people meeting by pond

The Camp Meeting, by Worthington Whittredge

May 3–9

Doctrine and Covenants 46–48

“Seek Ye Earnestly the Best Gifts”

Think about the children you teach as you read Doctrine and Covenants 46–48. Refer to “Meeting the Needs of Younger Children” at the beginning of this resource for additional ideas to consider.

Record Your Impressions

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Invite Sharing

Invite the children to draw pictures of something they learned in last week’s lesson or at home during the past week. Give them reminders if needed. Then let them talk about their pictures.

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Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children

Doctrine and Covenants 46:2–6

I can help others feel welcome at church.

All of us, including children, want to feel welcome and accepted. How can you use these verses to help the children make others feel welcome at church?

Possible Activities

• Read Doctrine and Covenants 46:5 aloud, and tell the children in your own words what this verse means. Show pictures of people from around the world. Ask the children which of these people Heavenly Father would want us to invite to our Church meetings. Help the children practice inviting you or each other to come to a Church meeting or activity.

• Ask the children to imagine that a friend is coming to church for the first time. Help them think of ways they could help their friend feel welcome. Let them practice what they would say or do if they saw a friend walk into the chapel or the classroom for the first time.

Doctrine and Covenants 46:13–26

Heavenly Father blesses me with His gifts.

Each of the children you teach is a son or daughter of Heavenly Father, and He has blessed them with spiritual gifts.

Possible Activities

• Use Doctrine and Covenants 46:13–26 or “Chapter 20: Gifts of the Spirit” (Doctrine and Covenants Stories, 77–80) to explain to the children some of the gifts Heavenly Father gives us through His Spirit and why He gives them. If possible, show objects or pictures that represent each gift. Pause occasionally to ask the children how these gifts could bless someone.

• Give a child something that can be shared, like a piece of bread or two toys. Ask the child to share what you have given him or her with another class member. Explain that Heavenly Father gives us gifts, and He wants us to use them to help others. Tell the children about a time when you were blessed because someone shared his or her spiritual gifts.

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Teach the Doctrine: Older Children

Doctrine and Covenants 46:8–26

Heavenly Father gives me spiritual gifts to bless others.

The gifts described in Doctrine and Covenants 46—and many other spiritual gifts—come from God through the Holy Ghost. You can help the children identify the gifts they have been given—and others they can seek—as you study Doctrine and Covenants 46 together.

Possible Activities

• Write on pieces of paper some of the spiritual gifts found in Doctrine and Covenants 46:13–26 and Articles of Faith 1:7, and hide them around the room. Invite each child to find one of the papers and search the verses to find where that gift is mentioned in the scriptures. Then read together Doctrine and Covenants 46:8–9, 12. Why does Heavenly Father give us spiritual gifts?

• Help the children list on the board the gifts of the Spirit mentioned in Doctrine and Covenants 46. As each gift is listed, talk about how that gift can be used to bless others. The descriptions in “Chapter 20: Gifts of the Spirit” (Doctrine and Covenants Stories, 77–80) can help. Tell the children that they each have spiritual gifts. Encourage them to ask Heavenly Father to help them recognize their gifts and how they can use them to help others.

Doctrine and Covenants 47:1, 3

I can record my history.

The Lord called John Whitmer to keep a history of the Church. Today we are richly blessed because of Church histories that have been kept over the years.

Possible Activities

• Read together Doctrine and Covenants 47:1, 3, and ask the children to discover what the Lord wanted John Whitmer to do. What does the word “continually” mean in verse 3? How are we blessed by knowing about the history of the Church?

• If the children you teach keep a journal, ask them to talk about the kinds of things they write about in their journal. The children might enjoy hearing a story from your childhood journal or the journal of an ancestor.

• Show the children examples of ways they could keep a regular history of their lives. For example, they can write in a book, collect pictures in a scrapbook, type on a computer, or make audio or video recordings. Help the children make a list of things that would be good to include in their personal histories, such as their testimony of Jesus Christ. Invite the children to make a sign or poster to take home with some of these ideas to remind them to record their personal histories.

  girl studying

  Journals are one way we can keep a history.

Doctrine and Covenants 48:1–4

I can help others by sharing what I have been given.

The Lord encouraged the Saints in Ohio to help other Saints by sharing their land and their money. How can you use these verses to help the children find ways to share with others what God has given them?

Possible Activities

• Show the children a map of New York and Ohio (see the outline for April 12–18 in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). Explain that the Lord commanded the Saints in New York and other areas to gather to Ohio, but many of them didn’t have enough money to build a house when they arrived. Help the children find in Doctrine and Covenants 48:1–4 what the Lord asked the Saints in Ohio to do to help. Ask the children what they would want to do to help if they were living in Ohio at this time. What have we been given today that we could use to help others? For an example, see “The Coat” (video, ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

• Read Doctrine and Covenants 48:4 together, and invite the children to look for something the Lord asked the Saints to do to help His work. Explain that saving money would allow them to buy land and build a temple someday. What can we save money for so we can help do the work of the Lord? Show the video “First Things First” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org), and discuss how the children in the video fulfilled the Lord’s command to save money.

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Encourage Learning at Home

Encourage the children to ask family members at home about a spiritual gift that they feel they have been given. Also encourage the children to pray and seek for a gift of the Spirit they would like to develop.

Improving Our Teaching

Help children learn from the scriptures. Young children may not be able to read much, but you can still help them learn from the scriptures. For example, you could read a passage and invite them to stand up or raise their hand when they hear a specific word or phrase.

activity page: God has given me spiritual gifts