men with wagons

C. C. A. Christensen (1831–1912), Zion’s Camp, c. 1878, tempera on muslin, 78 × 114 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, gift of the grandchildren of C. C. A. Christensen, 1970

September 13–19

Doctrine and Covenants 102–105

“After Much Tribulation … Cometh the Blessing”

Your study of Doctrine and Covenants 102–5 is an important part of your preparation to teach. Listen for spiritual impressions about how to help the children better understand the scriptures.

Record Your Impressions

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Invite Sharing

Help the children pick a song to sing that reminds them of something they have been learning at home or at church.

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Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children

Doctrine and Covenants 103:9

I can be “a light unto the world.”

How can you encourage the children you teach to share the light of the gospel with those around them?

Possible Activities

• Read Doctrine and Covenants 103:9 to the children, and invite them to hold pictures of a light bulb, candle, or other source of light. Ask them to show their picture to someone else in the class. Tell the children how they are like a light to others when they follow Jesus Christ.

• Sing a song with the children about being an example, such as “Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam” or “I Am like a Star” (Children’s Songbook, 60–61, 163). Help them think of actions to go with the words. How can we be a light, or good example, to people around us?

  candle burning

  I can be a light unto the world.

Doctrine and Covenants 104:42

The Lord will bless me if I keep His commandments.

Several times in section 104, the Lord promises “a multiplicity of blessings” to those who faithfully obey His commandments. How will you help the children feel that He wants to bless us generously?

Possible Activities

• Invite the children to do an action, like wiggling their fingers, each time they hear the word “blessings” as you read Doctrine and Covenants 104:42. Tell the children how Heavenly Father has blessed you for keeping His commandments. Ask the children to share how He has blessed them. Invite each child to share a commandment they can obey.

• To help the children understand what “multiplicity” means, draw a circle on the board or a piece of paper. Ask the children to help you multiply the number of circles—drawing two, then four, then eight, then sixteen, and so on—until the entire board or paper is full of circles. Each time you add circles, help the children think of a blessing Heavenly Father has given them. Explain that “a multiplicity of blessings” means the Lord will fill our lives with blessings if we obey His commandments.

Doctrine and Covenants 105:38–40

I can be a peacemaker.

There are many lessons we can learn from the experiences of Zion’s Camp. One that might be important to the children is that contention and fighting bring difficulties, while unity and peace bring blessings.

Possible Activities

• In your own words, tell the children the story of Zion’s Camp (see the introduction to this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families; Saints, 1:194–206; or “The Acceptable Offering of Zion’s Camp” [Revelations in Context, 213–18]). Pause periodically to point out lessons we can learn from Zion’s Camp—for example, that the Lord wants us to be peaceful and work together instead of arguing and fighting.

• Read Doctrine and Covenants 105:38–40, and ask the children to stand up each time they hear the word “peace.” Explain that the Lord wanted the Saints to make peace with the people who were being unkind. Help the children think of things that they can do to be peacemakers, and invite them to role-play some situations.

• Share a story about a child being a peacemaker from your own life or from the Friend or Liahona. Sing a song about loving others, such as “Jesus Said Love Everyone” (Children’s Songbook, 61), or complete this week’s activity page.

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Teach the Doctrine: Older Children

Doctrine and Covenants 104:13–18

The Lord wants me to share what I have with those in need.

Consider how you will help the children understand the Lord’s way of providing for His people when they are in need.

Possible Activities

• Give the children a few minutes to make a list of blessings God has given them. Encourage them to list as many as they can. Then read together Doctrine and Covenants 104:13–18, looking for answers to questions like these: Who is the true owner of all things? Why does He give them to us? What does He want us to do with these things? Help the children think of ways they can share their blessings with others.

• Share an experience in which someone gave you something you needed, and ask the children to share similar experiences. Or show a video about serving others, such as “The Coat” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). What do we learn from these experiences about serving others? Invite the children to be aware of those in need and find someone to serve this week, such as someone at school or especially someone in their family.

• Invite the children to search the Children’s Songbook or Hymns for songs that have to do with service or helping others (see the topical indexes). Sing one or two songs together, and talk about what these songs teach us.

Doctrine and Covenants 105:9–19

I can obey the Lord’s commandments even when I don’t understand the reasons for them.

The experience of Zion’s Camp can be a powerful way to illustrate the blessings that come from seeking to follow the Lord’s will.

Possible Activities

• Display the picture in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families, and invite the children to share what they know about Zion’s Camp. If they need help, use the introduction to this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families; Saints, 1:194–206; or “The Acceptable Offering of Zion’s Camp” (Revelations in Context, 213–18). Invite the children to pretend that they were members of Zion’s Camp, telling their children about their experiences. What would they want their children to learn from those experiences?

• Read together Doctrine and Covenants 105:13–14, and explain that when Zion’s Camp reached Missouri, the Lord told them to not try to take back the Saints’ land. Some members of the camp were upset and wondered why they’d been commanded to go there. What should we do when we don’t understand the reasons for a commandment? Share some accounts from “Voices of the Restoration: Zion’s Camp” (in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families) to help the children see that blessings come when we obey the commandments God gives us through His prophets, even if we don’t understand all the reasons.

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Encourage Learning at Home

Encourage the children to share the experiences of Zion’s Camp with someone at home, along with one lesson they learned from those experiences. Or invite them to think of something God has blessed them with that they can share with someone in need.

Improving Our Teaching

Address disruptions with love. “Sometimes a child acts in ways that disrupt the learning of others in the class. When this happens, be patient, loving, and understanding about the challenges the child may be facing. … If the child causing disruptions has special needs, talk to the ward or stake disability specialist or visit [disabilities.ChurchofJesusChrist.org] to find out how you can better meet those needs” (Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 26).

activity page: I can be a peacemaker