Pres. Henry B. Eyring (Apr. '24): "All Will Be Well Because of Temple Covenants"

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 I had known that the flood Pres. Eyring discusses had occurred during his time at Ricks College (now BYU-I); however, I had not known that he and his wife were away from their kids when it happened.  What a powerful story.  Reflecting on the promises of the temple was the impetus for this activity.  Given the number of talks that centered on the temple in this last conference, it seems clear that Father would have us be a more temple-centered people.  I pray that this activity will help in that regard.

The Activity:

  1. Create a series of posters that are mostly blank except for a quote from the talk at the top of them.  The quotes should focus on the promises associated with the temple and may include some or all of the following:
    1. Par. 9 "As we attend . . . feeling of peace."
    2. Par. 12 "As we attend . . . our heavenly home."
    3. Par. 16 "Each person who . . . of Jesus Christ."
    4. Par. 19 "Frequent participation in . . . and purify you."
  2. Hang the posters around the room.
  3. Give each class members a few post-it notes (could be the small ones) and something to write with.
  4. Explain that around the room you have hung a number of posters that have a quote with a promise connected to temple worship.
  5. Invite the class members to consider if/when/how they have seen each blessing in their lives or the lives of their friends and family as you read them aloud.
  6. Read each quote aloud with a pause in between to allow the class members to ponder what how they may have experienced each promise in their lives.
  7. Invite anyone who has an experience with a particular blessing to write their name on a post-it and put it on the appropriate poster-- if they feel comfortable sharing something about their experience.
  8. Provide a moment for people to put their names on each poster.
  9. Choose a name from a poster and invite that class member to share their experience.
  10. Repeat long enough for a few class members to share their thoughts.

Using the Activity:

One of the most powerful tools we have for inviting the Spirit into our classes is to invite the sharing of testimonies.  This activity is designed to foster the sharing of many testimonies.  Also, this activity provides an opportunity for the class members to ponder on their experiences with the temple and to recognize-- through the Spirit-- what they have felt previously.  Having said that, please be careful of making people feel pressured to share sacred experiences.  So, it might be helpful to have planned a couple of your own memories that you can share and start by putting your own name on a couple of posters.

Another thing to be aware of is that this activity as designed requires some movement.  This may not be a reasonable expectation for some members either because of their own conditions or simply the logistics of moving around the room.  In this case, consider some other way of soliciting a list of potential volunteers.  

Thank you for visiting my blog and may God bless you in your efforts.

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