Sharing Time:

Special Witnesses

By Laurel Rohlfing

I have chosen you, and ordained you (John 15:16)

When Jesus lived on the earth, he called twelve Apostles to help Him: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, another James, Thaddaeus, Simon, and Judas. These were faithful, humble men from all walks of life. Peter, James, John, and Andrew were fishermen. Matthew was a tax collector. Jesus asked them to leave what they were doing and follow Him. He said, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you” (John 15:16). Jesus told them that they would preach the gospel and be witnesses of His name to all the world.

Just as Jesus called Apostles in His time, we have Apostles today who have been called as “Special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world” (D&C 107:23). They testify that they know that Jesus is the Son of God and that He was resurrected. You can hear them bear their special testimonies when they talk in general conference or when they visit your stake or regional conferences.

There are actually fifteen men who hold apostolic authority. One is President Ezra Taft Benson. Two others, Gordon B. Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson, are his counselors. These three form the Quorum of the First Presidency. The others form the Quorum of the Twelve.

The Apostles are very busy men. They are responsible for seeing that the gospel is preached everywhere in the world, so they travel often. Every Thursday they meet in the Salt Lake Temple to make important decisions in the directing of the Church. They work in love and unity and must agree on every decision that is made.

Instructions

1. Mount the picture cards and fact cards on heavy paper and cut them out.

2. Mix up the picture cards, then match the facts with the pictures.

3. Memorize the names of the Apostles. Can you say them in the order in which they were ordained?

Ezra Taft Benson
Ordained an Apostle—October 7, 1943
Hobbies—sings, enjoys family activities
Profession—agriculture specialist
Interesting fact—served as Secretary of Agriculture in the United States government while an Apostle

Gordon B. Hinckley
Ordained an Apostle—October 5, 1961
Hobbies—builds things, plants trees
Profession—public communications
Interesting fact—has worked closely with seven Presidents of the Church

Thomas S. Monson
Ordained an Apostle—October 4, 1963
Hobbies—fishes, raises pigeons
Profession—businessman: printing
Interesting fact—often visits the elderly in rest homes

Howard W. Hunter
Ordained an Apostle—October 15, 1959
Hobbies—plays several musical instruments
Profession—lawyer
Interesting fact—can walk again after being confined to a wheelchair

Boyd K. Packer
Ordained an Apostle—April 9, 1970
Hobbies—does wood carvings of birds, paints pictures
Profession—educator
Interesting fact—flew a bomber during World War II

Marvin J. Ashton
Ordained an Apostle—December 2, 1971
Hobbies—plays tennis and other sports
Profession—businessman: lumber
Interesting fact—helps people feel good about themselves

L. Tom Perry
Ordained an Apostle—April 11, 1974
Hobbies—sports, physical fitness, repairing things, gardening
Profession—business: finance, department store administration
Interesting fact—walks to work and has a cheerful greeting for everyone

David B. Haight
Ordained an Apostle—January 8, 1976
Hobbies—camps, fishes, hikes
Profession—mayor; businessman
Interesting fact—survived serious accidents and illnesses

James E. Faust
Ordained an Apostle—October 1, 1978
Hobbies—gardens, reads the scriptures
Profession—lawyer; state legislator
Interesting fact—is especially good at remembering names and faces of people he meets

Neal A. Maxwell
Ordained an Apostle—July 23, 1981
Hobbies—plays tennis, reads
Profession—educator; political scientist
Interesting fact—created the first stake in Nigeria, Africa

Russell M. Nelson
Ordained an Apostle—April 12, 1984
Hobbies—music, skiing
Profession—heart surgeon
Interesting fact—plays the organ for the weekly temple meeting

Dallin H. Oaks
Ordained an Apostle—May 3, 1984
Hobbies—fishes, camps
Profession—lawyer; judge; educator
Interesting fact—was president of Brigham Young University, 1971–1980

M. Russell Ballard
Ordained an Apostle—October 10, 1985
Hobbies—repairs things, fishes, golfs
Profession—businessman: automobiles, real estate, investments
Interesting fact—both grandfathers were previous Apostles

Joseph B. Wirthlin
Ordained an Apostle—October 9, 1986
Hobbies—walks, reads, loves his 44 grandchildren
Profession—businessman: foods, cattle
Interesting fact—speaks and reads German and loves spaghetti

Richard G. Scott
Ordained an Apostle—October 6, 1988
Hobbies—music, painting, birding
Profession—nuclear engineer
Interesting fact—helped develop nuclear power plants for submarines and aircraft carriers

Sharing Time Ideas

1. Play a matching game with the names and pictures of the Apostles. Put the pictures of the Apostles in the order in which they were ordained.

2. Devise a quiz about the Apostles from the information on the fact cards.

3. Let the children pretend to be the ancient Apostles and give facts about themselves from the scriptures, such as “I am Peter. I am also known as Simon. I was a fisherman.”

4. Make a word search using the names of the ancient Apostles and the last names of the current Apostles.

5. Print the words from John 15:16 on the chalkboard or on a large piece of paper. Cover each word with separate pieces of paper that have been numbered in sequence. Let each child choose the number of a word to be uncovered. Continue this process until the scripture can be identified and recited.