FHE-Apostles
by Shauna Gibby

You might ask yourself, 'Do I see the calling of the prophets and apostles as sacred? Do I treat their counsel seriously, or is it a light thing with me?' ~ D. Todd Christofferson

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Conference Talk:

For more information on this topic read “The Twelve,” by Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, May 2008, 83–87.

Thought:

For the Church to be His Church, there must be a Quorum of the Twelve who hold the keys. (Boyd K. Packer, “The Twelve,” Ensign, May 2008, 83–87.)

Song:

“The Fifth Article of Faith” Children’s Songbook, p.125.

Scripture:

And as I said unto mine apostles, even so I say unto you, for you are mine apostles, even God’s high priests; ye are they whom my Father hath given me; ye are my friends. (Doctrine and Covenants 84:63)

Lesson:

Show your family a picture of each member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and First Presidency, but do not show their names. (These pictures can be found in a recent May or November Ensign.) Let each family member see how many of these men they can name. Explain that Jesus also called Twelve Apostles when He was on earth. Have your family try to name as many of Jesus’ original Twelve Apostles as they can. Ask family members to read Mark 3:16–21 and find the names of the original Twelve Apostles. Discuss the following questions:

• According to Mark 3:13–15, what did Jesus ask these men to do?

• According to the Bible Dictionary (“Apostle,” 612), what is the principal responsibility of an Apostle?

• How do Apostles witness that Jesus is the Christ today?

• What messages do you remember from the Apostles in the last conference?

Invite family members to share feelings, testimonies, or personal experiences they may have had with today’s Apostles.

(Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The New Testament, p. 59.)

Story:

by F.A. Hammond

On the 6th day of September 1848, we arrived in Great Salt Lake City. I remember thinking the name was much larger than the city, which consisted of three mud forts called the North, South and Middle Forts, enclosing ten acres in each fort, if my memory is not at fault. The Saints . . . were all located inside these forts or enclosures, probably in round numbers not exceeding fifteen hundred souls. . . .

On the 20th of September, 1848, President Brigham Young and company arrived in the valley from Winter Quarters. I sought and obtained an introduction to him. I was profoundly impressed with his appearance. Never did a man make such an impression upon me as he did; and I was more than willing to accept him as the great leader and prophet and counselor to the people of God. This testimony has never wavered in the least from that day to the present.

I had a great desire to make the acquaintance of Apostle Parley P. Pratt, for I revered him as my father in the gospel, on account of the Voice of Warning, which had much to do in converting me to the faith.

One afternoon soon after my arrival, I dressed myself up in my best bib and tucker, and Brother Van Cott took me up to introduce me to Apostle Parley P. Pratt. We found him threshing beans before his door, with a wagon box with sides turned down for a floor. He was barefooted, in shirt sleeves, and wore a home-made straw hat with brim nearly separated from the crown, and his ears protruding between crown and brim of his hat. I must confess I was a good deal surprised to find my ideal Apostle in such a plight, and forced to labor in such a manner for his support, for I had the old sectarian idea about the grave and reverend appearance of prophets and apostles, who had little if anything to do with secular or temporal affairs. With such views I could hardly receive Brother Pratt as the man who wrote so many inspired books.

In introducing me, Brother Van Cott stated that I was lately from the Sandwich Islands, and had resided there some three years. Brother Pratt flung down his flail and, seating himself on a fence, began talking about the people on those far-off isles belonging to the house of Israel. A flood of light and truth flowed in a perpetual stream from his lips, and his whole soul was inspired with his theme. I soon lost all sight of his bare feet, his dilapidated hat and general appearance, and was all imbued with the spirit of the great latter-day gathering promised by the Lord to His people, the house of Israel. Never in all my life had I heard such a discourse so full of inspiration and prophecy concerning the great work of the Lord in the latter days. I found my ideal Apostle to be all that I had imagined and far more.

(Edited by Jay A. Parry, Jack M. Lyon, and Linda Rire Gundry, Best-Loved Stories of the LDS People, Vol. 3, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2000]. p.17–18.)

Activity:

Attach a long piece of white paper to the wall with masking tape. On the table spread many issues of the Ensign (or other age-appropriate church magazines). Each member of the family picks out an issue and looks through it looking for messages from the apostles. They should select statements of counsel and write them on the paper with a felt-tip pen: “Plant a garden,” “Don’t shop on Sunday,” “Fellowship an inactive family,” and so on. After looking over the list, choose two items that your family wants to work on for the next month.

(Eric G. Stephan and Judith Stephan Smith, What Happy Families Are Doing, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1981], p. 35.)

Refreshment:

Honey Candy

2 cups honey

1 cup sugar

1 cup cream

Combine ingredients in heavy saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Cook, stirring as little as possible, until mixture reaches hard ball stage (260 degrees). Remove from heat; pour onto buttered shallow pan or buttered platter. Turn edges in with spatula so they will not harden and candy will cool more quickly. When barely cool enough to handle, pull, using only buttered finger tips, until light and fluffy. Twist into ropes of desired thickness. With scissors cut into pieces of desired size.

(Winnifred C. Jardine, Mormon Country Cooking, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1980] p. 301.)

Deseret Book

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