This handout was inspired from Elder Robert D. Hales' talk, "Our Duty to God: The Mission of Parents and Leaders to the Rising Generation". I have five daughters, and my oldest just turned 12, so this message was particularly poignant to me. Elder Hales talks about really understanding the hearts of our youth, and important things we should be doing to "grow together in a bond of faith and friendship that will allow you to strengthen each other and stay on the gospel path forever, to indeed be an eternal family." The photo above shows my little articulated doll holding that quote - which is referring to participating in Personal Progress and/or Duty to God with our youth.

This paper doll is meant to help remind us that our listening ears, loving words, active hands, and walking examples allow us to fulfill our “imperative duty to help youth understand and believe the gospel in a deeply personal way.”

You will need the following supplies:

downloaded file (click here to get pdf)
8.5 x 11" white cardstock
scissors
small hole punch or exacto knife
7 silver mini brads per doll

You can find the mini brads at most scrapbook stores, or in the scrapbook section of some department stores. I plan on cutting and assembling just one doll that I will use to teach the lesson. I'll then give the sisters I visit teach an uncut printed sheet with a little bag of brads that they can use to assemble in their own time.

One suggestion for assembly: give a good press to the back of the open brads to allow for a snug fit against the paper. The appendages will stay where you place them better if the brads are not wobbly in their holes.

You could, of course, color your doll if you like - or just leave her as is with her little red heart in hand.

Idea taken from http://visitingteachingblog.blogspot.com

Personal Revelation

The Visiting Teaching message for April is about seeking and receiving personal

revelation. I made a paper pinwheel that has the four things mentioned in the message that we need to do in order to receive personal revelation: study scriptures, fast, pray, and build faith.

To make your pinwheels, you will need:
a piece of 8.5 by 11" paper
new pencils with erasers
thumbtacks
scissors
First download the pattern here. I printed mine on the back of an 8.5 x 11" piece of scrapbook paper.

Cut each square out, then make cuts about half-way down on each printed diagonal line.

Bring down a corner that has no writing on the white side, and pierce the end with a thumbtack.

Continue with the remaining 3 points with no writing on them, then push the pin through the very center of the paper.

Then, keeping all your ends on the pin, push the pin into the eraser-end of a new pencil.

I then made a little tag-shape from President Packer's quote, punched a hole, and hung from the pushpin with a piece of raffia.

In discussing the first quote by Elder Robert D. Hales, I would begin by talking about the importance of each point of the pinwheel. How can the following help us receive personal revelation?

Studying scriptures
Fasting
Prayer (Read and discuss the second quote in the message by President Boyd K. Packer)
Building Faith (How can we ask in faith, nothing wavering? How can we build that kind of faith?)

After discussing the points on the pinwheel, blow on it to make it spin and explain how just like the pinwheel won't spin on it's own, we can't expect to receive personal revelation unless we do our part. The Lord wants us to unlock heaven, but we have to use our key!

(Idea found from http://visitingteachingblog.blogspot.com/)

Scripture Study

The Visiting Teaching Message for March is entitled, "Strengthening Faith in God the Father and Jesus Christ through Personal Scripture Study". I love the term "sister scriptorians", phrased by President Kimball in this message. It sounds so powerful, almost super-hero-like, which is what led me to write, "Sister Scriptorians: blessing homes and lives one study session at a time", on this month's handout.

What I've made here, is a paper with sticky notes, which have a couple quotes and the scriptures printed on them from March's message. The quotes are meant to be put somewhere in our home to remind us to study and ponder the scriptures. The printed scriptures are wonderful messages that teach us the importance of feasting upon and pondering the scriptures. We can write personal impressions on these sticky notes, then place them in our scriptures, or in a spiritual journal.

To print this page and the sticky notes, first download the file here. The file is a 2-page document. Print ONLY the first page on a piece of copy paper or cardstock.

Next, place 6 sticky notes over the printed squares.

Place the printed page with the sticky notes attached into the manual feed of your printer. Mine is in the back, and I need to put it in upside down like this, to get it to print in the proper direction. It is very important that your sticky notes go into the printer with the adhesive side first. They will lay flat and go right through with your paper. Now, print ONLY the 2nd page of the document.

You will now have your sticky notes printed perfectly in place and your handout is ready to go!

Here is another idea about treasuring the scriptures, if you'd like to try something a little different.

Idea taken from: http://www.visitingteachingblog.blogspot.com

Avoiding Debt

The visiting teaching message for February is "Managing Resources Wisely and Staying Out of Debt". I was really drawn to the last paragraph of the message, where it talks about how we need to exercise faith in the Savior to be better in sacrificing our wants in order to meet our own and others' needs.

In order to demonstrate the need we have to tighten our purse strings, I made a little purse with the quote printed on the inside flap, and filled it with coins that have the five key steps to financial freedom printed on them.

All you really need to make your own purses to share with the sisters you visit teach is some adhesive (I used double-sided tape) and 1 sheet 8 1/2 x 11 paper. I used scrapbook paper, but you could use whatever you have on hand - you could stamp or embellish copy paper or cardstock and get a similar result.

Everything else is extra - you could get by without it, and still have a cute handout to share.

I used a green flower brad as an accent on the purse flap, and a piece of adhesive velcro to close it up (you could just use tape or a sticker). I found some chocolate coins that I glued the "five keys" onto, but they also looked really cute going solo, with the same pattern as the purse on the back.

Begin by downloading the purse and coin pattern here. Cut out the purse and fold on the dotted lines. Make creases where the bottom of the purse meets the front and back. Apply adhesive on the flaps sticking out from the base and the back of the purse.

Press the base flaps to the back flaps, then do the same with the front to the back.

Apply adhesive to the handle edges and press to the inner sides of the purse.

I then punched a hole and added the green flower brad.

I pressed the velcro on top of the brad's legs and carefully placed the other side of the velcro to the front of the purse so it would be positioned to close correctly.

As you share the message, you can begin by emptying the purse of its coins, then dropping them back in one at a time as you discuss the "five keys".

Idea taken from http://www.visitingteachingblog.blogspot.com

Self-Reliance

The Visiting Teaching Message for January is about self-reliance. Since January is also the month of resolutions, I made a little goal planner intended to help us think about the ways in which we can improve our self-reliance. The nice thing about the size of this little planner is that it fits into a pocket or a purse so nicely, which makes it easy to take out and ponder from time to time.

The planner is made from one sheet of folded paper. No glue or adhesive is required.


Begin by folding the paper in half the long way, and making a sharp crease. (The vertical creases you see in the photo are coming up.)

Open the paper flat, then fold the paper with the short sides meeting.

Then take one layer of paper, flip the edge back to meet the fold, and crease.

Turn the paper over, flip the edge of the paper back to meet the fold, and crease.

Your paper now looks like this.

Place the paper on the table so that you see a W when you look at the end.

Cut the center of the W along the center fold. You'll be cutting through two layers of paper and stopping at the cross fold (This is marked with a dotted line on my downloaded file.)

Hold the center point of the W together on both sides so the cut middle section falls open. Let the backs of the planner pages meet each other. You will have an open book with 4 double-sided pages at this point.

Find the front page of the planner, and bring the remaining three sections to the back, so you have a flat book.

Crease everything down, and you have a nice little book to jot down a few ideas for becoming more self-reliant in all the areas mentioned in the visiting teaching message. (I make blank books like these all the time for my kids to draw in - they are lots of fun!)You can download the file for the self-reliance planner here.

Idea taken from http://www.visitingteachingblog.blogspot.com/