*Chapter 32- The Eternal Family- A plain and precious part of the plan of salvation

Proclamation Principle:  The family is central to the creator's plan for the eternal destiny of his children…In the premarital realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life.

Lesson Objectives:   An important part of understanding the necessity of a family in the Great Plan on Happiness is to first understand our purpose here upon this earth.  Why are we here?  Where did we come from?  Where am I going?  What role does the family play in that plan? 

Opening Song:  The Family is of God.  If your family is not yet familiar with this song, you could even sing along to this little video presentation of the song. 

Quote/Scripture of the Week:  John 17:3- "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."


Video clip presentation- Our Eternal Life. A little bit fast paced for little ones to understand but a great presentation for a little bit older kids. 

Attention Activity:  Sit everyone around the dinner table and let them pour a bowl of Life cereal Everyone can enjoy their Life while discussing the purpose of this life and the Plan of Salvation.  Idea found here.

Have a jar full of pom poms in the colors of the LIFE cereal logo (the pom poms are not essential but just a fun addition). Each individual will take turns pulling out a pom pom that corresponds with that colored question below.  While that individual can answer the question, the whole family can discuss the topic.  Parents should be prepared to answer any question the kids may have.

Blue- What is the purpose/reasons of life? (Be tested, to gain a body, etc.) 

Green- What are some good choices you can do with your life? (so many different answers)

Orange- Read John 17:3 and see if you can do it by memory!

Red- What is the highest degree of Glory. (Celestial Kingdom)

Blue-  When we die, where does our Spirit go? (Spirit World)

Green- What was the time before earth life called? (Pre-existence)

Orange- What does resurrection mean? (When the body and spirit are reunited)

Red- How is the spirit world divided? (Paradise/Prison)

Blue- Who was the first person to be resurrected? (Jesus Christ)

Green- How can we become clean when we make a mistake? (Repentance)

Orange- What happens when we die? (bodies and spirits separated temporarily)

Red- How many of God's spirit children rebelled and followed Satan? (1/3)

Blue- Before we came to earth, who did we live with? (Heavenly Father and Jesus)

Green-What do spirits look like? (Similar to regular people, just without a body)

Orange- What are the three kingdoms (Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial)

Red- Another name for the Plan of Salvation (The Plan of Happiness)

Adaptations for younger children:  It would be wise to have a visual such as this chart found here for younger children to help them understand the plan in a simplistic form.  Scriptures on the chart can be used to reinforce the learning.

Alternate/Replacement Activity: If your children are older and already know the basics above on the Plan of Salvation, this is a great, fun alternative. 

GEOCACHING- This has always been a family favorite although we have not gone for awhile. We need to change that.  If you don't know what geocaching is, visit this site for a good rundown on how to do it.  Basically, Geocaching is an outdoor treasure hunt.  Players try to locate hidden containers (geocache) using a Smartphone or GPS and using the stated latitude and longitude coordinates on the website.  Geocaches are located all over the nation and you can select levels of difficulties as well as locations.  We have many of them near our home so we usually just choose a location such as a park or forest nearby.  Chances are you have one near you as well.   (***Fair warning, sometimes the treasure may be something as simple as a matchbox car but the fun is in finding the treasure). :) In place of the item you took, you leave a treasure in return for the next finders. 

* Gospel Correlation:Talk about how this activity relates to our journey through life.  We came to the earth and were given the coordinates of our ultimate destination (back to our Heavenly Father/eternal life).  We were also given the tools needed to help us be successful on our journey (the gosepl, scriptures, prayer, the spirit, family, leaders, etc.) that will help us to reach our desired destination. At times we may get a little off course and a little discouraged with the journey (which we typically always do trying to find the geocache) but if we course correct, we will eventually find our way back onto the path that will lead us to our Heavenly Father.  

Refreshments: The Life Cereal seems good enough to me! :) Or if you choose the Geocache activity, maybe Hearshey's Treasures candies