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Christy's Clipart
"Priesthood blessings can be lifesavers" (attached to lifesavers)



I just taught lesson 12 to three Laurels. One's whose dad passed away two years ago, one who just moved in with her sister because she wasn't getting along with her single parent dad and one who has the "ideal" Mormon family.  Having grown up in a family without a dad, I felt uniquely able to teach this lesson. They need to know that blessings are still available to them, ESPECIALLY THEM !! I asked them each who they go to for blessings.  But I knew that the girl with the ideal home has a dad who has been traveling a lot lately and asked her who she would ask in his absence.  She didn't know. When I asked why it was important to learn this when we all don't have dads to ask and they knew it was for THEIR FUTURE. I was impressed. They need to think now how important it is for their future to have a husband that can do this for THEIR children. Some of the resource articles mentioned how they knew the blessing came from Heavenly Father. We all have THAT FATHER.  (Idea by Wendy Beaman)
Just for fun, I called some of the dads to get stories of something silly they had done when younger. At the end, I also took some candy bars and paper and had the girls make a card for someone, either a father or grandfather or home teacher or bishop, incorporating one of the candy bars (like a mini-candy gram). The girls were excited about this. They got to pick whichever one they wanted. (Idea by Julia Larsen)
Lesson Helps from Debanae's
Lesson Helps from JennySmith.net
Lesson Helps from Young Women Connection
Participate fully in receiving the blessings of the priesthood



For this object lesson you'll need a handful of moldable playdough and a handful of slightly hardened playdough.  Demonstrate how the soft clay is molded into any shape that you desire.  Then try to mold the other clay.  Express the difficulty you are having in shaping the hardened clay.  State that the hardened clay is unworkable.  Those that hold and use the priesthood worthily is like the first clay.  When he is humble he can be shaped and molded.  Part of holding the priesthood is being humble and sharing this wonderful gift with others.

Make the room as dark as possible. Then tell the children the story of a group of tourists who went into a deep, dark cave. Once inside the cave the guide turned off the lights, waited for a few minutes, and then asked each person to point in the direction of the exit. When the lights came back on, people were pointing in all different directions.  Make your classroom light again, and share the following quotation from Elder Robert D. Hales: “If the power of the priesthood were not upon the earth, the adversary would have freedom to roam and reign without restraint. There would be no gift of the Holy Ghost to direct and enlighten us; no prophets to speak in the name of the Lord; no temples where we could make sacred, eternal covenants; no authority to bless or baptize, to heal or comfort. … There would be no light, no hope—only darkness” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1995, p. 40; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, p. 32).



A story from Merrill Bateman relating to Father's Blessings