Guide to the Friend

The Guide to the Friend can help you find stories or articles for preparing lessons or talks for church or for family home evening. The Primary theme for June is “Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ promise me blessings when I obey the commandments.”

Family Home Evening Ideas

Look for the FHE symbol on the [original magazine] pages mentioned below.

1. Read “Thankful for Missionary Work” (pp. 2–3) by President Gordon B. Hinckley. Study the photo of President Hinckley as a young missionary and his current photo. If possible, look at old photos and current photos of family members. What choices do you think President Hinckley made as a young man that helped him to be a strong leader in the Church today? What choices did faithful family members make that led them to have testimonies today? What choices should you make today in order to build the kind of future you hope for?

2. Write the poem “My Home” (p. 7) on a whiteboard or a large piece of paper. Take turns crossing out words and replacing them with your own details about your family. The words don’t need to rhyme. (For example, retain “My home’s a gentle father who …” and cross out “loves us as we are.” Write instead something specific your father has done for you.) Express gratitude for each family member and how they make your house feel like home. Finish by singing “Love at Home” (Hymns, no. 294).

3. Read “My Brother Gary” (pp. 8–9). Elder Marlin K. Jensen describes his brother’s gifts and talents with great admiration. We should see the good in people first, not their differences. If you are tempted to treat someone unkindly, write a list of their good qualities and remember how loved they are by their families and Heavenly Father. Decide to love that person too by being kind or standing up for him or her.

4. Complete the activity “Planting a Garden” (p. 23). Beforehand, prepare a “garden” of snacks in the kitchen, including ingredients for one of the Kitchen Krafts recipes (p. 26). Provide similar clues to help family members choose the right ingredients for the recipe. Then enjoy making and eating the treat together.

5. Prepare beforehand by having each family member make a “Give Dad a Hand Card” (p. 35). Hand Cards could also be made for other family members. Spend family home evening honoring that family member by presenting the cards and explaining why that family member deserves a “hand.”