1986
Sharing Time: Friendshipping with Love
February 1986

“Sharing Time: Friendshipping with Love,” Friend, Feb. 1986, 42

Sharing Time:

Friendshipping with Love

By Pat Graham

It becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor (D&C 88:81).

We who have the gospel have the privilege and responsibility of sharing it with others. President Spencer W. Kimball said that “usually we must warm our neighbors before we can warn them properly” and that we should friendship and fellowship, “not scold or scare them” (Ensign, November 1976, page 140).

How can you show love to your nonmember friends and neighbors? Little kindnesses will help friends feel good about our Church. They will “warm” up to the idea of learning more about the teachings of the Church.

Here are pictures of things that you can do to warm your friends and neighbors. As you color the pictures, imagine yourself actually carrying out each idea. Talk about them with your family, and plan how you can warm your friends and neighbors by friendshipping with love.

Prayerfully select someone to friendship

1. Prayerfully select someone to friendship.

Perform an act of kindness for your friend

2. Perform an act of kindness for your friend.

Take your friend on an outing with your family

3. Take your friend on an outing with your family.

Share the Friend

4. Share your Friend magazine with your friend.

Invite your friend to Primary

5. Invite your friend to Primary or to a ward activity.

Invite your friend’s family to your family home evening

6. Invite your friend’s family to your family home evening.

Talk about the things you believe in

7. Talk about the things you believe in.

Would you like to know more?

8. Ask your friend if he would like to know more about the Church, about the things you believe.

Have the missionaries teach your friend’s family in your home

9. Have the missionaries teach your friend’s family in your home.

Continue being a good friend

10. Continue being a good friend.

Sharing Time Ideas

  1. Read and discuss D&C 100:5, 6: “Lift up your voices unto this people; …

    “For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say.”

  2. Invite children to think of nonmembers whom they might friendship. Talk about importance of acting on names that come into their minds.

  3. Ask a convert to explain how friendshipping helped him as he learned about the gospel.

  4. Sing “The Things I Do” (More Songs for Children, page 18), “I Want to Be a Missionary Now” (Friend, October 1984, page 46), and “Come with Me to Primary” (Friend, February 1984, page 42). Draw pictures about the friendshipping ideas in the songs. Additional resources: “Be a Friend” (Friend, February 1984, page 33), “Join the Secret Service” (Friend, February 1982, page 34), “Warming Our Neighbors” (Ensign, February 1984, page 27), “It All Started with Thad” (LDS filmstrip, VVOF0563).

Illustrated by Julie F. Young