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Work: Take Responsibility

Ponder:Why do you feel Heavenly Father wants us to take personal responsibility for our lives?

“Sedrick’s Journey” (No video? Read the next page.)

Discuss:How does Sedrick use his agency and take responsibility for his future? What would happen to Sedrick if he blamed someone else for his challenges?

Read:2 Nephi 2:16, 26; Doctrine and Covenants 42:42 (on the right)

“Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself … [and men and women are free] to act for themselves and not to be acted upon.”

2 Nephi 2:16, 26

“Thou shalt not be idle; for he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer.”

Doctrine and Covenants 42:42

Practice:Turn to a group member close to you. Together, read the statement below by the Prophet Joseph Smith. He describes his personal situation growing up. Discuss these questions:

• What was his temporal situation?

• What do you learn about self-reliance from the Prophet’s words?

• What did the Prophet mean by “continuous labor”?

“As my father’s worldly circumstances were very limited, we were under the necessity of laboring with our hands, hiring out by day’s work and otherwise, as we could get opportunity. Sometimes we were at home, and sometimes abroad, and by continuous labor were enabled to get a comfortable maintenance.“

Joseph Smith—History 1:55

Practice:Think about how to take more personal responsibility for your self-reliance. Write two or three changes you want to make in your actions or attitudes.

Commit:Commit to doing the following actions during the week. Check the boxes when you complete each task:

• Practice taking responsibility every day.

• Teach this principle to your family.

• Continue to practice the previous foundation principles.

“God has designed this mortal existence to require nearly constant exertion. … By work we sustain and enrich life. … Work builds and refines character, creates beauty, and is the instrument of our service to one another and to God. A consecrated life is filled with work, sometimes repetitive, … sometimes unappreciated but always work that improves, … lifts, [and] aspires.”

D. Todd Christofferson, “Reflections on a Consecrated Life,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 17

Sedrick’s Journey

If you are unable to watch the video, read this script.

man carrying bananas on bicycle

SEDRICK: My name is Sedrick Kambesabwe. I live in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I’m a member of the LDS Church.

I’m a branch missionary in the village of Kipusanga. I need to prepare to go on a foreign mission. In order to go on a mission, I need a passport, which now costs 250 US dollars.

To earn money, my father and I buy bananas. Some villages produce a lot of bananas: Tishabobo, Lusuku, and Kamanda.

Tishabobo is about 9 miles from here. Lusuku is 18 miles. Kamanda is 18 as well. We go there and buy bananas, and we bring them back here to sell.

To go to the villages we use a bicycle. We can take four or six bunches of bananas.

When I go by bike, it can take an hour and a half each way, if the bike is working and I have the strength. When it is midday and the heat is oppressive, I move slowly because of the heat and the sun.

I can do two trips per day if I wake up very early in the morning. It is a good way to help pay for my passport.

Now I’m earning money, little by little, so I’m saving for both school expenses and the mission. And now, after four years of work, I have enough money for my passport, plus 70 dollars saved.