Sunday, June 10, 2012

Primary Sharing Time

Happy Sunday!

I have Sharing Time this week in Primary. For anyone who doesn't know,  Primary is a class for kids 11 and younger where we sing songs and learn about scriptures and the gospel. 

The kids are all great, and sometimes they say the funniest things. I really like being in there to help them learn, and help me strengthen my knowledge of "the basics." 

Anyway, this week's Sharing Time topic is "When I pay my tithing, Heavenly Father will bless me."
I was super excited about this, I have such a testimony of tithing. 

Sharing Time Idea:

Start of by teaching the kids and explaining to them what tithing actually is. Explain that it is 1/10 of your increase, and that it is a commandment given to us to pay. Hold up a donation slip and explain everything that is on it. Undoubtedly the kids have seen those slips, but help them really understand what everything means. 

On the board, have two signs--one saying "Tithing" and the other saying "Blessings." Under the "Tithing" sign, hang up ten large coins. Ask the children how many of the coins you would pay to tithing (If they get this fairly quickly, give a couple other scenarios they can calculate tithing from). Take one coin from the "Tithing" pile and put it over the "Blessings" side. Under the "Blessings," have pictures of everything we use tithing for: pictures of scriptures, meetinghouses, songbooks, temples, manuals, etc. Explain that the money is only used for things that 
will help the church and the people in it. 

Then explain that although you are giving up that money, the Lord will bless you more than that money could have. President Gordon B. Hinckley had a marvelous story that was in an old friend magazine. Read the children the story and emphasize how much the Lord blessed Rene and his wife. 

(Story: ( Link )

COME LISTEN TO A PROPHET’S VOICE:

Five Little Fish

Gordon B. Hinckley
From a September 2006 general Relief Society meeting address.
President Hinckley shows how good things can happen even when keeping a commandment is very hard.
As a young man recently returned from his mission, Rene found the girl he wanted to marry. They were happy, but very poor.
Then came a difficult time when their food and money ran out. It was a Saturday, and the cupboard was literally bare. Rene felt distraught that his young wife was hungry. He decided he had no other choice than to use their tithing money and go purchase food.
As he was leaving the house, his wife stopped him and asked him where he was going. He told her he was going to buy food. She asked him where he got the money. He told her that it was the tithing money. She said, “That is the Lord’s money—you will not use that to buy food.” He put the money back, and they went to bed hungry that night.
The next morning they had no breakfast, and they went to church fasting. Rene gave the tithing money to the bishop, but he was too proud to tell the bishop that they were in need.
After the meetings he and his wife left the chapel and started to walk home. They hadn’t gone very far when a new member called to them from his house. This man was a fisherman and told them he had more fish than he could use. He wrapped five little fish in a newspaper for them, and they thanked him. As they continued to walk home, they were stopped by another member who gave them tortillas; then someone else stopped them and gave them rice; another member saw them and gave them beans.
When they arrived home, they had enough food for two weeks. They were even more surprised when they unwrapped the package of fish and found two very large fish and not the five smaller ones they thought they had seen. They cut the fish in portions and stored it in their neighbor’s freezer.
They have repeatedly testified that never since then have they gone hungry.

Things to Think About

  1. 1. 
    What would you do if you were hungry and the only money you had was for tithing?
  2. 2. 
    Did the people who gave Rene and his wife food know they didn’t have food? If they didn’t, why do you think they gave them food?
  3. 3. 
    What blessings did Rene and his wife receive because they paid tithing? What blessings have you received? )
__________________________


Bear your testimony about tithing, and maybe share an experience you have had when paying your tithing blessed your life. 

Scripture:

Malachi 3:10 states:
 10 Bring ye all the atithes into the storehouse, that there may bebmeat in mine house, and cprove me now herewith, saith the Lordof hosts, if I will not dopen you the ewindows of heaven, and pour you out a fblessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

The Lord loves us so much. Tithing is the way we can pay him back for everything that he gives us (Even though, technically, he blesses us even more after that!). The Lord is truly wonderful. 


Included are a few lesson helps I made for the sharing time (all the images I used were from google image search): 



This is a coloring page that goes along with the story. If you have time, give it out to the kids and have them color it. If you don't just give it out as a handout for them to take home. 


Hope this helped someone! 

xoxo

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