POST-AND-PRESENT ACTIVITY. CELESTIAL BLESSINGS Sunshine Show-and-Tell. Youth complete the sentences after the word “because …” found in the sun’s rays. For example, “When I see the temple I feel Heavenly Father’s love because … “I know that in His temple I can make covenants to return to Him.”
Use Activity For COME FOLLOW ME Primary and Home, Primary Sharing Time, Young Women, Family Home Evening, Activity Days, Seminary
POST-AND-PRESENT Activity
Celestial Blessings – Sunshine Show-and-Tell
DESCRIPTION: Activity helps youth realize blessings that come from temple ordinances. Youth can complete the sentence after the word “because . . .” on the sun rays. Example: “My ancestors can also enjoy the blessings of the temple because . . . I can have families sealed together forever.”
TO MAKE print in color or black and white and color images. Laminate. Mount Celestial Blessings sun and temple on a poster or the board. Place sun rays around the room on the walls or under chairs with double-stick tape.
ACTIVITY (Talk about celestial (spiritual) blessings that come from temple ordinances.): Tell youth that we can obtain the blessings of the celestial kingdom if we are worthy. The celestial kingdom is where Heavenly Father and Jesus live.
Everyone will be resurrected and live forever with a resurrected body, but not everyone will have eternal life. Eternal life is life with Heavenly Father and Jesus in the celestial kingdom.
We can obtain these celestial blessings by living the commandments and participating in temple ordinances that are necessary for us to enter into the celestial kingdom. The temple ordinances of baptism, temple endowment, and eternal marriage are available to us. All we have to do is follow Heavenly Father’s plan and we can have these celestial blessings. Let’s spread a little sunshine each day by reminding ourselves and our families of these celestial blessings.
1. Have youth find a sun ray to post around the celestial blessings sign and read it aloud.
2. Then complete the sentence after “because . . .” explaining why the temple ordinance is a blessing. For example, “I am happy to know that Heavenly Father has great blessings waiting for me because . . .” “I want to be happy and be the best I can be.”
THOUGHT TREATS:
OPTION 1. Sunny Smiles. A smiley face can be placed on crackers or toast with processed cheese in a can. Place them on top of cookies or cupcakes with frosting. Painted them on sugar cookie dough before baking with a brush and cookie paint (food coloring dropped into a tablespoon of milk); smile bakes into cookie (no frosting required). Talk about each ray and say, “If we OBEY we can have a RAY of sunshine visit our hearts each day.”
OPTION 2. Fruit Leather Sun Rays. Purchase yellow or gold fruit leather. Slice fruit letter into strips to give each one or two sun rays to eat. Say, “If we are CLEVER we can eat our fruit LEATHER and think up blessings that come from attending the temple.”
OPTION 3. Sun Ray Cookie. Cut out a round cookie out of sugar cookie dough. Cut slits on the outside 1-in into cookie. Paint the center with gold cookie paints using a paint brush. Paint a line going to each sun ray using gold cookie paints (food coloring dropped into a tablespoon of milk). Say, “Each DAY I can send a RAY of sunshine by choosing the right.”
OPTION 4. Sunshine Cookies. Make round sugar cookies (adding yellow food coloring to the dough-or sprinkle yellow sugar on top before baking) and cut a round center half way into cookie and sun rays without cutting through cookie. Sprinkle with sugar and bake. Tell children/youth that Heavenly Father created a plan where we might be with Him forever in the celestial kingdom. The sun shape on this cookie will help us remember that we must let our light shine here on earth to earn the blessings or celestial light we can receive someday.
*More Learning Activities on “How does the temple bless us?”:
• I am thankful to know that Heavenly Father has a plan for my family to be together
(D&C 59:23; LDS Temples, 74-75; Primary 3, lesson 35, enrichment activity 1).
• Temple blessings help me feel happiness and peace in my life and in my home (Primary 2, lesson 1; Primary 4, lesson 38).
• Temple blessings help me know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love me. I can show my gratitude to them (D&C 78:18-19; Primary 2, lesson 24).
• See Young Women (below) for more lesson/scripture ideas.
Source ST.2002.11
