Another Book of Mormon Study Guide

I'm pretty much the 14 to 15 year-old teacher right now.  They've put the regular teacher into a different "special" class to teach.  The last three weeks have been an interesting time teaching them so far.  The second time I taught them I didn't even know I was doing it, so I had to wing it.  They were about as energized as the first time I taught them.  There was one kid there that wasn't there the first time and he at least had a little energy and answered some of my questions.  Then the third week on;y two kids showed up!  My lesson plan was to split them up in little groups and have them present to the rest of the class.  That wouldn't work with two, so I had to totally convert it into a normal lesson at the last second.  Then yesterday I decide I would do another Study Guide.  It worked a little better than the first time.  I had two kids that weren't there for the first one that talk a little.  Yea! I was able to get those two to answer some of my boring questions.  I figured I would share the next study guide with you all.  I did recycle the Ezra Taft Benson picture.  I was a little lazy and didn't want to draw everything new or write it out.  The type version is much either to read in my opinion.  I might make one more of these before the regular teacher comes back, or I might not.  Who knows.

fourteen year-olds

Today I had to teach Sunday School for the 14 year-olds at church.  It wasn't as bad as teaching the adult gospel doctrine classes.  I didn't feel like they were judging my teaching skills, but I totally taught a cooler lesson for the 14 year-olds.  I made this cool little booklet to go along with my lesson.  I thought it would be really cool, but I'm not sure anymore.  Look at this, I've never received a pamphlet at church to go along with the lesson.

It has to be cool. When I'm talking about searching the scriptures I have Sherlock Holmes searching for clues!  If Sherlock Holmes isn't awesome, I just don't know what is.  Benedict Cumberbatch is the coolest guy around and he's Sherlock Holmes.  I guess my British love of Sherlock was lost of them.  Still the pamphlet is cool.  The back has a picture of the Angel Moroni.  Maybe I'm to much of a nerd and this stuff is lame.  I can't tell because I'm to close to the situation.

So the 14 year-olds were not excited at all during the lesson.  I'm not sure if they were bored either.  The lesson went super fast for me.  I didn't get very far through the part I planned to present which left a whole section off.  I really tried to get them involved int he lesson but my questions and stories didn't seem that engaging to them.  I must be getting old.  I can't relate to kids these days.

1,000 years

During church today a teacher asked an interesting question.  He asked what would we do if we had a thousand years to live.  On top of that we would not have to worry about housing or money.  All those things were going to be taken care of.  Pretty much you have a thousand years to do anything you want.  We were left to talk about it with each other in small groups and then came back and talked about in a large group.  I find this question a little odd to ask at church.  The person diffidently didn't understand somethings and assumed somethings that weren't on base.  Luckily I don't care about any of those things.  I find what would you do for a thousand years if you had them very interesting by itself without all the misinformation.  Some questions I had were does everyone live a thousand years and are they taken care off.  If so, that would actually change society  completely. My next question was do you age at the same rate as we do now or is it slowed down.  Neither question was answered.  I will thus say that only I live a thousand yeas and I age to twenty at a normal rate and then slow down.  Every two hundred years will be like decade till the last twenty which thus you age normal again.  Maybe a little faster in the last twenty years.

What would I do with a thousand years?  People answered such boring answer like I'd take thousand years to finish my PhD.  It might be because I'm in a ward with a bunch of PhD students.  One person said they would continue to make art and make things with their hands.  One of my friends said they would want to help animals, like having an animal shelter.  One person brought up the fact that we would probably still do all the things we do now in our free time.  We wouldn't do that much different.  I think he's wrong though.  Right now I have to work hard to support my family.  If I didn't have that I would have so much more free time.  Maybe I wouldn't learn Spanish still, but with thousand years I would do some things different.

The main thing I would do is travel.  I don't have the money or time to do that now.  Sure Allison and I get out of town all the time, but we don't go far.  One thing I would do is travel on my bicycle.  I haven't been biking much since I don't have one right now.  With a thousand years I would bike all across America and Europe.  I would also continue to draw about my life.  I would make comics about my travels.  I would enjoy seeing new cities and new countries.  I'd probably stay in areas for long periods of time though.  I wouldn't bike a pass and leave it the next day.  I'd probably bike some where and stay up to a year or longer.  I would just engross myself in the culture.  It would be amazing.  Plus I wouldn't have to worry about money, so life would be good. The one bad thing is I would want Allison with me for the entire trip.  I couldn't imagine my life without her, okay I could, but it wouldn't be good.

What would you do if you could live a thousand years?

Primary, what else is there?

This past Sunday Allison and I took primary off. The primary presidency gave put these cards at the beginning of the year that let you take one Sunday off to go to your regular meetings and they would cover you. It’s one of the nice things they do for you. It was the first time I’ve been to Elder’s quorum and Sunday school since last December. I forgot how nice it was to go. It’s not very often I just get to sit back and listen to intelligent adults talk. I almost never hear a deep discussion on anything, if it’s not between Allison and me. I don’t get out much and work gives me nothing. We don’t hang out with our friends that often, so yeah, this was the first time in a very long time I actually heard the gospel in a class setting.

When I was younger, I hated Sunday school. The teachers were boring and they really never discussed things I didn’t already know. Now, it’s a little different. It’s a hundred times better than being with five-year-olds. It’s still a little boring. Most of the topics are that deep and amazing, but adults have opinions. Opinions that are their own. Opinions that they can clearly state and are passionate about. This is something I’ve been missing. I never voice my opinions in church; I don’t like talking in large groups, so Sunday school will never know what I know.

What I’m getting at here is that I love grown up interaction. I even got to talk to people between classes! I haven’t had time to do that forever. I got to sit next to one of my friends other than my wife. I was able to listen to engaging ideas of the gospel that might challenge me to do some more studying to see if people’s ideas are correct. (Yeah I never take anything at face value at church, doesn’t matter who says.) It was so nice. I miss being out of primary. I miss the little social interaction I use to get at church. Church has lost most of its meaning since they put me in primary. I feel like I’m there to babysit some people’s kids. I feel like I get nothing out of church, especially after seeing what I’ve been missing this past year. I don’t have the social aspect of it or the religious part. It’s a three hour waste of time for me. They need to change how the primary teachers work.

They need to make it possible that each teacher gets one Sunday a month or every two months where they go to their meetings. That’s not too much to ask. If any other primary teacher feels like I do, I’m sorry. It’s not right how the primary program works. I feel like I’m not really part of the ward when I’m in primary. They need to make it possible for people like me able to go to Elders quorum sometimes. It would be nice to meet some people in my quorum.

not me

I did the unthinkable today at church. As Allison and I were leaving we hit a crowded hallway. Everyone else had the same thing on their mind, Lunch! Everyone was heading in different directions, okay there was only two directions, but still different. Allison was behind me, but I stopped for a second for her to catch up. Then a girl with short brown hair and a white top jump right in front of me. I was like where is Allison going? I reached out and with the tips of my fingers touched her, trying to get her attention. It wasn't Allison! How could this be? Allison wasn't even wearing a white top today. It was a high school girl from our ward! Allison was still behind me. My face went three shades of red. I was like, "Oh sorry, your not my wife." I got out of that building as quick as possible. I can't believe how embarrassed I was.

All I can think now is I touched some random girl and she going to think I'm into her or something. I've always heard silly stories about people who have mistaken other people for their wives or husband, but not me. I never thought I would be one of those people. I know my wife. She has short brown hair from the back. Now I just need to get ride of every other girl in this city that has short brown hair from the back and I'll be safe again.