Jenny Spencer and Brooke Ward - September 25, 2012
Even though your missionary may be thousands of miles away from home, you can still help him or her handle difficult situations during the mission.
Missionaries can deal with a slew of issues, and as a parent, sibling, or friend reading and writing letters from afar, you may feel helpless. But you’re not. Check out some ways you can help them with some of these most common struggles, and some prophetic counsel that may help as well.
Feeling Unprepared
When missionaries are new to the MTC or mission field, it’s easy for them to become discouraged, feeling as if everyone ahead of them knows so much more. Missionaries around them seem to have all the lessons and accompanying scriptures memorized, not to mention the fact that they can recite them all in a foreign language! Remind your missionary that everyone has to start at the beginning. The best way to overcome these feelings of inadequacy is to dive into gospel and language study and prayer. Help him realize that he may not have all the answers to difficult questions, but he still has his testimony.
“Nearly 40 years ago as I contemplated the challenge of a mission, I felt very inadequate and unprepared. I remember praying, ‘Heavenly Father, how can I serve a mission when I know so little?’ I believed in the Church, but I felt my spiritual knowledge was very limited. As I prayed, the feeling came: ‘You don’t know everything, but you know enough!’ That reassurance gave me the courage to take the next step into the mission field.”
Rachelle J. Christensen - August 30, 2012
No matter how wonderful our teens are, they're still growing physically and spiritually, and they need our help during the process. To improve your teens' church experience, check out these 10 tips.
Our youth are magnificent, but we need to tap into their potential, ensuring that they will grow to love the gospel of Jesus Christ. Some or all of these tips may help your teen to get more out of their church attendance.
1. Leave all electronics at home or in the car. Do not bring cell phones, ipods, mini-gaming systems, etc. to church. If there is a need for a call to be placed, it should be done outside of the church where it will not disrupt or distract others. The Sunday meeting block is only three hours; there is no need for texting during this time. You may need to have your teen turn in items to you to be sure this rule is enforced. What about the scriptures on their electronic device? As a Sunday School teacher of teens, I have noted that the temptation to play games is too strong. The best way to resist temptation is to avoid it.
2. Ask your teen if they would be willing to help you choose appropriate music to set the mood for the Sabbath. Encourage them to get ready for church early to eliminate the anxiety often felt in the hurry to get to church on time. Ask them to give ideas to make feeling the Spirit more accessible in your home.
3. Teach Saturday prepration for Sunday. Many teenagers may roll their eyes if you sing, “Saturday is a special day, it’s the day we get ready for Sunday,” but the message rings true no matter what your age. Check with your teen to see if their Sunday clothing needs laundering and teach them how to iron their clothes, polish their shoes and belts, and mend clothing.
Leticia Klemetz and Brooke Ward - August 23, 2012
Many Latter-day Saints know a second language, whether from a mission or education. How can you keep your hard-earned labor from going to waste? Check out these 10 tips.
Picture this: It’s one of those rare occasions when you actually get to use that second language you acquired in school or on your mission, but you’re bumbling through with a rusty vocabulary and your tongue is sitting thick in your mouth, feeling all kinds of awkward as it tries to wrap itself around words you once pronounced with ease.
Many Latter-day Saints, blessed with the opportunity to learn a foreign language, have felt this way at some point, as the social and professional situations in which they find themselves post-school or mission don’t provide opportunities to keep it up. Use it or lose, so the old adage goes, and maintaining a second language can feel like a major chore—but it doesn’t have to. Here are 10 suggestions for how to get consistent practice by integrating your foreign language into your everyday life.
1. Read the Scriptures. You’re going to do it anyways, right, so why not practice your foreign language at the same time? No hard copy? No problem! You can find the scriptures in dozens of languages online at lds.org.
2. Read More. Read books. Read magazines. Read newspapers. Read as much as you can in your foreign language, even instructions for putting together your new IKEA furniture. Next time you’re browsing online consider getting that new title you’re dying to read in your second language.
Rachelle J. Christensen - August 02, 2012
Help your kids get the most of Primary at church on Sunday and through the week with these 10 easy tips. 
1. Buffer time. Always in a hurry to get out the door? Set the mood before church by allowing extra time to get ready. When you rush it is difficult to feel the Spirit. Play church music while you get ready or hum a hymn. You’ll probably still have to play the “hurry up!” game, but it will be much more pleasant.
2. Use Primary songs. Obtain a list of the songs the children are learning from the primary chorister or other member of the Primary presidency. Incorporate these songs into your Family Home Evening. Read through the words in the songs and talk about what they mean. Practice singing the songs using instruments, the Primary Children’s CD collection, or listening to the songs on LDS.org.
Jordan Green and Jenny Spencer - July 19, 2012
Teaching Nursery Class brings with it special challenges – use these tips to help make the most your time with the youngest Primary children.
Nursery worker—it can be a very challenging calling in the Church. But it can also be one of the most fulfilling. You don’t have to be the children’s babysitter; instead you can be a loving teacher who helps them learn gospel principles in doses that their short attention spans can handle. Here are a few different ways to make your Nursery into more than just a room filled with scattered toys and toddlers with cookie crumbs in their hair. It may take some extra thought and preparation, but the benefits will far outweigh the costs.
1.Teach them Spirituality
1. Buffer time. Always in a hurry to get out the door? Set the mood before church by allowing extra time to get ready. When you rush it is difficult to feel the Spirit. Play church music while you get ready or hum a hymn. You’ll probably still have to play the “hurry up!” game, but it will be much more pleasant.
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