Missionary Suitcase Sharing Time

 Sharing Time- Living the Gospel Helps me to be a Missionary Now
October 2013 Week 2

THIS IS NOT MY IDEA!!!! I got the lesson idea and picture from the following link.  I have made some alterations, but thought it worked perfectly with the theme for the week. Thanks to mormonmissionprep for the fabulous idea!

http://www.mormonmissionprep.com/primary-mission-prep/preparing-for-a-mission-primary-sharing-time/

             Heavenly Father wants the gospel to be preached in all the world and you can prepare now to be missionaries (From: October: The Mission of the Church Is to Invite All to Come unto Christ, 2010 Outline for Sharing Time.)
            We are going to learn to prepare to be missionaries today in Primary. Oh, there is a suitcase here. Does this belong to anyone, anyone???? Let’s read the tag and find an owner. It says Elder Servant. Hmm… there is a note that says, “Permission to open” That means we can look inside. (act all excited) Hey maybe IT will help us learn how to be live the gospel and be a good missionary. I need a helper to come and get an item from Elder Servant's suitcase.

items in the suitcase:

• A Frying Pan: This is a reminder that missionaries need to be able to cook for themselves. Young people can start now learning to cook by helping their mom or dad make dinner.
• An Alarm Clock: Missionaries have a strict schedule they keep, including going to bed by 10:30 and being up by 6:30. An alarm clock is a must have. And young people can start now to learn to follow the Lord’s counsel. Hey, a Post it note is on the clock!! It says, D&C 88: 124, “retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated.”

·         A Missionary Badge: The missionary name tag symbolizes how missionaries are representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Church. Young people can start now to learn to keep their baptismal and sacramental covenants to take upon them the name of Christ. Oh there is a Post it note on this item too!- from D&C 20:77”…that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.” Hey I have heard that in Sacrament meeting, a lot!!!!

• A Piggy Bank: The LDS mission cost for young men and women in the United States is $400 a month which comes to about $10,000 for a two-year mission. It’s never too early for young people to start saving as much money as they can for their mission.

• The Scriptures: Missionaries teach the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ from the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Hey there is a picture(pull out Ammon the Missionary picture), it's Ammon from the Book of Mormon. Remember, he was one of the sons of Mosiah that tried to destroy the church, had an angel appear, later repented and became great missionaries. Verse 2 of chapter 17 says,"Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.
   3 But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God."
  Young people can start now searching the scriptures like Ammon did. By doing so, they will be more familiar with the scriptures and they will be better prepared missionaries to teach with the power of God.
• Shoes: Missionaries need to be prepared to walk…a lot. These shoes are a reminder to young people to stay healthy and strong and to keep the word or wisdom so they can, another Post it note!!, it says “run and not be weary… walk and not faint.” D&C 89:20
• A Hymn Book: Missionaries sing hymns a lot of times at the beginning of discussions, in order to bring the Spirit. Young children can begin early to know and appreciate the hymns of the Church. Hey a bookmark! It says, D&C 25:12 “For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me.” So learn the hymns, children songs, develop musical talents, etc.
• Painting of Jesus Christ: As missionaries “we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ… that our [investigators] may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.” (2 Nephi 25:26) Missionaries must have a firm testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ and young people can begin to develop that now through scripture study, prayer, and participation in Church activities and telling others about Jesus or just following His example.
• A Photo of the Temple: Missionaries baptize people in order to get them started on the strait and narrow path that leads to eternal life. One of the next major spiritual steps, one that brings even more joy to missionaries, is to see converts go to the temple to receive those ordinances. Young people can begin now to learn about the temple and set goals to go inside one day.
• A Friend Magazine: Church magazines are a great resource for building faith and learning the gospel, which will aid in mission preparation. All young people should have access to read Church magazines.
• Sewing Kit: How many people know how to sew a button if one falls off? That may be a skill that is useful on a mission because *whisper* you’re mom won’t be there to sew it back on for you!
• Tithing slip: It is important to pay your tithing on all the money you earn and you can start obeying this commandment now. It doesn't have to be a lot, but 10% of what you earn goes to the Lord to help build the temples, churches in the land that you may serve a mission, Books of Mormon, etc.
• Letter: A letter that says, "My Testimony" This must be Elder Servant's testimony of the things he knows are true. "I know that Heavenly Father loves us, that Jesus Christ is our Savior, that Joseph Smith brought back the true church and that we are led today by a living prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true!!" Do we know the church is true and have a testimony like Elder Servant?  

            We would like to thank Elder Servant for sharing his suitcase and letting us peek inside. It looks like he is ready to be a Lord’s servant and be a great missionary. I hope it helped prepare you for a mission one day. D&C 109: 3 And now thou beholdest, O Lord, that thy servants have done according to thy commandment. I hope we will find ways to be His servants and preach the gospel, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Heavenly Father hears and answers my prayers Sharing Time (Prayer with Pretzels Sharing Time)

 

Heavenly Father Hears and Answers my Prayers Sharing time

August 2013 Week 4

 

(Here is a link to the Pretzel Sharing Time game for the Heavenly Father hears and answers my prayers sharing time (August 2013, week 4)

   You can find a copy of the file named "Sharing time-Prayer with pretzels" (you have to fish through other lessons, sorry!) at my Skydrive: https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=976904c8bfc9a79e&sc=documents&id=976904C8BFC9A79E%21105)

  Or you can download the Word document for the lesson, game, and questions on sugardoodle http://c586449.r49.cf2.rackcdn.com/Sharing%20time-%20Prayer%20with%20pretzels.pdf There is a blank game board in case you wanted to insert your own review questions.)

(The game board could be enlarged for better viewing and real pretzels could be given at the end when the children reach the goal of earning "x" amount of pretzel points. ****You can find this download on Sugardoodle if you are having trouble getting the skydrive to work! Thanks Melanie!!! again, it is here- http://c586449.r49.cf2.rackcdn.com/Sharing%20time-%20Prayer%20with%20pretzels.pdf

Here is an example of enlarging the game board document using clipart from the internet and Friend resources. Just another option because my document isn't very large. Pretzel clipart came from http://sweetclipart.com/multisite/sweetclipart/files/pretzel_0.png

You can find a copy of the large game pieces(if you want to create your own game) named "Prayer pretzel LARGE" at my Skydrive: https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=976904c8bfc9a79e&sc=documents&id=976904C8BFC9A79E%21105)

I modified this from an idea posted on http://www.sugardoodle.net/  Here is the reference:

http://lds.about.com/library/weekly/aa091802a.htm)

"In about 610 A.D. a very creative Alpine Monk decided to make use of the pieces of dough left over from baking bread. The Monk formed them into thin strips folded into a looped twist to represent the folded arms of children in prayer.

This scrumptious treat was given to the children as they learned their prayers. They began calling the treat "Pretiola", which is Latin for "little reward". Soon it was known the world over as a pretzel.

The secret of making great pretzels is not only in the baking but also in the shaping. We, like pretzels, are made from the best ingredients, by the best hands available, the hands of our Father in Heaven.

Have you ever seen a broken pretzel, or one that's lost its shape? We too, can lose our shape when we don't pray always to keep our spirituality intact. Even in the midst of our greatest trials, we must remember, as did Job, to call on the Lord. The simple shape of the pretzel, arms folded in prayer, reminds us to pray each day. Our "Pretiola" or "little rewards" are the blessings we receive.

Every time you see a pretzel, remember prayer. Check to see if your arms are often folded in prayer and have not lost their shape."

So we are going to play a game that tests what you have learned this month about prayer. We are going to all play as one team. All of you are going to work together to help your team get further in the game. We may not have time to finish the entire game. We will roll a die. Your marker will move spaces on the gameboard and the spaces may have a direction, question, statement, or tell you to move forward or back. You will be collecting pretzels along the way. If you land on a pretzel, one primary child will be asked a question. On the question is a number. You will earn that many pretzels for the team by getting the question right. Our goal is earn 20 pretzels and there may be a reward! If you are told to move backward, you have to give a pretzel back for every space you move backward. Hopefully we can earn more than 20 pretzels!

I am actually going to have the children feed the paper pretzels (as questions are answered correctly) to "Prayerful Peter" that is at Primary to learn about prayer. I got him from http://www.picturesof.net/_images_300/A_Boy_with_a_Fork_In_His_Hand_and_a_Plate_Spaghetti_Royalty_Free_Clipart_Picture_110403-143431-229053.jpg or google "boy with a fork", it should come up(it does have some a light copyright logo that shows, but I cropped his arm off and blew him up to make him work. Then I attached him to a covered cereal box and cut out the mouth. Then attached a plate of clipart pretzels over the spaghetti from this site:(http://ginormasource.com/holidays/national-pretzel-day-april-26 ("Prayerful Peter" is also "Eddie Spaghetti used for slurping pasta and meatballs as children are singing, haha!) The end result looks something like this and the kids can feed him pretzels as they learn!

Here is the handout that I will be giving to the children. It is from http://spotgirl-hotcakes.blogspot.com/2010/01/sunday-school-resources.html

Modest Molly Sharing time

Modest Molly Sharing time-

This is Molly. Molly is a girl that likes to go to the park, the beach and goes to church too. Molly is confused about how to respect her body and dress it in a way that would make Heavenly Father happy. She has heard the scripture 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 before,  “ Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you?... The temple is holy, which temple ye are” Could our Primary help her understand that our bodies are like this temple (show picture), pure, clean and modest/covered and we should always ask the question, “Would I wear this or look like this if Jesus stood beside me?”

Do you think we can help her?!!! Great, let’s help Molly! Molly needs help deciding what clothes in the dryer should go in her closet and wear at different places. The prophet has given us this “Strength of Youth” booklet to help Molly understand how to wear clothes that are pleasing to the Lord.

So Molly wants to go to the park. Can a helper please get her orange shirt and jean shorts out of the dryer carefully. (The two options are clipped together) She isn’t sure which outfit she should hang in her closet and wear to the park. (Hang the two outfits on hangers and hold each outfit up to Molly as if she was choosing her clothes.) There is a dryer sheet on the back of them to help us decide which to hang in her closet.

Read quote on the orange tank top, from the Strength of Youth packet, “Young women should avoid ... shirts that do not cover the stomach, and clothing that does not cover the shoulders or is low-cut in the front or the back."

Read quote on back of the t shirt on dryer sheet “The way you dress is a reflection of what you are on the inside” “ Young women should avoid short shorts and short skirts”

So how Molly dresses shows how she is inside. Is she pure and shows that she loves Jesus and wants to obey His words? So this outfit has sleeves and the shorts are longer (hold outfit up to Molly) and should we put this one in her closet? Good idea. (Hang out fit at the top of church chalkboard on the rungs that are at the top that slide) Let’s have a helper put this outfit in a pile of clothes that need to be tossed out. Now Molly is ready to go to the park. Molly’s brother Max also needs to remember to wear long shorts too.

            Molly has been invited to go to a swimming party. Can a helper get the black swim suits out of the dryer. (hang both on the hangers and have a helper hold them up) Which one should we hang in Modest Molly’s closet for the party. There is a dryer sheet on the back with some more help. “The fashions of the world will change, but the Lord’s standards will not change.” So even though many of Molly’s friends will be wearing this type (point to bikini) of swim suit, the prophet has told us that wearing clothes that show too much of the body (the tummy, etc.) isn’t making Heavenly Father happy. (Hold the swim suits up to Molly) So which one should we add to Modest Molly’s closet? The one piece swimsuit, good idea! I need a helper to put the two piece swimsuit in the pile of clothes that need to be tossed away.

            Now, Molly is getting ready to go to school. She needs her blue top and black pants. Can I have a helper find her blue top and black pants out of the dryer. (Hang the clothes up and hold them up to Molly.) Hmmm. Do you think that Modest Molly should wear this see thru shirt if the Savior stood beside her or this one? There is a dryer sheet on the back to help. “Immodest clothing is any clothing that is tight, sheer, or revealing in any other manner." “Through your dress and appearance, you can show the Lord that you know how precious your body is.” If you can see through your shirt, is it showing respect for your beautiful body and thanking Heavenly Father for your precious gift of a body? Let’s hang this outfit up in Modest Molly’s closet and I will need a helper to add this outfit to the pile of clothes on the floor. Molly’s brother Max needs to be careful of tight clothing too and see thru muscle shirts.

Next Molly is going to go to church. Can I have a helper find her green and yellow outfits to choose from? So Molly is looking for which outfit should be added to her closet. (Hang the outfits on the hangers and hold them up.) (Hold the outfits up to Molly.) So which outfit should be added to her closet? Why? Yes, this one has sleeves and the skirt is longer. We need to remember that skirts don’t have to go down to the ankles, but we should dress appropriate when we go to church so Modest Molly is ready to feel the spirit during the meetings. I need a helper to put the halter top and mini skirt in the pile of unwanted clothes.

Can I have a helper get the other Sunday dress out of the dryer and the one by the dryer that didn’t get washed? (hang the dress up) Molly needs to remember to wear modest clothes to church, but the prophet has asked us to look our best at church, clean and without being sloppy with our clothing. So Modest Molly needs to remember to wash her dress and take a bath and get clean. The temple is clean inside and we should keep our bodies clean too.

 

Thank you so much for teaching Molly how her body is like a holy temple and how she needs to always show that she is a follower of Jesus Christ. I hope you will all remember to and ask yourself if you would wear your outfit next to the Jesus before you put it on or buy it from the store. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.