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Saturday, November 23, 2013

tied to Chrsit

another great missionary object lesson that is also a great family home evening lesson.  

super simple.   you need a picture of Christ that you can hold and enough ties for everyone.   string , yarn or rope will also work but ties are nice because you can tell who is who by the color.

give everyone a thick end of a tie.   you hold all the skinny ends under the picture of Christ.

have each person name something they can do to come closer to Christ.   as they name things like reading scriptures, praying, going to church, obeying commandments, making covenants, taking the sacrament, etc. pull their tie a bit closer to the picture of Christ.   depending on the age of your participants, you can have everyone name 2 - 5 things.

when everyone is up next to the picture, point out that as they grew closer to Christ, they grew closer to each other.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

listen to the right voices

yeah, i hear the voices too.   good ones and bad ones tell us lots of different directions to go.

this is the other object lesson on the Holy Ghost that the missionaries brought us today. . . it's more of a game, but it gets the point across.

you will need three people.

the first is "it"!

the second is the Holy Ghost.

the third is the worldly voice of sin . . .dun dun dun!

ok, "it" puts on a blindfold.
both people get to hide a piece of candy for "it" to find.   keep it simple since "it" is blindfolded.

both the Holy Ghost and sin tell "it" where the candies are located.   of course, the Holy Ghost tells "it" correct directions and sin tries to mislead "it".

with some time, "it" should be able to discern which voice is telling the truth and which is not.   by the second piece of candy, "it" knows for sure that one is telling the truth.

it's the same with our lives.   we have to practice listening and recognising the Holy Ghost.   it does take time but Heavenly Father will help us and we can learn if we really listen.

the dirty sock

during our weekly meeting with missionaries, they gave us two great lessons on the Holy Ghost.

the first was the dirty sock!  
they pulled out a wet, sandy, stinky sock . . (they are young males so i doubt they had to look far. . . still love you guys).

your foot represents the Holy Ghost.

the sock, represents you.

do you want to put on a dirty stinky sock?  yeah, neither does the Holy Ghost.   when you sin, you become dirty.   the Holy Ghost will not stay in dirty places so you have to try to not sin.   when you do sin, you need to repent as soon as possibly.   if that sock had been washed after the first day, after it got into mud, after it was dropped, whatever happened to it - it wouldn't be so bad.   even in this nasty stinky state, the sock can again be clean.   add some soap (the Atonement) and some water (baptism or renewal of covenants) and some work (repentance, Christ will even do most of it for you if you put it in the washing machine . . you do have to do your part) and you have a nice clean sock again ready for the Holy Ghost to put you back on.

moral : you have to keep yourself clean for the Holy Ghost to stay with you.


Thursday, November 7, 2013

M&M Cookie Primary Activity / PV-Aktivität: M&M Plätzchen

M&M Cookie Primary Activity
Theme For 2013 : I Am A Child Of God


*this is the actual letter that we sent home with the kids for their family home evening.   and it's what was read to lead our activity.   this is a new cookie recipe, (not the one i originally posted) and everyone loved it.   you can use your own if you have a tried and true one you like.
we live in germany so the red is german.   i thought i would leave for those who speak german.   you can copy and paste it out of there without a problem.*

Theme For 2013 : I Am A Child Of God
M&Ms were put into a jar every Sunday for the each child that brought their scriptures. One M&M
for the Book of Mormon and one for the Bible. At the end of year party we made cookies with the M&Ms. Since we earned the M&Ms by bringing our scriptures and we have been memorizing scriptures all year, we used them to make our cookies.
Für jedes Kind, das seine Schriften mitgebracht hat, wurden jeden Sonntag M&Ms in ein Gefäß getan: je ein M&M für das Buch Mormon und für die Bibel. Bei der Party am Jahresende haben wir mit den M&Ms Plätzchen gebacken. Weil die M&Ms dadurch verdient wurden, dass wir unsere Schriften mitgebracht haben und weil wir das ganz Jahr Schriftstellen auswendig gelernt haben, haben wir die M&Ms zum Plätzchenbacken verwendet.

I used this recipe but you can use any cookie recipe you like for your family home evening. The ingredients will probably still fit into the scriptures that we used.
Ich habe das folgende Rezept verwendet, aber Sie können für Ihren Familienabend ein beliebiges Plätzchen-Rezept auswählen. Die Zutaten werden sicherlich dennoch zu den Schriftstellen passen, die wir benutzt haben.

JANUARY:
I Am a Child of God, and He Has a Plan for Me
“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God”
(Romans 8:16)

JANUAR
Ich bin ein Kind Gottes, und er hat einen Plan für mich
So bezeugt der Geist selber unserem Geist, dass wir Kinder Gottes sind.“ (Römer 8:16)
2 teaspoons vanilla -
2 teelöffel vanille

It does not take much vanilla to make a big difference in the cookies.
The Holy Ghost is quiet and has a still small voice but when we listen to His direction, it will make a big difference in our lives.
Man braucht nicht viel Vanille, um eine große Veränderung in Plätzchen zu bewirken.
Der Heilige Geist ist still und hat eine leise Stimme, wenn wir aber auf Seine Führung achten, wird es für unser Leben viel bedeuten.


FEBRUARY:
The Earth Was Created for Heavenly Father’s Children
“We will make an earth whereon these may dwell; and we will prove them herewith, to
see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them”
(Abraham 3:24–25).

FEBRUAR
Die Erde wurde für die Kinder des himmlischen Vaters erschaffen
Wir wollen eine Erde machen, worauf diese wohnen können; und wir wollen sie hierdurch
prüfen und sehen, ob sie alles tun werden, was auch immer der Herr, ihr Gott, ihnen gebietet.“
(Abraham 3:24,25)

2 eggs -
2 Eier-
The egg represents our world. Just like a chick grows and is nourished with all it needs inside an egg, so to, has God provided us a world with all we need to develop into the Supreme Being we are to become.
Das Ei repräsentiert unsere Erde. Ebenso wie ein Küken im Inneren des Eis wächst und mit allem genährt wird, was es benötigt, hat Gott für uns eine Welt geschaffen mit allem was wir benötigen, um uns zu dem höchsten Wesen zu entwickeln, das wir werden sollen.


MARCH:
Jesus Christ Is Our Savior
“Hearken ye to these words. Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world” (D&C 43:34).
MÄRZ
Jesus Christus ist unser Erretter.
HÖRT AUF diese Worte. Siehe, ich bin Jesus Christus, der Erretter der Welt.“ (LuB 43:34)

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbs molasses
150g zucker
150g braune zucker
1 Esslöffel Zuckerrübensirup

The brown sugar and molasses are dark like our sins but through Christ, our sins can be as white as the white sugar is.
Der braune Zucker und Zuckerrübensirup sind dunkel wie unsere Sünden, aber durch Christus können wir so weiß werden wie der weiße Zucker.


APRIL:
Jesus Christ Restored His Church in the Latter Days
“I have sent forth the fullness of my gospel by the hand of my servant Joseph” (D&C 35:17).
APRIL
Jesus Christus hat seine Kirche in den Letzten Tagen wiederhergestellt
Und ich habe die Fülle meines Evangeliums durch die Hand meines Knechtes Joseph
ausgesandt.“ (LuB 35:17)

1 cup butter, room temperature.
240g Butter

People still had knowledge of God and Christ after the Apostasy but could not hold all of the information together. Just as our cookies won't stay together without the butter, the restoration brought together and tied together the bits of information that was lost over the years.
Selbst nach dem Abfall hatten die Menschen noch Kenntnis von Gott und Christus, konnten aber nicht alle Informationen zusammenhalten. Genauso wie die Butter unsere Plätzchen zusammenhält, wurde durch die Wiederherstellung Stück für Stück alle Informationen wieder zusammengebracht, die über die Jahre verloren gegangen waren.

Mix the wet ingredients together. Start the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

MAY:
Prophets Teach Us to Live the Restored Gospel
“Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the
prophets” (Amos 3:7).

MAI
Die Propheten lehren uns, nach dem wiederhergestellten Evangelium zu leben
Nichts tut Gott, der Herr, ohne dass er seinen Knechten, den Propheten, zuvor seinen
Ratschluss offenbart hat.“ (Amos 3:7)

1 teaspoon salt
1 teelöffel Salz

Christ has said that those who are faithful and follow the prophets are like the salt of the earth. Salt was very valuable in Christ’s time because a tiny bit would make the food taste better. When we follow the prophets’ words, we are like the salt of the earth and make everything around us better.
Christus hat gesagt, dass diejenigen, die treu sind und den Propheten folgen, wie das Salz der Erde sind. Salz war zu Christus Zeiten sehr kostbar, weil schon ein Kleinwenig davon den Geschmack des Essens verbesserte. Wenn wir den Worten der Propheten folgen, sind wir wie das Salz der Erde, weil wir alles um uns herum verbessern.


JUNE:
I Will Follow Heavenly Father’s Plan by Being Baptized and Confirmed
“Come unto me, and be baptized in my name, that ye may receive a remission of your
sins, and be filled with the Holy Ghost” (3 Nephi 30:2).

JUNI
Ich folge dem Plan des himmlischen Vaters, indem ich mich taufen und konfirmieren lasse
Kommt zu mir und lasst euch in meinem Namen taufen, damit ihr Vergebung für eure
Sünden empfangen und vom Heiligen Geist erfüllt werden könnt.“ (3 Nephi 30:2)

3 cups flour
360g Weizenmehl Type 550
Just as the flour is white, we also can be made white when we are baptized. Flour is the main ingredient in the cookies, it provides the stability for the cookies to be solid instead of just being liquid. Baptism provides us the first solid rock of our foundation to build on.
Genauso wir Mehl weiß ist, können wir auch durch die Taufe weiß gemacht werden. Mehl ist eine Hauptzutat für Plätzchen. Es sorgt dafür, dass die Plätzchen fest anstatt flüssig werden. Die Taufe ist der erste feste Felsen für unser Fundament, auf das wir bauen können.


JULY:
Families Are Part of Heavenly Father’s Plan
“The family is ordained of God” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” paragraph 7)

JULI
Die Familie gehört zum Plan des himmlischen Vaters
Die Familie ist von Gott eingerichtet.“
(„Die Familie – eine Proklamation an die Welt“, 7. Absatz)


2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda 
2 teelöffel Maisstärke
1 teelöffel Natron

The soda and cornstarch help the cookies to rise and be lighter. There is very little soda used but it helps the whole batch of cookies rise. Like the cornstarch, we can make the burdens of those around us be lighter. We may think we are just small and cannot make a difference but we can help raise others spirits around us.
Natron und Maisstärke helfen den Plätzchen aufzugehen und leichter zu werden. Man verwendet nur ein ganz bisschen Backpulver, aber das langt, um ein ganzes Blech Plätzchen aufgehen zu lassen. Wie Maisstärke können wir die Last derer, die um uns herum sind, leichter werden lassen. Wir mögen meinen, dass wir ganz klein und bedeutungslos sind, aber wir können andere Geister um uns herum emporziehen.

Now that we have used our scriptures, we can add the M&Ms we earned this year.
Nachdem wir nun unsere Schriftstellen benutzt haben, können wir die M&Ms hinzufügen, die wir dieses Jahr verdient haben.


Mix the dry ingredients well and then add the wet ingredients and dry together.
AUGUST:
Heavenly Father Hears and Answers My Prayers
“Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer
to thy prayers” (D&C 112:10).

AUGUST
Der Vater im Himmel hört und erhört meine Gebete
Sei demütig, dann wird der Herr, dein Gott, dich an der Hand führen und dir auf deine
Gebete Antwort geben.“ (LuB 112:10)

Preheat the oven to 350 ˚F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Use a teaspoon or regular sized “cereal spoon” to scoop dough and place on the cookie sheet. Use a silicon sheet for best results.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until just set.  Let cool for a minute on the cookie sheet before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.


Benuzten ein Teelöffel die Pläatzchenteig zu formen.
Backen um 150* C für 8 – 10 minuten

Now, we will form the cookie dough into cookies and take them in our hands and put it in the oven. Even though it is hot, it is through the heat that the cookies are made into what they should be. God answers our prayers by leading us in the way we should go. It is not always easy but it is what is necessary to help us be the person God wants us to be.
Jetzt werden wir den Plätzchenteig zu Plätzchen formen, sie in unsere Hand nehmen und in den Ofen legen. Obwohl er heiß ist, werden unsere Plätzchen genau dadurch das, was sie werden sollen. Gott beantwortet unsere Gebete indem er uns auf die Weise leitet, die wir gehen sollen. Das ist nicht immer leicht aber notwendig, um die Person werden, die wir nach dem Willen Gottes sein sollen.


While our cookies undergo their transformation, we are going to continue with our scriptures and see what else we can learn from them.
Während die Plätzchen ihre Umwandlung durchmachen, werden wir mit unserer Schriftstellen weitermachen und sehen, was wir von ihnen lernen können.


SEPTEMBER:
I Will Serve God with All My Heart, Might, Mind, and Strength
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind, and
strength; and in the name of Jesus Christ thou shalt serve him” (D&C 59:5).

SEPTEMBER
Ich will Gott mit ganzem Herzen, aller Macht, ganzem Sinn und aller Kraft dienen
Du sollst den Herrn, deinen Gott, lieben mit deinem ganzen Herzen, mit all deiner Macht,
ganzem Sinn und aller Kraft; und im Namen Jesu Christi sollst du ihm dienen.“ (LuB 59:5)


We should be of service to our fellow beings. Christ said that when we serve others, we serve Him. We are going to make Christmas cards to send to others to tell them that we care about them.
Wir sollen unseren Mitmenschen dienen. Christus sagte, dass wir Ihm dienen, wenn wir anderen dienen. Wir werden Weihnachtskarten herstellen und sie anderen schicken, um ihnen dadurch zu sagen, dass wir Zuneigung für sie empfinden.


OCTOBER:
I Will Share the Gospel with All of God’s Children
“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).
OKTOBER
Ich will allen Kindern Gottes vom Evangelium erzählen
So soll euer Licht vor den Menschen leuchten, damit sie eure guten Werke sehen und euren
Vater im Himmel preisen.“ (Matthäus 5:16)

We are to let our light shine or be missionaries. To be good missionaries, we are going to include a gift with each card. We are going to put a pass-a-long card in each card. This pass-a-long is special because with it, the people you give them to can get a dvd about Christ’s birth. This way we can share the gospel while giving and being of service to those around us.
Wir sollen unser Licht leuchten lassen, also Missionare sein. Um ein guter Missionar zu sein, werden wir jeder Karte ein Geschenk beifügen. Die Besondere an der beigefügte Informationskarte ist, dass wir damit den Menschen ermöglichen, eine DVD über die Geburt Christi zu erhalten. Auf diese Weise können wir das Evangelium teilen, indem wir denen um uns herum etwas geben und ihnen damit dienen.

We helped the kids make their own Christmas cards to give to teachers, friends, and family. They used some basic supplies like paper, glue, scissors and colored pencils to make them. You can use the pass-a-long pockets to make more Christmas cards or any other kind of card you need. We gave the kids lots of paper and colored pencils to decorate their cards with but you can glue them into any purchased card you send as well. If you would like the template for more pockets, please contact Maggie Bacher.
Wir haben den Kindern bei der Herstellung ihrer eigenen Weihnachtkarten geholfen, die sie an Lehrer, Freunde und Familienmitglieder geben können. Sie haben dazu einige einfache Materialien benutzt wie Papier, Klebstoff, Schere und Buntstifte. Sie können die Taschen zum Weitergeben dazu benutzen, um weitere Weihnachtskarten oder andere Karten herzustellen. Wir haben den Kindern reichlich Papier und Buntstifte gegeben, damit sie ihre Karten dekorieren können, aber sie können sie auch für andere gekaufte Karten verwenden. Wenn Sie das Muster für weitere Taschen haben möchten, kontaktieren Sie bitte Maggie Bacher.

NOVEMBER:
We Are to Thank God in All Things
“He commanded them that . . . every day they should give thanks to the Lord their God”
(Mosiah 18:23).

NOVEMBER
Wir sollen Gott für alles danken
Und er gebot ihnen, … jeden Tag sollten sie dem Herrn, ihrem Gott, danken.“ (Mosia 18:23)

When our cookies are done, I bet you are grateful for them! Remember to always thank Heavenly Father for the things that He gives you.

DECEMBER:
I Know That Jesus Christ Will Come Again
“I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth”
(Job 19:25).

DEZEMBER
Ich weiß, dass Jesus Christus wiederkehrt
Ich weiß: Mein Erlöser lebt, als Letzter erhebt er sich über dem Staub.“ (Ijob 19:25)

So that we can remember what Christmas is about and know what gift we are giving in our cards, we are going to watch the same dvd that your friends and family can order from the pass-a-long cards we are using.
Damit wir uns daran erinnern können, worum es bei Weihnachten wirklich geht und wissen, welche Geschenk wir mit unseren Karten geben, werden wir die DVD anschauen, die Freunde und Familienmitglieder mithilfe der Informationskärtchen bestellen können. 

We have invited the missionaries to our activity so the kids will be more familiar with the missionaries, (and because the missionaries like cookies). Please, remember the missionaries in your personal and family prayers. Don't forget to pray for the people around you so that their hearts will be made ready to hear the gospel.
Wir haben die Missionare zu unserer Aktivität eingeladen, damit die Kinder die Missionare besser kennenlernen (und weil Missionare Plätzchen mögen). Bitte schließen Sie die Missionare in Ihren persönlichen Gebeten und im Familiengebet ein. Vergessen Sie nicht, für die Menschen um Sie herum zu beten, damit ihre Herzen bereit gemacht werden, das Evangelium anzuhören.

We, the primary presidency, hope you and your family will have a wonderful Christmas season and remember to share the wonderful message of Christmas with those around you.
Als Leitung der Primarvereinigung hoffen wir, dass Sie und Ihre Familie eine wunderschöne Weihnachtszeit haben werden und denken Sie bitte daran, die wunderbare Botschaft von Weihnachten mit denen in Ihrem Umfeld zu teilen.

*end of activity letter*
a few notes on the actual activity, you know, the reality of what happened.
we had the missionaries talk about the movie as it played to help make it less boring for the little ones.   we didn't watch the whole thing.   the missionaries were introduced at the beginning by name because we should be praying for our missionaries by name.   they helped with cutting and making cards.   the point was to get the kids excited about the missionaries and become familiar with them.      

i had an 11 year old that needed a faith in God project so she helped out with the cutting the cards out and she actually lead the program by reading the sections.   the leaders introduced that she would do this and one of the other older kids helped by reading the scriptures as we went through them.   

it worked out really well.   we let the kids take turns putting things in and stirring so they all got to help.   they used spoons to put cookies on the sheets to bake.   then we had them go in to make their cards.   (one of us stayed behind to even out the cookies and bake them. wink wink)

we were able to give each parent a copy of the letter and explain quickly what it was and what we did.   we gathered up supplies for them to take to make their own cards.   they all liked the idea of a free family home evening.   the kids were wanting to make sure they had the cookie recipe.    

i was surprised a how well the cards were received.   some of the kids made several cards and took several home to make more.   we suggested that they could give them to teachers and friends that are not members.   it was nice to be able to just talk to them about missionary opportunities casually while they worked on their cards.  

for the cards, i also printed several little black and white things for them to color and use on their cards.  if you have someone that has stamps or punches, you could include those as well.

i used images from a Christmas coloring page search.  all of the images were free to download for non-commercial use.  this is not commercial so i figured it was ok.   i used lds.org and these sites to create these cut out collages.  
 i used picassa to make the collages.



















here is the template for the pockets i am using.   sorry, i would add a pdf but can't seem to figure out how.

basic card idea
you can use the pocket on the front or back.   you could use a picture of your family on the front or just print some pictures for the kids to color or just decorate.  i do not have any scrapbooking supplies other than scissors and a paper cutter so if you are a scrapbooker, you can totally make it as great as you want.  if you, like me, are without fancy tools, you can still make it great with some basic coloring, cutting shapes, stickers, etc.   put the pocket on the front if you want, doesn't matter.   it's best if you write some of your testimony and that the card is a certificate for a free movie about the birth of Christ.   watch the movie first so you know what it contains and maybe tell them about it a bit or what you love about it. 




i hope you enjoy this and are able to give the gift of the knowledge of Christ this Christmas season.

Side note -
we are actually going to use this for more than just Christmas.   you can make birthday cards, just add the pocket and desired pass-a-long card to a store bought card, use it for the non-member invitations to a baptism.   make any type of card a missionary tool.  have a wonderful day and a wonderful family home evening, craft day, activity, whatever making your cards.