May Visiting Teaching Idea--The Parable of the Purse

The Visiting Teaching Message for May is to be selected from one of the talks given in our most recent General Conference. I loved Elder Cook's "Parable of the Purse", and knew I wanted to make a lesson aid centered on this sweet story:

When I was recently assigned to a conference in the Mission Viejo California Stake, I was touched by an account of their four-stake New Year’s Eve youth dance. Following the dance, a purse was found with no outside identification. I share with you part of what Sister Monica Sedgwick, the Young Women president in the Laguna Niguel stake, recorded: “We didn’t want to pry; this was someone’s personal stuff! So we gingerly opened it and grabbed the first thing that was on top—hopefully, it would identify her. It did, but in another way—it was a For the Strength of Youth pamphlet. Wow! This told us something about her. Then we reached in for the next item, a little notebook. Surely this would give us answers, but not the kind we were expecting. The first page was a list of favorite scriptures. There were five more pages of carefully written scriptures and personal notes.”

The sisters immediately wanted to meet this stalwart young woman. They returned to that purse to identify its owner. They pulled out some breath mints, soap, lotion, and a brush. I loved their comments: “Oh, good things come out of her mouth; she has clean and soft hands; and she takes care of herself.”

They eagerly awaited the next treasure. Out came a clever little homemade coin purse made from a cardboard juice carton, and there was some money in a zippered pocket. They exclaimed, “Ahh, she’s creative and prepared!” They felt like little children on Christmas morning. What they pulled out next surprised them even more: a recipe for Black Forest chocolate cake and a note to make the cake for a friend’s birthday. They almost screamed, “She’s a HOMEMAKER! Thoughtful and service minded.” Then, yes, finally some identification. The youth leaders said they felt greatly blessed “to observe the quiet example of a young lady living the gospel.” ⁶

This account illustrates the commitment of our young women to Church standards. ⁷ It is also an example of caring, interested, dedicated Young Women leaders all over the world. They are incredible!

This experience made me think about what I carry in my "purse"; what things I surround myself with and how ready I am to be an example and to serve at any given moment. With this in mind, I made a paper bag purse filled with activities and little surprises that help us live "the parable of the purse". To make your own you will need the following:

3 paper lunch sacks (white or kraft)

2 pieces coordinating scrapbook paper

ribbon for handle

button or other embellishment

sticker sheet

band-aids

gum

First take your 3 paper bags and lay them on top of each other, alternating the open ends and the ends with the flaps. Fold the bags in half and stitch together with a sewing machine right down the middle. You could also try stapling or hole punching (and tying the ribbon handle through the holes to keep it all together).

Fold your bags in half then glue scrapbook paper on the front and back of the purse. I used the end with the fold on it as the front of my purse.

Next trim out the interior pages of the purse from the free download, and adhere. The first page of the download has a strip of words to be trimmed out separately as tags.

Cut them out as rectangles with extra space in front of the words. I then used a small hole punch so I could thread the tags onto paper clips.

I happened to have these fun circular clips, but regular office supply paperclips work great as well. These will identify the meaning of the goodies in our paper bag purse, as well as keep them from falling out of its pockets.

The first pocket contains a sheet of stickers, and is clipped shut with the tag reading, "to cheer". I thought it would be handy to have some fun stickers to cheer up a friend with a letter, or to stick on a child's hand or nose when a distraction is needed. See a struggling parent in church or at the grocery store? Perhaps a sticker or two for the child will calm things for a small moment.

The next pages are blank to write down favorite scriptures and thoughts or journaling.

After that we have a birthday calendar, to record friends' and family's birthdays for the year - a nice place to be reminded of a special time to show a little extra love. I put some band-aids in the pocket behind this page closed with the tag that reads, "to comfort". Paper cuts and skinned knees can be soothed in an instant!

The next pages are a couple of my family's favorite recipes - perfect comfort food.

The last top page has the lyrics to the hymn, "As Sisters in Zion", along with comments made by Elder Cook in his talk. The bottom page has some tear-away compliments  to give to oneself or another person needing a smile! Cut the strips along the dotted lines, then glue just the top portion to the paper sack. Behind this are some pieces of gum in a pocket closed with the tag that reads, "to speak sweetly", reminding us to be kind and gentle in all that we say.

Now it's time to put the finishing touches on the paper bag purse. Cut a flap shape from coordinating scrapbook paper that will go over the top and partially down the front and back of the folded purse. I first used double-sided tape to adhere my ribbon to the underside of this flap.

I then glued the flap to the purse and embellished with flowers and a button faux closure.

Hope you enjoy these paper bag purses, and the parable behind them!

Our Super Purpose--April Visiting Teaching Message/Handout

The April 2011 Visiting Teaching Message is about the purpose of Relief Society. As I read the message and some of the supporting materials (particularly this talk by by Elder Ballard), I was impressed by how valued, how empowered women are in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As I considered the far reaching effects a righteous woman has on all those around her, I wanted to create a teaching aid that reflects the powers we have been given to participate in God's work - that of saving souls, leading women, strengthening homes, and building the kingdom of God.

I started with this lollipop. Just trim out, hole punch the cape and tape on the mask. It represents the "super" work we have to accomplish, along with the divine abilities we've been given to carry out our responsibilities.

The comic illustrates simple examples of ways to increase in faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and provide relief by serving the Lord and His children. I appreciate the challenge in the message and thought questions to increase our offering to fulfill the purpose of Relief Society as never before, and to find what I need to do to strengthen my faith and increase my own personal righteousness.

You can find the free download for the comic, cape and mask here. Print on heavy cardstock so your cape will fly straight!

Some wonderful sisters have volunteered to translate into Spanish, Portuguese, French and German. As the translations come back to me, I will post them here at the bottom of this post.

Thank you all for the uplifting comments. I love knowing how visiting teachers everywhere are sharing messages and sisterhood with one another. You are all super. ;)

Patterned after the Priesthood--Visiting Teaching Idea for March

The Visiting Teaching Message for March is about the Relief Society being organized under the Priesthood and after the pattern of the Priesthood. It is an interesting topic, and I enjoyed pondering the significance of this connection. My teaching tool for this message is a fun handout incorporating an altered vintage pattern booklet.

Download the free file for this Visiting Teaching aid here. I printed mine on regular copy paper.

Cut out the pattern envelope and the insert, then fold as demonstrated in the video at the bottom of this post.

I loved playing with this pretty little pattern, and hope it helps you to discuss the message with those you visit teach!

Visiting Teaching Idea--March

The Visiting Teaching Message for March is about the Relief Society being organized under the Priesthood and after the pattern of the Priesthood. It is an interesting topic, and I enjoyed pondering the significance of this connection. My teaching tool for this message is a fun handout incorporating an altered vintage pattern booklet.

Download the free file for this Visiting Teaching aid here. I printed mine on regular copy paper.

Cut out the pattern envelope and the insert, then fold as demonstrated in the video at the bottom of this post.

I loved playing with this pretty little pattern, and hope it helps you to discuss the message with those you visit teach!

February Visiting Teaching Idea

The Visiting Teaching message for February is about "The Restoration of all Things". It talks about the restoration of the Church, and the essential place of Relief Society therein. For my lesson I altered a drawing of a church from last year's Primary Outline for Sharing Time. It is a lesson aid to help talk about Christ's primitive Church, the Apostasy, and the Restoration of the Gospel. The only detail I changed from the original drawing is the heart in the center. It represents the faithful women in the ancient Church like Mary, Martha and Tabitha (all mentioned in this month's VT message).

After you cut the church apart and discuss the Apostasy (when Christ's Church, priesthood and revelation were taken away from the earth), put the pieces back together to signify the restoration of the Gospel.

Flip the center heart over to reveal the words, "Relief Society", then read the following quote:

Sister Julie B. Beck has taught that “we know through the Prophet Joseph Smith that Relief Society was a formal part of the Restoration.” The process of restoration began with the First Vision in 1820 and continued “line upon line, precept upon precept” (D&C 98:12). When the Relief Society was formally organized on March 17, 1842, the Prophet taught the women about their essential place in the restored Church. He said, “The Church was never perfectly organized until the women were thus organized.

There are other great quotes in this lesson that you could also discuss, so be sure to prayerfully review the entire message and underline the things you'd specifically like to discuss with your sisters.

You can get your free download for February's Visiting Teaching lesson aid here. It is a 2-page document, so you can print the church on the front of your paper, and "Relief Society" on the back. Be careful to print only page 1, then re-feed the paper into your printer upside down to print page 2. If this is a hassle, you could always just print page 1, then hand-write "Relief Society" on the back center of the paper. (Hold up to a window to align properly.)

January Visiting Teaching Idea

The Visiting Teaching message for January is about the history and heritage of Relief Society. Here is a paper doll chain that is meant to represent the connection we have to the sisters throughout history with whom we share membership in this amazing organization.

You can download the template here, which has with it some quotes and questions from the January 2011 message. Just accordion fold your doll, and cut out while keeping the edges of the hands intact, and you will have a darling set of 4 Relief Society sisters holding hands and hearts. You can also click here to take you to the visiting teaching message

Another December Visiting Teaching Idea

In case you missed my last ideas for Visiting Teaching for December, you can check out the post here. The Visiting Teaching Message for December is about our responsibility to participate in temple and family history work. Here is a paper chain to share with my sisters, with quotes from the message, along with some links for a family pedigree.

You can download the file here. I printed mine on colored construction paper, that I trimmed down to 8.5 x 11.

If you assemble your sisters' paper chains during your visit, you will want to bring the links, a pen, and some adhesive. You could ask your sisters to fill in their generations as best they can while you introduce the message and explain the significance of the chain.

You can then link the chain together while discussing the different quotes.

Alternate the message links with the pedigree links, so they end up on the same side. You will also want to make sure the print is all faced in the same direction (so some links aren't upside-down). You could also assemble your own chain before your visits to show your sisters, and then give them the unassembled version to complete on their own.

December Visiting Teaching Message Ideas!

The December Visiting Teaching message is about compassion - how we can develop and increase in it, and how we can nurture through compassionate service. I chose the quote by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, to focus on:

"Disciples of Christ throughout all ages of the world have been distinguished by their compassion. . . . In the end, the number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness, but the number of prayers we answer may be of even greater importance. Let us open our eyes and see the heavy hearts, notice the loneliness and despair; let us feel the silent prayers of others around us, and let us be an instrument in the hands of the Lord to answer those prayers"

I printed out President Uchtdorf's quote on a large heart, which is meant to represent "compassion". You can download the image here.

After cutting out, fold the three sides of the heart into each other, so you get this kind of triangle.

Then write the three ways we can develop our compassion, as found in this month's message, on the folded sides:

pray (see Moroni 7:48)
open our eyes (refer to quote)
be an instrument (refer to quote)

I also wrote "Develop and Increase in Compassion" on the center back of the heart.

As you open the heart (which increases in size), discuss the ways in which prayer, opening our eyes and being an instrument in the Lord's hands help our compassion to increase.

You could also make this fun treat to leave with the sisters you visit. Cindy from Skip to My Lou explains here how to melt mini candy canes and stick together into hearts. Cute!

There is also this cute printable you can just click on and print...

Lastly, I don't know who has read a book called "The Little Book of Christmas Spirit," but it tells 22 things you can do this Christmas. Here is a cute handout to print (just for your family) or give to someone. Great ideas to keep the true meaning of Christmas in our lives.  A cute gift would be to give this along with the book.

CLICK HERE to open this file.

 

 

November Visiting Teaching Idea/Message

The NovemberVisiting Teaching message is to be selected from talks in our last General Conference. I loved President Monson's talk during the General Relief Society broadcast, and found a fun handout to go with it. President Monson began by sharing the following quote:

A young couple, Lisa and John, moved into a new neighborhood. One morning while they were eating breakfast, Lisa looked out the window and watched her next-door neighbor hanging out her wash.

“That laundry’s not clean!” Lisa exclaimed. “Our neighbor doesn’t know how to get clothes clean!”

John looked on but remained silent.

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, Lisa would make the same comments.

A few weeks later Lisa was surprised to glance out her window and see a nice, clean wash hanging in her neighbor’s yard. She said to her husband, “Look, John—she’s finally learned how to wash correctly! I wonder how she did it.”

John replied, “Well, dear, I have the answer for you. You’ll be interested to know that I got up early this morning and washed our windows!”

President Monson went on to talk about not judging one another - and the meaning of charity.


Just for fun, I thought I'd share a recipe for homemade window cleaner. It is tied to a bottle of vinegar, which is a main ingredient in this simple concoction, and a great food storage item. I printed the recipe on white copy paper, and on colored cardstock, the following quote:

Charity is having patience with someone who has let us down. It is resisting the impulse to become offended easily. It is accepting weaknesses and shortcomings. It is accepting people as they truly are. It is looking beyond physical appearances to attributes that will not dim through time. It is resisting the impulse to categorize others.

You can download both here.

I cut the recipe out with some freehand scallops, and rubbed the edges on a dark yellow ink pad for a little depth. I glued that to the front of my folded card. I then punched some flower shapes out of newspaper, stacked four together, and attached them to the card with a black brad. I squished up the petals to give the flower some body. Feel free to let your creative juices flow!

I then punched another hole in the corner of the card and tied it to the vinegar with a pretty ribbon. You can view President Monson's talk here.

Paper Witch Shoes

Last year I made some of these as part of my "Secret Family" Halloween Basket I gave them. They were SO easy, and so extremely cute! If you're having any Halloween parties, they're the perfect party favor, or you can just do a fun craft with your kids (probably older kids it would work best with).
I filled the shoes with chocolate and other scrumptious Halloween treats

You don't even have to make them "Halloween-ie." I think they would be fun with pretty paper for a little girls princess party, a bridesmaid luncheon or girls lunch. I can even see them done in red glitter for a Wizard of Oz party.

To make your own paper shoes download the templates. Trace around the templates onto cardstock for the shoe and onto paper for the lining.  Score all dotted lines with a bone folder.  I used glue stick  to put the shoe together.  You can always use miniature clothes pins to hold the shoes together while drying. Embellish the shoes to fit your party theme.

Paper Shoe Template
Paper Shoe Lining Template