TEMPLES FAMILY HOME EVENING LESSON

TEMPLES

TEMPLES

Family Home Evening Lesson

OPENING SONG:

“I Love to See the Temple,”  Children’s  Songbook, page 95

Link to the music:

http://classic.lds.org/churchmusic/detailmusicPlayer/index.html?searchlanguage=1&searchcollection=2&searchseqstart=95&searchsubseqstart=%20&searchseqend=95&searchsubseqend=ZZZ

OPENING PRAYER:

INTRODUCTION:

Show a picture of the temple closest to your family and ask young children:  “What is this?”  “How is it different than a school, a store, or even a church?”  “What does sacred mean?”

Help children understand the following ideas:

            Temples are sacred buildings

            Each one is called “The House of the Lord”

            In the temple we learn many things about Heavenly Father’s plan for us

            In the temple we make special promises to Heavenly Father, and He

                        makes promises to us

WORTHINESS:

Explain that not just anyone can go inside the temple.  Those who go must be old enough and must live a righteous life.  Discuss temple recommends.  Show your children your temple recommend, or if you are working to get one ask someone to come and show your children theirs.  Explain how we must continue to make righteous choices and be approved by the bishop every 2 years for another temple recommend.

How can you prepare to go to the temple?

Use the chart, “I Will Prepare Myself to Go to the Temple.”

Use the circles to attach to the board as you answer the following questions:

1.  What should we do when we earn money?  (pay tithing)

2.  What should we do on Sunday? (go to church)

3.  How can we make our parents and Heavenly Father happy? (obey

            parents)

4.  What does it mean to tell the truth and not steal?  (be honest)

5.  How can we take good care of our body? (eat good foods)

6.  How can we keep close to Heavenly Father (pray)

7.  How should we treat others? (love one another)

SEALINGS:

Nobody’s family  is perfect.  We all have problems.  But we can help our family become better.  What can we do to help?  We need to help each other to become worthy so we can be a FOREVER FAMILY.

Besides keeping the commandments, what else must we do to be with our family forever?  (Be sealed in the temple)

What power seals us as a family?  (the priesthood)

The priesthood power to seal is eternal – even after people die.  Those who are sealed in the temple will be together forever if they keep the promises they  made with Heavenly Father.

OBJECT LESSONS:

Using a Ziploc bag, fill it with little people toys or things to represent the family.  Don’t zip it up.  Turn it upside down and show what happens to our family when we are not sealed.  Then show how we stay together when the bag is sealed.

Use strips of paper and write the names of each family member on a strip.  Staple or tape each strip into a ring and hook them together to make a chain showing that we are all linked or sealed together.

OTHER PURPOSES OF TEMPLES:

If possible, use the magazine/booklet published by the church titled “Temples”. 

Show pictures of the temple baptismal fonts, endowment rooms and sealing rooms.

Explain to children that there are four aspects of ceremonial work performed in the temple:

            1.  Baptism for the dead

            2.  Ordination and associated priesthood endowments

            3.  Marriage ceremonies

            4.  Other sealing ordinances

With older children, discuss the seven purposes of temples given by John A. Widtsoe:

1.  The temple is a house or home of the lord.  Should the Lord visit the earth, He would come to His temple.

2.  the temple is a place of instruction.  Here the principles of the gospel are reviewed and profound truths of the kingdom of God are unfolded.

3.  The temple is a place of peace.  Here we may lay aside the cares and worries of the outside world.

4.  The temple is a place of covenants, which will help us live righteously.

5.  The temple is a place of blessing.  Promises are made to us, conditioned only upon our faithfulness.

6.  The temple is a place where ceremonies pertaining to godliness are presented.  The great mysteries of life, with man’s unanswered questions are here made clear:

a) Where did I come from?  b) Why am I heare?  C)  Where do I go when life is over?

7.  The temple is a place of revelation.  The Lord may here give revelation, and every person may receive revelation to assist him in life.

TEMPLES ALL OVER THE WORLD:

Because the Lord wants all families to have temple blessings, He has directed the prophets to build new temples all over the world so people will note have to travel so far to go to a temple.  It used to require great sacrifice for some saints to afford to travel to a temple, and for some, it still is a great sacrifice.

Read attached story:  “70 Cents a Month for the Temple”

PLAY: TEMPLE BOUND GAME:  Use game board and cards

MAKE SALT LAKE TEMPLE MODEL:  Color, cut, fold and tape to make a model of the Salt Lake Temple.

CLOSING SONG:  “Familes Can be Together Forever”, Children’s Songbook, pg 188

Link to the music:

http://classic.lds.org/churchmusic/detailmusicPlayer/index.html?searchlanguage=1&searchcollection=2&searchseqstart=188&searchsubseqstart=%20&searchseqend=188&searchsubseqend=ZZZ

TREAT IDEA:  bubble gum – it lasts forever!!

We Lived on 70 Cents a Month for the Temple

Prepared by R. Lanier and JoAnn M. Britsch

“We had to do some extra things to accomplish our goals,” Brother Vaha’i Tonga simply stated. More than anything else Brother Tonga and his wife wanted to be in New Zealand for the dedication of the temple, but it was not easy for a Tongan Saint to save enough money for such a journey. It took months of preparation and saving, but finally the money was gathered and plans were made.

But the Lord’s church had other needs, and mission President Fred Stone approached the Tongas with a request. “Brother Tonga,” President Stone said, “I want you to get all the money you have saved to go to the temple and bring it over to me. We want to build a chapel in your branch, and if you don’t contribute the money, the building program will pass by your branch and you will have to wait a couple of years to build a chapel.”

“I will do it. Tomorrow I will get the money,” replied Vaha’i Tonga. But it was difficult to give up their dream of seeing the new temple. He related that after President Stone left, “My wife and I talked about our decision. She said, ‘Okay, we’ll do it, but you know I have told my friends and my family that we are going to go to the temple dedication.’ I will never forget what I was prompted to say at that moment. I said, ‘Let us close the door on Satan and keep him out. We will do what the Lord tells us to do.’

“Wednesday morning I went over to the government bank and drew out all of the money. I gave it to my wife and told her to give it to President Stone.

“That night we had a little talk. I said, ‘Honey, the Lord has promised us through our leaders that if we keep his commandments he will prepare some way that we will be able to go to the dedication. We have cows, pigs, and some horses, besides furniture and mats. Let’s sell it all so that we may be able to receive the blessings of the dedication.’

“We began to tell people that we wanted to sell our livestock, but when they came, they said, ‘No, too much money, too dear for us to buy those things.’ This was on Thursday, and Friday was not successful either. On the following Monday the ship, the Tofua, was to leave.

“On Saturday morning three families came who needed some cows, pigs, and other things, and we received between $500 and $600 in about half an hour. I told my wife that we had the money and would be able to go.

“I went over early Monday morning to Nuku’alofa to give President Stone the money. In surprise he asked, ‘Where did you get the money?’

“‘We sold some of our things so that we may go to the dedication.’

“‘Brother Tonga,’ he said, ‘the Lord will bless you.’

“At the temple we realized many blessings. We were the first witness couple and the first couple to be sealed in the New Zealand Temple. I was the leader of the Tongan chorus and President McKay had me lead the entire congregation in the closing hymn of the dedicatory service.

“When my wife and I were sealed to each other, something touched my heart. Our children were not with us, and tears came to my eyes. When we arrived home I promised our four children that if they would help, we could go to the temple together. I thought to myself, ‘How can you say, be a good boy or be a good girl, if I am not sealed to them in the temple?’ I had the feeling that they were not mine.

“For two years we sacrificed almost everything. I divided my pay from school for each one of us, and we saved that. But we paid our tithing and fast offerings. We were left with 70¢ in our hands each month. This is how I lived with my family, on 70¢ a month for two years. We lived on what we could grow and gather. I remember my wife would wake up early in the morning to make our salads with bananas and coconut milk. My children could not buy candy or shoes or go to movies because they were saving to go to the temple.

“In addition to my regular teaching job at Liahona High School, I did some other work as it came along. To save on transportation costs I also rode my bicycle to district meetings in Nuku’alofa, seven miles away. I was a counselor to the president of the mission MIA and had to travel from branch to branch. I rode my bike on these assignments. Most of our district meetings began at 6:00 A.M. so I had to leave home very early in the morning.

“When the deadline came for getting our money in, my five-year-old said, ‘Dad, let me go and count my money.’ She counted it and said, ‘I’m through, I’ve got enough money to go to the temple.’ The two oldest boys said they had about $235. After saving for two years the little one had saved $65. I had saved almost $1,300 for my family.

“Through sacrifice we were able to take our family to New Zealand to be sealed in the temple. We had to do some extra things to accomplish our goals, but it was a great blessing to us.”

R. Lanier Britsch, associate professor of history and Asian studies at Brigham Young University, serves as second counselor in the Orem Utah Sharon Stake presidency.

JoAnn Murphy Britsch serves as first counselor in the Orem 31st Ward Primary presidency. The couple have five children.

You stole candy from the grocery store MOVE BACK 2	You waited until you were 16 to begin dating! MOVE AHEAD 3	You followed the prophet and had a picture of the temple in your home. MOVE AHEAD 2	You told your teacher the truth. MOVE AHEAD 2
You said “NO” when the neighbor asked if you wanted to try a cigarette. MOVE AHEAD 2	You left your friend’s house when they turned on an inappropriate movie. MOVE AHEAD 3	You accepted a mission call from the Lord, and served faithfully! MOVE AHEAD 5	You bore your testimony at church. MOVE AHEAD 1
You didn’t choose good friends. MOVE BACK 2	You lied to your friend that you were sick because you didn’t want to go with him/her. MOVE BACK 1	You repented after you made a mistake. MOVE AHEAD 2	You studied the  Book of Mormon with your family. MOVE AHEAD 3
You picked a fight with your little sister. MOVE BACK 2	Sing or say the words to “I Love to See the Temple.” MOVE AHEAD 2	You slept in and missed church. MOVE BACK 2	You were respectful to the bishop. MOVE AHEAD 1
You helped your friend to be honest. MOVE AHEAD 2	You looked at your neighbor’s test for answers. MOVE BACK 2	You got too hungry, so you didn’t fast. MOVE BACK 3	You paid our tithing before buying a new game. MOVE AHEAD 2
You are modest while dressing and undressing. MOVE AHEAD 1	You attend every church activity you could. MOVE AHEAD 2	You chose a modest swimsuit at the store. MOVE AHEAD 2	You remembered your morning prayers for four days in a row! MOVE AHEAD 4
You didn’t have courage to choose the right and follow Jesus. MOVE BACK 4	You forgot to say your personal prayers. MOVE BACK 4	You gave money back to the cashier when she made a mistake in your favor. MOVE AHEAD 3	You listened in Primary. MOVE AHEAD 1
You skipped your friend’s birthday picnic on Sunday. MOVE AHEAD 2	You apologized to your sisters. MOVE AHEAD 1	You spoke kindly to your friend. MOVE AHEAD 1	You talked back to your father. MOVE BACK 2
You surprised your brother by making his bed. MOVE AHEAD 1	You followed the prophet and had a picture of the temple in your home. MOVE AHEAD 2	Sing or say the words to “Families Can Be Together Forever.” MOVE AHEAD 1	You made fun of a church leader. MOVE BACK 3
You are a full tithe payer. MOVE AHEAD 3	You told a lie. MOVE BACK 2	You are loving and cooperative at home. MOVE AHEAD 1	You resisted temptation – you obeyed the Word of Wisdom. MOVE AHEAD 2