FHE Repentance

Family Home Evening

Welcome: _____________

Opening Prayer: __________________

Opening Song: Teach Me to Walk In the Light pg 177 Children's Songbook

Preparation: Print from the Friend Alma the Younger Repents Story found here. Separate the picture and prepare them to hold up as you read the captions. Make word strips or list on a board the steps of repentance (Listed below). Print coloring sheet Alma the Younger and the Sons of Mosiah from the Liahona found on LDS.org Coloring printable here.
Objective: To teach that part of repentance is making reparations for any wrong we have done.
Gathering Activity:  Lay out the steps of repentance: 1. Recognize wrong 2. Promise not to repeat sin 3. Recommit oneself 4. Make restitution 5. Feel true sorrow 6. Allow time 7. Forgive self and others 8. Receive forgiveness from the Lord.”

Lesson: Point out that while repentance is not about checking items off of a list it is important as we are learning how to repent to have some guidelines for direction. 

Read: Alma the Younger Repents.

Point out that Alma and the Sons of Mosiah went about correcting what they had done wrong after they saw the angel.  They tried to help people understand that what they had been teaching before was not correct.  

Conclusion: It is important when we have done wrong we make restitution for it.  It can be as simple as an apology or fixing or replacing what was lost. 

Activity: Color Alma the Younger picture

Closing Prayer:_______________

Sources: 
The Friend September 1991 "Alma the Younger Repents"
Liahona June 1990 Sharing Time: Divine Directions

LDS.org

FHE Prayer

Family Home Evening

Welcome: _____________

Opening Prayer: __________________

Opening Song: A Child's Prayer Primary Children's Songbook #12

Preparation: Print and color the flannel board pages Enos Repents
Print a copy of "What Should I Know About Prayer" Activity sheet
Objective: To understand that we can pray for forgiveness.

Gathering Activity:  Talk about what do we do when we hurt somebody. We say sorry.  What do we do when we sin? We also say sorry, but we do it through prayer. 

Lesson: Read most of Enos Repents by Diane L. Mangum (part to read is included) Use the Flannel board papers to tell the story. 

Enos Repents

One day Enos went into the forest to hunt. Walking alone through the trees, he started thinking about what his father had taught him.

All his life Enos had heard his father, Jacob, teach aboutJesus Christ. Jacob was a prophet to the Nephites. He had seen a vision of Jesus Christ, who would be born about 500 years later.

Enos had not always done what his father taught him. As he hunted, he thought about his sins. He began to feel hungry—not hungry for food, but hungry to be forgiven for his wrongdoings.

Enos stopped hunting. He knelt and began to pray. Hour after hour, all day long, he prayed for forgiveness. When the night came, he was still raising his voice to heaven in prayer.

At last, a voice came to him saying, “Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.” Enos knew that God could not lie. His guilty feelings were swept away, and he knew Heavenly Father had forgiven him. Heavenly Father said the reason Enos could be forgiven was that he had faith in Christ.

Enos spent the rest of his life teaching the people about faith in Jesus Christ.

Conclusion: We can pray to Heavenly Father to be forgiven when we do things that are wrong. 

Activity:  Color the spaces with dots on the activity sheet to reveal the hidden picture. 

Closing Prayer:_______________

Sources: 
The Friend April 2012 "Enos Repents" by Diane L. Mangum
The Friend March 2009 "What Should I Know About Prayer" by Russel M. Nelson

FHE Learning by Faith

Family Home Evening

Welcome: _____________

Opening Prayer: __________________

Opening Song: Faith Primary Children's Songbook #96

Preparation: 

Objective: To understand what it means to "learn by faith" and how to begin doing so.

Gathering Activity:  Read and act out the action poem "Faith is Like a Seed" by Chad E. Phares. Have family join you and repeat it.

Lesson:

Ask: What does it mean to learn by faith?

Read: "Learning by faith and from experience are two of the central features of the Father’s plan of happiness."

"as learners, you and I are to act and be doers of the word and not simply hearers who are only acted upon."

Point out that the last step of the poem talks about doing our part. 

To learn by faith we need to read the scriptures and listen to the prophets and then we need to act.  We need to follow the commandments and we need to act as the Savior would want us to. 

As we do this we will be able to feel the confirmation of the Spirit testifying the truth of what we are learning. 

Conclusion: 

To learn by faith we need to use our agency to act. We need to follow the commandments and use our agency to choose the right!

Activity:  Do the connect the dots.  Point out that as we act and connect the dots the picture becomes clear.  This is often how it is as we learn by faith.  We act and what we are learning will become clear.

Closing Prayer:_______________

Sources: 

Seek Learning By Faith from Elder Bednar

LDS.org 

The Friend March 2009

The Friend January 2011

Faith is Like a Seed -By Chad E. Phares

1. My faith is like a tiny seed (Hold thumb and index finger close together.)

2. That is hard for me to see. (Make circles around eyes with thumbs and index fingers.)

3. But when I read the scriptures (Open hands in front of self.)

4. Faith grows inside of me. (Put both hands on chest.)

5. And when I say a prayer (Fold arms.)

6. I feel it in my heart. (Put hand on heart.)

7. My seed of faith becomes a tree (Put hands above head.)

8. When I do my part. (Point thumb at self.)

Connect the Dots

1 Nephi 1-5

1 Nephi 1-5

Putting it all together.

It is time to dust of the old blog!  I am going to start a series of posts about what I am studying and learning in institute. I plan to gear the posts toward lessons I can use for Family Home Evening.  I hope that you enjoy the posts and I would love any comments or feedback about the topics!

Family Home Evening

Welcome: _____________

Opening Prayer: __________________

Opening Song: Keep the Commandments Children's Songbook #146

Preparation: Print, color and cut out the pictures from The Friend (February, 1992. Lehi Obeys God) It can be found on LDS.com. (link included).  Attach felt to the back to be able to tell the story of Lehi and his family leaving Jerusalem. Have another sheet of felt ready to be the board for the story.  Lehi Obeys God Print suitcase picture (pictured below).

Objective: To learn how we can show faith and be unwavering as we follow Heavenly Father's commandments by following the example of Lehi and his family leaving Jerusalem.

Gathering Activity:  Let's pretend we are going to go on a long trip.  We will not be returning to our home.    Which items should we pack up to take with us on this trip?  Why did you pick those things? Which items are the most important?

Scripture Story:  In the beginning of the Book of Mormon we find the the first book of Nephi.  Nephi was the son of the prophet, Lehi.  They lived in Jerusalem about 600 years before the Savior was born.  

The people living in Jerusalem had become quite wicked.  They were no longer following Heavenly Father's commandments and had stopped listening to the prophets.  

Lehi had a dream, a vision, where Heavenly Father told Lehi that if the people that lived in Jerusalem did not repent Jerusalem would be destroyed.  

Lehi tried to warn the people in Jerusalem about what was coming for their city if they did not humble themselves and repent.  The people laughed at him and became angry.  

Heavenly Father warned Lehi in another dream that he, Lehi, and his family were in danger.  Lehi told his family that they needed to pack up so they could leave Jerusalem. 

Lehi told them to leave behind their nice things, and take only what was important for them to survive.  Nephi's oldest brothers, Laman and Lemuel, were quite unhappy with this but did as they were told.

After they were packed they left their nice home to live in the wilderness.  When Lehi and his family had traveled a good distance away from Jerusalem, Lehi built an altar made of stones to pray and give thanks to Heavenly Father.
Lehi spent time talking to Laman and Lemuel about what he hoped for them to become.  He mentioned to Lemuel that he hoped Lemuel could be like a valley, firm, steadfast and immovable in following the commandments of the Lord.

Conclusion: How can we be ready to follow the commandments of Heavenly Father? What are some of the commandments we can follow right now?

Activity:  Have family members draw a picture of some commandments they can follow on the picture with the suitcase. 

Closing Prayer:_______________

Sources: 

1 Nephi Chapters 1 and 2 (summarized in my own words).

LDS.org 

The Friend February, 1992 Lehi Obeys God