Elder Moises Villanueva (Oct. '21): "Favored of the Lord in All My Days"

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 This talk reminds me so much of Elder Nielson's talk given later this same day.  Both of them deal with our approach/response to trials.  There is so much in this talk.  This activity represents only a small portion of what is possible to talk about here.

The Activity:

  1. Make sure that everyone has access to a copy of the talk either digitally or physically.
  2. Read par. 11 "My dear brothers . . . on our problems?"
  3. Make clear that there is a difference between murmuring because of our trials (which we are counseled NOT to do) and feeling sad, tired, worn out, stressed, etc. because of those trials.
  4. Divide the class into 3 groups.
  5. Assign each group one example from Elder Villanueva's talk to read about:
    1. His missionary friend, par. 5-7 "When I saw . . . strength, and enthusiasm."
    2. Nephi, par. 8-10 "At the beginning . . . of mine afflictions.'"
    3. Christ, par. 12-17 "Our Savior, Jesus . . . them to eat."
  6. Ask the groups to read their assigned part of the talk and discuss the following questions (and/or other questions that you feel inspired to ask):
    1. What lessons can we learn about dealing with trials from this person?
    2. How is what they did an example of focusing "on our blessings?"
    3. How might this example be applied in our personal lives?
  7. After a few minutes for the groups to talk, come back together as a class and ask the groups to report back what they talked about.  Discuss what they bring up with the rest of the class.

Using the Activity:

I would encourage the class members to think deeply about the 2nd and 3rd questions.  I have found that if I sit with an example for a bit of time, I usually discover much more in it than I initially thought there was.  So, taking a bit more time considering and talking about these examples will lead, I believe, to richer insights.

Also, as always, this activity is designed to make it possible for more people to participate and to reduce the obstacles to sharing that some people experience, e.g. shyness, anxiety, etc. 

I hope that you find this activity helpful in your teaching.  God bless.

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