July: How can I deepen my understanding of covenants?

All Printouts Found HERE

1. Introduction

• Making, Breaking, or Keeping Covenants Picture Activity
• Pass out the pictures representing making, breaking or keeping covenants
• Have each youth explain which category their picture(s) fall under

2. Learn Together

• As a class, read the section from True to the Faith titled "Covenants" 
• I have created a worksheet that has this section and the following questions for the youth to answer.
• What is a covenant?
• Why do we make covenants?
• What blessings do we receive when we keep them?
• Discuss answers
• Object Lesson from http://www.ambermaybe.com/2012/06/11/26-weeks-of-fhe-week-9/
• I didn't worry about the rubber ducky on top. I gathered three white cups and one red one. Then I told them that the red cup had to stay in the middle of the white cups. And the white cups couldn't move.
• Hand out "The Covenant Path" printout 
• I found this and I really liked how each of the covenants were laid out as we go through life. I wanted the youth to be able to keep a copy, so I sized it to fix in a standard set of scriptures.

3. Likening the Scriptures & Teaching Others

• Have the youth pick a covenant to learn about and teach to the class. If you have more than six youth, you could print off multiple copies or have them work in groups. (To be fair, I had my class roll a dice to see who got to pick first.) 
• For this activity, the youth are asked to read scriptures as well as excerpts from True to the Faith and a few other articles. If you want to save on printing, you could always bring True to the Faith books for the youth to use instead of the print outs from the True to the Faith.
• Also, if you wanted to save paper, you could always print out the Covenant worksheet from earlier in the lesson and the covenant they are going to learn about and teach double-sided. 

4. Making it Personal

• Pass out index cards and have the youth answer the following question: "Why is making and keeping covenants important to me?

5. Conclusion

• Read the quote from Elder Russell M. Nelson on the back of the Covenant Keeper Kit Kat handout from RuthAnne Strong. 

June: How can I use stories to teach others about the priesthood?

All Printables and Videos found HERE

Introduction:

• Display list of parables 
• Ask the youth what all of these words have in common
• Why did Jesus use stories to teach?

Learn Together:

(I used the article "Using Stories to Teach About the Priesthood" as the outline for this lesson. So headings, sections and paragraphs mentioned below come from this article. You can also find a pdf version in the printables and video link. I had the youth read the quotes from the article.)

• Read the 1st paragraph of section "Why Use Stories"
• To help us better understand why stories are a great way to teach we are going to use the following scenario: "Read the scenario at the beginning of the article about Anton"
• Read the 2nd paragraph of "Why Use Stories"
• Do they have any priesthood stories they could share with Anton? (If they can't think of anything, that's okay. They will remember experiences throughout the lesson and we will ask this question again later on.)

Likening the Scriptures:

• Ask the youth where can they find stories about the priesthood?
• Scriptures, Mormon Messages, their own experiences, other's experience
• Read Acts 8:14-24 and 3 Nephi 18:1-9, which are stories about the priesthood
• Read the section "Where to Find Stories"
• By now the youth have probably thought of a few stories they could share

Making it Personal:

• Read the section "What Stories to Use" and "When to Tell Stories"
• Put everything we have learned into action by watching the following videos and asked the youth to look for a principle. Afterwards ask them what it means to them personally.
• Faith in the Priesthood - What can you learn about preparation and the priesthood from President Monson?
• Sanctify Yourselves - What can you learn from the 18-year-old newly ordained Melchizedek priesthood holder about listening to the Spirit?
• Wartime Miracle - What can you learn about faith and the priesthood?
• Additional Stories, if you have time:
• http://www.ldsshortstories.com/stories/priesthood
• https://www.lds.org/children/resources/topics/priesthood-blessings?lang=eng&_r=1
• http://www.mormonhaven.com/zwick.htm

Conclusion:

• Ask the youth if they thought of any stories they would like to share about the priesthood.
• Have the youth answer the question on the index card "What does the priesthood mean to me?"