Pres. Dallin H. Oaks (Apr. '21): "What Has Our Savior Done for Us?"

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 This is another talk from this conference that could be seen as simply covering some basic or simple doctrines.  However, all of these talks-- and especially this one-- go beyond the simple and easy to shed new light on these topics.  

The Activity:

  1. Ahead of time prepare 4 poster boards.  Label each poster board with one of the 4 things that Pres. Oaks covered in his talk that Christ did for us:
    1. The Resurrection
    2. Forgiveness for our Sins
    3. Knowledge of the Plan of Salvation
    4. Took on our Sufferings
  2. Draw a line down the middle of each sheet of poster board and label one side With and the other side Without.
  3. Hand these posters around the room.
  4. Share the story that Pres. Oaks begins his talk with (Par. 1:  "In a Saturday . . . done for me?).
  5. Explain that you want to spend some time talking and thinking about not just what the Savior did for us but also what it means for us-- individually and collectively.
  6. Pass out something to write on the posters with.
  7. Point out the posters around the room and ask the class members to consider for each of the 4 gifts Pres. Oaks mentioned how that gift has blessed their lives and what their lives would be like without that gift.
  8. Give the class members a few minutes, then, to walk around the room and write on the posters their answers to those question (how their lives have been blessed by these things and what their lives would be like without these things).
  9. After a few minutes for the class members to write down what they feel, bring everyone back together.
  10. Read some of the comments from each board and discuss them with the class.  Who else agrees?  Etc. 

Using the Activity:

This activity is designed to increase our recognition of and appreciation for what the Savior has done for us-- almost like an antidote to the feelings of the woman from the beginning of the talk.  By allowing each person to 1)think silently about these things (ponder), 2)share their thoughts anonymously, and 3)learn from others, this activity provides multiple ways for the class members to feel and partake of the Spirit's testifying power.  

Of course, there are about an infinite number of ways to adjust this activity.  For example, if you are teaching via Zoom or something similar, you could divide the class members into rooms (one for each idea).  You could divide the class into four groups and simply assign each group one of these blessings and ask them to talk about the questions above.  The Spirit will guide you to the best approach for your class.  I would recommend, though, not forcing people to own their written comments.  Many of the class members will speak up and identify when they wrote something you share, but in some cases, the comments may come from a very private, sacred space and we should not force them to out themselves.

I hope this activity proves useful to you.  May God bless you in your responsibilities as a teacher.  

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