MISSIONARY WORK Activity: Planting Seeds of Faith – Missionary Bouquet “How great shall be your joy!” COME, FOLLOW ME Primary and Family Home Evening

POST-AND PRESENT ACTIVITY. HOW GREAT SHALL BE YOUR JOY! planting seeds of faith missionary bouquet. Children learn to plant seeds of faith. Place the seed/stem and flower heads facedown on the board or table. Children match them up so the names match on each. First, read the seed/stem first to show a need-missionary situation, e.g. Ellie’s friend wanted to know about the church. Second, read the flower Ellie invited the girl’s parents to meet her parents then they attended church to learn. 

Great for COME FOLLOW ME, Primary and Family Home Evening, Sunday School, Bible Study, Daily Scripture Devotionals

POST-AND-PRESENT Activity
“How Great Shall Be Your Joy” Planting Seeds of Faith (Missionary Bouquet)

OBJECTIVE: Help children learn how others are blessed as we share the gospel with them.

TO MAKE:
1. Print (in color or black-and-white and then color) images on white cardstock and cut out the: “How great shall be our joy!” pot, flowers, seeds, stems, and word-strips. 

2. Before laminating: Glue the MISSIONARY SEEDS word-strips on the backs of the seeds and stems, and glue the GIRLS and BOYS word-strips on the backs of the flowers (e.g., girl situations on girls).
3. Fold tabs on sides of the flowerpot, then mount the pot on the bottom of a poster by gluing sides and bottom only so the top is left open to insert flowers. 
4. Have tape and 10 straws, skewers, or dowels available (see #4 that follows).

ACTIVITY: A returned missionary could come and help with this activity.

1. Post the “How great shall be your joy!” flower pot and say, “Heavenly Father wants us to plant seeds of faith each day in our family, friends, and those who may not have the gospel. We are blessed to have the gospel and want to share it with others.”
• Read D&C 18:15 (bring one soul unto the Lord, how great shall be your joy in heaven).
• Read Alma 32:28 (a good seed enlarges the soul and enlightens understanding).
• Read D&C 64:33 (small things can bring great things).

The first step in sharing the gospel with someone is to be his or her friend so he or she will want to learn about the gospel. The second step is to keep all of the Gospel Standards (see below*), choose the right, and be an example; be the kind of friend you would want to follow. The friend may not join the Church, but seeds of faith will be planted in his or her heart, and he or she might join the Church later.”

2. For younger children, reduce the number of matches, e.g., 5 instead of 10. For older children play the match game as follows: Tape images with flowers and seeds showing, flowers with the words facedown (as shown).

3. Divide into teams or play individually. If playing in teams, the team with the most matches wins. Have children take turns turning a flower and then a seed (with the leaf attached) over to make a match. Children do not need to read the story to make a match, just match up the names of the story, e.g., match “Sarah” with “Sarah.” 

4. Then read the story where the child planted a seed of faith: reading the seed part first, then the flower–how the other person’s testimony blossomed. Then tape a straw, skewer, or dowel on the back of the seed and flower and have the child place it in the “How great shall be your joy!” pot.

If time, allow children to express some ways they can be a missionary by planting seeds of faith.
     Ideas: be an example in doing what is right, sing a Primary song, invite a friend to family home evening or Primary, keep the Gospel Standards, always tell the truth, respect your parents, be reverent, be kind, be helpful, respect your teachers, don’t gossip, include others, be the first to say hello, give a Book of Mormon, share testimony and things you learn in Primary or family home evening or by reading the scriptures.

THOUGHT TREAT: Happy-Face Cookies. Cut out sugar cookie dough using flowered shapes using cookie cutters. Bake and Frost with a smile in the center. Talk about how when we are happy living the gospel of Jesus Christ others will want to know the source of our joy and as they do our joy increases (D&C 18:15).

“The work of naturally and normally sharing the gospel with those we care about and love will be the work and joy of our lives.” – Elder David F. Evans of the Seventy “Was It Worth It?” Ensign, May 2012, 106.

*MY GOSPEL STANDARDS (from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint) are as follows: