Elder D. Todd Christofferson (Apr. 19): "Preparing for the Lord's Return"

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I always love Elder Christofferson's talks (I feel like I say that about all of the general authorities), but this one was especially powerful for me.  I was most touched by the last part of the talk, where Elder Christofferson reminds us that ultimately this work is the Lord's work, and He does the heavy lifting while allowing us to share in the work.  Having said that this activity does not deal with that part of the talk, and it is a bit more artsy-craftsy than normal.

The Activity:

  1. Beforehand, prepare strips of construction paper, one for each class member.  Bring them to class with you along with some markers and a stapler or two.
  2. After discussing the talk for some amount of time, pass out a strip of paper to each class member and ask them to think of something, small they could do in light of the talk and the promptings of the Spirit.
  3. Have the class members write their ideas on their strip of paper.
  4. Pass the stapler around the room and ask them to connect the two ends of their strip of paper and staple them together around the strip of their neighbor forming a construction paper chain.  
  5. Depending on the size of your class, this may take a few minutes.  So, it may be best to have more than a single stapler.  Also, you may want to take this time to discuss the final portion of the talk (Par. 30 to the end).
  6. Place two chairs several feet apart at the front of the room.  The distance should be as great as possible, but close enough that the completed chain can stretch from one to the other.  Explain that the two chairs represent where we are now and where we need to be to be prepared for the Second Coming.
  7. Point out that in life, the distance between the two can feel immense between our own perceived inadequacies and the prevailing wickedness in the world.  
  8. Now, spread the chain between the two chairs so that it reaches from one side to the other.  Explain that by each of us doing just a little more we can, collectively, achieve all that the Lord wants from us (you may want to read/cite Alma 37:6-7).  
  9. Challenge the class members to carry through on the thing they wrote down on their strips of paper.
Using the Activity:

Yes, this is much more artsy-craftsy than I normal like to be (I know some of you are thinking this is arts and crafts light-- and you are correct.  Still, more than I normally do).  If you are like me and not super comfortable doing even this much arts and crafts, feel free to adapt this activity in a way that makes it more palatable.  You might be able to do a similar thing with simple index cards that you lay across the floor.  

As I was designing this activity, I could almost hear President Hinckley encouraging us to do "just a little more" and that was the purpose of this activity.  It can be easy to be overwhelmed by the immense amount of work there is to do in the world and resign ourselves, but we don't have to do all of the work single-handedly.  And together, we are a powerful force.  I hope that this idea came across in this activity and that it can be a powerful tool for you in encouragine each class member to do just a little bit more.  If we do, we will be unstoppable because the Lord will pour out blessings on our heads.  

Thank you for coming by my blog.  I hope you found it useful.  God bless.

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