Scripture
Mosiah 15:11
Behold I say unto you, that whosoever has heard the words of the prophets, yea, all the holy prophets who have prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord—I say unto you, that all those who have hearkened unto their words, and believed that the Lord would redeem his people, and have looked forward to that day for a remission of their sins, I say unto you, that these are his seed, or they are the heirs of the kingdom of God.
Hymn
The Iron Rod, Hymn #274
1. To Nephi, seer of olden time,
A vision came from God,
Wherein the holy word sublime
Was shown an iron rod.
(Chorus)
Hold to the rod, the iron rod;
‘Tis strong, and bright, and true.
The iron rod is the word of God;
‘Twill safely guide us through.
2. While on our journey here below,
Beneath temptation’s pow’r,
Through mists of darkness we must go,
In peril ev’ry hour.
(Chorus)
3. And when temptation’s pow’r is nigh,
Our pathway clouded o’er,
Upon the rod we can rely,
And heaven’s aid implore.
(Chorus)
4. And, hand o’er hand, the rod along,
Through each succeeding day,
With earnest prayer and hopeful song,
We’ll still pursue our way.
(Chorus)
5. Afar we see the golden rest
To which the rod will guide,
Where, with the angels bright and blest,
Forever we’ll abide.
Lesson
*Suitable for All Ages*
Read aloud: One of the greatest truths we have is that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us and want to help us in our lives. As part of their perfect plan, they have called prophets to help teach us the gospel and provide direction. Every six months, we have the opportunity to meet together in General Conference to hear the leaders of the Church speak.
Ask: Why is General Conference important to you?
Read aloud: General Conference is a special time set aside to hear the voice of the Lord. But Heavenly Father doesn’t just want to speak to us. He wants to speak to each of us individually. In Conference, there are answers to our questions and comfort for our specific trials. However, these personalized messages can be hard to hear if we are not prepared. Preparation will help us get the most out of Conference.
Ask: How can we prepare for General Conference?
Read aloud: Here are three basic ways we can prepare ourselves for General Conference!
First, we should review what the prophets and apostles said in the last Conference. If we don’t pay attention to what Heavenly Father was trying to tell us before, we may miss the chance for further counsel and direction. Reviewing previous talks and taking inventory of how we applied them to our lives helps us be ready for more.
Second, we can go into Conference with specific questions and concerns. Write them down and seek some ideas as to what the answer could be. Pray about these questions leading up to Conference.
Finally, we need to go into Conference with the right spirit! No matter where we are able to watch Conference or which sessions we are able to listen to, we should try to make our environment clean and peaceful. We should set aside as much time as we can so we are not rushed or hurried and can give our full attention to what is going on. If you aren’t able to make a session or other circumstances make watching Conference more difficult, create a plan to listen or review the sessions later. Tell your commitment to someone and follow up with them.
Share any personal experiences you may have had about receiving revelation from General Conference. Discuss as a family or group how you want to prepare in the upcoming week for Conference weekend.
Related Products
Treat
Temple Cookies or No-Bake Energy Bites
Temple Cookies
Ingredients:
-3/4 cup shortening (part butter or margarine)
-1 cup sugar
-2 eggs
-1/2 tsp. vanilla
-2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-1 tsp. baking powder
-1 tsp. salt
Directions:
1. Mix shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla thoroughly. In a separate bowl, measure flower, baking powder, and salt together; blend in. Chill at least one hour.
2. Heat over to 400 degrees. Roll dough 1/8″ thick on lightly floured board. Use a temple cookie cutter, like this one, or a printed template, to cut out your cookies. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 6 to 8 minutes, or until cookies are a delicate golden color.
No-Bake Energy Bites
Ingredients:
-Chocolate Chips
-Toasted Coconut
-Vanilla Extract
-Peanut Butter
-Old-fashioned Oats
-HOney
-Ground Flax Seed
-Chia Seeds (Optional)
Directions:
Mix everything together until you have a moldeable consistency. Put the mixture in the fridge for 10 to 20 minutes and then mold into small balls.
(Courtesy of Gimme Some Oven)
Activity
General Conference Discussion or General Conference Who’s Who
FREE GENERAL CONFERENCE ACTIVITY PACKET!
General Conference Discussion
First, review the talks of the last General Conference found at the top of this lesson (for future conferences, you can read the headings of each talk found online as a good snippet.) Encourage family members to listen for one that sounds interesting or touches them. Then, have each family member go and read the talk by themselves for fifteen minutes. (For younger family members, you can read specific stories or do work from the General Conference activity section found in each month’s Ensign.)
When the time is up, come back together and discuss what you learned. Then, give everyone a sheet of paper and ask them to write at least one question down they have for the upcoming General Conference. Encourage them to keep the paper in sight and add questions as they think of them.
Did you mean “trials” instead of “trails”