Joseph Smith Lesson 5 - Temples

Joseph Smith: Temples

By: Deborah Pace Rowley

Activity: Penny Hunt

Prepare ahead by getting one dollar’s worth of pennies. Hide these pennies around the family room before family home evening. When FHE begins tell the family that you are going to imagine that you lived back in Joseph Smith’s time and God had commanded the Saints to build a temple. All the members of the church were very poor and each family sacrificed scraping together every cent they could to help build the temple. It took the Saints three years to build the Kirtland Temple. Do you think it would have been hard to go without things you wanted to help build the temple? How would you feel when the temple was finished? Tell the family that there are 100 pennies hidden around the room. At the signal, the family can rush around trying to find all 100 pennies. When you have found and counted them all, put them in a jar that you have labeled temple fund. Ask the family what other kinds of things pioneer children could have done to earn money for the temple. Could they earn extra money by raising chickens and selling the eggs? Could they plant a garden and sell their vegetables? Could they raise a sheep and sell the wool or a cow and sell the milk? Fathers worked hard on the temple. They would spend 1 day in every 10 days working on the temple .This was like paying tithing with work instead of money. Mothers worked hard too. They would sew clothes for the men working on the temple because their clothes wore out. They donated their beautiful china plates which were crushed and put in the mortar on the outside of the temple this made the temple shine in the sun. Young and old sacrificed to earn money for the temple.

Activity: Chore Challenge

How do children earn money today? They could have a lemonade stand, babysit younger brothers or sisters or do extra chores around the house. Explain that the family is going to play a game called “Chore Challenge” to earn money for the temple fund. Divide the family into two teams. Give each team a list of three or four chores to do around the house. Divide the chores evenly so that they will take approximately the same amount of time to complete. Create the lists based on things that need to be done. Here are some ideas: fold and put away clothes, wash the car, weed the garden, vacuum the stairs, clean out he junk drawer, clean out the car, organize the hall closet, wash the windows in the kitchen, dust the ceiling fans etc. At the signal, both teams runs around to complete all the things on their list as quickly as they can. The first team that is finished earns $5 for the temple fun (or some lesser or greater amount based on your family budget.) The other team earns $3 for the temple fund. Put the money in th e jar and remember to take it to the Bishop on Sunday. Fill out the donation slip by writing the words Temple Fund in the Other Category at the bottom.

 Liken the Scriptures:

When the Kirtland Temple was finished, Joseph Smith dedicated it. The prayer that he said at the dedication is in Doctrine and Covenants Section 11. Read verses 12-23. See if the family members can find all the blessings promised to members of the church who enter the temple. The early Saints had many spiritual experiences during this dedication. Many saw angels. Others said that the temple looked like it was burning on the outside because of the glory of the Lord that shone upon it. The Spirit filled the temple like a mighty, rushing wind, and many people spoke in tongues and began to prophesy. Three days after the Dedication , the Savior appeared to Joseph Smith and  Oliver Cowdry in the Kirtland Temple. This visit is described in Doctrine and Covenants Section 110. Read verses 1 to 10. Did these experiences make the Saints’ sacrifice for three years worth it?

Testimony:

Have family members share their feelings about the temple. Today we don’t generally sacrifice money to build temples other than our tithing money which is spent on temples. But we do need to sacrifice our time to go to the temple often. Express your testimony that the blessings of the temple are worth any sacrifice.

Game: Penny Toss

Place a plate on the floor in front of each family member. This is the temple fund. Give each player 15 or 20 pennies. The goal of the game is to get as many pennies on the plate as possible. Have the youngest members of the family stand closet to their plate while older members have to stand further back to equalize the challenge. The one with the most pennies on the plate after all the pennies have been tossed is the winner.

Treat: Lucky Penny

Bake a cake for family home evening, mixing a clean penny in the batter before putting the cake in the oven. You may wish to wrap the penny in tinfoil first. Bake the cake and then frost it. The tradition is that the person who finds the penny as they are eating the cake will be lucky for a year. Usually this was done on Christmas or for a child’s birthday. This may have even been a tradition that the early members of the church participated in during Joseph Smith’s day.