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How can I help hasten the Lord’s work?

How can I help hasten the Lord’s work?

Prepare Yourself Spiritually

We live in the last days, when the Lord is fulfilling His promise: “Behold, I will hasten my work in its time” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:73). Young women play an important role in this work. We can participate by inviting all to come unto Christ through sharing the gospel, giving Christlike service, strengthening new members, rescuing the less active, and providing saving ordinances for the dead.

Resources to Help You Prepare

These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.

Questions to Ponder before You Teach

What evidence have you seen that the Lord is hastening His work in our day? What experiences could you share that might inspire the young women to be active participants in this work?

What talents and gifts do you notice in the young women that could make them particularly effective in advancing the Lord’s work? What are they already doing to participate in the work?

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.

Teaching in the Savior’s Way

The Savior asked questions that caused His followers to think and feel deeply. They knew He loved them, and they felt safe sharing their thoughts and personal feelings. As you sincerely listen and show interest in the young women’s answers and insights, you will help them to feel the Savior’s love.

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:

  • 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?

  • 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?

  • 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.

  • A few days in advance, ask the young women to visit the Hastening the Work of Salvation section of ChurchofJesusChrist.org and review some of the resources there. Invite them to come to class prepared to share something from the site that has inspired them to participate more fully in the Lord’s work.

  • Write the word hasten on the board, and ask someone to read Doctrine and Covenants 88:73. Invite the class to discuss what it means to hasten something (if necessary, they could look the word up in a dictionary). Ask the young women why they think the Lord’s work needs to be hastened in our day. Invite them to look for answers to this question in the scriptures suggested in this outline or other scriptures they can think of.

  • Invite each young woman to read (individually or in small groups) one of the stories in Sister Carol F. McConkie’s talk “Here to Serve a Righteous Cause.” You could also invite a ward member who recently joined the Church or recently returned to activity to share his or her experiences. If the young women read the talk, ask them to summarize the stories for the rest of the class and discuss what they learn about participating in the Lord’s work. What do these stories teach them about how to participate in the work of salvation? In what ways are they already participating?

  • Write questions like the following on the board: What can young women do to participate in the Lord’s work? What helps you feel the excitement and urgency of the work? How are your experiences preparing you to participate in the work? Ask the young women to read the scriptures suggested in this outline or Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson’s talk “Rise Up in Strength, Sisters in Zion” to help them answer one or more of these questions. They could also watch the video “Our Spiritual Passport.” Invite them to share what they find.

    3:18

  • Invite the young women to read Bishop Caussé’s message “It Is All about People.” Have them think about an experience when they saw someone make his or her Church service about people instead of things. What teachings stood out to them in Bishop Caussé’s message? Divide the young women into small groups and give each group paper and markers or pencils. Invite them to pick a phrase or concept that stood out to them and create a Mormonad with it. Share what the groups created. Why do they think the Church organization is all about love? How can love and service hasten the Lord’s work more than programs and things? Encourage the young women to make a goal to help them remember to make their Church experience about people.

3. Plan to Act

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

  • 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?

  • 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.

  • Remind the young women that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.