I love the "Family: A Proclamation to the World". My sister is currently serving a mission in California. Last week, I told her this and my email to her: "I wanted to share with you something I have been learning in one of my classes this semester. The "Family: A Proclamation to the World" is so true. I love it's words and it is the only thing that seems to make sense to me sometimes. I have many friends leaving the church and I will say, some things look tempting. But with how crazy the world is, that document is something that for some reason has always just made sense to me and I know it's true. When our faith is being tested, I know that if we just keep pushing forward and hold on to the things that we know, everything else will be clearer eventually. " I know that this is a true document and I love being able to share my love for it.
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Lesson: The Proclamation (29)
Scripture:
“The Family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to
His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to
be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity.
Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the
teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.” (The Family: A Proclamation to the World)
Lesson:
What is the proclamation? It was given in 1995 by President Gordon B. Hinckley. He tells us the
importance of families, that we lived in Heaven before we came to Earth, who our families are
and other important things about families. We have this guid to help us know all these important
things about families so we don’t feel lost. When he gave this, lots of people thought he was
crazy because none of what he said people thought would ever happen. But today, it is all
happening and so the proclamation helps protect us and keep us on the straight and narrow.
Activity:
Stack It!
This game teaches family unity. You will need a set of blocks (different sizes and shapes if
possible), a score sheet, and a pen or pencil.
1. Create a score sheet with four vertical columns for four rounds, and three horizontal rows for
teams (one for team one, another for team two, and a third left blank). Divide the family into two
teams.
2. Have the teams alternate in stacking blocks, one block each turn, on top of each other until
the stack of blocks tips over.
3. The team that causes the blocks to tip over receives no points. The other team receives five
points. After the blocks have tipped over, use the score sheet to score the five points for the
winning team in the column labeled “Round 1.”
4. Do the same thing for rounds 2, 3, and 4.
5. When the rounds are over, carry the numbers down each vertical column and put the total for
each round in row 3 (instead of adding the points for each team by going across horizontally to
the last column). Then add up the points in row 3 and put the total in the last column. You now
have a combined score for both teams. Write “All of Us” in front of row 3.
6. Ask the family who gets more done: one person or team or all of us. To show that all of us is
better, play the game over again, but this time have only one team: the whole family working
together. When family members do it this way, the stack of blocks should go higher before
tipping over. Point out that it’s better when we work together as a family.
