Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd, by Simon Dewey

June 28–July 4

Doctrine and Covenants 71–75

“No Weapon That Is Formed against You Shall Prosper”

The children you teach can learn a lot in class, but they’ll learn even more if they develop a habit of studying the scriptures at home. Consider how you can encourage and support gospel learning in the home.

Record Your Impressions

Invite Sharing

Invite the children to sit on the floor in a circle, and roll a ball to one of them. Ask that child to share something he or she has learned recently about the gospel at home or in Primary. Then invite the child to roll the ball to someone else. Repeat until every child has had a chance to share something.

Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children

Doctrine and Covenants 72:2, 10

The Lord has called a bishop to help me.

Little children may not know a lot about what their bishop does to serve them and other ward members. You can help them appreciate their bishop’s service.

Possible Activities

• Bring items to class that represent the responsibilities of a bishop, such as a tithing slip, the scriptures, or a picture of a bishop giving counsel (see the picture at the end of this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). Read Doctrine and Covenants 72:2, and explain that the Lord has called a bishop to help us. Use the items you brought to help the children understand some of the things a bishop does to serve the ward.

• Take the children on a walk to the bishop’s office (you may want to coordinate with other teachers). Describe for them some situations when they might meet with the bishop in his office (such as a baptismal interview or tithing settlement). Tell the children how you have been blessed by the bishop’s service.

• Help the children make cards to give to the bishop, thanking him for what he does to help with the Lord’s work.

Doctrine and Covenants 75:3

I can give my best effort to the Lord.

Even at a young age, children can find joy in doing their best to keep the Lord’s commandments.

Possible Activities

• Invite each child to take a turn acting out how they would do an act of service, such as cleaning a room in the church or washing dishes at home. Read Doctrine and Covenants 75:3, and ask the children to show how they would do it lazily when you say “neither be idle” and show how to work hard when you say “but labor with your might.” Why is it important that we do our best when serving the Lord?

• Share with the children President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s stories about work from “Two Principles for Any Economy” (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2009, 55–58). How do we feel when we know we have done our best?

• Sing a song about working together, such as “When We’re Helping” (Children’s Songbook, 198). Help the children make up actions to go with the words.

  

  Early Church members sometimes gave food to the Church to help others.

Teach the Doctrine: Older Children

Doctrine and Covenants 71

I can defend the truth by sharing my testimony.

The Lord does not expect children to respond to critics of the Church as He called Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon to do. But you can help the children understand that their simple testimony of the truth can have a powerful effect on others.

Possible Activities

• Use the section heading for Doctrine and Covenants 71 or “Chapter 25: Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon Go on a Mission” (Doctrine and Covenants Stories, 96) to teach the children about the circumstances that inspired section 71. Read Doctrine and Covenants 71:1 with the children, and help them find what the Lord wanted Joseph and Sidney to do about the “unfriendly feelings” people had toward the Church (section heading). What did He say they would be given to help them? How can we be like Joseph and Sidney?

• Invite the children to practice in pairs how to share with others what they know about the Church. For example, they can share a simple testimony or share one of the Articles of Faith.

Doctrine and Covenants 72:8

The Lord calls bishops to help Him do His work.

A bishop can have a strong positive influence in the life of a young person. What can you do to help the children see the bishop as a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Possible Activities

• Explain that in 1831 the Lord called the bishop of the Church, Edward Partridge, to move from Kirtland, Ohio, to be the bishop in Independence, Missouri (see “Chapter 17: The First Bishops of the Church,” Doctrine and Covenants Stories, 64–66). Read Doctrine and Covenants 72:8 with the children, and ask them to listen for who the Lord called to serve as the new bishop in Kirtland. Why does the Lord call bishops? Share with the children an experience when you were blessed by the service of a bishop.

• Invite the children to make a list of some of the things they have seen the bishop do to help people in the ward. Ask the children to draw pictures of the bishop doing something they mentioned. Bear your testimony that your bishop was called by the Lord to be His servant. Why are we grateful that the Lord has called a bishop in our ward?

Doctrine and Covenants 73:3

The Lord commanded Joseph Smith to restore precious truths that were lost from the Bible.

As part of his calling as the prophet, Joseph Smith was commanded by the Lord to make inspired revisions to the Bible. These revisions, which the Lord called a “translation” (Doctrine and Covenants 90:13), restored important truths that had been lost or removed from the Bible over the centuries.

Possible Activities

• Explain that when Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon returned from a short mission near Kirtland, Ohio, the Lord wanted them to resume work on an important project. Invite the children to read Doctrine and Covenants 73:3 to find out what that project was. To help the children understand what the Lord wanted Joseph and Sidney to translate, read with them parts of the Bible Dictionary entry “Joseph Smith Translation (JST).”

• Pass around a copy of the Bible, and allow the children to open it and see how many pages are in it. Invite the children to imagine they were asked to translate the Bible into another language. What are the chances they might make some mistakes? Explain that when people translated or copied the Bible before Joseph Smith’s time, they made some mistakes, and sometimes they removed important truths. The Lord commanded the Prophet Joseph Smith to make inspired corrections. Why is Joseph Smith’s work valuable to us?

Encourage Learning at Home

Invite the children to choose something they will do because of what they learned today, such as thanking the bishop for his service or preparing to defend their beliefs by learning the Articles of Faith.

Improving Our Teaching

Involve the senses. “Most children (and adults) learn best when multiple senses are involved. Find ways to help the children use their senses of sight, hearing, and touch as they learn” (Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 25).