My Prayer Reminder

I saw this idea on the church's website and cutsied mine up a bit. These would great little handouts for a lesson on prayer or for the kids to take with them so they have a place to jot down what they want to. There's one for the girls and one for the boys. Enjoy!
And I just wanted to say a big HI, to all the new followers and fans!! WELCOME!

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Seminary: Autograph Bingo

Tiffany O. requested some games for seminary in the fall to help her get to know her students and for her students to get to know each other so here's the first of a few games on the line up for you Tiffany!
Now the card I made is for a class of about 24 or more so if you have a smaller class let me know and I'll make cards for your size.
How to play:
Everyone needs a pen or pencil for this so just in case bring some extras to pass around. Each person can only sign each paper once. And the kids go around asking the questions that they need to get for a BINGO (up, down, diagonally). To also have a get to know you, and if you have time, you can also have the kids expound on what they signed for example, giving the colors of the rainbow in order, etc.
For a prize, maybe doughnuts if you have a morning seminary, or during the school day you could do candy bars or something like that.
Have fun! Any questions or suggestions for games for big groups email me! (you can find my contact info on the top bar of the blog)

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VT Aug 2010: Worthy of Temple Worship

LDS.org Visiting Teaching Message August 2010

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Pioneers: James Kirkwood

James Kirkwood (11) had a great responsibility to look after his younger brother, Joseph Smith Clements Kirkwood (5) in their immigration with the Willie Handcart Company in 1856. James’ mother, Margaret, a widow of four years and her son Robert (21) tugged the handcart which carried their crippled son and brother, Thomas (19), along with their meager belongings. In the blizzard crossing Rocky Ridge on Oct. 23, 1856, James and Joseph became separated from the family and did not arrive in camp until very late.

Robert and Margaret had struggled through the blizzard with Thomas in the handcart and were able to arrive safely at Rock Creek, although Margaret had one eye freeze and would be blind the rest of her life in that eye. Margaret kept her small fire going, watching and waiting faithfully for her young sons. James’ strength in saving his younger brother was spent upon arrival at Rock Creek. Joseph’s biography states: "...when arriving in camp the brother James fell dead due to starvation and cold. He was buried on the banks of the Sweetwater in a grave with twelve others." Joseph’s rescued life continued until April of 1933, just short of his 77th birthday.

Doctrine and Covenants 88:133 Art thou a brother or brethren? I salute you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, in token or remembrance of the everlasting covenant, ...in a determination that is fixed, immovable, and unchangeable, to be your friend and brother through the grace of God in the bonds of love...

Pioneers:Amanda Barnes Smith

Amanda Barnes Smith moved with her husband and 5 children from Kirtland, Ohio, to Caldwell County, Missouri, in 1838. They stopped at Haun’s Mill to camp on Oct. 30, where a mob with painted faces commenced a brutal massacre a few hours later. Amanda’s husband, Warren Smith, and their young son, Sardis, were killed. Another son, 6-year-old Alma, lay close to death, one hip joint being entirely shot away. Amanda wrote: "Yet was I there all that long, dreadful night, with my dead and wounded, and none but God as our physician and help. ‘Oh, my Heavenly Father,’ I cried, ‘what shall I do? Oh, Heavenly Father, direct me what to do!’ And then I was directed as by a voice speaking to me. . . . as distinctly as though a physician had been standing by speaking to me."

Amanda continued to pray and was shown exactly what to do to save her young son. The next day she said, "‘Alma, my child, you believe that the Lord made your hip?’ ‘Yes, Mother.’ ‘Well, the Lord can make something there in the place of your hip, don’t you believe he can, Alma?’ ‘Do you think that the Lord can, Mother?’ . . . ‘Yes, my son, he has shown it all to me in a vision. . . . the Lord will make you another hip.’" Alma did grow another hip and was not the least handicapped through his life, living to serve and preside in four foreign missions for over 11 years. During his second mission to Hawaii, he helped save the life of Lorenzo Snow, who would later become the President of the Church.

When living in Quincy, Illinois, a few months after the Haun’s Mill massacre, a board of doctors in St. Louis heard of Alma Smith’s "Mormon Miracle" and sent a team of 5 physicians to investigate. They could not understand how Alma’s leg, without any bone in the hip joint, was just as strong and active as the other one. They asked Amanda the name of the surgeon who had performed this wonderful piece of surgery. She replied, "Jesus Christ." One said, "Not the Savior of the World?" Amanda responded, "Yes, the same sir. He was the physician and I was the nurse."

Amanda also wrote of her source of solace during the tragic time at Haun’s Mill:
" . . . those five weeks . . . I was a prisoner with my wounded boy in Missouri, near the scene of the massacre, unable to obey the order of extermination [for Mormons to leave the state or be killed]. In our utter desolation, what could we women do but pray? Prayer was our only source of comfort, our Heavenly Father our only helper. None but He could save and deliver us.
"One day a mobber came from the mill with the captain’s order, ‘The captain says if you women don’t stop your d—d praying he will send down a posse and kill every d—d one of you.’ And he might as well have done it, as to stop us poor women from praying in that hour of our great calamity. Our prayers were hushed in terror. We dared not let our voices be heard in the house in supplication. I could pray in my bed or in silence, but I could not live thus long. This silence was more intolerable than had been that night of the massacre. I could bear it no longer. I pined to hear once more my own voice in petition to my Heavenly Father. I stole down into a cornfield and crawled into a ‘stout of corn’. It was as the temple of the Lord to me at that moment. I prayed aloud and most fervently. When I emerged from the corn a voice spoke to me. It was a voice as plain as I ever heard one. It was no silent, strong impression of the spirit, but a VOICE, repeating a verse of the saint’s hymn: That soul who on Jesus hath leaned for repose, I cannot, I will not desert to its foes; That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!
"From that moment I had no more fear. I felt that nothing could hurt me. Soon after this the mob sent us word that unless we were all out of that state by a certain day we should be killed."
When that day came, Amanda could not leave, due to the condition of her son and the fact that the mob had stolen her horses, cattle, wagons and tents and other provisions. She faced fifty armed men with confidence when they came to execute their sentence. When her son was well, she walked ten miles to Daviess County to the home of the captain of the mob and demanded that he return her horses. He refused. But Amanda remembered the promise given in her corn field temple:
"I left without the captain’s permission to take my horse . . . I went into his yard and took it . . . I next yoked up a pair of steers to a sled and went and demanded it also. . . . I started the first of February for the State of Illinois without money – mobbed all the way – I drove my own team and slept out of doors. I had four small children and we suffered much with hunger, cold and fatigue. For what? For our religion, where in the bossed land of liberty, ‘deny your faith or die’ was the cry.
"I felt the loss of my husband, but not as I should if he had apostatized; he died in the faith and in hopes of a glorious resurrection. As for myself, I felt an unshaken confidence in God through it all. I had been personally acquainted with the prophet Joseph for many years; had seen his walks and knew him to be a Prophet of God. That buoyed me up under every trial and privation."

Touch of the Master's Hand

TOUCH OF THE MASTER'S HAND

’Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer

Thought it scarcely worth his while

To waste much time on the old violin,

But held it up with a smile:

“What am I bidden, good folks,” he cried,

“Who’ll start the bidding for me?”

“A dollar, a dollar”; then, “Two!” “Only two?

Two dollars, and who’ll make it three?

Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice;

Going for three—” But no,

From the room, far back, a gray-haired man

Came forward and picked up the bow;

Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,

And tightening the loose strings,

He played a melody pure and sweet

As a caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer,

With a voice that was quiet and low,

Said, “What am I bid for the old violin?”

And he held it up with the bow.

“A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two?

Two thousand! And who’ll make it three?

Three thousand, once, three thousand, twice,

And going, and gone!” said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried,

“We do not quite understand

What changed its worth.” Swift came the reply:

“The touch of a master’s hand.”

And many a man with life out of tune,

And battered and scarred with sin,

Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,

Much like the old violin.

A “mess of pottage,” a glass of wine,

A game—and he travels on.

He’s “going” once, and “going” twice,

He’s “going” and almost “gone.”

But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd

Never can quite understand

The worth of a soul and the change that’s wrought

By the touch of the Master’s hand.

Gospel Principles: The Sacrament

This is the lesson I have this Sunday. So it's a work in progress.


This is a FHE lesson, but has some great insights that can be shared.
http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/daily/fhe/sacrament.html

This next talk is a break down of the sacrament prayers. A very powerful talk with plenty to ponder and take into our own lives.

July 2010 Visiting Teaching: Strengthening Families

This is a few days late SORRY life has been crazy between work, being a mom, and a really fun request that I'm hoping to get out to you today. Hope you like it and can use it for you VT sisters.

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