Sunday School: How does the Holy Ghost help me teach the gospel?

This week I had the terrifying task of teaching my class how the Holy Ghost helps us teach. Now, the reason I say it was terrifying was because it could be a hypocritical lesson if I myself didn't invite the Spirit into that lesson. 

Plus, due to Ward Conference we had some visitors to my class - it's a good job I made extra handouts!  

How does the Holy Ghost help me teach the gospel?

Opener

I asked the class the question: Have you ever been in a position where you have taught someone the gospel? 

Immediately there wasn't a lot of response, but as we broke it down into smaller questions (e.g. Have you ever taught in Family Home Evening?) they started to think of moments where they had had conversations - with friends, younger siblings etc - on a gospel theme and had been teaching. 

Then, I asked them about times that they've felt the spirit in classes and I asked them what happened for that to come about. What did the teacher do? 

Scriptures

We broke into three groups of 2-3 people and I asked them to look at the following scriptures for the answers to questions I gave them; and then we discussed the things they found. 

John 15:26

How does the Holy Ghost help us to teach the gospel? 

He is the Spirit of truth and testifies of the Father. 

D&C 50:13-22

What does this scripture teach us about how we should teach?

We should teach with the spirit (it was sent to testify of truth). 

The Spirit helps us to understand things. 

We have to teach with the Spirit and learn by it. 

D&C 52:9 

What should we teach? 

The Word of God and the words of living Prophets. 

Modern Prophets and Apostles

There was so much good stuff from the talks and Preach My Gospel etc this week that instead of breaking it up, I selected my favourite learning points from each one and made a handout that we used to talk through for the rest of the class. 

This was my handout (the colours reflect that there are boys and girls in my class! I'm trying really hard after 4 years in Young Women's to make things unisex!): 

We talked through the points on here. By this time the class was in full swing and the young people had a lot of really wonderful points to offer. Here's a link to the file! 

Challenge

Having personally learned something from preparing the lesson, I knew I needed to invite them to act. So, I asked them to find some time this week to share their favourite scripture with someone. A family member, a church friend or even a non-member friend and teach them what that scripture means. I felt inspired by this challenge because in bearing our testimonies we teach each other the things we have personally felt our convictions strengthened by.

Reflections:

One of my absolute favourite things which came out of my personal study for the lesson was the counsel from the living Prophets and Apostles on "winging it" and claiming to be being led by the Spirit. 

Mostly, I love that we have counsel on things like that. Doctrinal issues in this church are not left to chance - cultural nuances that creep in are often challenged and corrected by men inspired of God to steer the church. It kind of reminds me of bowling with the bumpers up. The likelihood that you might actually hit one of the pins is greatly improved by having the guardrails to ensure that the ball doesn't go completely in the gutter. We all perform individually and live commandments individually but having the Prophets and Apostles there to guide us gives us a better chance of success. 

Here was my favourite part of Elder Oaks talk which covered this subject: 

"The next principle after preparation is the requirement that we desire to be led by the Spirit and so are willing to put aside all our preparation and follow the Spirit’s direction. That is a difficult principle to understand and an even more difficult one to apply.

When I have tried to teach that principle in the past, I have observed that some people use it as an excuse for not preparing. Some will say, “Since the Spirit may prompt me to cast away my prepared talk, perhaps I don’t need to prepare at all.” That approach is not “treasur[ing] up in [our] minds continually the words of life.”

We should be in constant general preparation by treasuring up in our minds the teachings of the gospel, and when invited to give a talk or to present a lesson, we should make specific preparations. Most of the time we will carry through with our preparations. But sometimes there will be an authentic impression to leave something out or to add something. We should make careful preparation, but we should not be exclusively bound to that preparation."

Sunday School: How Can I Learn to See Heavenly Father's Hand in All Things

I've just been called as a Youth Sunday School teacher for the 12-15 year old class in my ward. 

This week's lesson has given me so much to think about and reflect on.

How can I learn to see Heavenly Father's Hand in All Things?

Opener

We started the class with the following activity. I asked the class to write on a piece of paper all the examples they could imagine of things that don't work without each other. They came up with great examples such as: 

Pool - Water

Ball - Air

Hospital - Doctors & Nurses

Books - Words

We discussed how these things can't fulfill their potential and find their purpose without something else. So it is with us - we can be much more and we can achieve more of what we were intended to do if we have Heavenly Father in our lives. 

Scriptures

1 Nephi 1:20

We read this scripture as a class and discussed what it meant. The girls I was teaching weren't sure what tender mercies meant so we discussed this idea. We also discussed what Heavenly Father can do to change us and how in this scripture Nephi said He could make us MIGHTY. 

Alma 30:44

Reading this scripture, we thought about how this scripture applies to us - which things that are mentioned that are ways we can see Heavenly Father's hand? We identified that we have prophets, we have the earth, and all things that denote that there is a God. 

I asked the girls if they have ever thanked Heavenly Father for anything. They told me the kind of things they have thanked him for. One of them mentioned her school grades - she clearly already recognised Heavenly Father's hand in her life in things even involving the secular. It was a wonderful thing to here this budding testimony of the lesson subject. 

Modern Prophets and Apostles

O Remember, Remember

We read the following part of the talk by President Eyring:

"When our children were very small, I started to write down a few things about what happened every day. Let me tell you how that got started. I came home late from a Church assignment. It was after dark. My father-in-law, who lived near us, surprised me as I walked toward the front door of my house. He was carrying a load of pipes over his shoulder, walking very fast and dressed in his work clothes. I knew that he had been building a system to pump water from a stream below us up to our property.

He smiled, spoke softly, and then rushed past me into the darkness to go on with his work. I took a few steps toward the house, thinking of what he was doing for us, and just as I got to the door, I heard in my mind—not in my own voice—these words: “I’m not giving you these experiences for yourself. Write them down.”

I went inside. I didn’t go to bed. Although I was tired, I took out some paper and began to write. And as I did, I understood the message I had heard in my mind. I was supposed to record for my children to read, someday in the future, how I had seen the hand of God blessing our family. Grandpa didn’t have to do what he was doing for us. He could have had someone else do it or not have done it at all. But he was serving us, his family, in the way covenant disciples of Jesus Christ always do. I knew that was true. And so I wrote it down, so that my children could have the memory someday when they would need it.

I wrote down a few lines every day for years. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done." 

Conclusion

I encouraged them to look for the good things God does for them in their daily lives. Then I asked them the question, "Is it easier to see God's hand in our lives when things are going brilliantly?" They answered in the affirmative, so I told them that though that may be the case we often go through trials and God is just as close to us and we can even see His hand in those moments. 

Then I played this video: 

Reflections: 

All week I've been thinking about this lesson and as I have, I have really seen what President Eyring said in his message - when we spend time in gratitude reflecting on our day we can see so many examples of Heavenly Father's hand. Thus, our eyes are open to the miraculous. We are more for that recognition. We become more grateful, more in tune with our Heavenly Father and better people for those moments in which we feel loved by our Father. 

Miracles in my week:

• Snow that did not impede my journey into work. 
• A random stranger giving me a lift in his van which stopped me from falling over in the ice when I was worried and slipping. 
• A greater realisation that Heavenly Father is looking after me and is aware of my needs.
• A gift of a piano from my sister and her husband as we helped them move into a new house. I've wanted a piano for ages. 

Nothing is huge and sparkly, but I know that Heavenly Father's hand has been in my life this week and I'm determined to recognise Him in my life more this year and write things down in my diary. 

The Reason is.... U

Every week on Monday nights Mormons around the world meet with their family to spend time together. We call it Family Home Evening or Family Night. There's even a song. I have to say that most Latter-Day Saint families don't sing the song or even know of its existence but being from the musically-inclined family I'm from, we did. Every week. We learned to conduct to that song!

Ben came up with an activity for Family Night this week (from a google-search - not a single original idea in this house!) that we thought we would share. Mostly because it was lovely and you might like to try it! 

The idea was to write the alphabet on a sheet of paper in a column:

A

B

C

D

E

etc 

and then I would write a word or phrase next to each letter that explained one thing about Ben that I love. He wrote a word or phrase on his paper with something about me that he loved. Cuteness ensued. As did made-up words (U is HARD!). 

Why not give it a go? 

We've put our lists below to show you how creative and ridiculous you can get!!! 

About Him                     About Her

A Attractive 

Adorable - especially when you're in your fluffy dressing gown! 

B Benopedia (You have a random database of facts that may not be wholly reliable, like wikipedia) 

Beautiful 

C Cheeky - it makes me laugh when you're cheeky. 

Cuddles!

D Dancing - I love it when you dance with me. 

Disney! I married into a Disney loving family and as a result know at least 700% more about Disney than I did 3 years ago! 

E Eyes - you have lovely eyes. 

Escape - to a different country once in a while. How fun is that?! 

F Funny

Funny - I love that we laugh at/with each other. 

G Great with kids

Gorgeous

H House Husband!

Hard-working 

(LOL!)

I Informative 

Intelligent

J Juvenile - when a serious moment isn't needed

Justice - a core value of yours. You want things to be just. 

K Kind

Kaleidoscope - life is like one of these with you. There are so many lovely colours. 

L Loo-bleacher 

Love the Youth 

M Map-head / Minion! 

Mother - you'll be a great Mum! 

N Nerdable - you're willing to nerd out with me. (e.g. Harry Potter Studios) 

New Life - an infinitely better wardrobe because of this place. You introduced me. 

O Obliging 

Obedient (to what is actually right) 

P Photographer/Photogenic

Pretty

Q Quirky 

Queen - you're my one; plus you like the Queen; plus you like Queen... the band. 

R Righteous Priesthood Holder

Resilient

S Sociable (and Seizure-free!) 

Sings - I love singing with you

T Talkative 

Thames in London, I'm so glad you love it there! 

U Unique - only child / "just like everybody else" / Universally likeable

Ubobalicious - a made-up word meaning that you put up pictures like Bob the Builder (handyman) 

V Very Patient

Values! 

W Well-traveled/World Traveler

Winner! You are the Winner! 

X X-ray vision - because you look like Superman! 

Xpeealidocious - I watched Mary Poppins for the first time with you. 

Y You. You're always yourself. 

Young! Still! 

Z "Zoon" to be Bread-winner

Zzzz you talk in your sleep and it's hilarious (e.g. "Scratch the Squirrel" / "Big Fat Meanie Man" / "There's a whole load of shh with your name on it!")