Alma 8-12

Jesus Christ will Come to Redeem His People

June 8-14

Scripture: Alma 8:1

I don’t know if I’m just tired and a little stressed with girls camp next week, youth conference the following, coaching my kids swim team, starting to teach swim lessons , training my clients, making SO. MUCH. FOOD. ALL. THE. TIME. and then trying to stay up with the laundry, dishes, floors, bathrooms, and make memories with my kids and husband.

Granted, I know I took a lot of this on myself. But I’m grateful for this scripture this week. This verse this week probably isn’t for my family. It most likely isn’t for whoever reads this. It was God speaking to ME. God does that. He really does. He speaks through the scriptures, verses like this one to me when I’m tired and need to take a nap (which I did.)

He also speaks to me in thoughts that are generous and good, mostly to bless other people (like listening to a sad child that was disappointed that summer swim is cancelled and having the thought come to your mind that you could coach your kids and have your own swim team in the backyard every morning.)

Search for that voice and listen to it. God loves you and wants to talk to you.

Especially if it tells you to REST.

Activity Idea: Speedily Follow the Directions

The church had this idea that I wanted to expand on a little. In the manual it says: “Alma 8:10–18. What can we learn from Alma about obeying the Lord “speedily” (verse 18) even when it might be difficult? To reinforce this principle with small children, you could play a game where you give instructions for a task and see how quickly family members accomplish it. For instance, you might see who could quickly fold a piece of clothing.”

I was thinking of things that my kids could do to “speedily” obey. Sometimes it is in the simple things like cleaning up their room or their toys. Sometimes it is to think of others and remember the Lord.

Activity Idea: Make bread or scones to share with someone

In Alma 8:19-22 it talks about how Amulek fed Alma. “bread and meat.” How neat could it be to talk about following the spirit (or an angel) to bless someone with food. I thought it would be fun for my kids to make scones to share with a neighbor. They are super easy so I thought I’d share a recipe with you if you want to give it a try. I’d love to try your favorite bread recipes.

Activity Idea: Play-doh and a soft heart

So last night my husband, Steve, was asking about how things were going and what my idea was for Come Follow Me this upcoming week. He knows that I’ve had a lot going on and when I told him that I’ve studied it but didn’t have any ideas yet. He got out the Come Follow Me Manual and read through it and thought of this idea. I’m all about giving credit when credit is due. Along with that I’m feeling super grateful for a loving and supportive husband who will see a need of mine and try and meet it.

Isn’t is amazing how service can soften our hearts to one another? If you are having hard feelings towards someone, try serving them!

In Alma 12:8-18 it talks about learning to not harden your heart to receive more of God’s word. Play with play-doh and talk about how it is malleable. In the Cambridge English Dictionary it says that malleable means to be “easily influenced, trained, or controlled.” and that “a substance that is malleable is easily bent and shaped.” I hope that we can learn to be malleable to the influence of the Lord in our lives and shaped into being the person that God wants us to be.

You can also have a rock and ask your kids to try and shape it into a specific shape (like a heart) and see what they say about that. We don’t want to have a hard heart that can’t be molded and changed.

Alma explained a possible reason why we aren’t receiving the light, inspiration, or mysteries of God is that we may have hardened our hearts. God can’t give us more knowledge if we are immovable and He knows we aren’t willing to be molded and follow what He has to teach us. He loves us so much that he isn’t going to give us knowledge that we can’t handle at the time or will not use.

What can you do to have a more malleable heart to receive more of God’s word?

Activity Idea: Learning about the Resurrection

Trying to teach my kids about the restoration and our spirits and our bodies after death. Alma 11:41-45 is a great resource to use to teach your kids. I know that there are other ways to show this like the hand in the glove, which might be a good option for you and your family.

I’m going to draw stick figures for all of my kids and then they can color on the clothes that they are currently wearing on the piece of paper. If you are a more skilled artist than I am you can draw little people or have your kids do it!

I think it is fun to be able to visualize the difference (and similarities!) of our spirits and our bodies. That the separate at death and are reunited again in the resurrection.

Activity Ideas from the church: Who’s a Friend?

• Sing “We’ll Bring the World His Truth” (Children’s Songbook, 172–73).
• When Alma was sad, the Lord blessed him with a good friend named Amulek to help him (see Alma 8:14–30). How can you be a good friend?
• Play the “Who Am I?” game on page 24. You could make your own version of the game with pictures of your friends and family.