What is a missionary? Some missionaries wear Sunday clothes and name tags every day. They work full-time finding and teaching others the gospel of Jesus Christ. Do you have a brother or sister who is a full-time missionary? Are your grandparents missionaries? Do you know the full-time missionaries serving from our ward?

Divide the children into three groups and move them from station to station to learn skills that will help them be missionaries now and later. (Choose only two or three stations that would work best for your Primary)

Station 1: Explain that the Articles of Faith are brief statements about the Church’s basic beliefs. We can teach others about the doctrine of the Church when we know the Articles of Faith. Help the children memorize one of the Articles of Faith [A of F 1:1–13] (see TNGC, pp. 171–72). They may do this in pairs, with an older child helping a younger one. Have Gospel in Action cards available to encourage children to memorize all thirteen articles.

Station 2: Missionaries must know about and have a testimony of Joseph Smith and the Restoration of the Church. Use GAK pictures 402 (Joseph Smith Seeks Wisdom in the Bible), 403 (The First Vision), 404 (Moroni Appears to Joseph Smith in His Room), 406 (Joseph Receives the Gold Plates), 416 (Translating the Book of Mormon), 407 (John the Baptist Conferring the Aaronic Priesthood), and 408 (Melchizedek Priesthood Restoration). Help the children tell the story of the Restoration. For older children, help them find the Joseph Smith story in the Pearl of Great Price (JS—H 1).

Station 3: Missionaries must know what is in the scriptures and how to use them. Look up “Missionary Work” in the Topical Guide and pick eight to ten scriptural references. Write the references on strips of paper and place them in a container. Let the children pick a reference and find it in their scriptures. Read the reference and discuss what is taught about missionary work. Help the children apply it today. When all the children have been to each station, gather them to sing “The Things I Do” (pp. 170–71).

Station 4: Missionaries read the Book of Mormon. Have each child choose a GAK picture representing his or her favorite story from the Book of Mormon section. Help the children locate the stories in the scriptures and retell them to the group.  Or you could gather copies of the Book of Mormon (ask your local missionaries...you could even ask them to come and be in charge of this station).  Have the children write their testimonies on the inside the front cover. The younger children could make a bookmark by cutting out a strip of heavy paper. On the bookmark, have them draw a picture and/or list some of their favorite scriptures.
 

Station 6: Missionaries often lead music. Have the music leader help the children learn to lead music. See CS, p. 301 for diagrams of the beat patterns. Turn your back to the children and beat a 3/4 pattern. Have the children copy the motion. Sing “I Love to See the Temple” (p. 95), and have the children lead the song. Sing other songs that have a 3/4 pattern. Teach a 4/4 pattern in a similar manner, and have the children sing and lead “The Lord Gave Me a Temple” (p. 153) and other songs with a 4/4 pattern. Note that both of the songs mentioned begin on the upbeat (beat 3 or 4, respectively).

ACTIVITY:

Take turns rolling the box, looking at the picture on the top, and telling how to be a missionary in that pictured situation. (From the Friend, Nov. 2005, 13)
 

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Illustrated by Dilleen Marsh

GUEST SPEAKER: Invite a returned missionary who has been approved by the bishop or branch president to share with the children the joy of missionary work. Have the returned missionary focus on things that children did in his or her mission to help missionary work and things that each of us can do to be a missionary now.

GAME IDEA:  Let your light shine

MUSIC:  Sing “I Want to Be a Missionary Now” (p. 168)

SUMMARY: We can be missionaries now by being a good example, by inviting our friends to Primary or activity days, and by sharing our testimonies.  Bear testimony of the blessings of missionary work.