How can the Savior help me during my trials?
Prepare Yourself Spiritually
As part of His atoning sacrifice, the Savior took upon Himself our pains and sicknesses. Because He has experienced our trials, He knows how to help us. When we exercise faith in Jesus Christ, He will give us strength and ease our burdens.
Resources to Help You Prepare
These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.
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Matthew 11:28–30; Philippians 4:13; 1 Nephi 17:3; Helaman 5:12; Doctrine and Covenants 19:23; 68:6 (Jesus Christ can give us strength and ease our burdens)
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Mosiah 23:21–22; 24:8–17 (The Lord strengthens the people of Alma to help them bear their burdens)
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Isaiah 53:3–5; Alma 7:11–13 (Jesus Christ understands our suffering because He experienced it)
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W. Christopher Waddell, “Turn to the Lord,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 94–96
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Ulisses Soares, “Confide in God Unwaveringly,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 33–35
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Russell M. Nelson, “Joy and Spiritual Survival,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 81–84
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“Adversity,” True to the Faith (2004), 8–11
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“God Will Lift Us Up” (video)
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“Mountains to Climb” (video)
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Music for youth theme: “Lay it Down”
Questions to Ponder before You Teach
Think about the trials you have faced. How have you received strength through the Atonement?
Consider the young women in your class. What trials are they facing? What personal experiences, scriptures, and quotes do you want to share with them? Are there personal experiences the young women could share with each other?
What can the young women do to prepare to learn? For example, they could read a talk, watch a video, or study a scripture related to this doctrine.
Meeting Outline
1. Counsel Together and Share Experiences
Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes
Lead a discussion about items such as the following:
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Our class: Who is missing today? What visits do we need to make? Who should we invite to an upcoming activity? Who needs our help and prayers?
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Our responsibilities: What assignments do we need to make? What assignments have we fulfilled? How have we invited others to come unto Christ, and how can we invite others now?
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Our lives: Remind the class of the discussion from the last meeting. What experiences have we had with applying what we learned? What experiences have we had in the past few weeks that strengthened our testimonies of the gospel?
If possible, discuss these items beforehand in a class presidency meeting.
2. Learn Together
Led by a leader or teacher or a member of the class; approximately 25–35 minutes
After studying the above resources and following the inspiration of the Spirit, you may select one or more of the activities below to help class members understand the doctrine.
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Invite the young women to find a sentence in Bishop W. Christopher Waddell’s talk “Turn to the Lord” that teaches an important truth that would help us face adversity. Invite them to write their sentences on the board with words missing and see if the other young women can fill in the blanks. What inspires the young women about the story of Hyrum Shumway? Have the young women role-play helping a friend who is experiencing adversity by sharing insights from this talk with the friend. You could also show the video “Mountains to Climb” and invite them to share insights about facing adversity with faith.
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Invite the young women to read or watch Elder Ulisses Soares’s account of a missionary whose sister died, found in the talk “Confide in God Unwaveringly.” How did a knowledge of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation help the missionary during his trial? What additional insights did the young women gain from Elder Soares’s talk? Ask them to think about a trial they are currently experiencing. How can they receive strength from the Savior to help them?
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Invite the young women to study portions of President Russell M. Nelson’s talk “Joy and Spiritual Survival,” particularly Eliza R. Snow’s experience. What experiences would the young women like to share when they found joy in difficult situations? To help the young women think of things that bring them joy, divide the class into two teams. Give each team a limited amount of time, and challenge them to write as many things as they can that bring them joy. When they are finished, invite them to search President Nelson’s talk for things to add to their lists. What can they do to remember things that bring them joy in difficult times?
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Divide the young women into groups. Have each group read one or more of the scriptures in this outline and summarize what they read to the class. Invite the young women to write down how the things they learn from these scriptures can help them overcome their trials. Encourage them to share what they wrote, if they feel comfortable doing so. Consider sharing your own experiences.
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As a class, read Mosiah 24:8–17. Invite the young women to share what they learn from the experience of Alma and his people. With permission from the bishop, invite some of their mothers to come to the class and share how the Savior has strengthened them in their trials.
3. Plan to Act
Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes
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Ask the young women to discuss any feelings or impressions they had during the meeting. What was meaningful to them? Is there something they can do personally or as a class to apply what they have learned?
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Give the young women a few minutes to record what they will do in the coming weeks to act on their impressions. Invite them to share their ideas.
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Remind the young women that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.