ask

Ask

I was listening to "Follow Him" with Hank Smith and John Bytheway, James part 1. It was pointed out that Joseph Smith being inspired by James 1:5 is a good example of repetition. Prophets tell us to ask of God in some form or another numerous times. It's James 1:5 that clicks for Joseph. For those teaching, you may feel like you're repeating yourself. It does sink in eventually. Just keep stating it.  

Here's some of the scriptures that might speak to you about asking of God:

Matt. 7:7. Ask, and it shall be given you, 

Matthew 21:22 - And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith

Mark 11:24 Ask in prayer

Luke 11:9 Ask...Seek...Knock

John 15:7 - Ask whatever you wish

John 14:13-14 - Ask in my name

John 16:24 - Ask, and you will receive

James 1:5 (JS—H 1:7–20)

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, 

 

Philippians 4:6 Let your requests be made known unto God

1 John 5:14-15 Ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us

**Because Joseph asked, *the Restoration*. Ta-da! Here's some scriptures that resurfaced as a result:

      

1 Ne. 15:11 Ask me in faith,.

  

2 Ne. 32:4. If ye cannot understand these words, it will be because ye ask not, 

   

Mosiah 4:10. Ask in sincerity of heart,.

  

Mosiah 4:21 God doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith,. 

  

Moro. 10:4. Ask God if these things are not true.

    

D&C 10:21. They love darkness rather than light; therefore, they will not ask of me

D&C 46:7 Ye are commanded in all things to ask of God,.

If you read the scriptures and mark / make notes, you’ve probably noticed that different things hit differently during subsequent reads. Repetition. It's awesome. It's necessary. It's useful.  

"Inquiry is the birthplace of testimony....Asking questions isn't a sign of weakness. It's a precursor of growth." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Reflection in the Water” Church Educational System devotional for young adults, Nov. 1, 2009

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2009-11-0050-the-reflection-in-the-water?lang=eng

the importance of scriptural immersion

Preserving the Voice of the Covenant People in the Rising Generation

By Brother Jan E. Newman

Luke 6:48-49

Helaman 5:12

"According to the account in Luke, as the wise man laid the foundation for his house, he “digged deep.” It wasn’t a casual or simple endeavor—it took effort! To build our lives on the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, we need to dig deep."

Earlier in the talk he talks about helping our children, I would add "friends", and ourselves.

"We can help them know their Savior and Redeemer the way these children did. We can show them how to find the Savior in the scriptures and build their foundations on Him."

2 Nephi 25:26

"Daily immersion in the word of God is crucial for spiritual survival, especially in these days of increasing upheaval. As we feast on the words of Christ daily, the words of Christ will tell us how to respond to difficulties we never thought we would face.” 

Russell M Nelson, Hear Him, May 2020

1 nephi 5-8

as i read 1 nephi 5 -8 i thought a lot about the lesson a couple weeks ago on witnesses of the book of mormon. i thought about how the witness of the Holy Ghost is more powerful than even an angel coming and giving you heck for hitting your brother. laman and lemuel saw an angel and still were "not nice" yet the witness of the Holy Ghost can weave the knowledge into the very fiber of your body and soul.

i thought about the scriptures and treasuring them. "And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy." how much do i treasure them? 

i thought about how much i hold to their teachings, "And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree." do i press forward and cling to them? this paints a picture of struggle and work, grasping at the rod to hold on for dear life in the "whirlwinds" of life.

i thought about how i bore my testimony in class that reading the book of mormon is the most important thing that i do for me every day. some days i lose track of that, even though it is for me. in all of this, i thought back again to the lesson and the reading we are doing with the missionaries in the preach my gospel book. in chapter 5 of preach my gospel it says, Have confidence that the Holy Ghost will testify to anyone who reads and ponders the Book of Mormon and asks God if it is true with a sincere heart, real intent, and faith in Christ. This witness of the Holy Ghost should be a central focus of your teaching." this got me to thinking about how i read. do i read to have this testimony of the Holy Ghost? how would it change my reading if i read not only for peace, guidance and all of the other wonderful things that come from reading the scriptures, but if i read with the goal of having a witness from the Holy Ghost?

alma 17-18

alma 17 - 18
ammon serves those he wishes to teach. he not only serves, but he serves faithfully. alma 17:22-25, 26, his example is the first testimony he bears without saying a word.18:8-10. missionary work requires patience alma 18:11
after this, ammon expounds the scriptures to the kings and his servants. you can't expound something you don't know for yourself. continue searching and reading. it is worth it!
https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2012-08-2160-search-the-scriptures-daily?lang=eng

the footstool story

when i was 18, i met my father for the first time.   one of the first stories he told me was of the footstool.   he made me a small footstool for a necklace and i wore it for a long time.    although the necklace has been lost to moving and time, the story has stuck with me.   i prefer the memory since it is the only one of the two i can take with me.

the story goes something like this - (it has been a few years since i heard the story so the details may be off but the gist is the same) -
every night my dad would need to get up in the middle of the night.   you know how that goes.   well, he tried to not wake the house full of kids and wife, so he didn't turn on the light.   this would normally be great and not a problem.   he knew where the furniture was.  certainly a man can navigate his own home in the dark, right?
yes, unless you have kids.   the kids were pretty good about the toys, but there was this little footstool that was just the perfect height.   it was great for climbing up, sitting down, hopping over, driving cars under.   everything!  that meant that it got used a lot.   that means it was never in the same place twice.   so, as my dad would carefully and quietly make his way through the house . . .thump!  found the footstool with his toe, banged into it with his ankle or just tripped over the darn thing. . . e v e r y night.  

you would think that at some point he would turn on a light, get a flashlight, light a candle, something.   no!   this was becoming a matter of pride!   this was war!   he was bound and determined to get through the house without the stool beating him!   it's just a footstool, right?   right!

night after night, my dad stubbornly stubbed his toe.   then, he finally decided that his toe was more important than his pride.   toes tend to hurt more than pride after a while.   he turned on a light.   the funny thing is, by turning on the light, he won.   his toes won!

it has always reminded me of how silly our pride, our competition, our stubbornness makes our lives harder, sometimes even painful.   we work so hard at doing something the way we want to do it, that we miss the simple answer that will allow us to move forward.

look around, turn on the light and really look at what is causing you pain, what is it that is making your life harder than it really needs to be?   what is it that just needs a little light?  

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.  

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/decorate-the-tree-for-christmas-decorations-printable

http://pencils11.blogspot.de/2009/08/christmas-coloring-pages.html

http://www.raisingourkids.com/coloring-pages/printable/bible/045-jesus-nativity-color-page.html

http://unliketheworld.net/index.php?p=coloring

http://www.honkingdonkey.com/holiday-coloring-pages/christmas-coloring-pages/Christmas-Bible-Coloring/christmas-bible-coloring-301.htm

http://coloringpages.onsugar.com/Happy-Thanksgiving-Coloring-Pages-8833571

http://www.coloringpages1001.com/coloring-pages/christmas-candle/

http://dailycoloringpages.com/page/3/

 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.

patches

i was patching my favorite pair of jeans today.   i love these jeans!   i inspected them and kept finding places that needed little reinforcements before they tore out.   i am determined to continue patching these jeans until i am patching patches and there is nothing left but patches.   in an effort to better use my time, i was also listening to a talk by craig a. cardon entitled, the Savior wants to forgive

i took me until the end of the talk to realize the object lesson in this.  

"Peter once inquired how many times he should forgive his brother and then asked, “Till seven times?” Surely that would be more than enough. But the Savior’s response opened wide the door to His merciful heart: “I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven."

i realized that i was doing for my jeans, is what the Savior does for our spirits through the Atonement.   he patches, and patches, and patches, and patches.

as i was finding those thin spots, and applying some backing to strengthen them, i realized the same thing happens in our spirits as well.

"The Lord knows our weakness and the eternal consequences of “the world” upon imperfect men and women. ".   

ether 12:27  And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

 God strengthens us, He sees the weak spots and will bolster us so that those places do not completely wear through.     of course, we have to do our part.   like my jeans, passing through the heat of my iron, we have to read, pray, have faith, all of those simple primary answers that just seem too easy to have any effect.   all of those things put a patch on our weak spots.   the simple, daily things that God has asked us to do, strengthen us.    the Atonement repairs us.   Christ wants to patch us up, heal our souls, because he loves us.   He loves us more than i could ever love my jeans that i am putting so much work into.   He does so much more than patch.      

i don't know how crafty you are, but if you have ever have to patch a pair of pants, a tire, a stuffed animal, a roof, or anything else, use that moment to teach and learn something deeper.



the references for the underlined quotes from brother cardons talk
Matthew 18:21–22; emphasis added; see also Luke 17:1–4.

Doctrine and Covenants 64:2; emphasis added.

1 Nephi 20:9–11; Doctrine and Covenants 24:2; 50:41; 63:47;108:1–8.

missionary games

We have the missionaries over most every week.   last week, the kids decided they needed to come over for a game night for family home evening.   hmmm . . . games to play with the missionaries.

here's what we came up with -

SCRIPTURE SCAVENGER HUNT
I came up with a couple versions of this game. You can make this fit any scriptures you are studying or subject you are talking about.
you could always use scriptures you're working with or the
 Articles of Faith,
The Family: A Proclamation to the World,
The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles,
 http://seminary.lds.org/mastery/?lang=eng
you can use 4 teams with each using the scripture mastery set from the 4 sets of works, old test., new test., book of mormon, doc. & cov.   everyone can use the same set, mix it up however suits your purposes.   use time limit or til each team is done or just go all together.   we aren't competitive, so we don't keep score anyway.   it would be a fun thing to take on a nature walk or on a car ride  as well.   basic scavenger hunt  except you get to be creative with it.

take this scripture for example : john 10:16  And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
you could find a sheep or something sheep related. - we got toy sheep taped together into one fold and we got a toy sheep with a farmer (shepard).
you could find something to represent fold, like folded clothing.
something for hearing or voice.
a shepherd or shepherds staff or a stick.
possibly a fence to keep the sheep together
the number 1.
you could get less symbolic and go with america or nephites/lamanites which is what this refers to. . . .
you get it.

it's fun to see what people come up with.   if someone gets too far off, take a vote.

one of the other options is to use the scriptures as clues to where to find things/more clues.
genesis 8: 6  And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. That would lead to the window where another clue would be found.  
Leviticus 25:22 22 And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat yet of old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat of the old store which would lead to your food storage etc.
if you've read book of mormon sleuth, it does this all the way through and has some really obscure references.

I found a quick list for a scavenger hunt if you are too lazy to look some up, (like i am)    http://katscratchme2.blogspot.de/2009/04/scripture-scavenger-hunt.html
I used all but the last one and added john 10:6 from above. We got some really creative answers. It was fun to see what they came up with.


BALLOON BOUNCE
*spiritual thought - surround yourself with those who are uplifting and be uplifting to others*
we always have balloons, they are better for you than candy.    everyone enjoyed batting them back and forth.   there are rules, but no one really plays by them for more than a few minutes.   and when you're playing with a rambunctious 2 year old, just keeping the balloon it the air is great


WHO'S THE ANIMAL?
*spiritual thought - listen closely to recognize who you're following*
To start the game, you need a person that is it. Everyone stands in the circle, except the person who is it, they stand in the middle. Put a blindfold on the person who is it. Have them say "Go" everyone runs around, not making any clue of where they are. When the person who is it says "Stop" all the people stop in the circle again. The person who is it points in a direction, saying an animal. Whoever he/she points to has to make the animal noise that they were told. Trying not to sound like themselves. The person tries to guess the person who made the noise. If he/she guesses right, the person who did the animal is it, if not you just pick someone else to be it. - Maren Jacobs from http://ldssplash.com/fhe/fhe_games/family_home_evening_games.htm
this was really fun.   we got a bit off topic and started naming pokemon and other sci-fi creatures which was just more hilarious.   one of the missionaries wasn't familiar with pokemon so he was totally lost but a good sport anyway.


 FLOUR TOWER

*this is a great example of how satan and the world slowly cuts away at your will, truth, righteous choices etc. until your most valuable possession  your eternal progression falls.   through the Atonement, you can repent and rebuild your tower and again claim eternal glory*or show how the church was cut away until it fell and was taken from the earth by God.   he used the same things (priesthood prophets etc = flour) to rebuild the church (tower)*
 use a cup and form your flour like a sand castle.  you'll have to pack it to get it to stay.  .   then put your plate on top of the cup and turn them over so the flour can come out on the plate.   i used an old ice cream cup and put a hole in the bottom so it would release easier.    clear is best so you can see if it is coming out, tapp it a bit with knife.   place a penny on the top and take turns cutting chunks off of the tower with a butter or plastic knife.   you have to cut from top to bottom, no chicken little chunks.   the one who makes the penny fall loses.    we played this a lot.   the new rule we had to make is that the little blonde 2 year old curls gets to finish the tower after the penny falls and if you're holding the knife when he bumps the table making the penny fall, you lose.


SCREAMING TOES-
spiritual thought for this game – when faced with temptation, scream and run away
so much fun!   Everyone gets in a circle. Look down, close your eyes, someone says, “1.2.3” and everyone opens their eyes to look at someone's toes. You look at the face of the owner of those toes and if that person is looking at you, you scream and get out of the circle. Sometimes we get an elder that is shy and doesn't really scream. We tell him he is going to outer darkness because he won't scream in the face of evil and then show him how to scream. They usually will get into it after they hear everyone else screaming like madmen. It's tons of fun! One of our elders made crazy noises while screaming. He unleashed his t-rex scream on my daughter. She laughed so hard that she just sat down to keep from falling over, (so did everyone else).


SIGNS A.K.A. NEPHITE IN THE MIDDLE
*spiritual thought - you could talk about gadianton robbers or recognizing evil, the murders around the judgment seat during pahoran's time is a great story for this game.
(one of the missionaries taught us this game and we have now passed it on to the next set of missionaries.) everyone has a sign.   like a finger mustache, bunny ears, pulling your hair, scratching your chin, something with your hands. It should be something you can do quickly.   one person in the middle closes their eyes and turns three times.   the people around the outside start the game while "it" turns.   That just gives everyone a chance to get going without “it” seeing. the first person makes their own sign and then another person's sign. that person makes their own sign to accept the turn. Then they make the sign of another person.   the person in the center tries to catch the person who has the sign.   so if the person has not accepted the sign yet, the person who sent it is still has it.   another version is if you send "it"out of the room and everyone makes up their sign and the person in the middle tries to guess someones sign.   the person whose sign they guess correctly is it. This gets crazy. You can sit or stand. It's better to stand, I think, so you can all move a little easier and see the other people.


STICK PULL
this is just a favorite game of joseph smith.
usually, two people sit opposite of each other, they grab a stick and try to pull the other person over.  we didn't have stick so they just held hands.   my younger two ganged up on the missionaries but it was lots of fun.


NINJA.
I failed to get spiritual thought for this one. I told the kids they could play it if they come up with something spiritual for it, didn’t but played it anyway because they all like it so much.
i don't get it cuz i'm old.  but the missionaries had played before and all of my kids thought it was great.   the little blonde curls didn't play by the rules, surprise surprise.   bow to each other.   pose like a ninja.   step or attack each move.   so the first steps or makes a new ninja pose that tries to hit the other person's hand.  you can move your hand/arm or step back to avoid the attack.  it's looks like robot ninjas and i love watching them.   its hilarious!


we'll have to do this again when it's warmer and can play outside.   one of the neighbors showed up and played with us.   the missionaries gave a short lesson and we had treats, (of course).   any other fun games?   ldssplash had a lot of other fun games as well.   they tried gospel says but it didn't go very far.    i think the curly toddler had something to do with that.   


Update-
We have now done another round of missionary monday. They did get to play the scavenger hunt outside. I gave them a positive propulsion book and a puzzle object lesson that we worked on and talked about during dinner. All worked out wonderfully again and was extremely fun! This last time we had four missionaries over instead of two. The increase in people was great.

update jan 2014
this time, we used the articles of faith for our scavenger hunt.   i have to keep reminding them that they have a time limit and it is not a race.   the scavenger hunt gives me time to get food started.  i always have to remind them to really think out of the box and get more than one thing for each scripture.   whatever is the same from the other team, doesn't count.  

we learned a new game this time.  
WASH THE DISHES
to play this game, you need a piece of paper and pencil.   decide on an order, we just used how people were sitting around the table.   the first person writes down a number and everyone in turn tries to guess it.    they are told higher or lower as they go.   the first person to guess the number is the washer.   the next person in line writes down a number.   the guessing continues until you find a new washer and the old washer becomes the drier.   this rotation in and out continues with the drier going out or putting away until all the dishes are done.   this was lots of fun but we had to keep everyone guessing.   some of them decided they wouldn't guess very fast to keep their turn from coming up or they would just guess up and down one number at t time.   stinkers.   i had to implement some rules.   the number had to be a whole number between 1 and 100.   no fractions or decimals, no numbers like 827,340,827,350,928,309,470,374 and no negative numbers.   if you have math geeks in the group, you may need to specify more rules.

 http://ldssplash.com/fhe/fhe_games/family_home_evening_games.htm