General Conference Note Taker

 Hello! It's been a few years but I made a note taker for my teenagers to help us focus a bit more. Not sure if anyone would like, but if so, help yourself!

General Conference Note Taker

Apostles as Children Singing Time or Family Home Evening

When I saw THIS article from LDSLiving.com, I knew what had to happen!
(What The Apostles Looked Like as Children by Danielle Beckstrom) It would be a really good idea to do around conference time to familiarize children with names and faces of our beloved leaders!
 All images are accredited in the article. Make a simple matching game. You can do that however you like!

A simple way I like is to take the pictures and put them on a board that I can have push pins in. Then have plenty of rubber bands to match one current picture to the picture from when they were young by looping the rubber band. I only have 5 pictured, but hopefully you get the idea.

This would make a really fun singing time! Each primary child could get 2 guesses before you move on to the next song!

If you choose to do it for Family Home Evening, start off with having pictures of family members as infants. Can they match which baby picture belongs to each other? 

Here are some quotes that a family member can read. Cut each quote and put into a can. Have a family member draw a quote from a can, read, then have the family member try to match the pictures! All quotes are from the last general conference found HERE. Make sure to talk about the quotes too!

President Monson: "As we enter through the doors of the temple, we leave behind us the distractions and confusion of the world. Inside this sacred sanctuary, we find beauty and order. There is rest for our souls and a respite from the cares of our lives."

President Eyring: " Other storms and tragedies will come across the world to people the Lord loves and whose sorrows He feels. Part of your fast offering and mine this month will be used to help someone, somewhere, whose relief the Lord will feel as if it were His own. Your fast offering will do more than help feed and clothe bodies. It will heal and change hearts."

President Uchtdorf: "Though we all have weaknesses, we can overcome them. Indeed it is by the grace of God that, if we humble ourselves and have faith, weak things can become strong."

Elder Boyd K. Packer: "The end of all activity in the Church is to see that a man and a woman with their children are happy at home, sealed for eternity.

Elder Russell M. Nelson: "The question for each of us is: because of what I have heard and felt during this conference, how will I change? Whatever your answer might be, may I invite you also to examine your feelings about, and your behavior on, the Sabbath day."

Elder L. Tom Perry: "What the restored gospel brings to the discussion on marriage and family is so large and so relevant that it cannot be overstated: we make the subject eternal! We take the commitment and the sanctity of marriage to a greater level because of our belief and understanding that families go back to before this earth was and that they can go forward into eternity."

Elder Neil L. Anderson: "Brothers and sisters, seeing and believing the Lord’s miracles in establishing His kingdom on earth can help us see and believe that the Lord’s hand is at work in our own lives as well."

Elder Quentin L. Cook: " One of the remarkable characteristics of young wild sunflowers, in addition to growing in soil that is not hospitable, is how the young flower bud follows the sun across the sky. In doing so, it receives life-sustaining energy before bursting forth in its glorious yellow color.

Like the young sunflower, when we follow the Savior of the world, the Son of God, we flourish and become glorious despite the many terrible circumstances that surround us. He truly is our light and life."

Elder D. Todd Christoffersen: "A family built on the marriage of a man and woman supplies the best setting for God’s plan to thrive."

Elder David A. Bednar: "The peace Christ gives allows us to view mortality through the precious perspective of eternity and supplies a spiritual settledness (see Colossians 1:23) that helps us maintain a consistent focus on our heavenly destination. Thus, we can be blessed to hush our fears because His doctrine provides purpose and direction in all aspects of our lives. His ordinances and covenants fortify and comfort in times both good and bad. And His priesthood authority gives assurance that the things that matter most can endure both in time and in eternity."

Elder Dallin H. Oaks: "If the emblems of the sacrament are being passed and you are texting or whispering or playing video games or doing anything else to deny yourself essential spiritual food, you are severing your spiritual roots and moving yourself toward stony ground....And that applies to adults also."

Elder Robert D. Hales: "To keep the commandments, we need to know the official doctrine of the Church so we are not diverted from Christ’s leadership by the ever-changing whims of individuals."

Elder M. Russell Ballard: “RM” doesn’t mean “retired Mormon”! As a returned missionary, you “should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of [your] own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness.”

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: "Jesus Christ suffered, died, and rose from death in order that He could lift us to eternal life."

Elder Richard G. Scott: "Remember our Savior is the Prince of Peace. Peace in this mortal life comes from His atoning sacrifice. When we are consistently praying morning and night, studying our scriptures daily, having weekly family home evening, and attending the temple regularly, we are actively responding to His invitation to “come unto Him.” (This quote is from Oct. 2014 General Conference because he didn't speak in the April 2015 General Conference)

Parents: The Primary Gospel Teachers of Their Children, By Elder Tad R. Callister FHE idea

I really loved THIS talk. I could just picture a little Granny walking out ready to serve "the elderly".

For family home evening, have 4 (or more depending on your family size) plastic cups and a small paper granny. Read the quote about what an example his mother was as a great gospel teacher/parent... even at age 90!

What does it take to be a good parent who teaches the gospel in the home?

Elder Callister gives some great ideas.

After you go over a question or quote on the sheet, take turns putting the granny under a cup and mixing up the cups. Each family member gets a turn trying to find which cup the good example granny is under!

The example he gave of the mother who helped her boy achieve success was very powerful (#3). Let family members talk about how they feel after reading this. Be open to see how the spirit directs the conversation.

Some possible songs to include:
Love is Spoken Here (CS #190)
Families Can Be Together Forever ( CS #188)

Bear testimony that parents have a sacred responsibility to their children. We have the ultimate example of a loving Heavenly Father who has given us so much. He provided a perfect plan and sacrificed so much for us to return to Him. We need to strive for that unconditional patience, love, and diligence as a parent.

Parents the Prime Gospel Teachers of Their Children

May 2014 LDS Primary Sharing Time Helps and Ideas

This picture is from The Friend October 2012 by the talented Oakley.

HERE is the talk by Elder Scott, it's one of my all time favorites.

Monthly Theme: Families are Blessed When They Follow The Prophet
Monthly Scripture: "Be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets."
2 Peter 3:2

 

Week 1 God speaks to us through prophets.

*Grab an erasable white board and marker, a Gospel Art Book, and get ready for a game! A reverent child will be called on to come up front. They can choose any ancient or modern day prophet they can think of! They will whisper the name to you and you will write down the name of the prophet on the white board and then the primary children have to guess who the prophet is by asking YES or NO questions. They can't guess the prophet's name until AT LEAST 4 questions ABOUT the prophet have been asked!! After the prophet is guessed, see if anyone can tell us what that prophet taught!

* HERE is a link from the Liahonna (by Sandra Tanner and Cristina Franco). It has pictures of prophets and scriptures to match. You could print this off for small groups to match!!

* Beat the Teachers!! Using the chalkboard, draw 6 short lines to a picture of Jesus and then 6 lines on the other side of the picture. The primary children will get a question about the week's theme and if they get it right they can make an X on the line. Then the teacher's turn and on the other side if they get it right, they can make an X on the line. Basically it's a race to the middle, The Savior!! And of course the children can get help from other children, teachers from other teachers.
       Some questions for the kiddos could include:
Name 5 prophets from the Book of Mormon.
Name 2 things that were taught, in detail, at General Conference.
If a prophet speaks as a prophet, is it the same as The Lord saying it?
Who is your favorite prophet and why?
How do you feel knowing that God still speaks to us today? Can you name 3 ancient prophets that haven't been mentioned and 3 modern day apostles/prophets?
What does it mean to sustain the prophet?
      Some questions for the teachers could include (remember to make them a little harder!!):
What is the scripture reference for this scripture: "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7)
Can you say the 5th Article of Faith out loud from memory? What does that AOF have to do with Prophets?
What President of the Church said, "I say to Israel, the Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as president of this Church to lead you astray. It is not in the program. It is not in the mind of God. If I were to attempt that the Lord would remove me out of my place, and so he will any other man who attempts to lead the children of men astray from the oracles of God and from their duty.” (Wilford Woodruff)
Can you name all the current apostles/prophets?
What is one of your favorite teachings from the prophets?
What is something Hababkkuk taught?

A couple Recycled ideas from previous posts:

* We have a little girl in our primary who wants to become a movie director. Bring in a church film. Has anyone seen this movie? What are the credits at the end? Does anyone know the difference between a movie producer and a movie director? Basically, a movie producer is in charge of and directs EVERYTHING but will always need help dealing with the actors/people. That's where the director comes in. A movie director guides the actors under the producers supervision.
How does this compare to Jesus Christ and prophets? Make a paper action sign and have the children act out charades of different things or stories that were taught during our last conference!

* Have a list of cleaning chores around the home. Dusting, washing dishes, vacuuming, laundry, etc. Can mom do these all by herself? Sure! Would it be better if she had helpers? Heavenly Father could clean the world all by Himself, but He has prophets as His special helpers.

Have a bucket full of cleaning supplies. Invite children to come up and choose items. On the cleaning items have questions, scriptures and songs having to do with Prophets speak for Heavenly Father.
D&C 88:74 "...Yea, purify your hearts, and cleanse your hands and your feet before me, that I may make you clean"

* Debate time! Have 2 children come up front and explain what a debate is. They have 30 seconds each to tell their side... what is the best flavor of ice cream and why? Who in the primary agrees and why? What about when it comes to Gospel topics? Is there a debate over those?

Sister Elaine A. Cannon, who has devoted much of her life to guiding and teaching young people, bore this witness of the living prophet: “Now, as he speaks to us … it is as if the Lord Jesus Christ himself were addressing us. … Christ made this very clear when he said to others of his children a time ago, ‘Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these … whom I have chosen from among you to minister unto you’ (3 Nephi 12:1). … Your course should become clear, your priorities ought to be known to you. … Personal opinions vary. Eternal principles never do. When the prophet speaks … the debate is over” (“If We Want to Go Up, We Have to Go On,” New Era, Jan.–Feb. 1979, pp. 40–41).

Week 2 The prophets in the scriptures are examples to my family.

* Have some "special guests" come to primary! Invite a few adults to dress up as certain prophets in the scriptures and share their story. Ask the children how these prophets are examples to each of us and our families?

* President Harold B. Lee taught, “The most important of the Lord’s work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own homes” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee [2000], 134). Draw a large home on the chalkboard. Get about 10 different color paint sample cards from Wal-Mart. Ooooo, pretty! Have different scripture references of different prophets on the back of each of the cards. Divide into groups and hand out the paint cards. Give the groups a few questions about the prophet too. Let them discuss 3-4 minutes.  An extra attentive primary child can have the reverent stick (a free paint stick/stirrer) and call on children to come share what they discussed in groups. Just like paint makes our walls at home beautiful, the prophets in the scriptures make our families and homes a more lovely place because of their examples and teachings.

* James 5:10 "Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience."
     Families are NEVER perfect!!! We all make mistakes, and fortunately because of Jesus, we can repent!!
     Dioramas are mentioned in Teaching, No Greater Call HERE. However, I don't think I've ever seen them utilized. This would be a great week to make 3-4 dioramas. I would choose Job, Lehi, and Jacob/Israel and his 12 sons to really hit home the mentioned scripture. Family life requires patience and the life of the prophets in the scriptures are wonderful examples for us!!

* Grab your sunglasses and feather boa. Put them on dramatically and introduce yourself as the latest and greatest movie star/rock star/athlete. Crumple a piece of paper and throw it in the garbage can... to demonstrate your great athletic ability. You are super famous and everyone in the world knows your name. Because so many people know who you are.... you must be a good example right? You are a super star!!!!! Nothing you do could be wrong!!! Wait and see what the children say. There are a lot of nice people in the world who are famous for different talents they have, but it doesn't mean they are good examples. Remember, we are not "worldly" people.
      1 John 2:15 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
    Have a picture of a magazine, a TV, a movie screen, a book, a basketball, a football... etc, things to represent where the world might look for an example. Have large red X's to cover those pictures. Have scripture stories of the prophets for each picture. Have a child choose a picture (let's say it's the magazine one, and of course they can feel free to wear your boa or sunglasses) and briefly explain how that prophet set a good example for our families. Have them X out the magazine picture and put a picture of the prophet above it. And of course, people in church magazines we can look to for a good example... but not really the magazines we see by the grocery check out!
     And of course, make sure to say that THERE ARE A LOT of good famous people out there!! A person doesn't have to be a member of The Church to be a good example!! Look at Abraham Lincoln or Mother Theresa or Martin Luther King Jr. We just need to be careful who we look to for examples. Ultimately, our greatest example is Our Savior!!

* Family Home Run Evening!!! Tell the children that what you do today in sharing time, they can easily do at home!!! Grab a roll of wrapping paper and a balloon, or some sort of soft ball. You, the pitcher, are going to have some questions about prophets and the examples they set for families. A child is at bat at the front of the room and can throw the balloon themselves and try to hit it, then they reverently walk to a corner of the room. If they give a really good answer they can go to 2nd base. Super good answer, 3rd base. WOW!!! Can't believe you know that... home reverent walk/run! Anyone in the primary can steal the base if they catch the balloon.... SITTING DOWN. If they are standing at all or jump up, it's not a steal. Stealing the base means switching corners with the child that is there. See how many home runs/ reverent walks you can get as a primary!!!
    Clarification: So if a child answers a question they go to first base, next child comes up and answers a question and the first child moves to second base, second child moves to first base. Basically, just move the kiddos along!!

Week 3 My family will be blessed as we follow the prophet.

* Multiple Choice Quiz Time!! The week before, choose 4 families from the ward that the children know well. Ask them for some examples in their life (about 3-4 short stories each) how following the prophet has blessed them. For sharing time, write A B C D on the board and under each letter the name of one of the families you got stories from. Tell the children you are going to have a multiple choice quiz!! Invite 3 children  up at a time, read them a story and have them stand under the letter/family they think the story is about. Have your primary pianist announce the correct answer!!

* Have a picture of a prophet. Have a picture of a family. Let a child pick a spot, any spot to put the picture of the prophet. See if the children can remember some of the stories from General Conference. Share some brief stories from Conference then ask the children what the message is of that story and how your family can be blessed by that principle. Whoever answers can take the picture of the family and put it by the prophet. Then another child comes up and moves the picture of the prophet. Share a conference story, move family.... continue on!! :)

* HERE is a great example of how President Hinckley's family was blessed by following the prophet. After reading it and going over the questions with the children. Have a few highlighted conference talks for the children to read in groups... the highlighted parts. Have them brainstorm ideas for a Family Home Evening based off following the teachings of that prophet/apostle, then share with the primary.

Week 4 The prophet speaks to us at General Conference.

* HERE is a must read to prepare for this week's topic. In October 2014, Elder Robert D. Hales spoke extensively on the topic of General Conference.

* HERE is a conference center tour found off LDS.org. If you are able to download, it's a short video about the conference center and what happens behind the scenes at conference! It's really wonderful and interesting!! It is about 2 1/2 minutes in length. HERE is the written message if you can't get the video... but the video is really awesome.

* HERE are some conference hidden pictures. My children LOVE these types of things. Why not turn it into a sharing time or Family Home Evening? Have strips of paper with scriptures, songs, and questions having to do with General Conference folded in a paper bag. A child comes up front and picks from the bag. Once the answer or read the scripture or lead the song, they get to see if they can color/find something from the look and find. Just have the look and find on the blackboard. If they need help, have them call on another primary friend to come up. Make copies for the primary children to take home after the lesson.

* LDS.org makes life so much easier!!! HERE are conference squares. Print off a sheet for each child or for small groups. Have 10-20 short quotes from Conference. Have them play conference squares as you or another good reader reads the quote.

* Sometimes we might think that Conference is a little long or that it's just for adults... but it's not!! The prophet speaks to US at General Conference. HERE is a story of a little girl who could testify to that truth!! Read the story, then have the children write their name on a post it and put it on the chalkboard, all seperate. Have them think of something they like to hear about during conference... whether it's faith or stories from the Book of Mormon or talks about the temple or even the singing!! Invite a child up front, blindfold them or have them close their eyes and choose a post it or 2  from the chalkboard. Whoever has their name chosen can say what they like to hear about at General Conference or one of their favorite messages from the last conference... Heavenly Father knows us each by name. He knows us better than we know ourselves and at Conference time, He speaks to us through His holy prophet!!

General Conference Family Home Evening

I love this picture and can hear The Savior's perfect voice of mildness in my mind as He speaks.

Christ with Martha and Maria by Henryk Siemiradzki 1886

This work is in the public domain in the United States, and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years or less.

Based off the talk The Words We Speak by Sister Rosemary Wixom, from April 2013 General Conference.

Question: Where in the scriptures can we find Heavenly Father or Jesus saying, "Hey you weirdos! What on earth are you thinking!! Shape up NOW!!"?? Check the topical guide, are there any references to weirdos ?

NO!! And why not. Sister Wixom says, "We can learn from that voice from heaven. It was not loud, scolding, or demeaning; it was a still voice of perfect mildness, giving firm direction while giving hope."
(As a sidenote we do see times in the scriptures when the voice of God or Jesus is referenced to as "thunder", which we know is pretty loud. But Sister Wixom is focusing on words we use in family relationships. Talk about words you can remember when it comes to Jesus and His family.)

Story:

 "The store was crowded with shoppers when it became obvious to everyone that a mother was panicked because she had lost her young son. At first, she was calling his name. “Connor,” she would say as she briskly walked around the store. As time passed, her voice got louder and more frantic.

Soon the store security officers were notified, and everyone in the store was involved in looking for the child. Several minutes passed with no success of finding him. Connor’s mother, understandably, was becoming more frantic by the minute and was rapidly yelling his name over and over again.

 

One patron, after saying a silent prayer, had the thought that Connor may be frightened as he listened to his mother scream his name. She mentioned this to another woman involved in the search, and they quickly made a plan. Together they began to walk between the tables of fabric, quietly repeating the words “Connor, if you can hear my voice, say, ‘Here I am.’” As they walked slowly toward the back of the store repeating that phrase, sure enough, they heard a timid, soft voice say, “Here I am.”

 

Connor was hiding between the bolts of fabric under a table. It was a voice of perfect mildness that encouraged Connor to respond."

Question: Where in the scriptures can we find examples of Heavenly Father being too busy to answer our prayers? What about Jesus being to busy to heal or help others?

There are none!! Heavenly Father and Jesus are always there for us. But are we always there for each other? Sister Wixom gives us a challenge!!

Challenge: "Why not choose a time each day to disconnect from technology and reconnect with each other? Simply turn everything off. " Decide as a family what time of day to choose! Write it down and make a special sign to put somewhere to remember!! Follow through for a whole week and see what happens!!!

Scripture: 2 Nephi 25:23 "For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."

Story:

"President Thomas S. Monson shared the experience of Jay Hess, an airman who was shot down over North Vietnam in the 1960s: “For two years his family had no idea whether he was dead or alive. His captors in Hanoi eventually allowed him to write home but limited his message to less than 25 words.”

President Monson asks: “What would you and I say to our families if we were in the same situation—not having seen them for over two years and not knowing if we would ever see them again?

Wanting to provide something his family could recognize as having come from him and also wanting to give them valuable counsel, Brother Hess wrote [the following words]: ‘These things are important: temple marriage, mission, college. Press on, set goals, write history, take pictures twice a year."

Question & Activity: Sister Wixom asks, "What words would you write to your children if you had 25 words or less?" Get a piece of paper and write them down!! Share with each other. If children would prefer, they could write 25 words to their parents!

In conclusion: Ask family members to share something they liked or learned from this family home evening. Bear testimonies as a family. Don't forget the week challenge and to go over your findings next week!

Reviewing General Conference with My Children and Making it Meaningful

I have this 3 drawer plastic thing I found at a garage sale years ago. It sits in our closet housing junk. I was munching on some pumpkin cookies- you know the type you just take a box mix and add a can of pumpkin and a bag of chocolate chips? YUM!, staring at the local senate debate...GROSS! And then it clicked! Why don't I use the drawer thing to put activities in to make some of the conference talks fresh in our minds.

In each drawer I plan on having a laminated sheet with quotes from talks that stood out to me personally. Yes, I have a lamination addiction. I could get over it possibly, but there are no support groups and in my heart of hearts, I know I'd just come back to it even if there were.

Along with each set of quotes, I'll have the following activities. My only condition is that before we do the activity or during the activity, the quotes from the talk are read by someone:

1. Elder M. Russel Ballard, Be Anxiously Engaged

Our Honey Bee Tree Game

2. Sister Ann M. Dibb
T-Shirts with permanent markers to color & design on

3. Elder Russel M. Nelson
Stationary, Stickers & Envelopes to write the missionaries! Do we have any questions? Let's ask them!!

I'll probably rotate them out within the next 3 months for another 3 talks from this wonderful session!
I just really feel like, as much as I enjoy conference, I can never remember the specifics. Hopefully these activities I do with the munchkins will help my mind focus better!

I'm attempting to share the quotes I made for each drawer. Hopefully it will work! Feel free to print out and use if ya' like.

LDS General Conference October 2012

March 2012 LDS Primary Sharing Time Helps and Ideas

(Image from The Friend Oct. 2002... It is a matching game for General Conference. Unfortunately, some apostles have since passed away. However, it is still fun to see what our dear prophets looked like as children!!)

Monthly Theme: Living Prophets Teach Me To Choose The Right.

Monthly Scripture: "O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God" Alma 37:35

Week 1 God speaks through living prophets.

(Recylcing some old ideas, some new)

* Have a list of cleaning chores around the home. Dusting, washing dishes, vacuuming, laundry, etc. Can mom do these all by herself? Sure! Would it be better if she had helpers? Heavenly Father could clean the world all by Himself, but He has prophets as His special helpers.

Have a bucket full of cleaning supplies. Invite children to come up and choose items. On the cleaning items have questions, scriptures and songs having to do with Prophets speak for Heavenly Father.
D&C 88:74 "...Yea, purify your hearts, and cleanse your hands and your feet before me, that I may make you clean"

* Bring in 4 pictures, 2 copies of each picture. Have the children match the pictures. Are the matches the same? Read D&C 1:38, “What I the Lord have spoken I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, IT IS THE SAME.” Now have a sign “voice of the Lord” and “voice of my servants”… according to the scripture are these 2 a match and the same?

* Name that prophet!! Have a large picture of the First Presidency and Quorom of the Twelve. Write their names so children will know who is who. You could even send the children home with a picture of these good men and all the interesting facts so they could quiz their family!!

Interesting Facts (prophet the fact is about)

- This prophet visited the islands of the southeast and met a little boy. He visited with the boy's dad and one day glanced over to see the boy looking through his stamp collection. When the prophet returned to UT he sent the boy some stamps to add to his collection. He loved little children and took time to remember them even with his busy schedule!! (President Monson)
- This prophet would interview up to 70 missionaries a day, one at a time! In one month he had talked personally with over 1,000 misionaries!! (President Monson)
- Many times this prophet was traveling and on an airplane and the weather was horrible! The pilot would come on the loudspeaker and say they would have to re-route the plane and go somewhere else.... however, this prophet would say a humble prayer and often a miraculous break in the clouds would make it so the plane could land where it was supposed to! (President Monson)

HERE is where YOU, yes, beautiful you can find other interesting facts for the other prophets and apostles. Just click on their pictures and read away and be directed by the spirit. All the facts about President Monson are paraphrased from his biography by Heidi Swinton. I rarely will do everything because there is no room for growth in that. You are amazing, you can do it... put your back into it.

* Debate time! Have 2 children come up front and explain what a debate is. They have 30 seconds each to tell their side... what is the best flavor of ice cream and why? Who in the primary agrees and why? What about when it comes to Gospel topics? Is there a debate over those?

Sister Elaine A. Cannon, who has devoted much of her life to guiding and teaching young people, bore this witness of the living prophet: “Now, as he speaks to us … it is as if the Lord Jesus Christ himself were addressing us. … Christ made this very clear when he said to others of his children a time ago, ‘Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these … whom I have chosen from among you to minister unto you’ (3 Nephi 12:1). … Your course should become clear, your priorities ought to be known to you. … Personal opinions vary. Eternal principles never do. When the prophet speaks … the debate is over” (“If We Want to Go Up, We Have to Go On,” New Era, Jan.–Feb. 1979, pp. 40–41).

* Do any of the teachers in the room have children? Do they love one more than another? If anyone is pyscho, don't ask them... Do you think Heavenly Father loves his children more from the time of Adam of Eve or His children from Joseph Smith's time? What about His children now?

Jesus taught us in Matthew 5:45, "...for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."

Heavenly Father always has a prophet on the earth until "people choose to disregard, disobey, or distort any gospel ordinance, whenever they reject the Lord's prophets.... and begin to live in spiritual darkness." An apostacy happens!! However, time passes and "God has shown His love for His children by calling another prophet and giving him priesthood authority to restore and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ." (Quotes from Preach My Gospel pg. 33)

Heavenly Father loves us all, as much now as in the time of ancient scripture! We have LIVING prophets who will speak to anyone who will listen! Just or unjust! Make little suns and raindrops (number 1-10) and hide around the room. Have a child find one and bring to front. Have questions or quotes or songs having to do with God speaks through living prophets.

As a handout for home:

I don't want to put a formal copyright on any work I do, so please just don't sell anything! Think Meatloaf's song if you do... Feel free to use with families and primary!

* President John Taylor said in regards to living prophets, “We require a living tree—a living fountain—living intelligence, proceeding from the living priesthood in heaven, through the living priesthood on earth..." (The Gospel Kingdom, [Deseret Book Co., 1944], p. 34)

Have a large paper tree with about 10-11 leaves. Have questions, scriptures and songs having to do with "living prophets" for the children to come up and choose one at a time.

* Here is a story about the first convert in the Phillipines that would be easy to for a child to act out while you read,

"When he was a boy he found in a garbage can an old tattered copy of the Reader’s Digest. It contained a condensation of a book giving the story of the Mormon people. It spoke of Joseph Smith and described him as a prophet. The word prophet did something to that boy. Could there actually be a prophet upon the earth? he wondered. The magazine was lost, but concern over the presence of a living prophet never left him during the long, dark years of war and oppression when the Philippines were occupied. Finally the forces of liberation came, and with them the reopening of Clark Air Base. David Lagman found employment there. His supervisor, he learned, was a Mormon, an Air Force officer. He wanted to ask him if he believed in a prophet, but was afraid to do so. Finally, after much inner turmoil, he mustered the courage to inquire.

“Are you a Mormon, sir?” the young man asked.

“Yes, I am,” was the forthright reply.

“Do you believe in a prophet? Do you have a prophet in your church?” came the anxious question.

“We do have a prophet, a living prophet, who presides in this church and who teaches the will of the Lord.”

David asked the officer to tell him more, and out of that teaching came his baptism. He was the first native elder ordained in the Philippines..... Could any people have a greater blessing than to have standing at their head one who receives and teaches the will of God concerning them?"
(Ensign Sept. 1991 "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet” President Gordon B. Hinkley)

Week 2 The First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles are prophets.

* Let the Senior Primary teach! The week before give individual kids an assignment (call so you make sure mom knows) to prepare a 1-2 minute presentaion on a certain member of The First Presidency or 12. Tell them they need to have a visual and a fun story about that prophet- perhaps a couple interesting facts. In Junior Primary, the CTR 6 and CTR 7 classes would be able to do this too. Be mindful who is shy though and don't try to force them. Choose your children wisely.

* This might take a lot of work, but it'd be fun to look at. Make a few "maps" of where the prophets have been recently.

Take a black and white image, then a certain color marker and dot and dash away!
For example Elder Nelson has recently been to Nicaragua, El Salvador, Kenya, Madagascar, South Africa, Russia, LDS Business College SLC, UT, BYU Hawaii.
Let the children choose a map, then show them a picture of the prophet that it matches! Read a quote that was said in one of the places visited, for example, Elder Nelson said, "This is a perfect time to set your priorities and make certain that you move in the right direction. You do not want to be like the man who climbed the ladder of success only to find that it was leaning against the wrong wall!” in SLC!
Talk about how many hours you think the prophets spend on airplanes!! Do they love the people of the world and Heavenly Father or what!

Now, where Sofia, might I find travel information? Click around HERE on Prophets and Apostles in the News. Still can't find anything? Pray. Pray a little more.... Click around some more. After that, I don't know the answer.

* Pass the Prophets. Have popsicle sticks with the pictures of The First Presidency and the Quorom of the 12. Sing We Thank Thee of God for a Prophet and pass the sticks around (sitting in a circle would work best)... randomly have the pianist stop the music. When the music stops have the children try to name that apostle they are holding and something prophets have taught us.

Week 3 God's prophets and apostles speak to us in General Conference.

*In general conference in October 1994, Elder David B. Haight said: “When we sustain the President of the Church by our uplifted hand, it not only signifies that we acknowledge before God that he is the rightful possessor of all the priesthood keys; it means that we covenant with God that we will abide by the direction and the counsel that comes through His prophet. It is a solemn covenant” (Ensign, Nov. 1994, 14–15). Make sure to emphasize the underlined parts!

When we sustain the prophet at General Conference it means we covenant to do what he says!

A story illustrates why we should pay attention at General Conference:

"When I was a young wife and mother, my husband spent two years in the air force. We lived in military housing on Long Island, New York. While tending our young children, I often visited with neighbors who had come from all over the country. One day as a neighbor and I were talking about our beliefs, she became curious about what was different about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I told her briefly about the Restoration, and I explained that the restored Church of Jesus Christ has a living prophet today. This really seemed to pique her interest, and she wanted to know what the prophet had said. As I started to tell her about the Doctrine and Covenants and modern revelation, she said, “But what has he said lately?” I told her about general conference and that the Church had a monthly publication with a message from the prophet. Then she got really interested. I was so embarrassed to admit that I hadn’t read the current message. She concluded our conversation by saying, “You mean you have a living prophet and you don’t know what he said?” In that situation I hadn’t shown what it meant to sustain." (Ensign May 1996, Sister Janette Hales Beckham, Young Women's President)

* Have the children write down a list of questions they have and after General Conference ask if anyone is willing to share if they recieved an answer to their question. Remind the children that prayer will go a long way too!

* A nice family home evening could include different family members interviewing each other after conference and sharing what they found. When "reporting findings" we always like to jazz it up with a tinfoil microphone and VIP seat.

Week 4 I am blessed when I choose to follow the prophet.

* “Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.” 2 Chr. 20:20

Blessing Jar!! Have a picture of President Monson and an empty jar next to it. Invite children to write or draw pictures of different ways they have been blessed and "prospered" by following his words on index cards. Fill up the jar and then have children come and draw some out to share with the primary.

* If we throw an apple up in the air, what will happen? What about if we throw a pencil in the air?
Certains things will always happen. Gravity is one of them, what goes up- must come down!! So it is with the principle of obedience and blessings....
D&C 130:20-21 "There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated— And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated."

* HERE is a great sharing time from The Friend with a neat tube craft to put together. Thanks Sister Matsumori!!

* HERE are some really nice prophet figures (from The Friend) that you can mount on popsicle sticks and have children come choose. They can also briefly tell the story of that prophet and how we are blessed if we follow their words. Thanks Sister Magleby!

* HERE is a sharing time from The Friend entitled "I can follow the prophet today!"

* HERE is another super super sharing time from The Friend on obedience to the prophets brings blessings. Thanks Sister Nichols!!