Elder Arnulfo Valenzuela (Oct. '21): "Deepening Our Conversion to Jesus Christ"

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 I love this talk.  The focus is on the scriptures as key to learning about the Savior.  At the very end of the talk, it transitions to speaking of the Spirit.  This activity really focuses on the section that deals most directly with the scriptures.  

The Activity:

  1. Make sure that everyone has access to the talk either digitally or physically.
  2. On the top part of the board write "How" and "Why."
  3. Explain that the focus of this talk is on the scriptures as a tool of conversion.
  4. Divide the class in half.  Explain that one half of the class will skim the talk looking for counsel about how to study the scriptures and the other half will be looking for explanations of why we should study the scriptures.  
  5. This will be done in two stages:
    1. First, for 3 or so minutes, the class members will work in groups of 2 or 3 to identify information on their topic.
    2. Second, for another 5 or so minutes, the halves of the classroom will come together and talk about what each small group shared.
  6. After this, one person from each half will come up and write on the board some of the things that they talked about in their groups.
  7. Using the information recorded on the board, discuss what was found in the talk.

Using the Activity:

Once again the idea of this activity is to get people examining a talk and talking about what they found.  The hope is that the Spirit will be present and as people speak to one another, they will receive inspiration and revelation for their own lives.  Depending on how you do the follow up discussion (step #7), this activity can require a great deal of familiarity with the talk itself in order to connect points and share relevant quotes.  This can be hard and often daunting, but allowing the class members-- especially as they are influenced by the Spirit-- to set the agenda for the class, so to speak, can lead to truly unforgettable classes.  

Please let me know how it goes.  Thank you.

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