FHE: I Want to Be a Missionary

Sep 2010 Issue

By Alison Palmer
Scripture: D&C 128:22
Song: “I Hope They Call Me on a Mission” Children’s Songbook, 169

Preparation: Gather paper and envelopes for each family member (minus 2 members). Write different missionary scenarios on each paper and seal them inside the envelope. Thoughts might include: baptized a family of six, helped re-activate a young widow, gained a firm testimony of the power of prayer, provided weekly service at nearby nursing home.

Prayerfully read “The Divine Call of a Missionary” Elder Ronald A. Rasband, Ensign, May 2010, 51-53.

Lesson: Have two people come to the front of the room. One will act as the Holy Ghost, one as a member of the Council of the Twelve. The person acting as the priesthood authority will call up the rest of the family members one by one. As each one approaches the person acting as the Holy Ghost will whisper an area of the house for that family member to go to. The priesthood authority will then speak out loud and direct the approaching person to the area they need to go. They are to wait there until someone comes to get them.

Repeat this process until all members of the family other than the speaker and the person acting as the Holy Ghost have been assigned to different areas of the house. Provide the family member acting as the Holy Ghost with the envelopes you have prepared. Have them go through the house finding the rest of the family. As each person is found, give them an envelope and tell them to return to the room where Family Home Evening is being held and wait for the others.

When the family is back together explain that you have just practiced the method Heavenly Father uses to assign His missionaries to the right missions at the right times. Explain the process using the information provided in Elder Rasband’s talk. Emphasize that the person who holds the priesthood and makes the assignments does so through inspiration and direction from Heavenly Father.

Tell the family that the envelopes they are holding are their “reports” about the mission they went to on another area of the house. Ask them to open the envelopes and share what is written on the papers inside.
Ask the children if they think any one of these things was more important than another. (No) Then, ask them to think about whether or not a different person could have done the same things if they had chosen not to go on their mission or had a bad attitude about being sent somewhere. (No- some people are prepared for the gospel and they will find it, but it may be harder if they don’t receive that testimony from the person Heavenly Father prepared for them to hear it from.)

Emphasize that every area a person can be sent, every time, every missionary is different. Only Heavenly Father can provide the right experiences, only a missionary who puts his trust fully in Heavenly Father will have the faith to complete the mission they were sent there to do, no matter what it is.

Share other examples from Elder Rasband’s talk as appropriate. Invite family members who have served a mission to share one experience that brought them joy on their mission. Close with the quote from President Thomas S. Monson from page 51— “The missionary opportunity of a lifetime is yours. The blessings of eternity await you. Yours is the privilege to be not spectators but participants on the stage of priesthood service.”

Activity: Younger children: Play “I Want to Go There.” Use an illustrated children’s atlas to randomly choose different countries to learn a little about. After the child knows something about the country, ask them to act out what they think it would be like to be a missionary in that area.

Older children: Hold mission survival training. Compete to see who can complete typical tasks of missionary life the fastest, i.e.: Sew on button, tie a tie, iron a shirt, make macaroni and cheese, sort a batch of laundry, make a shopping list- any task that is available and fits within the knowledge and skills of your family.

Treat: Care package treats. Enjoy some of the treats while you package the rest to send to a missionary your family is acquainted with.