April 2011 FHEs

Introduction to this series is here. I only prepared three this month in order to leave time for an Easter FHE (one of my favorites is here).

14. He taught the truths of eternity, the reality of our premortal existence,
Song: Teach Me to Walk in the Light
Topic Introduction: define any difficult words
Flannel Board Story: Abraham 3:22-28
Activity: Abraham 3:22-23 is a scripture mastery verse as well as a nice example of chiasmus. Put each phrase on a different strip of paper (without the letters in front) and see if you can organize them properly:

A Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was;
B and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;
C And God saw these souls that they were good,
D and he stood in the midst of them, and he said:
E These I will make my rulers;
D’ for he stood among those that were spirits,
C’ and he saw that they were good;
B’ and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them;
A’ thou wast chosen before thou wast born.

Discuss the structure. Explain that just as the scriptures are sometimes well-organized with literary devices that may not be obvious on the surface, the Lord has carefully designed plan for each of us.

15. the purpose of our life on earth, and the potential for the sons and daughters of God in the life to come.
Song: I Will Follow God’s Plan
Topic Introduction: (none)
Flannel Board Story: Parable of the Good Samaritan (If you aren’t familiar with the idea of interpreting this parable as an explanation of the plan of salvation, see here.)
Activity: Write a variety of situations on strips of paper such as: go to college, watch an inappropriate movie, steal from your boss if you knew you wouldn’t get caught, try a beer just once, yell at a sibling if they destroy your lego creation, etc. Select and discuss each one in terms of how your decision making process might be different if you thought about your purpose and potential when making the decision.

16. He instituted the sacrament as a reminder of His great atoning sacrifice.
Song: To Think about Jesus
Topic Introduction: Explain what ‘instituted’ means.
Flannel Board Story: The Last Supper
Activity: Find picture of the Passover, Last Supper, and Exodus. (You could use the standard Gospel Art Picture Kit, or find some interesting ones here.)
Discuss how these events are related. You could also do some coloring/cutting/pasting and make triptychs if your kids are into that sort of thing (mine are allergic to crafts!).