a middle-aged woman in fine clothes got out of the driver's seat and hurried toward the elderly woman. "That's her. That's my daughter," the mother told me. . . .

Since that day in San Jose, I hear ringing in my ears a tired voice, saying, "Oh, I'm nobody." Just how many nobodies are there in this world? And how many somebodies? And how do you tell the difference?

In London, England, on a beautiful day in April, that question popped into my mind again. We arrived at Heathrow Airport and took a taxi to our hotel by way of Buckingham Palace. It was three o'clock in the afternoon, and large numbers of people were moving toward the palace. As we rode down the street opposite the palace entrance, we saw uniformed policemen mounted on beautiful black horses. Lines of school children in navy uniforms with brass buttons, looking as official in their uniforms as the officers of the law, were carrying beautiful bouquets of bright yellow daffodils. "Surely this is not a regular occurrence," I said, and the taxi driver informed me that it was a celebration for Queen Elizabeth's birthday. The celebration was to begin at four o'clock, when the children would gather in front of the great palace and begin singing. Fifteen minutes later the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II, would appear on the balcony and everyone could participate in this historic event by singing happy birthday to her.

You can be sure that at four o'clock, I was at Buckingham Palace. I looked around at the people - young and old, poor and well-to-do. I watched as they stood with eyes riveted on the balcony, which was decorated with red, white, and blue bunting. At four o'clock the children began to sing. Fifteen minutes later a hush fell over the crowd. The balcony doors opened, and out stepped six uniformed buglers in fancy attire. They raised their instruments, with long banners hanging from each horn, and played a stirring fanfare. Then the people in the courtyard cheered as the queen came into view. She was dressed in a bright yellow suit, and as if by signal, the children waved their bright yellow daffodils and sang the special birthday song. The queen waved to the people, many of whom had tears in their eyes. There stood the Queen of England, a real somebody surrounded by her subjects, her kingdom, and her empire.

I supposed no one had ever asked Queen Elizabeth, "Who are you?" If they had done so, everyone could answer, "She is the Queen of England." No more would need to be said.

Is it power and authority, popularity, prestige, and position that makes one a somebody? My mind raced by from the Buckingham Palace in London to the airport in San Jose, from the Queen of England to the elderly woman who told me, "Oh, I'm nobody."

I wanted to tell the old woman in San Jose that she could become a queen. I wanted to tell her about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I wanted to tell the Queen of England that she too could become a queen - not just the Queen of England, but a queen forever in God's kingdom.

As I watched the crowds of people at the Queen's birthday, I wished I could stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace and shout to every young woman within the sound of my voice, "You are a somebody!" I wish that I could talk to every young woman personally. I would say, "You are a daughter of a Heavenly Father who loves you and who has an eternal plan for you that is centered in Jesus Christ your Savior." I would tell her that she has a divine nature and has inherited divine qualities. I would ask every young woman in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to ask everyone she meets if they have heard, and, if not, to shout it loud and clear: No one is a nobody! Everyone is a somebody in our Heavenly Father's kingdom! We are all daughters of God.

(Ardeth Greene Kapp, I Walk by Faith, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1987].)

Activity: Have family members take turns pretending to be a famous person. The rest of the family pretends to be a writer who is interviewing them for a magazine. Ask questions such as:

How would you describe yourself? What do you think makes you special and unique?
Think back on your life. Tell about three of your favorite experiences.
What kinds of things do you like and dislike? What is your favorite way to spend time? What do you like to avoid doing if possible?
What are your daydreams? If you could spend a summer vacation doing anything you wanted in any part of the world, what would you do?
What do you like best about being you?
When you leave this earth, what do you want people to remember about you?

(adapted from Candace Smith, The Sunday Activity Book, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1983], p. 52.)

Refreshment A Bunch of Crunch

1 package (any size) cornflakes
1 package (any size) oven-toasted rice cereal
2 cups flaked coconut
1 lb. (4 cups) salted peanuts
2 cups sugar
2 cups white corn syrup
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large bowl mix together cereals, coconut and peanuts. In medium saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup and milk; cook and stir until mixture reaches soft ball stage, washing down sides of pan. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal mixture; stir until entirely coated. Turn out onto counter top; separate into pieces to cool. Store in a cool dry place.

(Winifred Jardine, Mormon Country Cooking, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1980] p. 302.)

FHE: Patience

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "Patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!" -Dieter F. Uchtdorf Conference Talk: For more information on this topic read "Continue in Patience," by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Ensign, May 2010, 56-59.

Thought: Patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!

(Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Continue in Patience," Ensign, May 2010, 56-59.)

Song: "Pioneer Children Sang as they Walked," Children's Songbook, p. 214.

Scripture: For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. (Mosiah 3:19)

Lesson: Ask your family members if they have ever heard the phrases "hold your horses" or "keep your shirt on." Ask, What quality is being requested by those phrases? (Patience.)

Have family members read Romans 5:1-5 and look for what Paul taught about patience.

Ask:

How can we have "peace with God"?
What did Paul say helps us learn patience?
Whom should we learn to rely on when faced with tribulation?
What blessing comes to us through the Holy Ghost?

Read the following by Elder Neal A. Maxwell: "Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually, when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best - better than does God. Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than his. Either way we are questioning the reality of God’s omniscience [knowledge]." (Ensign, Oct. 1980, 28.)

Ask:

How can we show our faith in Heavenly Father?
Why is it important to recognize that God knows what is best for us?
How might this knowledge help us get through trials?

Testify to your family that patience is one way we come to be more Christlike. Remind your family that patience gives us the hope that Christ's Atonement will save us.

(Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The New Testament, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2006], p. 183.)

Story: Louise Lake

One afternoon following the start of physical therapy treatment, I was resting in bed. As the sky darkened, there was a warm heavy spring rain. That day, defying the drench of the downpour, a robin came and stood for a moment or two outside my window ledge. The amazing thing was that he was singing his song while the water pelted on him. My eyes drank in this sight. It was like a gift, a new promise of life to me. The rain and darkened skies no longer made it a dreary day.

In those hospital days I saw, as well as was the recipient of, considerate attention, patience, and forbearance. This place became my home. I like to think that nurses, doctors, and other patients felt the same way. . .

One afternoon a pretty brunette nurse said she was planning marriage following her graduation. I asked about her wedding plans. In those days hats were a "must" in fashion, a kind of special frosting for any wedding. I at once took a leap in the light.

"Could I make your 'going-away' wedding hat?" I asked.

She hesitated. I knew she was wondering (1) what will it look like? and (2) where can you find the needed muscle power in your fingers and hands?

Quickly I assured her (I was also assuring myself) that in my pre-paralysis years I had attended millinery classes while living in Portland, Oregon. Techniques in making beautiful hats, as well as the styles in high fashion, were part of my stock in trade.

She breathed with relief and said, "I would love that."

Knowing her bridal colors, we combed the yellow pages of the telephone directory for a wholesale millinery outlet. Then I clumsily wrote out a list of materials and she set out to buy them.

Soon I was surrounded with needles, thread, buckram, trimmings, and all the other sewing sprawl. It was good that there were several weeks before the appointed day.

The adventure of hat making began. I struggled with the needle to make the stitches neat and strong. The weakness of my fingers and hands was more in focus. Though it was an exhausting task, the chapeau began to take form. I tired quickly and therefore rested frequently. None of us had realized what solid therapy this self-induced pressure would bring. Then one day it dawned on me that the muscles in my fingers and hands were definitely gaining strength and they could get stronger still!

It was President Heber J. Grant, that great master spirit in the building of the Church, who so beautifully taught this truth from Ralph Waldo Emerson: "That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do; not that the nature of the thing itself has changed, but that our power to do is increased."

When the hat, which was by now a hospital conversation piece, was completed, there was wild enthusiasm among the nurses. A line on the right had formed, as each girl took her turn to have a favorite hat made. It took unlimited patience, but the working hours passed quickly. At times the room looked like the backroom of a millinery shop, and three large dresser drawers were full of hat supplies. The nurses and I kept it a secret that I was working for them. The doors would quickly open and close and a nurse would remove her white cap to try on her hat before the mirror. Whenever a supervisor or someone from the administration chanced to be around, the girl would scamper out of there like a chaff in the wind.

During the remainder of the time in the hospital I made fifteen hats. The girls looked tre chic! And the energy investment had paid off for me - not in dollars, for I naturally wouldn't accept money, but in the development of human resources. I was incredibly enriched. I hope many of those nurses have become happy grandmothers by now.

(Leon R. Hartshorn, Remarkable Stories from the Lives of Latter-day Saint Women, vol. 1, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1973].)

Activity: Instruct the family that on the word go you are going to start measuring one minute by the clock. They should also try to measure one minute, but without the clock. (Hint: While the time is running, talk to the family and ask them questions. It will make it hard for them to count in their heads when they have to think about what you are saying.)

When they think one minute is up they are to say "Stop." When the first person says "Stop," you look at the clock. If they are on time within ten seconds either way, they receive two points. If they are within five seconds they receive five points. If the guess was exactly right, they receive ten points.

Play for five rounds.

Ask what was difficult in this activity. One of the hardest things to do is to wait. Discuss as a family times we have to wait. One time we have to wait is when we pray to Heavenly Father. We have a hard time being quiet and waiting for Heavenly Father to answer us.

(adapted from Allan K. Burgess and Max H. Molgard, Fun For Family Night: Book Two, Church History Edition, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1992], p. 221.)

Refreshment Hot Spinach Dip

1 package (10 ounces) frozen creamed spinach, thawed
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
9 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients except half the Parmesan cheese. Spread in 9x9-inch pan, and sprinkle other half of Parmesan on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Serve with chips or crackers.

(Lion House Classics, [Salt Lake City: Shadow Mountain, 2004], p. 5.)

Click here to download the PDF version of this lesson.

FHE: Modesty

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17) Conference Talk: For more information on this topic read "Mothers and Daughters," by M. Russell Ballard, Ensign, May 2010, 18-21.

Thought: With all my heart I urge you not to look to contemporary culture for your role models and mentors. Please look to your faithful mothers for a pattern to follow. Model yourselves after them, not after celebrities whose standards are not the Lord's standards and whose values may not reflect an eternal perspective.

(M. Russell Ballard, "Mothers and Daughters," Ensign, May 2010, 18-21.)

Song: "The Lord Gave Me a Temple," Children's Songbook, p. 153.

Scripture: Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

Story: A group of choir students from American Fork, Utah, were traveling in New York City. On Sunday morning many of the students walked through the hotel lobby to board the bus that would take them to a local ward for Church services. A young woman was sitting in the lobby wearing a modest dress. She approached the group.

"Are you LDS?" she asked. When the students responded that they were, she smiled. "Are you going to church?" Again they answered, "Yes." The young woman explained that she was from another state and was traveling with her school sports team. She was the only member of the Church on her team. That morning she had prayed she would be able to find some way to attend church. She had gone down to the lobby to wait. When the group of LDS youth walked in, she knew her prayer had been answered.

(Deborah Pace Rowley, Before They Turn Twelve: Helping Children Gain a Testimony of the Lord's Standards, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2007], p.38.)

Object Lesson After you have shared the above story, discuss with your family the following questions:

How did this young woman know that the students she saw were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? Was it how they were dressed? How do people throughout the world know that the young men and women they see are Mormon missionaries? What do our clothes say about us?

Have the family look through several contemporary magazines. Find pictures of models and try to describe what their clothes are saying about each one. Many of the models in these types of magazines are dressed immodestly. What messages are we sending when we dress immodestly? Possible messages include: "I don't respect my body as a sacred gift from Heavenly Father." "I don't know what the prophet has said about modesty or I don't care." "I want you to notice my body first before anything else."

Point out that the person dressing immodestly isn't bad; they just haven't been taught about the importance of modesty or don't understand what their clothes are saying about them. Dressing immodestly can also make other people feel uncomfortable and embarrassed. When someone dresses immodestly, it is hard to notice anything but the person's clothes.

(Deborah Pace Rowley, Before They Turn Twelve: Helping Children Gain a Testimony of the Lord's Standards, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2007], p.38.)

Activity: Have the family imagine they are in a foreign country and want to meet other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They can't speak the language, so how could they dress to let others know that they are Mormons? Send each family member to his or her bedroom to change clothes and then stage a fashion show.

The fashion show is even more fun if you hang a piece of fabric across the entrance into the family room and let each "model" enter the room by pushing aside the curtain. Try to guess what identifying articles of clothing family members are wearing. Is someone modeling a CTR ring or a Young Women medallion or an angel Moroni tie tack? Is everyone modest? Are we trying to represent the Church and the Savior as we get dressed every day?

(Deborah Pace Rowley, Before They Turn Twelve: Helping Children Gain a Testimony of the Lord's Standards, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2007], p.39.)

Refreshment Chocolate Cream Crunch

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 8-ounce tub Cool Whip®, thawed and divided
1 6-ounce package instant chocolate pudding
1 6-ounce package instant vanilla pudding
3 cups milk, divided Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make crust by combining flour, pecans, and margarine in a small bowl. Press into bottom of 9x13-inch pan. Bake 20 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack. Blend cream cheese and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Fold in 1 cup of the Cool Whip.
Blend well and spread over cooled crust. Chill. Combine instant chocolate pudding and 1 1/2 cups milk. Mix until smooth. Pour over cream cheese layer. Chill. Pudding will thicken in refrigerator. Repeat with instant vanilla pudding. Chill. Frost with remaining Cool Whip. Cut into 4-inch squares and serve.
Makes 28 squares. (Jill McKenzie, 52 Weeks of Proven Recipes for Picky Kids/I>, [Salt Lake City: Shadow Mountain, 2008], p. 115.)
Click here to download the PDF version of this lesson.

FHE: Courage

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com
Mormon Life says: "We are faced every day with situations that require courage and strength. If you turn to [Heavenly Father], He will not fail you! He will bless you with the strength and the courage you will need to complete your journey back to Him." Ann M. Dibb Conference Talk: For more information on this topic read "Be of a Good Courage," by Ann M. Dibb, Ensign, May 2010, 114-16.
Thought: We are faced every day with situations that require courage and strength. If you turn to [Heavenly Father], He will not fail you! He will bless you with the strength and the courage you will need to complete your journey back to Him.
(Ann M. Dibb, "Be of a Good Courage," Ensign, May 2010, 114-16.)
Song: "Nephi's Courage," Children's Songbook, p. 120
Scripture: Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. (Joshua 1:19)
Lesson: Have a family member read D&C 121:4. Tell your family that the Prophet Joseph knew this promise of the Lord was true because he had experienced it several months earlier, while a prisoner in a jail in Richmond, Missouri. Read the story below to your family, told by Parley P. Pratt, that illustrates the power the Lord had given Joseph.
Invite your family to reread D&C 122:4 and find a phrase that best matches this experience. Ask your family if they had been in the room that night, what they might have thought or felt.
(Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The Doctrine and Covenants, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2004], p. 271.)
Story: Parley P. Pratt
In one of those tedious nights [Winter, 1838-39, Richmond, Missouri, jail] we had lain as if in sleep, till the hour of midnight had passed, and our ears and hearts had been pained, while we had listened for hours to the obscene jests, the horrid oaths, the dreadful blasphemies and filthy language of our guards, Colonel Price at their head, as they recounted to each other their deeds of rapine, murder, robbery, etc., which they had committed among the "Mormons" while at Far West and vicinity. They even boasted of defiling by force wives, daughters, and virgins, and of shooting or dashing out the brains of men, women and children.
I had listened till I became so disgusted, shocked, horrified, and so filled with the Spirit of indignant justice, that I could scarcely refrain from rising upon my feet and rebuking the guards, but I had said nothing to Joseph or anyone else, although I lay next to him, and knew he was awake. On a sudden he arose to his feet and spoke in a voice of thunder, or as the roaring lion, uttering, as near as I can recollect, the following words: "Silence! Ye fiends of the infernal pit! In the name of Jesus Christ I rebuke you, and command you to be still; I will not live another minute and hear such language. Cease such talk, or you or I die this instant!"
He ceased to speak. He stood erect in terrible majesty. Chained, and without a weapon, calm, unruffled, and dignified as an angel, he looked down upon his quailing guards, whose knees smote together, and who, shrinking into a corner, or crouching at his feet, begged his pardon, and remained quiet until an exchange of guards.
I have seen ministers of justice, clothed in ministerial robes, and criminals arraigned before them, while life was suspended upon a breath in the courts of England; I have witnessed a congress in solemn session to give laws to nations; I have tried to conceive of kings, of royal courts, of thrones and crowns; and of emperors assembled to decide the fate of kingdoms; but dignity and majesty have I seen but once, as it stood in chains, at midnight, in a dungeon in an obscure village of Missouri.
(edited by Parley P. Pratt Jr., Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1998].)
Activity: Pass out paper and pencil to each person (or have family members work in pairs). Read the following words and have each person write them on his paper: inside, stand, friends, good, right, courage, wrong, help.
Have each person or group write a brief statement that includes the eight chosen words and describes or defines moral courage. Here is an example: "When friends want us to do something wrong and we have the courage to stand up for the right, we feel good inside and it helps our friends also."
Have each person share what they have written.
(Allan K. Burgess and Max H. Molgard, Fun For Family Night: Book Three, New Testament Edition, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1995], p. 183.)
Refreshment Raspberry-Pineapple Sherbet

1/2 gallon pineapple sherbet
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen raspberries, undrained
4 bananas, sliced
Ginger ale or lemon-lime soda (optional)
Let sherbet and raspberries soften slightly. Place sherbet in a plastic container and stir well. Stir in bananas. Gently add raspberries. Cover and freeze. Serve as a sherbet or as a slush by adding ginger ale or soda to desired consistency. Makes about 12 servings.
(Julie Badger Jensen, Essential Mormon Celebrations, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2005], p. 47.)
Click here to download the PDF version of this lesson.

FHE: Duty

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com
Mormon Life says: "Duty does not require perfection, but it does require diligence. It is not simply what is legal; it is what is virtuous." -Keith B. McMullin Conference Talk: For more information on this topic read “Our Path of Duty,” by Keith B. McMullin, Ensign, May 2010, 13-15.
Thought: Duty does not require perfection, but it does require diligence. It is not simply what is legal; it is what is virtuous.
(Keith B. McMullin, "Our Path of Duty," Ensign, May 2010, 13-15.)
Song: "Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel" Hymns, no. 252.
Scripture: And now my beloved brethren, I have said these things unto you that I might awaken you to a sense of your duty to God, that ye may walk blameless before him, that ye may walk after the holy order of God, after which ye have been received. (Alma 7:22)
Lesson: Read the words of the hymn, “Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd” (Hymns, no. 221). Ask:

According to the hymn, what are a shepherd’s responsibilities?
How would you describe a shepherd that fails to care for the flock?
Read together Zechariah 11:15-17 and notice how the shepherds of Zechariah's day fulfilled their duties. Ask:

Who is the flock these shepherds are supposed to take care of? (The Lord's people.)
How do you think the Lord feels about these types of shepherds?
Who are our shepherds today? (Priesthood leaders, parents, etc.)
What could happen if our parents and leaders do not care about us?
What blessings come from parents and leaders who do their best to help us?
When have you been blessed by the love and caring of your "shepherds"?
How do you think it feels to have the responsibility of a shepherd? Bear your testimony of the joy that comes from serving those you love and have a responsibility to serve.
(Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The Old Testament, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2009], p. 245.)
Story: As a district presidency, we called many couples on missions. They were very good to accept and then go wherever and whenever we asked them. On one occasion I got word that a missionary couple was very ill on an outlying island. We left immediately to investigate and indeed found them extremely ill. We brought them back to Pangai where the hospital was.
When the doctor saw them, he was alarmed. They had typhoid fever and had deteriorated to a point of being basically helpless. He didn't want them around any of the other patients. At that time the only way they handled typhoid fever was to put the afflicted people in a barbed wire enclosure, away from everyone else, and hope they got well. They weren't treated badly, but they were isolated.
At that time in Tonga, the hospitals furnished medicine and other medical treatment, but each family was responsible for feeding their own patients, providing a bed for them, and caring for them in every other way. Since we were the "family" of this missionary couple, it was our responsibility to care for them. We gave them a priesthood blessing, during which I felt the assurance that they would be all right but that it would take time. We made arrangements for someone to watch their two small children. Then I helped nurse the couple and had some of the missionaries trade with me in providing for their needs.
The law then was that the couple could not leave the compound until they were well. We couldn't hire anyone to help them, because people generally were pretty scared that they might catch the same fever. I assigned a couple of missionaries to the job; they were pretty obedient, but scared also. Caring for this missionary couple became a major challenge.
I knew we needed someone more permanent, so I walked to the nearby branches, then took the mission boat and went to the various outlying branches, everywhere asking members, "Who will help? Is there anyone who will stay with these missionaries to nurse them back to health?" I knew the Lord wanted them to live. After visiting many branches, I found that no one was willing. I didn't put pressure on them, I just asked. They all had excuses.
Finally, on the island of Uiha, there was a young girl of about sixteen who, after we had explained our need, looked at her father and said, "I'd like to go." Her father, on the spot, said, "If you want to, you can." So she came back with us.
What an act of love! Here was a young girl in the prime of her life, willing to come and, in effect, give her life (because she might catch the disease) to help a missionary family in need.
She asked how long she would be there. I told her I did not know and neither did the doctor. She went straight to the hospital compound. When I closed that barbed wire fence behind her I thought, "What have I done?" In effect, she was a prisoner with them. Yet someway I knew things would be all right because she had such a beautiful attitude.
It took several months for the couple to fully recover. The girl stayed with them day and night and nursed them back to health. She did her duty even though it took a long time. By the time the missionaries were well, I had a deep feeling of love and admiration for her.
She came from a poor family. The only thing I could figure out to do to help repay her kindness was to enroll her at the Liahona College on Tongatapu. However, she didn't qualify, because she hadn't done well in school. I pulled rank a little and explained to the mission president the sacrifice she had made. We got her into school, and she did well. She ended up marrying a returned missionary, and they then went on a mission together. They had a large family, nearly all of whom served missions and married in the temple. Her husband has been faithful and held almost every responsible calling in the Church, and she has not been one whit behind.
Every time I see her, I realize again the blessings that come after we have proven our love for others. I have asked her how she felt when we came looking for volunteers. She says, "I was as scared as anyone, but I had a feeling that someone needed help and it was my duty to give that help."
(John H. Groberg, In the Eye of the Storm, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1993], 207.)
Activity: Play "Obey the Law."
Players arrange their chairs in a circle. One player, called the lawgiver, stands in the center. As he gives the laws, the other players obey. If they are not alert they will disobey the law, and the lawgiver can take the chair of the disobedient player, who then becomes “it.”
Use “laws” similar to the following list, or use some of your own. The laws should be given in rapid succession so that the players must keep alert.
Stand up.
Sit down.
Stand on the left foot.
Move two chairs to the right.
Move one chair to the left.
Lift both feet off the floor.
Turn around.
Raise both arms.
(Alma Heaton, The LDS Game Book, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1968], p.96.)
Refreshment Quick Fruit Dessert

1 can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 can apple pie filling
1 package yellow cake mix
Nuts (optional)
3/4 cup margarine, melted
Grease and flour a 9x13-inch pan. Layer pineapple and pie filling on bottom. Layer dry cake mix over top. Sprinkle with nuts. Drizzle melted butter over top. Bake in oven according to cake mix directions.
(Janene W. Baadsgaard, The LDS Mother's Almanac, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2003], p. 333.)
Click here to download the PDF version of this lesson.

FHE: Family

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com
Mormon Life says: Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great. (Doctrine and Covenants 64:33) Conference Talk: For more information on this topic read "More Diligent and Concerned at Home," by David A. Bednar, Ensign, Nov 2009, 17-20.
Thought: Each family prayer, each episode of family scripture study, and each family home evening is a brushstroke on the canvas of our souls. No one event may appear to be very impressive or memorable. . . . But our consistency in doing seemingly small things can lead to significant spiritual results.
(David A. Bednar, "More Diligent and Concerned at Home," Ensign, Nov 2009, 17-20.)
Song: "Love is Spoken Here," Children's Songbook, p. 190.
Scripture: Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great. (Doctrine and Covenants 64:33)
Lesson: Remind the family of the story of Captain Moroni (see Alma 45:20-46:36). Tell them that the title of liberty was Captain Moroni's motto to live by. As a family decide on a family motto. This motto could be a scripture or a statement made by the family. Using this motto, have the family design and make a flag that has your family name and motto on it. The flag could be displayed on family nights, on special occasions, and during family reunions. This flag could e a permanent flag, or a new one could be made yearly, using a new motto for each flag.
(Allan K. Burgess and Max H. Molgard, Fun For Family Night: Book of Mormon Edition, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1990], p. 174.)
Story: A few years after our marriage, my wife and I purchased our first house. It was a modest brick building located in a new subdivision where land was relatively inexpensive. Though the number of square feet in the structure was limited and the construction very simple, we were thrilled with the prospects of moving in because we had been involved in the planning, and the place was to be "ours"!
Once the papers had been signed and the closure procedures completed, the contractor handed us the keys and gave us this charge: "I have constructed the house; now you must make it a home."
The contractor was a wise and experienced man. He knew that houses consist of wood, cement, bricks, mortar, and other perishable materials. He also knew that homes are built out of the nonperishable materials such as love, service, faith, and Christian living. His commission to us was not to drive more nails or to lay more bricks - the construction workers had already completed their assigned jobs. Rather, his commission to us was to do what the carpenters, painters, plumbers, and other workers could not do for us - to add the spirit and love that would transform our modest dwelling into a wonderful home.
I have learned over the years that hands build a house but hearts build a home. That is why I regard acts of service as the material out of which the bricks of an eternal family unit are molded, and love as the mortar that holds the bricks together. Both love and service are essential and inseparable. Love is that inner feeling that sparks the desire to do someone good; service - selfless service - is that outward expression of love that blesses the receiver and the giver. So, each heartbeat in behalf of others adds mass to the mansion, strength to the structure, and beauty to the building we call home.
(Carlos E. Asay, Family Pecan Trees: Planting a Legacy of Faith at Home, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1992].)
Activity: Divide the family into pairs, and give each pair a piece of paper and something to write with. Have family members write down on their pieces of paper the first, middle, and last names of everyone in the room.
Explain that they have five minutes in which to make as many words as they can from the letters found in each person's full name. The words cannot be proper nouns. Each word must be at least three letters long. The words must be formed using only one person's complete name and then moving quickly onto the next complete name for more words. For example, from the name Lee Ann Smith you could form time, mile, eat, etc. From George Thomas Smith you could form math, moth, home, etc.
At the end of five minutes have everyone share the words they have formed. The words they have formed. The words are worth one point for each letter, with a bonus of five points if no other group formed the same word.
At the end of the activity explain that their names are very important. Their actions will determine what people will think of their names. Have everyone share one thing they think of when they hear the name of Jesus Christ. Point out to the family that every family member determines what people think of when they hear your family name.
(Allan K. Burgess and Max H. Molgard, Fun For Family Night: Book of Mormon Edition, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1990], p. 174.)
Refreshment Bird's Nest Cookies

1 (12-ounce) bag butterscotch chips or chocolate chips
1 (12-ounce) can Chinese noodles
1 cup miniature marshmallows
Melt the butterscotch or chocolate chips in the microwave in a medium bowl. To do so, microwave on high power for 1 minute and stir. Return to microwave in 30-second increments, stirring each time, until melted and smooth.
When all the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth, add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Use a tablespoon to drop the batter onto a cookie sheet that has been lined with waxed paper. Refrigerate until the cookies are firm.
Makes 2 dozen cookies.
(Clark L. and Kathryn H. Kidd, 52 Weeks of Recipes for Students, Missionaries, and Nervous Cooks, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2007] p. 71.)
Click here to download the PDF version of this lesson.

FHE: Fathers

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com
Mormon Life says: "Fathers, you are the primary model of manhood for your sons. You are their most meaningful mentor, and believe it or not, you are their hero in countless ways." - M. Russell Ballard Conference Talk: For more information on this topic read "Fathers and Sons: A Remarkable Relationship," by M. Russell Ballard, Ensign, Nov 2009, 47-50.
Thought: Fathers, you are the primary model of manhood for your sons. You are their most meaningful mentor, and believe it or not, you are their hero in countless ways.
(M. Russell Ballard, "Fathers and Sons: A Remarkable Relationship," Ensign, Nov 2009, 47-50.)
Song: "Father," Children's Songbook, p. 209.
Scripture: I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father. (1 Nephi 1:1)
Lesson: Ask your family members to list something they have learned from their father. Also ask them to tell of one additional thing they would love their father to teach them.
Ask your family to read D&C 68:25-28 and find what the Lord expects parents to teach. Why do you think the Lord expects that of parents? Read Mosiah 1:1-8 and ask:

What were the names of Benjamin's sons?
What are several of the things he taught them?
What verse best shows him sharing his testimony with his children?
Why would it be important to hear the testimony of your parents?
What do these verses teach you about King Benjamin as a father?
Read the following statement from the First Presidency and share your testimony with your family: "Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. . . . Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, [and] to observe the commandments of God." ("The Family: A Proclamation to the World," Ensign, November 1995, p. 102.)
(Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The Book of Mormon, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2003], p. 113.)
Story: Harmon Killebrew
I seldom think of my father without also remembering his bay window. We call it dad's bay window because he seemed always to be putting a new window pane in it. The window was a large one on the south side of our house in Payette, Idaho, and it overlooked a good-sized lawn which was just right for an athletic field for small boys.
I was the first to break dad's window, when I was four years old, in 1921. And from then on it really took a beating. All types of balls went through that window in the next thirty-five years, footballs, baseballs, snowballs, golf balls, and numerous rocks of assorted sizes.
Each time the window was broken, dad quietly went to town and got another pane and put it in. He never once told us kids that we couldn't play ball in the yard. Lots of times when there was a game in progress and dad came home from work, he joined in, and several times he broke the window himself by batting a baseball or kicking a football through it.
Dad always took the breaking of the window as a matter of course and showed no reaction except to replace it. But with mother, it was different. She always urged dad to do something about the situation each time the window was broken, but she never got very far. One winter, things concerning the constant breakage of the window reached a crucial point. The temperature was near the zero mark when a frozen snowball blasted through the window. Dad went to town to get a new pane, but it turned out that a piece of glass that size wasn't to be found in town. I guess dad had used them all up in previous mishaps. Anyway, one had to be ordered, and in the meantime a canvas was tacked over the empty window to keep out the cold. Mother had what is known in polite terms as a fit. It took dad several days to get her calmed down, but things were all right again as soon as the new window arrived and was installed.
I recall one time when Harmon crashed a baseball through the window and mother told dad that he just had to do something to stop the needless window breakage. Dad said, "Now Katie, don't get excited, we can always get another window, but where are we going to get another boy like that?"
At one time, things got so bad with brothers Harmon and Bob growing up that the bay window was just about out as much as it was in. So dad finally worked out a new plan. He had the large window replaced with a French type window made up of a lot of small panes. Then he purchased some extra small panes for the new window and sat back to wait. It wasn't long before a ball came sailing through the window right into the lap of grandfather, who was sitting in a chair by the window. But this time it was only a few minutes' work and a lot less expensive to replace a small square of glass in the window.
Dad is gone now, and all the Killebrew kids are grown. Our widowed sister, Eula, is living with mother in the old house. She has two small boys who are just beginning to throw balls around. I predict that the destruction of dad's old bay window will continue for several years to come. I'm sure that dad would be happy if he knew that his grandchildren were carrying on the Killebrew tradition of window breaking.
(Leon R. Hartshorn, Powerful Stories from the Lives of Latter-day Saint Men, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1974].)
Activity: Fill in the blanks. Below are clues to ten words that can be made from the letters in the word "GENEALOGY." Use each letter only once per puzzle.
1. _ _ _ (Not an arm.) 2. _ _ _ _ _ (Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith as an . . . ) 3. _ _ _ _ _ (A templed city in Utah.) 4. _ _ _ _ (A Christmas greeting.) 5. _ _ _ (Did it or the chicken come first?) 6. _ _ _ (Last name of a modern prophet.) 7. _ _ _ (The shepherd leaves the ninety and nine to seek the . . . ) 8. _ _ _ _ (Not short.) 9. _ _ _ _ _ (The symbol for the United States.) 10. _ _ (Not yes.)
Answers: 1. leg, 2. angel, 3. Logan, 4. Noel, 5. egg, 6. Lee, 7. one, 8. long, 9. eagle, 10. no.
(Rick Walton and Shauna Kawasaki, The Bit Book of Scripture Activities, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1996], p. 113.)
Refreshment Cherry Almond Squares

1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup water
3 eggs
1 box sour cream cake mix
1 can cherry pie filling
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 15 1/2 x 10 1/2-inch jelly roll pan. Mix sour cream, water, and eggs in a large bowl. Stir in dry cake mix until moistened. Batter will be slightly lumpy. Spread into prepared pan. Drop pie filling by generous spoonfuls onto batter. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly. Cool. In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and milk, stirring until a smooth glaze forms. Drizzle glaze over top. Sprinkle with almonds. Cut into bars.
Makes 3 dozen bars.
(Lion House Bakery, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2009], p. 86.)
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FHE: Music

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com
Mormon Life says: "What power there can be in music. When music is reverently presented, it can be akin to revelation. At times, I think, it cannot be separated from the voice of the Lord, the quiet, still voice of the Spirit." - Boyd K. Packer Conference Talk: For more information on this topic read "The Spirit of the Tabernacle," by Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, May 2007, 26-29.
Thought: What power there can be in music. When music is reverently presented, it can be akin to revelation. At times, I think, it cannot be separated from the voice of the Lord, the quiet, still voice of the Spirit.
(Boyd K. Packer, "The Spirit of the Tabernacle," Ensign, May 2007, 26-29.)
Song: "Come, Come, Ye Saints," Hymns #30
Scripture: For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads. (Doctrine and Covenants 25:12)
Lesson: From its early days in upstate New York, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints has used singing as a means of drawing close to the Lord. The first services for the newly organized church on April 6, 1830, included hymn singing. Just months later Joseph Smith announced that the Lord by revelation had instructed Emma Smith - his wife and a musician - to make a selection of sacred hymns to be used in worship. Joseph announced that the Lord had stated, "My soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me."
In 1830 music was in its infancy in the United States. Public orchestras or singing societies, concerts, operas, and chamber-music recitals were few to nonexistent. The musicpublishing business had yet to be initiated. Yet in 1835 Joseph Smith established singing schools in Kirtland, Ohio, to teach note reading and vocal technique. In Kirtland the Saints built a grand temple that included four singers' galleries on the main floor. A "singing department" was organized on January 4, 1836, with Marvel Chapin Davis as singing master.
The singers - qualified only by willingness and interest - met two nights a week. Joseph Smith, after a visit to a rehearsal, described the singers as having "performed admirably." Driven from Ohio to Missouri and then Illinois, the Saints may have carried a song in their hearts: "O God, our help in ages past."
Richard L. Evans, originator of the sermonettes in Music and the Spoken Word, said of that time, "Back in New England and New York and through Illinois, small congregations were beginning to grow up under the leadership of Joseph Smith and were becoming a singing people, fond of the art and deeply interested in the world's finest culture and music."
A choir tradition was born.
(Heidi S. Swinton, America's Choir, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2004].)
100 Years of Recording the Mormon Tabernacle Choir The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is accustomed to making history. From humble beginnings in 1847, it has accrued an array of historic distinctions.
Much of the Choir's history is tied to the technology of recording and broadcasting. For example, its weekly radio broadcast, Music and the Spoken Word, which began in 1929, is the longest-running national network broadcast in history. In 1940, a recording of the Choir was used during the first demonstration of stereophonic sound in New York's Carnegie Hall. The first Cinerama movie ever made, in 1952, featured a segment with the Choir. The world-famous 1959 recording of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" earned the Choir both a Grammy Award and the distinction of being the largest musical group ever to appear on Billboard magazine's Top 100. And in 1962, the Choir took part in the first international satellite TV broadcast. In short, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has spent much of its history at the leading edge of electronic media and sound reproduction.
But the Choir's historic association with recording goes back to its very earliest days, when the technology for recorded music was still emerging. That first recording session in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on September 1, 1910, was not only a pioneering event for the Choir itself and a portent of future recording acclaim, it was the world's first successful recording of a large choir.
(100: Celebrating a Century of Recording Excellence, (CD) [Salt Lake City: Mormon Tabernacle Choir, 2010].)
Story: July 24, 1847. A vanguard wagon train of trail-weary Saints entered the Valley of the Great Salt Lake. Three weeks later, a ragtag chorus of men, their faces and hands worn from the quick work of putting down roots in the desert, gathered under the shade of a crude brush bowery to sing praises to God. It was an unlikely setting for worship. An unlikely choir.
Their raised voices were the only ones for thousands of miles, and their hallelujahs were not typical of the brash western adventurers or earnest homesteaders seeking land and promise. These were religious folk, driven from their homes in the East - again and again. Trekking to the wilderness of the Great Basin, they found only sagebrush, salt beds, mountains, and streams. The solitude was welcomed. Heartily. And they expressed their relief in an anthem that in the past century and a half has become the signature of this people: "Oh, how we'll make this chorus swell - All is well! All is well!"
The Mormon pioneers fled the Union in 1846, taking with them only what would fit in their wagons. And in their hearts. Their luggage was the stuff of which they were made: courage, tenacity, reliance upon one another, faith in God, and grit. In the evenings, men, women, and children gathered by the prairie fires and raised their voices in song: "We'll find the place which God for us prepared, Far away in the West."
Music in the early Church also included bands, fifes, fiddles, and eventually orchestras. The Nauvoo Brass Band played at evening campfires and hired out for funerals and festivities at settlements they passed. Before a concert at a nearby community, William Clayton recorded, "One of the grocery keepers invited us to play him a tune, which we did. He then invited us in and offered to treat us to anything he had. We each took a little and then the next grocery keeper sent an invitation for us to play him a tune. We did so and he also gave us anything he had. A bee keeper next sent word that he did not want us to slight him and we went and played him a tune." They pocketed twenty-five dollars.
George James related another incident when "the band played the merriest airs, and all that could . . . engaged in the fun-making, which several Iowans, who were attracted to the camp out of curiosity went away saying they could scarcely believe their own eyes at seeing a people fleeing from civilization . . . thus passing away their time."

We'll make the air with music ring, Shout praises to our God and King; Above the rest these words we'll tell -- All is well! All is well!

Friend of the Saints Colonel Thomas L. Kane described the Mormon pattern of singing "sweet music winding over the uninhabited country. . . ." In 1847, while visiting the Mormon encampments on the Missouri, German-born traveler Rudolph Kurz observed, "I enjoyed, especially, . . . the singing of [their] choirs. When they met together for choir practice one evening in every week, I found real pleasure in hearing them sing. What made this particularly enjoyable was the fact that in the western part of the United States choir music was so seldom heard."
(Heidi S. Swinton, America's Choir, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2004].)
Activity: Each player is given a piece of paper with a hymn title on it and requested to draw, to the best of his ability, something to represent the title. When the picture is drawn, the title is folded under and the sheet passed to the leader. The pictures are next held up for all players to study for a prescribed time in an effort to identify the hymns depicted. The players write down what they think each picture depicts. The player with the most correct answers wins the game.
(Alma Heaton, The LDS Game Book, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1968], p. 29.)
Refreshment Oatmeal Fudge Bars

1 cup margarine
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup margarine
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan; set aside. In large mixer bowl, cream margarine and brown sugar; add eggs and vanilla. In small bowl, sift flour, baking soda, and salt; add to creamed mixture. Mix in oats. In heavy saucepan, mix sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and margarine; heat just till melted. Stir in vanilla and nuts. Spread two-thirds of dough into prepared baking pan. Spread with chocolate mixture. Drop remaining one-third of dough on top by spoonfuls. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool, then cut into bars. Makes 36.
(Lion House Classics, [Salt Lake City: Shadow Mountain, 2004] p. 105.)
Click here to download the PDF version of this lesson.

FHE: Potential

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com
Mormon Life says: For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39) Conference Talk: For more information on this topic read "Mind the Gap," by Barbara Thompson, Ensign, Nov 2009, 118-20.
Thought: It's not just what you get out of active participation in [the Church] but what you can give and contribute as well.
(Barbara Thompson, "Mind the Gap," Ensign, Nov 2009, 118-20.)
Song: "I Am a Child of God," Children's Songbook, p. 2.
Scripture: For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
Object Lesson: Items needed: Two similar articles of clothing: one unused, but outdated or moth-eaten; the other well-worn but still valued.
Presentation: Show the two articles of clothing, pointing out the differences.
Suggested wording: Here was a once hightly-prized gift. It was prized so hightly that it was not placed in immediate use, but hidden away, waiting for the right occasion to use it. Now it is out of style (or ruined by moths).
But here is a second gift. It was well used and fully valued from the first. It is now worn, but the owner still finds a friendliness and warmth in it whenever he sees it.
Some lives are a little like the first item. God gives us our talents, but we often do not appreciate their true worth and put off using them until just the right occasion. Then, when it is too late it is found that what was held as precious is no longer valuable.
Let's shape our lives and our talents as they were intended to be used.
(adapted from Alber L. Zobell, Jr., Talks to See, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1971], p.36.)
Story: In the summer of 1834, the Saints who had been driven out of Jackson County by the old settlers were living in Clay County. Many found shelter in barns or sheds or abandoned cabins, and were scraping along the best they could. They still hoped to return across the river to their homes. Governor Daniel Dunklin had promised to help them return if they could organize their own army to protect themselves.
In Kirtland, Ohio, where a large number of Saints still lived, Joseph Smith received a revelation that he should create a little army to aid the scattered Saints. Just over two hundred men agreed to serve. They planned to march a thousand miles to Missouri and help their brothers and sisters return to Jackson County, the place they called Zion.
George A. Smith felt honored when he was invited to travel with the militia that would be called Zion's Camp. At sixteen, he would be the youngest soldier to make the long march. George A., who was Joseph Smith's cousin, was even more thrilled when the Prophet invited him to sleep in the same tent and serve as Joseph's personal guard.
George A. was a big, awkward boy with poor eyesight. He wanted to serve the Prophet well, but he had very little confidence in himself. Comparing himself to Joseph, who was such a great leader and speaker, he didn't think he was very talented.
And in truth, anyone who had seen George A. at that time might have thought him a rather sorry sight. His parents had given up almost everything they owned to gather with the Saints to Ohio. They were left with little money to outfit their son for the march. George's mother made him a pair of pants out of striped mattress cloth and a backpack from checked apron fabric. His father gave him a new pair of boots and an old musket left over from the Revolutionary War.
George A. reported that after a few days of walking, his new boots had worn bloody blisters on his feet, so that every step he took was painful. He had also ripped his pants to shreds, and he had sat on his straw hat, smashing it into a shape like a bird's nest.
Besides comparing himself to the Prophet, George A. also compared himself to another of his cousins, Jesse Smith, who was also a member of the camp. Jesse was a little older, and he had more of the dash and personality of their older cousin Joseph. Still, George A. tried to make himself valuable in all the ways he could. He kept a careful record in his journal of all that happened. Because he spent his days with the Prophet, he knew most of what was going on.
George A. was also loyal to Joseph when other men turned against him. Times got very hard, and it's no wonder that some of the men became discouraged. They marched twenty-five to forty miles each day and then could hardly sleep during the hot, muggy nights. Mosquitoes and flies made life miserable, and food was in short supply.
One of the brethren, a man named Sylvester Smith, got tired of the conditions and complained bitterly to the Prophet. Sylvester was "strong-willed and sharp-tongued." His nasty attitude threatened to destroy the spirit of the entire group. Joseph told him and some other rebellious brethren that if they didn't repent and show more loyalty, serious trials would come on the camp that very night. The next morning, most of the pack horses were so lame that they could barely be led to water.
The Prophet asked all the men to humble themselves. He promised that if they would, the horses would be made well. By noon, all but one of the horses was ready to move on. Sylvester Smith's horse had died.
George A. watched all this and learned. Young as he was, he tried to do everything he could to support the Prophet.
As the camp reached Missouri, the situation became tense. Joseph learned that Governor Dunklin had changed his mind and had withdrawn his support. War might be ahead, and the outcome didn't look good. The Saints, even with Zion's Camp for support, would be greatly outnumbered.
The camp was spared from fighting any battles. But the long march ended in frustration. Attempts to buy the land in Jackson County or to work out some compromise failed.
Most of the members of Zion's Camp, though they were disappointed, accepted the word of the Lord. They began to organize for the march back to Ohio. But some were bitter. They accused Joseph Smith of leading them on a pointless, miserable trek. They claimed he was no prophet.
Joseph, humbled and disappointed himself, told the men that if they continued in their rebellion, he feared that a terrible fate would come upon the entire company. A few days later the members of Zion's Camp began to fall ill with cholera. Sixty-eight were stricken, and fourteen died.
Among the dead was Jesse Smith.
And so, it seemed, Zion's Camp had turned out to be a long, frustrating march that accomplished nothing except to kill a few of its members and drive a few more away from the Church.
But in the next few years, the value of the march began to be clear. Those who remained loyal, who learned leadership, who gained strength, became the leaders of the Church. Nine of the members of the first Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and all of the members of the original Quorum of the Seventy were chosen from men who had made the march and stayed true. Brigham Young, who would later become the leader of the Church, said that he wouldn't trade all the wealth in his county for what he had learned from his experience with Zion's Camp.
And what about George A. Smith, the awkward boy who thought he should have died in place of his cousin Jesse? Less than five years later, at the age of twenty-one, he was ordained an apostle. He later served with Brigham Young as a member of the First Presidency of the Church. His experience in Zion's Camp prepared him for a lifetime of leadership. His only mistake had been to underestimate his potential greatness.
(Tom Hughes, Dean Hughes, Great Stories from Mormon History, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1994].)
Activity: Play "Funny Face."
The players sit in a circle with a solemn expression. One player is "it." He suddenly bursts out laughing and as suddenly stops, wipes the smile from his face and tosses it to another who in turn bursts out laughing. This continues. Any player who laughs when they are not supposed to, drops out of the game. The last player in the game is the winner.
(Alma Heaton, The LDS Game Book, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1968], p. 103.)
Refreshment Banana Cream Dessert

1 c. flour
2 Tbs. sugar
1/2 c. nuts
1/2 c. butter
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 c. powdered sugar
1 (12-oz.) tub Cool Whip®, divided
1 tsp. vanilla
2 to 3 bananas, sliced
2 (3.4-oz.) pkg. instant vanilla pudding
3 c. milk
1/2 tsp. banana extract
Chocolate shavings (optional)
Preheat oven to 400° F. Combine flour, sugar, and nuts. Cut in butter and press mixture into a 9x13-inch baking pan. Bake 8 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.
Prepare the cream cheese layer by combining cream cheese, powdered sugar, 3 cups of the Cool Whip, and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until well blended.
Spread cream cheese mixture on top of baked shortbread; top with 2 to 3 sliced bananas.
Prepare pudding layer by mixing pudding, milk, and banana extract on low speed for 2 minutes. Spread over sliced bananas. Cover with remaining 1 1/2 cups Cool Whip. If desired, sprinkle with milk chocolate shavings.
(Elaine Cannon, Five-Star Recipes from Well-Known Latter-day Saints, [Salt Lake City: Eagle Gate, 2002], p. 203.)
Click here to download the PDF version of this lesson.

FHE: Learning

Thu, 27 May 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com
Mormon Life says: "You have a duty to learn as much as you can. Please encourage your families, your quorum members, everyone to learn and become better educated. If formal education is not available, do not allow that to prevent you from acquiring all the knowledge you can." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf Conference Talk: For more information on this topic read "Two Principles for Any Economy," by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Ensign, Nov 2009, 55-58.
Thought: You have a duty to learn as much as you can. Please encourage your families, your quorum members, everyone to learn and become better educated. If formal education is not available, do not allow that to prevent you from acquiring all the knowledge you can.
(Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Two Principles for Any Economy," Ensign, Nov 2009, 55-58)
Song: "Tell Me the Stories of Jesus," Children's Songbook, p.57.
Scripture: [Learn] Of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms. (Doctrine and Covenants 88:79)
Lesson: Invite your family to fill in the blank of the following sentence: "It is impossible for a man or woman to be saved in ____________." To help them, read D&C 131:5–6. Ask:

What does the word "impossible" mean?
What do you think "ignorance" means? (A lack of knowledge or learning.)
Why do you think it is impossible for a man or woman to be saved in ignorance?
Why is it important to gain knowledge?
What kind of knowledge do you think is more important for our salvation in the eternities, a knowledge of God or a knowledge of math, sports, and music?
After some discussion, read the following statement by Elder James E. Talmage:
"Not all knowledge is of equal worth. The knowledge that constitutes the wisdom of the heavens is all embraced in the Gospel as taught by Jesus Christ; and wilful ignorance of this, the highest type of knowledge, will relegate its victim to the inferior order of intelligences." (The Vitality of Mormonism, 278.)
Discuss ways your family can gain the most important knowledge.
(Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The Doctrine and Covenants, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2004], p. 295.)
Story: [Remember] the dramatic experience that brought Alma to his sense and induced him to apply his heart unto wisdom. This transformation marked the beginning of a phenomenal career.
Almost immediately after Alma's conversion, King Mosiah appointed him state historian. During the rest of his life - a period of about twenty years - in church, historical, judicial, governmental, military, missionary gospel teaching, and prophetic service, he learned nearly every fundamental thing a human being can learn in this life. In intellect, experience, faith, service, and wisdom, Alma has few peers in sacred history.
His prowess as a historian is further witnessed by the fact that 120 pages - almost one-fourth of the 491 pages of the Nephite record, which covers a time period of 1,000 years - are devoted to the twenty years during which he was the dominant figure in the Nephite nation.
A year after his appointment as historian, when under the reign of King Mosiah the form of government was changed, Alma, by the voice of the people, "was appointed to be the first chief judge." In this capacity he was both chief justice and administrative head of state. As chief justice, the record says, "he did judge righteous judgments." (Mosiah 29:42-43.)
As head of state, he was also commander in chief. Unlike ordinary commanders in chief, however, he himself led his armies in the field.
After several successful military campaigns and a succeeding period of peace and prosperity, a moral decline set in among church members. Alma became so concerned that he did a most unusual thing: he resigned his positions as chief judge, head of state, and commander in chief. "And this he did that he himself might go forth among his people . . . [and] preach the word of God unto them, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty, and that he might pull down, by the word of God, all the pride and craftiness and all the contentions which were among his people, seeing no [other] way that he might reclaim them. . . ." (Alma 4:19.)
For the remainder of his life - about ten years - Alma carried on a missionary and gospel teaching campaign seldom, if ever, excelled. As a matter of fact, he and those who were with him began at the time of their conversion "to teach the people, . . . traveling round about through all the land, publishing to all the people the things which they had heard and seen, and preaching the word of God in much tribulation, being greatly persecuted by those who were unbelievers. . . ." (Mosiah 27:32.)
Alma was a great prophet and received many revelations. As to his own knowledge of the things he taught, he said:
Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things . . . are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?
Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me. (Alma 5:45-46.)
Alma's life experiences ranged from the sorrow of the damned to the joy of the redeemed. From his experiences he learned much. Being a historian, he learned from history; being chief high priest, he learned from church discipline; being head of state, he learned statecraft; being chief justice, he learned the law; being commander in chief, he learned the lessons of war; being a righteous man, he became acquainted with God.
(Marion G. Romney, Learning for the Eternities, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1977].)
Activity: Play "Clap Seven."
The players are seated in a circle. One person begins the counting, starting with "one." The count continues to the right until "seven" is reached. Instead of saying "seven" the player claps his hands and the count reverses direction. Any number ending in "seven" or a multiple of seven, or a number containing seven, is not spoken but is clapped. The direction of the count is automatically reversed on each clap. Any time a mistake is made, the count starts over with "one." (Alma Heaton, The LDS Game Book, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1968], p. 150.)
Refreshment Bananas Foster over Ice Cream

1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon pineapple extract
2 bananas, sliced
vanilla ice cream
Put margarine, brown sugar, and corn syrup in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave for 1 minute on full power. Stir for 1 minute, then add extract and bananas. Microwave for 30 seconds. Serve over vanilla ice cream. Makes 5 servings.
(Lion House Entertaining, [Salt Lake City: Eagle Gate, 2001] p. 55.)
Click here to download the PDF version of this lesson.

FHE: Humility

Thu, 20 May 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com
Mormon Life says: Easiness and willingness to believe in the word of God comes from a softness of heart. - Michael T. Ringwood Conference Talk: For more information on this topic read "An Easiness and Willingness to Believe," by Michael T. Ringwood, Ensign, Nov 2009, 100-102.
Thought: Easiness and willingness to believe in the word of God comes from a softness of heart.
(Michael T. Ringwood, "An Easiness and Willingness to Believe," Ensign, Nov 2009, 100-102.)
Song: "Jesus Once was a Little Child," Children's Songbook, p.55.
Scripture: And thus we see that the Lord began to pour out his Spirit upon the Lamanites, because of their easiness and willingness to believe in his words. (Helaman 6:36)
Lesson: Fold a large piece of paper into two columns. Invite one family member to act as scribe. Ask your family to list reasons why they love little children and have the scribe write their responses in the left-hand column. Then display the picture Christ and the Children (Gospel Art Kit, no. 608) as a family member reads aloud Luke 18:15-17. Have the scribe add the Savior's teachings about little children in the right-hand column. Ask:

Why do you think the disciples tried to keep little children away from Jesus?
What can we learn about little children from Jesus' response to them?
Invite your family to write in their journals a childlike quality that is missing from their lives and how they will better develop that quality.
(Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The New Testament, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2006], p. 103.)
Story: Elder Adam S. Bennion
The two following incidents, related by the principal of one of Utah's high schools, illustrate clearly the difference between a repentant and a self-justifying attitude. Two boys had been caught stealing - one had taken some money from another student's locker, and the other had stolen some tools from the manual training department. It is a regrettable fact that stealing should be found in American schools where every possible advantage is given to boys and girls, practically free of charge. But there are students who seem to have little self-respect and little respect for the rights of others.
The boys were called into the office and each one was interviewed separately. The boy who had taken the money was resentful. He said that he was not the only boy in the school who was stealing. Why did not the principal find the others and punish them too? Anyway, he felt that he had a right to take money if a fellow didn't know better than to leave it in a locker that wasn't locked.
The boy who had taken the tools felt altogether different. He was ashamed to think that he would lower himself to the level of a thief. He explained that he knew better than to steal but he had seen the tools lying around, they were just what he needed in doing some work at home, he couldn't afford to buy them, and thinking that perhaps they would never be missed, he took them. When he reached home, he could not make proper explanation to his parents and he was sent back to the school to be disciplined.
The principal was anxious to help both boys - he not only wanted them to finish their schooling - he wanted them to learn one of life's greatest lessons - that honesty is one of the grandest principles in the world. He explained to them that they would have to appear before the teachers of the school, make a statement of the whole affair, and give assurances that such actions would never be repeated.
The boy who had stolen the money flatly refused. He would rather quit school than, as he called it, "be disgraced." The law of the school was enforced and he was asked to withdraw. He left the school with defiance in his soul and with a sort of determination that he would get even with somebody - though he didn't seem to know just who it should be.
Out of the school he found that he had lost the respect of his old comrades, and the new ones who took their places were of a far inferior sort. He soon went from bad to worse until when last heard of he had been sent to the State Industrial School where he might be prevented from committing further crime.
The boy, on the other hand, who had taken the tools agreed to do as the principal required. It was a hard thing to do, of course. In fact, it was the hardest he had ever encountered. He not only was ashamed for what he had done, but how could he ever look those teachers in the face again? But feeling really sorry for the offense, he found courage to take the penalty. He was so manly and frank about it that every one of the teachers, who heard his confession, came to admire him more than ever before. They became his friends and took particular pains to help him find and develop his better self. When he was graduated from the school two years later he was an honor student - respected by every student who knew him. The humility of repentance had led him into a new life. Let us remind ourselves of that beautiful passage in the Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. 112, the tenth verse: "Be thou humble, and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.
(Leon R. Hartshorn, Exceptional Stories from the Lives of Our Apostles, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1972].)
Activity: Play "Spoon and Beans."
Each player is given a small cup full of beans and a small spoon. Emptying the cup on a table, each tries to fill it again with the beans by using only the spoon. If a person uses his other hand he must start over. The first to replace all the beans in his cup is the winner.
(Alma Heaton, The LDS Game Book, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1968], p. 162.)
Refreshment Chocolate Brownie Pudding

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
3 1/2 cups hot water
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9x13x2-inch pan and set aside. Measure flour, baking powder, sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa, and salt into a bowl and mix together. Add milk, vanilla, and melted butter and mix until incorporated. (This can be mixed by hand or with the mixer.) Stir in the walnuts. Pour into prepared pan and set aside.
In a large bowl mix together brown sugar and 1/2 cup cocoa. Pour hot water over sugar and cocoa mixture and mix together. When well blended, slowly pour over the flour mixture in baking pan. (The baking pan will be very full, so handle carefully when putting it in the oven.) Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Cut into 15 squares.
(Lion House Desserts, [Salt Lake City: Eagle Gate, 2000] p. 33.)
Click here to download the PDF version of this lesson.

FHE: Choose the Right

Thu, 13 May 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com
Mormon Life says: For thus saith the scripture: Choose ye this day, whom ye will serve. (Alma 30:8) Conference Talk: For more information on this topic read "Moral Discipline," by D. Todd Christofferson, Ensign, Nov 2009, 105-8.
Thought: Moral discipline is the consistent exercise of agency to choose the right because it is right, even when it is hard. (D. Todd Christofferson, "Moral Discipline," Ensign, Nov 2009, 105-8.)
Song: "Choose the Right," Hymns, #239.
Scripture: For thus saith the scripture: Choose ye this day, whom ye will serve. (Alma 30:8)
Lesson: Ask your family what the consequences are for the following choices: Touching a hot stove with your bare hand.
Not paying your phone bill for several months.
Going to work late every day.
Write the following sentence on paper large enough for everyone to see and invite your family to rewrite that first situation by filling in the blank: "If you touch a hot stove, then ________."
Remind your family that often gospel principles fit that "if/then" format. It is a reminder that consequences are an important part of agency. Leviticus 26 contains the consequences for obedience and disobedience, and is written in an "if/then" format.
Turn to Leviticus 26:3-4 and ask your family to mark the words if and then. In the same manner, read Leviticus 26:14,16 and mark the words If and I also will. Read together Leviticus 26:3-12 and 14-28. Ask:

What blessings are listed for obedience?
What cursings come when we violate God's commandments?
What do D&C 130:20-21 and 82:10 add to help us understand why this is so?
How does understanding this principle make you feel?
Ask your family:

What do you believe the Lord specifically expects of you?
What promises has He made to you?
Do you believe He will keep those promises if you do what He expects?
Testify to your family that as we keep our promises and witness the Lord fulfilling His, it increases our faith.
(Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The Old Testament, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2009], p. 60.)
Story: Elder Howard W. Hunter
I recall a young man in our stake when I served as a stake president. He traveled around with a crowd that thought it was smart to do things that were not right. On a few occasions he was caught in some minor violations.
One day I got a call from the police station and was told he was being held because of a traffic violation. He had been caught speeding, as he had on a few other occasions prior to this time. Knowing that the things he was doing might prevent him from going on a mission, he straightened up, and when he was nineteen years of age he received his call.
I shall never forget the talk we had when he returned. He told me that while he was in the mission field he had often thought of the trouble he had caused by the mistaken belief that the violation of little things was not important. But a great change had come into his life. He had come to the realization that there was no happiness or pleasure in violation of the law, whether it be God's law or whether it be the laws that society imposes upon us.
He said to me, "When I drive a car now and the speed limit is sixty miles an hour, I feel it is morally wrong to drive a single mile faster."
I was impressed by the great change that had come over this young man while he served on his mission and studied moral principles. How unfortunate it is that he had to learn his lesson the hard way, but what a great blessing comes when there is the realization that one cannot be in violation and feel good about that conduct.
(Leon R. Hartshorn, Outstanding Stories by General Authorities, vol. 3, [Salt Lake City, Deseret Book, 1974].)
Activity: Use tape or yard to draw a large circle on the floor. This is the den. Pick someone to be the werewolf and stay inside the den.
The object is for the other players to taunt the werewolf by daringly stepping into the den. If the werewolf bites (tags) someone who is completely or partially in the den, then he also becomes a werewolf and helps the first werewolf catch others. The last person caught becomes the werewolf for the next round of play.
(George and Jeane Chipman, Games! Games! Games!, [Salt Lake City: Shadow Mountain, 1983], p. 58.)
Gospel application: When we choose to put ourselves in situations where we can be tempted, we will often get caught. We need to choose to stay far away from the things that are wrong.
Refreshment Cinnamon Chips

6 large flour tortillas
4 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375° F. Combine cinnamon and sugar in small bowl. Using water spray bottle, lightly spray tortillas and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Using pizza cutter, cut each tortilla into 8 wedges. Place tortilla wedges on baking sheet and bake 10 to 12 minutes or until crispy. Remove from oven and cool.
(Elaine Cannon, compiler, Five-Star Recipes from Well-Known Latter-day Saints, [Salt Lake City: Eagle Gate, 2002], p. 14.)
Click here to download the PDF version of this lesson.

FHE: Honesty

Thu, 06 May 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com
Mormon Life says: "We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men. . . ." Conference Talk: For more information on this topic read "Let Virtue Garnish Your Thoughts," by H. David Burton, Ensign, Nov 2009, 76-78.
Thought: Fidelity and honesty seem to have been replaced with greed and graft. . . . We need to stand tall and be firmly fixed in perpetuating Christlike virtues.
(H. David Burton, "Let Virtue Garnish Your Thoughts," Ensign, Nov 2009, 76-78.)
Song: "Jesus Loved the Little Children," Children's Songbook p. 259 (both verses).
Scripture: We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things. (Articles of Faith 1:13)
Lesson: Before family home evening write the following titles on separate pieces of paper, and distribute these titles to members of your family:

Bishop Edward Partridge. (D&C 51:1-8, 12-13.)
Family of Saints migrating from the East. (D&C 51:4 and section heading.)
Family of Saints that transgresses. (D&C 51:4-5.)
Storehouse. (D&C 51:13-15.)
Every man. (D&C 51:9-12, 19.)
Invite your family to read the historical background above and the section heading for section 51 to discover what was happening during this time. Also have family members locate the city Thompson in the map section of their Doctrine and Covenants. (See the map of the New York–Ohio area.)
Ask each family member to search the verses assigned to them and write down the roles and responsibilities of their assigned title. Help those who need it as they complete their assignment. Ask the following:

Bishop Partridge: How are you to distribute the portions to the new families coming in? (See verse 3.)
Family of Saints migrating from the east: What will you receive to show that your portion (part) is really yours? (See verse 4.)
Family of Saints that transgresses: When you transgress and leave the Church, what part will you get back? (See verse 5.)
Storehouse: What do you store? (See verses 13–14.)
Bishop Partridge: What is to be done with the money that is extra? (See verse 8.)
Every man: How are we to "deal" with others? (See verse 9.) Who will enter into the joy of the Lord and have eternal life? (See verse 19.) What problems might arise from dealing dishonestly?
Explain to your family that the Lord desires to unify His people. Share your testimony that unity among the Saints can exist only as we are completely honest with our fellowmen. Encourage your family to be honest in all their dealings.
(Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The Doctrine and Covenants, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2004], p. 351.)
Story: Hugh B. Brown
While I was in training [for the military], a young Mormon boy came into the camp. He was awkward. He was not educated very well, but he was a young Mormon boy who had been taught to live the gospel. After one parade, when he had gone through everything backwards, he was called by the captain to come into his office. The captain said, "I have noticed you, young fellow. You are from Cardston, aren't you?"
He said, "Yes, sir."
"You are a Mormon, I suppose."
"Yes, sir."
"Well, I just wanted to make friends with you. Will you have a glass of beer?"
"Sir, I do not drink liquor."
The captain said, "The ——— you don't. Maybe you will have a cigar then."
He said, "Thank you, sir, but I do not smoke."
The captain seemed much annoyed by this, and he dismissed the boy from the room.
When the young man went back to his quarters, some of the lesser officers accosted him angrily and said, "You fool, don't you realize the captain was trying to make a friend of you, and you insulted him to his face?"
The young Mormon boy answered, "Gentlemen, if I must be untrue to my ideals and my people and do things that I have been instructed all my life I should not do, I'll quit the army."
When the time came for the final examinations in that camp, the captain sent this young man down to Calgary from Sarcee Camp to do some work for him, and they were having examinations while he was gone. When he returned the captain said, "Now you go in the other room there, and I will give you the list of questions, and you can write your examination."
He went in and returned and said, "Sir, all the books we have studied are there on that desk. Surely you don't want me to write my examination there where I can turn to those books."
The captain said, "That is just what I do want. I know from my knowledge of you that you will not open a one of those books. You will be honorable, you will be honest, and I trust you."
Well, that young man, while overseas later on in the war, was sent for by his captain, who had then become a lieutenant colonel, in response to a call from general headquarters for the best man he had in his battalion. They had a special mission for him to perform. They said, "We don't care anything about his education or his training. We want a man who can't be broken when put under test. We want a man of character." The lieutenant colonel, his former captain, selected and assigned this young man who had the courage to stand before him and say, "I do not smoke. I do not drink."
(Jay A. Parry, Jack M. Lyon, Linda Ririe Gundry, editors, Best-Loved Stories of the LDS People, Vol. 2, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1999], p. 181.)
Activity: Seat everyone on the floor in a large circle with one person blindfolded in the center. This person is the "watchdog." Place a wooden spoon beside the dog. This is the "bone."
The object is for people in the circle to sneak up quietly to the watchdog and steal the bone without being heard. No throwing of the bone is allowed.
When the watchdog hears someone approaching, he points in their direction and says, "Bow wow." If the watchdog points at someone out of place, that person has to return the bone and go back to his place. The game then continues as before.
If someone successfully steals the bone without the watchdog pointing to him, he trades places with the dog, and the play continues.
(George and Jeane Chipman, Games! Games! Games!, [Salt Lake City: Shadow Mountain, 1983], p. 57.)
Gospel application: Since the watchdog is blindfolded, everyone must be honest and admit when they are caught.
Refreshment Peanut Butter Fudge

3 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 heaping tablespoons peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts
In a heavy saucepan, mix sugar and cocoa. Stir in corn syrup, salt, and cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat and, stirring constantly, cook to soft-ball stage (240 degrees on candy thermometer). Pour out on buttered marble slab or into a buttered bowl to cool. Do not scrape pan, or candy will become sugary. When cool, add peanut butter and vanilla. Beat with a wooden spatula until candy loses its gloss. Stir in nuts. If candy becomes crumbly, knead until smooth. Put in a 9-inch square buttered pan; when candy sets up, cut into squares. Makes 2 pounds.
(Paula Julander and Joanne Milner, Utah State Fare, [Salt Lake City: Shadow Mountain, 1995], p. 89.)
Click here to download the PDF version of this lesson.

FHE: Example

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com
Mormon Life says: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16) Conference Talk: For more information on this topic read "I Love Loud Boys," by Yoon Hwan Choi, Ensign, Nov 2009, 53-55.
Thought: Those nine boys became the leaders of the ward and the stake, and they became the teachers and leaders of our sons. . . . Our sons liked to follow their great examples of becoming wonderful missionaries and getting married to righteous companions in the temple.
(Yoon Hwan Choi, "I Love Loud Boys," Ensign, Nov 2009, 53-55.)
Song: "Do As I'm Doing," Children's Songbook, p. 276.
Scripture: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)
Lesson: Have a family member read aloud Alma 39:11 and tell how Corianton’s bad example affected the Zoramites. Ask them why it is important that we set a good example. Invite family members to share any examples they know of where the behavior of a Church member helped someone gain a testimony of the gospel. Ask how they think it would make them feel if someone rejected the gospel because of their bad example. How do you think you would feel if someone joined the Church because of your good example? Read together D&C 18:10-16 and then bear your testimony of the joy that comes from being a good example to others.
(Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The Book of Mormon, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2003], p. 212.)
Story: Seemingly little lessons of love are learned by children as they silently observe the examples of their parents. My own father, a printer, worked long and hard practically every day of his life. I'm certain that on the Sabbath he would have enjoyed just being at home. Rather, he visited elderly family members and brought cheer into their lives.
One such family member was his uncle, who was crippled by arthritis so severe that he could not walk or care for himself. On a Sunday afternoon Dad would say to me, "Come along, Tommy. Let's take Uncle Elias for a short drive." Boarding the old 1928 Oldsmobile, we would proceed to Eighth West, where, at the home of Uncle Elias, I would wait in the car while Dad went inside. Soon he would emerge from the house, carrying in his arms like a china doll his frail and crippled uncle. I would then open the door and watch how tenderly and with such affection my father would place Uncle Elias in the front seat so that he would have a fine view while I occupied the rear seat.
The drive was brief and the conversation limited, but oh, what a legacy of love! Father never read to me from the Bible about the good Samaritan. Rather, he took me with him and Uncle Elias in that old 1928 Oldsmobile and provided a living example I have always remembered.
(Thomas S. Monson, Inspiring Experiences That Build Faith: From the Life and Ministry of Thomas S. Monson, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1994].)
Activity: Use a small wastebasket as a target and crumpled sheets of paper as balls. Have each family member take turns being the leader shooting their “ball” into the basket. Everyone in the family needs to make the same shot as the leader. When a player misses they receive a strike against them. After three strikes they are out of the competition. Keep playing until only one player is left.
Refreshment Thumbprints

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
1 tsp. vanilla
jam of your choice
Beat cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar in large mixing bowl at medium speed. Add flour and baking soda and mix well. Add chopped nuts and vanilla and chill for 30 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Indent centers and fill each with 1 teaspoon of your favorite jam. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool on wire rack. Use a variety of jams—the cookies will look beautiful on a serving plate.
(Hollee Eckman and Heather Higgins, All That Jam, [Salt Lake City: Shadow Mountain, 2003], p. 73.)
Click here to download the PDF version of this lesson.

FHE: Teaching Others

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com
Mormon Life says: But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another. (Mosiah 4:15) Conference Talk: For more information on this topic read "Teaching Helps Save Lives," by Russell T. Osguthorpe, Ensign, Nov 2009, 15-17
Thought: Our son [a physician] saves lives by sharing his knowledge of medicine; missionaries and teachers in the Church help save lives by sharing their knowledge of the gospel.
(Russell T. Osguthorpe, "Teaching Helps Save Lives," Ensign, Nov 2009, 15-17.)
Song: "Teach Me to Walk in the Light," Children's Songbook, p. 177.
Scripture: But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another. (Mosiah 4:15)
Object Lesson: Materials needed: A packaged of dehydrated food (such as macaroni or instant potatoes)
Procedure: Show the family the dehydrated food. Ask what this food needs. (Water.) When water is added the food swells up and reaches its full potential.
Explain that in a sense, as we teach others about the doctrines of Christ we offer them the water which will help them to swell and reach their full potential.
Help everyone understand that we all can be teachers, regardless of our age.
(Beth Lefgren and Jennifer Jackson, More Power Tools for Teaching, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1991], 88.)
Story: Marvel Young
The far-reaching effect of a good teacher has been very impressive to me. President David O. McKay once said: ". . . children who, through instruction from noble teachers, become imbued with eternal principles of truth, radiate an influence for good, which, like their own souls, will live forever."
My mother, Verna Fowler Murphy, was one such noble teacher. From her earliest years, she had a burning testimony of the gospel and was able, even as a teenager, to express it well. She was especially good at teaching little children about the Savior and his gospel in a way that impressed them deeply. She loved to teach Sunday School and Primary children, never realizing that her teaching would help her own unborn daughter in the years to come.
One of the little children in her Sunday School class in Ogden, Utah, was Johnny Emmett. He was so thrilled with her stories of the Savior that he would go home crying to his mother, saying how wonderful the gospel was and how much he loved the Savior.
At Christmastime, she told them the story "The Other Wise Man," by Henry Van Dyke. The next day, Johnny's mother called my mother and told her how impressed he had been with the story, and how he cried as he told her that he wanted to be like the Other Wise Man and to help other in every possible way when he grew up.
Years later, I was laboring in the Eastern States Mission, in Binghamton, New York. One day, as my companion and I were tracting and receiving many rejections, we became very dejected. When we were about to give up for the day, I was impressed that we should knock on just one more door. We did so, and when a lady appeared at the door, I told her that we represented The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more commonly called the Mormon Church. She immediately threw open her door and invited us in so quickly that my companion and I looked at each other in amazement.
After we were seated, she explained that if we had come to her door a year before, she would never have allowed us to enter, because she had been a devout Catholic and had not wanted to listen to missionaries from any other church. However, a sad experience in the last six months had changed her thinking, especially concerning the Mormons. She said that her husband had just passed away at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He had been attended by a Mormon doctor at the clinic, who had done everything in his power to help her husband to live. He had also gone the extra mile to help her to have faith in the Lord, in spite of their many problems.
She said, "That doctor was an active member of your church; he taught classes every week in the church there, besides being so busy helping everyone medically. He truly lived as the Savior would want us all to live. I feel that any church that could teach a man to be as wonderful as that doctor was must surely be wonderful, too. I am now ready to listen to anything you have to teach me."
My companion and I were thrilled, and before we began to teach her the gospel, we asked the name of the doctor who had inspired her so greatly. She said, "His name was Dr. John L. Emmett, of Ogden, Utah."
Truly, the effects of my Mother's gospel teaching in Sunday School had affected at least one little child so deeply that he radiated the spirit of the gospel by the way he lived. He impressed all whom he knew with his fine example. Without knowing it, he had also helped two lady missionaries find a "golden contact," transforming a discouraging day into a thrilling one. Surely we were led by the Spirit to that special door on that very special day!
(Leon R. Hartshorn, Remarkable Stories from the Lives of Latter-day Saint Women, vol. 2, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1975].)
Activity: Inform each person in advance to bring something to show and tell about to the rest of the group. These objects can be art and craft items made as a hobby, interesting things from faraway locations, school assignments, etc.
Let each person take a turn being the teacher and to tell about what he has brought.
(George and Jeane Chipman, Games! Games! Games!, [Salt Lake City: Shadow Mountain 1983], p. 41.)
Refreshment Chocolate Buttermilk Cake

1 2/3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup nonfat buttermilk
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 375° F. Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in center of mixture. Blend buttermilk, water, oil, and vanilla. Pour into well in dry ingredients, stirring until smooth. Pour into prepared cake pan and bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan. Sprinkle lightly with confectioner's sugar.
(Lion House Lite Recipes, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1996], p. 119.)
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