I have a calling as a Beehive adviser for the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints and it was my turn to have a combined Young Women activity!
As a teacher of young girls from the ages of 12-13 (also known as Beehives) I wanted something that all the young women (12-18) could enjoy, learn, and benefit from with this Wednesday night activity (also known as Mutual).
Every other Wednesday we have just Beehive activity nights but this Wednesday it is for ALL the girls.
So, like all answers to questions I have about cute activities and crafts I turned to Pintrest and Google. This time I found a great activity idea here.
It is basically an outline of the activity, which was just plain to vague for me so I created a full, explained version of the same activity below if you wish to spend 20 minutes reading every little detail.
Included in the expansion version:
-Outdoor relay games in others shoes/clothes
-Individual Worth #2 requirements to pass it off (which is the Personal Progress value experience that this activity is based around)
-"True to the Faith" definition of Patriarchal Blessings.
-Two Conference talks used as examples for how Patriarchal blessings have been used and received. One is by Mary N. Cook and focuses on the young women the other is by Randall L. Ridd who focuses on the Young Men. I couldn't find any "recent conference talks" on Patriarchal blessings like it asks for in Individual Worth #2 requirements. So I found some recent conference talks using EXAMPLES of patriarchal blessings.
-Since I couldn't find recent conference talks on Patriarchal blessings I also did this article from the "New Era" Magazine that covers the frequently asked questions about patriarchal blessings.
-A handout to remind the girls how to receive a patriarchal blessing.
-A Shopping list for all the things I didn't have already such as a treat for after the activity.
Well, that's it. I thought I would re-blog this activity because I gave it a different view and if there was anyone else out there, like me, that wanted more than a vague outline I thought "I did all the work I might as well help others out". :)
All credits are in the links above! Enjoy!
xoxoxo
M.E.G
The goal for our combined young women Wednesday activity is to
talk about Patriarchal Blessings and help the girls pass off Individual Worth
#2.
Individual Worth #2
Learn about the importance of patriarchal
blessings by studying about them in True to the Faith and recent conference talks. Find out
why they are given and who can give them. Discuss with a parent or Church
leader how to prepare to receive a patriarchal blessing and how it can teach
you of your worth and identity and be a guide throughout your life. If you have
not received your blessing, prepare to receive it.
To Start:
Have the young women participate in difficult
games and challenges to enforce how patriarchal blessings are individual and
unique to each person. Each game should only last about 10 minutes each if each of the four games below are to be played.
1. Balloon Race - The
first game is to show the difference at the end of the activity what it is like
in your own shoes/clothes verses what it is like in someone else's.
All that is needed is non-helium balloons and
the young women paired off.
a. Begin by choosing partners and
lining them up back to back at a starting line. Place a balloon between their
backs so that they must hold it there and not let it fall to the ground.
(Emphasize that there are to be no hands involved.)
b. At the sound of a whistle or
"GO", the pairs must take off in this position, shuffling their way
towards the finish line. If the balloon pops or drops, they must return to the
starting line for a replacement.
c. The first pairing of young women
to cross the finish line wins.
2. Sneaker Scramble- The
second game is to get the girls into somebody else's shoes for the following
games.
All that is needed is a couple of laundry
baskets (used for left and right shoes or shoes for each team) and a soft
grassy area for shoeless running.
a. The young women are split into
two teams. They then begin to run one by one to the finish line where the
laundry baskets are and either put their left shoe in one box and their right
show in the other box or both shoes in their teams basket and then running back
to their team.
b. When the entire team is shoeless,
the players then take turns running to
the baskets again to grab a left and a right shoe that are NOT theirs. (This
will most likely be the first shoes they grab as the game is timed on which
team is fastest.)
c. After they have shoes that are
not theirs they are to put them back on and run back to their team. The first
team with all mismatched shoes wins!
3. Grab Bag
All that is needed are two paper bags, slips of
paper, and a pencil.
a. Write on the slips of paper
instructions that each player on the team will need to accomplish as they pass
the bag along each other. Instructions could be:
- Hop to the finish line and back
-Do 10 jumping jacks
- Stand on one foot until everyone
else is done with their instructions
- Trade shoes with the person who is
the tallest (if you are the tallest then trade with the person who is the
shortest)
-WALK around the nearest tree 5
times.
-Rub your belly and jump up and down
3 times
-Put your right shoe on your left
foot and your left shoe on your right foot. Then run to the finish line and
back.
- Crawl on your hands and feet
backwards to the finish line and back.
-Find the person from the opposite
team with the same strip of paper as you and kick a balloon back and forth 3
times to each person.
-Find the person from the opposite
team with the same strip of paper and race them to the finish line and back.
The first person back get to pick which member of the others team has to do
their slip of paper twice in a row.
b. The first player of each team
pulls a slip from the bag, performs the action, tags the next player, who does
the same. The first team to finish all the actions wins.
4. Soggy Britches-Before
the last game the young women will need to take off the shoes they are wearing
and match them up with its pair and then line each pair of shoes nicely against
the wall so that they don't get their shoes wet.
All that is needed is a soft grassy area for
shoeless running, two pairs of loose-fitting sweatpants for each team, 1 large
bucket of water, and a lawn chair (optional).
a. Line up each team side by side
with the bucket of water in between them and set up an object or finishing
obstacle that they have to run around at the finishing line.
b. At a signal, the first young
woman in each team will dunk their teams sweatpants into the water, put them
on, run down to the finish line, run around the obstacle or in a circle 3
times, and back to their team.
c. The next young woman in the team
then does the same thing after being handed the sweatpants from her team mate
until all the young women have finished.
d.
The first team who all ran across the lawn with the soggy britches first wins!
The
Lesson: To read about Patriarchal blessing in the True
to the Faith and recent conference talks, to relate patriarchal blessings to
the games just played, and to have discussion on:
-
who can give patriarchal blessings
-why
patriarchal blessings are given
-how
to prepare now to receive a patriarchal blessing and
-how
a patriarchal blessing can teach them about their self worth and guide them
throughout their lives.
All that
is needed is for the girls to bring a beach towel/swimming towel, a friend, and
thoughtful responses for discussion of patriarchal blessings.
1.
Questions
a.
How did it feel to play these games in shoes/pants that did not fit and weren't
yours?
b.
How do you think you would have done in the games if you didn't try to do it
with someone else's shoes/pants?
2.
Discussion/Readings
a.
Read from the "True to the Faith" handbook about Patriarchal
blessings and then discuss how each patriarchal blessing is unique to each
person to help them "score" better in the "game" of life.
True
to the Faith: Patriarchal Blessings
True to the Faith, (2004), 111–13
Patriarchal
blessings are given to worthy members of the Church by ordained patriarchs. Your
patriarchal blessing declares your lineage in the house of Israel and contains
personal counsel from the Lord to you.
Declaration
of Lineage
Your
patriarchal blessing includes a declaration of your lineage, stating that you
are of the house of Israel—a descendant of Abraham, belonging to a specific
tribe of Jacob. Many Latter-day Saints are of the tribe of Ephraim, the tribe
given the primary responsibility to lead the latter-day work of the Lord.
Because each of
us has many bloodlines running in us, two members of the same family may be
declared as being of different tribes in Israel.
It does not
matter if your lineage in the house of Israel is through bloodlines or by
adoption. As a member of the Church, you are counted as a descendant of Abraham
and an heir to all the promises and blessings contained in the Abrahamic
covenant (see “Abrahamic Covenant,” pages 5–6).
Learning
from Your Patriarchal Blessing
Once you have received your
patriarchal blessing, you should read it humbly, prayerfully, and frequently. It
is a personal revelation from your Heavenly Father, who knows your strengths,
weaknesses, and eternal potential. Through your patriarchal blessing, He will
help you learn what He expects of you. Your blessing may contain promises,
admonitions, and warnings. As time goes on, you will recognize the power of the
revelation in it.
As you follow the counsel in your
blessing, you will be less likely to stumble or be misled. If you do not follow
the counsel, you will not be able to receive the promised blessings.
While your
patriarchal blessing contains inspired counsel and promises, you should not
expect it to answer all your
Similarly, you
should not assume that everything mentioned in your patriarchal blessing will
be fulfilled in this life. A patriarchal blessing is eternal, and its promises
may extend into the eternities. Be assured that if you are worthy, all promises
will be fulfilled in the Lord’s due time. Those that are not realized in this
life will be fulfilled in the next.
Your patriarchal blessing is sacred
and personal. You may share it with immediate family members, but you should
not read it aloud in public or permit others to read it or interpret it. Not
even your patriarch or bishop or branch president should interpret it.
Treasure in your
heart the precious words in your patriarchal blessing. Ponder them, and live so
that you will be worthy to receive the promised blessings in this life and in
the life to come.
Official
Web site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
© 2014 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All Rights Reserved
© 2014 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All Rights Reserved
b.
Examples of those who received their patriarchal blessings to help them fulfill
their unique purposes on this Earth through the guidance of their faithfulness
and their Heavenly Fathers promises.
1. Seek
Learning: You Have a Work to Do
BY MARY N. COOK
Seek
learning by faith. We learn by faith as we diligently gain spiritual knowledge
through prayer, scripture study, and obedience and as we seek the guidance of
the Holy Ghost, who testifies of all truth. If you do your part to gain
knowledge, the Holy Ghost can enlighten your mind. As you strive to keep
yourself worthy, the Holy Ghost will give direction and added light to your
learning.
I testify from personal experience that if you will seek
learning not only by study but also by faith, you will be guided in what “the Lord … will need you
to do and what you will need to know.” 14
I
received my patriarchal blessing as a young woman and was counseled to prepare
myself with a good education and to learn early in life those virtues that go
into homemaking and rearing a family. I so wanted the blessing of a family;
however, that blessing wasn’t fulfilled until I was 37, when I eventually
married. My husband had been widowed, so the day we were sealed in the temple,
I was suddenly blessed with not only a husband but a family of four children.
Long before that, there were many days when I felt like I was
skiing in flat light, asking the question, “What does the future hold for me?”
I tried to follow the admonitions in my patriarchal blessing. I studied
diligently to become a schoolteacher and continued my education to become an
elementary school principal. I prayed to my Heavenly Father and sought the
guidance of the Holy Ghost. I held fervently to the promise of prophets who
assured me that if I “remain true and faithful, keep [my] covenants, serve God,
and love [my] Father in Heaven and the Lord Jesus Christ, [I] will not be
denied any of the eternal blessings our Heavenly Father has for His faithful
children.” 15
I
know that my education prepared me for a life that has been nothing like I had
envisioned as a young woman. I thought I was studying education to teach school
and my future children, but I did not know the Lord was also preparing me to
teach English in Mongolia on a mission with my husband and to teach the young
women of the Church throughout the world and to teach my grandchildren the
value of knowledge—all wonderful blessings I could never have imagined.
(Read True to the Faith in red
above about how Mary N. Cook treated her patriarchal blessing)
-Based
off the "True to the Faith" what did Mary N. Cook do to receive the
blessings promised to her?
As
Mary N. Cook studied her patriarchal blessing it gave her the guidance,
comfort, and protection that she needed. She faithfully followed it's counsels
for an education and when the time was right she ended up getting married and
having and family and other blessings. She took the words of her patriarchal
blessing to her heart and pondered them not worrying about anything that wasn't
mentioned in her patriarchal blessing and knowing that as long as she worthily
followed it's guidance that she would eventually receive all of the blessings
from her Father in Heaven.
2. The
Choice Generation
BY RANDALL L.
RIDD
I have a
friend who learned this truth in a very personal way. His son was raised in the
gospel, but he seemed to be wandering spiritually. He frequently declined
opportunities to exercise the priesthood. His parents were disappointed when he
declared that he had decided not to serve a mission. My friend prayed earnestly
for his son, hoping that he would have a change of heart. Those hopes were
dashed when his son announced that he was engaged to be married. The father
pleaded with his son to get his patriarchal blessing. The son finally agreed
but insisted on visiting the patriarch alone.
When he
returned after the blessing, he was very emotional. He took his girlfriend
outside, where he could talk to her privately. The father peeked out the window
to see the young couple wiping away each other’s tears.
Later the
son shared with his father what had happened. With great emotion he explained
that during the blessing, he had a glimpse of who he was in the premortal
world. He saw how valiant and influential he was in persuading others to follow
Christ. Knowing who he really was, how could he not serve a mission?
Young
men, remember who you really are. Remember that you hold the holy priesthood.
This will inspire you to make correct choices as you use the Internet and
throughout your life.
(Read true to the Faith in green above about how the son
of Randal L. Ridds' friend treated his patriarchal blessing)
-What
happened once the son agreed to receive his patriarchal blessing? What
"True to the Faith" guidelines for your patriarchal blessings did he
follow?
After the son received his patriarchal blessing he
was humble enough to see what he needed to do. He was willing to follow it's
guidance because he became aware of who he was and what he needed to do to receive
the blessings promised to him. Because he knew the interpretations of his
blessing he shared a bit with those he cared about because he knew it would
help them understand his purpose and help them in their lives as well.
c.
Discuss with a leader the following information to receive your patriarchal
blessing.
About
Patriarchal Blessings
March 2004 New Era
Who
may give a patriarchal blessing?
Patriarch is actually an office in the Melchizedek Priesthood,
just like elder or high priest, and a patriarch is called and ordained
specifically to give patriarchal blessings. You will receive your blessing from
the patriarch in your stake or one nearby if your stake doesn’t have a
patriarch. If you live where there are no stake patriarchs, your bishop or
branch president will know how to help you make arrangements to receive a
blessing. If you are a direct descendant of someone who is a patriarch (such as
your grandfather), you may receive your blessing from him even if he doesn’t
live in your stake.
Who
may receive a patriarchal blessing?
All worthy members of the Church are entitled to and should
receive a patriarchal blessing regardless of how long they have been members.
How old
do I have to be for a blessing?
There is no set age. You should be old enough to appreciate the
sacred nature of the blessing.
How
is the blessing given?
The patriarch will place his hands on your head and give the
blessing through inspiration. It will be revealed direction for you. The
blessing will then be transcribed so that you can have a written copy to study
throughout your life. The Church will also keep a copy of your blessing in case
you ever lose yours.
How
do I get a patriarchal blessing?
Make an appointment for an interview with your bishop. He will
determine your readiness and worthiness and either give you a recommend or help
you prepare to receive one. After receiving your recommend, you may contact the
patriarch to schedule an appointment. Ask your bishop or the patriarch who may
accompany you to your blessing, such as your parents. And bring your recommend
to the appointment.
How
do I know if I’m ready?
The desire to receive a patriarchal blessing should come from a
desire to know and live God’s will for you. Curiosity or pressure from others
isn’t the right reason to get a blessing. The bishop will help determine if you
are ready for the blessing.
How
can I prepare?
You should do everything possible to draw closer to the Lord.
Prayer, fasting, scripture study, meditation, and repentance can help. Concerns
about worldly things should be left behind for such a sacred occasion.
What
should I wear?
You should wear Sunday clothes.
3. A handout to help them remember
what a patriarchal blessing and how to obtain one.
To
receive a patriarchal blessing, you must (1) prepare for it by drawing closer
to Heavenly Father through prayer, repentance, scripture study, and Church
attendance; (2) meet with the bishop to determine your readiness; and (3)
receive from your bishop a recommend for a patriarchal blessing. After
receiving your recommend, you should (4) contact the patriarch to schedule an
appointment and (5) receive your blessing. The recorded blessing will be (6)
transcribed, and copies will be (7) mailed to Church headquarters (8) for
safekeeping and to you (9) to help guide you throughout your life.
The refreshment: Root beer and Orange soda floats.
Shopping List:
·
Balloons
·
Cups
·
Vanilla
Ice cream
·
Root
beer and Orange Soda
·
Paper
Bags
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