Sunday, May 26, 2013

May 26 - Prophets of Our Times


Today, class members gave short 3- to 5-minute talks during the majority of class time.  They presented information they'd researched about the lives and messages of recent prophets.  Some of the questions they answered were:
  • Which Prophet did you choose?
  • Where and when did he live, and what was going on in the world at the time?
  • What did you find out about his life that you didn’t know before… and that you really liked?
  • How did he become a Special Witness?
  • What was one of his special messages from God?  Why is that message important?  How can we live by what he taught?
Those who didn't have a chance to share this week are invited to share next week!  If students need a topic, feel free to contact me!

As a class, we also discussed the kinds of activities for class that we'd like to do over the summer.  Some of the suggestions are:
  • Bring an object from home that reminds us about a topic, and then share our feelings about that object
  • Share church videos from lds.org and discuss why their messages are relevant to the youth today
  • Bring a favorite conference talk and share it with the class
If anyone has other suggestions, feel free to add to the comments, send an email, or call or text me!

Assignment (due June 1 at 11:59 p.m.):  For next Sunday, we decided to share church videos from lds.org that are particularly meaningful to them.  Because the WiFi at the church building is too slow for live streaming, I've asked the students to call, email, or text me at least a day in advance with information about the videos they would like to share.  That way, I can download them and have them ready to go in time for class.
 
I'm conscious of not sharing personal information online, so please find addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses in the church directory at lds.org.  Thanks ahead of time for your support!

References

Heber J. Grant.  Photo by Associated Students of Brigham Young University. In public domain. Originally from Brigham Young University; Associated Students of Brigham Young University (1923) (in english) The Banyan, 1923, Provo, Utah , Utah: Student body of Brigham Young University, p. 5 Archived from the original on 2010. Call number: DBB7014. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Heber_J_Grant.jpg on 5/26/2013.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

May 19 - The Testimony of a Prophet


Today in class, we discussed what it would take to develop a testimony as strong as a prophet's--the cycle of studying scriptures and conference talks, pondering, struggling with questions, praying to seek guidance from Heavenly Father, and remaining faithful until the answers come.

Due to the students' stresses with finals and final projects, I also gave them another week to work on their mini-assignments for Sunday School.  Last week, they'd each signed up to learn more about a particular prophet and share their findings with the class in 3-5 minutes.

The prophets they selected are:

Brigham Young - Connor
John Taylor - Isabelle
Wilford Woodruff - Justin
Lorenzo Snow -
Joseph F. Smith -
Heber J. Grant - Maile
George Albert Smith -
David O. McKay - Carter
Joseph Fielding Smith -  Scott
Harold B. Lee -
Spencer W. Kimball - Sis. Arthur
Ezra Taft Benson -
Howard W. Hunter - Jaxon
Gordon B. Hinckley - Emily
Thomas S. Monson -

If a student was absent or needs help, please feel free to have him or her text or call me!  Otherwise, I'll look forward to hearing from them next week!

References

Spencer W. Kimball. Photo by Associated Students of Ricks College, ed. Christie Williams and LeeAnn Roberts. In public domain. Originally from (1976) The Rixida: Annual Publication of the Associated Students of Ricks College, p. 39. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Spencer_W._Kimball3.JPG on 5/19/2013.