And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
Activity Idea: Gifts of God
I read these verses and thought of this activity and once I read the Come Follow Me manual I realized I wasn’t the only one with the idea.
I’m excited to wrap pieces of paper with gifts of God on them that are mentioned in Moroni 10:9–16. These gifts could also represent other gifts that come from Christ that you have seen in your family members.
Activity Idea from the Church: Book of Mormon Chain
Sing “Search, Ponder, and Pray” (Children’s Songbook, 109).
In the last chapter of the Book of Mormon, Moroni teaches how we can gain a testimony that it’s true (see Moroni 10:3–5). On page 23, you can read how our friend Damon learned this for himself.
Make a Book of Mormon chain! Cut strips out of colored paper. On each one, write something you learned this year from the Book of Mormon. Then tape the strips together in a chain and hang it up!
One way to show charity and the love of Christ is to serve others. Light the World has so many ideas for us to love those around us and share our love of the Savior.
Activity Idea from the Church: Christmas Coins
Sing “Love One Another” (Children’s Songbook, 136).
Moroni wrote that “charity is the pure love of Christ” (Moroni 7:47). We have charity when we show love to others, like Jesus did.
Read “I Can Give a Little Too” on page FJ8. Then do a service project of your own! Decorate a box or jar to collect some coins. Use the money to help someone in need.
Talk about how the bread and water can help us remember Christ.
What do we promise when we make when we take the sacrament?
Activity Idea from the Church: A Gift for Jesus
Sing “Help Me, Dear Father” (Children’s Songbook, 99).
Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ gave us many gifts. Jesus gave His life so we can repent. He gave us the sacrament so we can remember Him. He gave us the Holy Ghost to help us. (See Moroni 4–5.)
On a piece of paper draw or write down a gift you can give to Jesus. You can turn to page 2 for some ideas! Hang your paper up where you can see it this week.
Ether 12:27 is one of my favorite scriptures. I’ve found it comforting, humbling, and empowering.
To discuss this I think it would be great to read this verse together as a family. Pause and take some time to think of what each member of the family feels like is a current weakness. If you don’t know…pray! You can share or keep it private.
Then get ready for a little family workout. Talk about how when you build muscle to make it strong you actually tear it down to make it stronger. It takes time, effort, and consistency to become stronger and build muscle.
It is not so different from our other weaknesses. Discuss ways to exercise your spiritual muscles and rely on the Lord to help your weak areas be strengths. It will still take time, effort, and consistency to do it.
Activity Idea from the Church: Draw Your Story
Sing “Faith” (Children’s Songbook,96–97).
Moroni wrote about people in the scriptures who were able to do hard things because they had faith (see Ether 12:12–22).
Can you think of a time when your faith in Jesus Christ helped you do something hard? Draw a cartoon about it, like the story on page 22! Then share it with us at the Friend.
In Ether 8:23 it teaches that the Lord shows us things so we can know and act—and repent!
Prepare a few boxes where family members will not be able to see what is inside of the boxes (with a blindfold and/or lid.)
You can put whatever you have or want in the boxes. Food item ideas: rice, corn, skinned grapes, banana, beans. Other ideas: pine cone, shaving cream, cotton ball, etc. Use what you have on hand.
Then have everyone guess what they think are in the boxes.
Show what is really in the box and talk about how it changes things for them. Talk about how sometimes God shows us things so that we know how to act and respond. Most of the time he wants us to change and come unto Him (aka repent!)
Activity Idea from the Church: Saying “Thank You”
Sing “I Thank Thee, Dear Father” (Children’s Songbook, 7).
When the brother of Jared and his family made it to the promised land, they sang and prayed to say thank you to Heavenly Father (see Ether 6:9).
You can be thankful too! Read “120 Happy People” on page 8 and write thank-you notes to people you feel grateful for. How many notes can you send this week?
Activity Idea: touch these stones that we may have light
Make a “barge” by putting a sheet or blanket over a table. Gather some stones and a flashlight. Read ether 2:18-24 about the 3 concerns of the brother of jared and god solution to 2 of them and the solution from the brother of jared by reading ether 3:4-6. Take your family into your table barge and shine the light.
Activity Idea from the Church: Rock Art
Sing “Choose the Right Way” (Children’s Songbook, 160–61).
The brother of Jared helped his family travel to the promised land. He asked the Lord to touch 16 stones so they could have light in their barges (see Ether 2–3).
Use the activity on page 24 to make rock art that tells the story of the brother of Jared. Take pictures of your art and send them to us for Show and Tell!
Learn together as a family how the Book of Mormon and Bible actually go hand in hand by reading a verse in the Book of Mormon and looking up the references in the Bible from that verse.
We are going to read 3 Nephi 11:11.
Activity Idea from the Church:
Write each word of the eighth article of faith on separate pieces of paper. Give one or two words to each child, and invite the children to work together to put the words in the correct order. Then ask them to repeat the article of faith several times. What does it teach us?
Samuel has prophesied of a time when the sign of Christ’s birth should have occurred. And yet it seemed as if it wouldn’t come.
Tell your kids that something really awesome is going to happen around x:xx o’clock (it could be dessert, a special guest, a fun activity, you choose.)
Wait until after the approximate time you gave them. See how they reacted. What did they say? Did they believe you? Did they get impatient?
When you’ve decided they’ve been patient enough, reward them with the promised fun or treat.
Read through 3 Nephi 1. Talk about how the people must have felt to wait for the fulfilling of Gods promised sign. God always fulfills His words.
Activity idea: Light not Extinguished
Put a small candle under a clear cup and see how the light goes out.
Then put a battery operated light under the cup and show how the light doesn’t go away. That is what happened the day and night that the sign arrived that showed that Christ was born.
Christ is the light that doesn’t diminish or extinguish. He is the Light of the world.
Activity Idea from the Church: A New Star
Sing “I’m Trying to Be like Jesus” (Children’s Songbook, 78–79).Nephi and other righteous people waited for the sign of Jesus’s birth. A new star appeared in the sky. Everyone knew Jesus had been born! (See 3 Nephi 1:4–21.) Make a star craft! Glue craft sticks in the shape of a star. Decorate your star with crayons, paint, buttons, or whatever you want. Tie a string at the top and hang it up.
While reading this section I noticed the phrase “thou didst hear me.” Over and over again.
In the wilderness, in the field, house, closet, in the mists of congregations, when cast out, among enemies, and in secret places God WILL hear YOU!
To teach this principle we are going to use walkie talkies. If you don’t have walkie talkies, no worries. Use your cell phone!
Have the kids go hide around the house (or yard) and say phrases or read the verses from the scriptures and have the parents listening to them on the other end. Parents can reply if wanted. Give direction and aid.
To end the activity we are going to see if the children are listening and give them directions of where to go to find their dessert.
Talk about how God really does hear us and wants to talk with us.
“And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God.”-Alma 31:5
The word of God- the scriptures, the love of God that is manifest in the pages that teach and testify of Jesus Christ. These words change us. They change us from the inside out.
I’ve thought a lot about this in my parenting journey. I feel like so many times we try to change behaviors from the outside in. An example from today: my son didn’t want to put his things away and in desperation to get him to listen, I told him that only those who get there stuff picked up would be getting a treat and I gave him a choice of what to do. He did it and changed his behavior. Only for the external reward. I was trying to change his behavior from the outside in. But it isn’t effective. And I know it.
Also this past week I slept wrong and woke up not being able to rotate my head. I was in pain and I needed some help. I asked my kids to help me with a few things and they went above and beyond to help me. They were motivated by their goodness and love for me to help because they could see a need. Their love motivated them to help and obey. This is working from the inside out.
God helps change our motivations by working on our insides by reading and studying His word in the scriptures. The Holy Ghost works on us and changes us from the inside out. Lasting change is possible only from inside out.
If we want POWERFUL and lasting change we have to change our motivations.
Have you felt the power of the word of God in your life? How has that changed you?
Activity Idea:10 Household Objects and Figure out How they Can Testify of God.
“all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator.”
I think it would be awesome to figure out together as a family (or make it a game!) how to make everyday objects remind us of God.
Don’t stress about what items you choose. Go around the house and grab what you see and what is left out. You don’t have to have it figured out how it connects us to God, this is a great chance to work together as a family and to try and figure it out.
Let’s see how I do. The first thing I notice is… a shoe. God created our bodies and our feet. Shoes cover our feet. Our shoes help us walk more comfortably. I want to use my feet to walk the path of discipleship and come closer to Christ. When I put on my shoes I can remember that I want to use my feet and energy to draw closer to God.
What about you? What do you see? How do these objects denote that there is a God?
Activity Idea from the church: Paper Prayer Planes (Friend, July 2020)
Sing “My Heavenly Father Loves Me” (Children’s Songbook, 228–29).
The Zoramites believed they could only pray once a week from a tall tower, using the same words (see Alma 31:12–22). But Alma knew he could pray to God about anything, anytime, anywhere (see Alma 31:26–36).
Read “Prayers and Planes” (page 4). How did Heavenly Father answer Vern’s prayers? How has He answered your prayers?
Now help everyone make a paper airplane. Take them outside and see how far they fly!
Come Follow Me in my family 