Family Home Evening Ideas

This issue contains articles and activities that could be used for family home evening. The following are some examples.

“Enduring Well,” page 14: Consider discussing with your family the meaning of Elder Lansing’s oft-repeated counsel to his daughter: “Just keeping swimming.” You could also ask a family member to read the story of Joseph Smith’s imprisonment in Liberty Jail mentioned on page 16, including the verses quoted from the Doctrine and Covenants. You could then discuss what is meant by the phrase “endure it well” and, as appropriate, make a list of positive ways family members could deal with challenges they may be facing (consult D&C 123:17 for ideas).

“Choosing to Forgive,” page 68: You may want to begin by watching the Mormon Messages video “Forgiveness: My Burden Was Made Light” (mormonmessages.org). Then read the quote from Lewis B. Smedes on page 69 of the article and discuss how, as shown in the video, Chris’s decision to forgive Cameron gave each of them hope for the future. You could then read with your family Doctrine and Covenants 64:10 and review the suggestions given in the article for finding the strength to forgive others. Invite family members to identify the blessings that forgiving others can bring.

Ancestor Appreciation

One year I made a family calendar to encourage appreciation for our ancestors. Each month featured pictures of a grandparent or great-grandparent of our children. Along with the calendar, I prepared 12 family home evening lessons, one for each ancestor. The lesson included a story from the ancestor’s life and a matching gospel theme, such as courage, service, tithing, or missionary work. We also read the ancestor’s favorite scriptures (or others that went with the theme) and enjoyed his or her favorite songs, activities, games, and food. This approach has helped both our children and our grandchildren come to know and love their ancestors.

Claudia W. Richards, Utah, USA