Teaching Relief Society & Priesthood

 I will admit that this activity was the last one I did because I struggled to come up with an activity that would do some justice to this great talk.  In the end, at the urging of my wife, I simply went with my first idea.  I had resisted the idea because it didn't feel authentic to me.  In retrospect, this was silly.  My wife was right.  While this activity may not be right for you and/or your class, this was the activity that I was supposed to share. The Activity: Make sure that everyone has access to the talk either physically or digitally. Ask the class members to remember a time when someone they loved has passed away. Ask them what were some things that brought them comfort at this time.  Discuss these things.  You may want to note that different people need different things in times like this-- there are few, if any, universally good or bad things. Ask the class members to ponder what they might share with a friend (member or not) who has lost someone. Have the class member

 I am always struck by talks that encourage us to remember.  It seems like at the root of many of today's problems in the world is that we fail to remember God-- who He is and what He did/does for us.  In this talk, Elder Teixeira helps us to remember specific things which will help us on our way back home.   The Activity: Make sure that everyone in the class has access to a copy of the talk either physically or digitially. Divide the class into four groups. Assign each group one of the reminders from Elder Teixeira's talk: Remember That We Are Children of God Remember the Foundation That Protects Us Remember to be Prayerful Remember to Serve Others Ask each group to read through their assigned section and look for the following things: How to's (counsel on putting this principle into action) Why for's (promises associated with this principle) What then's (connections to our pathway home) After a few minutes for the groups to meet and talk, come back together as a c

 This talk by Elder Palmer includes a touching story about his own family's conversion to the gospel.  This story forms the body of this activity.  Having said that I think there are many gospel principles illustrated in this experience that could be focused on in lessons that would be valuable. The Activity: Explain that Elder Palmer gives us a pattern for finding joy in this life and in the herafter.   Read par. 21 "I invite all . . . world to come." Identify and, if you wish, discuss the elements of this pattern-- desire , act , and follow. Recount the story of how Elder Palmer's parents came to join the Church-- making sure to highlight the elements of the pattern from above. Discuss with the class this pattern's applicability to our lives: When else might this pattern be useful? How might acting in faith look in these moments? How might we come to joy? Using the Activity: This activity does at least two things that I feel like embody Christ-like teaching.  Fi