The Sixth Sense

This is not a review of the Bruce Willis movie and has nothing
to do with a psychological thriller.  Just thought I would get that
out of the way first thing.

The young women theme for May is Choice and Accountability.
This is one of my favorite values to teach because it is so clear and
practical to demonstrate, unlike some of the more abstract values
such as faith or divine nature.   Learning to choose good over evil
is one of the main reasons we are here on this earth.  It's not always
so easy to do and often we don't want to accept the consequences 

that come with our choices.  Our Heavenly Father loves us so much
and wants us to succeed here on this earth.  He hasn't left us on our own.  

I decided to have a personal progress activity based on experimenting
with our senses and then learning more about what some might call -
a sixth sense.  First we talked about the five wonderful senses with
which we have been blessed - touch, smell, sight, sound, taste.  I
planned some fun activities for the girls to experiment with each of
their senses.

First I had them take off their shoes and with blindfolds on they had
to follow a rope placed on the floor, using their sense of touch to
guide them.

Next, with blindfolds still in place we tasted some foods and tried
to identify them.  This was great.  All the girls were good sports and
tasted all the samples I had brought for them.   Apples, pickles, m&m's,
mini marshmallows, popcorn and gummy lifesavers.

They looked like little birds as they opened their mouths and trusted us

to feed them.  Next, we used our sense of smell to try and distinguish

different aromas.  This was harder for them.

We had cotton balls soaked with perfume, vinegar and laundry

detergent. Smashed up bananas, oranges, chocolate chips and garlic.

Note to self - don't crush the garlic until right before you need it.   I 

prepared all these things early in the day and the garlic  was a bit

overpowering!

Hannah decided she would eat the object lesson when we were finished. 

I guess she doesn't mind her oranges tasting a little like garlic.

For the experiment with sight, I hid three small flags around the room and

we turned out the lights.  With flashlights they had to find them and come

tell me what each one looked like.   

I wanted the activity with hearing to be the most important and 

understood because it led right into our discussion on learning to

tune into the voice of the spirit.   We had  adults spread all over the

room, with different instruments and objects that made noise.  When 

I gave the signal, we all started to make noise at the same time.  We

had whistles, cymbals, flutes, and all kinds of rhythm instruments and

noisemakers.  Before we began, I took out a triangle (remember

those from elementary school?) and made a tinkling noise for the 

girls to hear.  They were supposed to move around in the dark, relying

on their sense of hearing to locate that small sound amidst all the clamor 

of the other instruments.  It worked perfectly and led to a good discussion 

on how the spirit of the Lord usually speaks to us in quiet and still ways.

He doesn't normally shout above the everyday noises in which we surround

ourselves.   Learning to hear his voice takes practice and we need to 

develop the habit of times of quiet devotion.

Now it was time to sit down on the floor, pull out our scriptures and

begin reading and discussing about this important "other sense" that 

we've been given to help us in life.  Some call it their conscience or the

light of Christ.  We learn from the scriptures that it is the Holy Ghost,

the third member of the Godhead.

We read that the spirit of the Holy Ghost cannot be seen, touched,

tasted or smelled.  We can however, with practice,  learn to hear it

speak to us in our minds and in our hearts.  In the Old Testament

book of Ezekiel, the 26th chapter, we read about how the Lord can

put his spirit into us and give us a "new heart", changing us from sinful

creatures into holy and pure disciples.

In John 14:26, we learn that another name for the Holy Ghost 

is the Comforter.  This Comforter will teach us all things we need

to know and bring things to our remembrance. He will also comfort

us in times of trial and sorrow.  In Galations, we read about the fruits

of the spirit - love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,

faith, meekness and temperance.  These are Christlike characteristics 

that followers of Christ seek after and they can be ours as we live worthy

of the companionship of the Holy Ghost. 

In the Book of Mormon, we were reminded that the Holy Ghost 

will guide us and direct us when we have decisions to make and

by his power we may know the truth of all things.   What wonderful

blessings.  I'm so grateful for this gift in my life, because it is hard to

make decisions and feel confident that you are  doing the right thing

at times.  These girls are at an especially critical age, when many of

the decisions they make will affect them for the rest of their lives.  I 

pray they will gain a testimony for themselves that the Holy Ghost

can be their constant companion.  The Spirit is the testifier of all truth. 

I shared with them some very real experiences I've had in my life when

I knew that I had received answer to prayer and had heard the Lord speak

to me through his spirit. This is my favorite part of every activity - when 

I look them in the eye and share my testimony with them.  No matter how

loud or silly they may have been throughout the evening, they become

incredibly quiet and reverent, and I canfeel the sweet spirit in the room. 

It's a special moment. 

For refreshments we had lots of "choices" of yummy things to dip in

the chocolate fondue.

Strawberries, cream puffs, bananas, oreos, pretzels and vanilla wafers.

This was a fun activity.  I bet it would also work great for a family home evening.

"Choose you this day whom ye will serve...... but as for me and my house

    we will serve the Lord."      Joshua 24:15

*Goal #44  - Give 50 hours of service.