Family Home Evening Lessons on The Family: A Proclamation to the World, Lesson #3

As adults, we're all familiar with the different stages of human life: infant, toddler, rugrat, pre and adolescent, full-on know-it-all, still-think-we-know-it-all, starting-to-realize-our-parents-were-right (and that they got their wish of us getting a child just like we were), summer, autumn, winter, etcetera, etcetera…

Well, I have come to believe that we are spiritual beings sent to earth for a mortal experience, not mortal beings randomly here to maybe try and make it a spiritual experience. This is what is told to us in the third paragraph in "The Family: A Proclamation to the World". A simple summary:

1. We lived in Heaven a long time ago with our Eternal Father and lots of other loved ones.
2. Father created a plan for us which we accepted.
3. We each are given a physical body here on Earth to gain experience and prove ourselves worthy of the same glory that our Heavenly Father has.
4. Family relationships are part of the Divine Plan and we will be able to be united eternally through sacred ordinances received in holy temples, and by staying true to covenants that we make with our Heavenly Father.

Is it so hard to believe that we, too, are eternal beings? Eternal beings going through the stages of eternal life? I wish it were as easy for everyone to believe as it is for me.

Anywho, I had no idea how to turn this topic into a fun family home evening. I have done numerous activities with the children on the Plan of Salvation so it was old hat. So, I stood there in the living room looking at the carving on the mantle, just thinking. Waiting for the Spirit to communicate with me. Slowly… it came.

"What if we make a movie?"

This didn't get much of a response.

"We could pretend we are in Heaven and we hear the news that we are going to get a physical body and come to earth."

This got their attention. I kept blabbering all my ideas and their eyes kept getting bigger and they started smiling and interjecting their own ideas. So, we spent the afternoon making up scripts, and outfits, and filming.We were inside, in Heaven, where the furniture is all draped in white.



Then we were in a newsroom, where Didi Doorama did the nightly news report.















Then we were outside where Suzie Buttercup interviewed people on the streets, and Bob did a report on making worlds.


















Then we were back inside with Harper Finkle who interviewed Professor Doright, an expert on all things celestial.

As I got the dvd put together, the children made movie tickets and popcorn. Our family had a Movie Night. We watched it a few times and enjoyed many laughs together.

My 11 year old daughter said this will be something she remembers for the rest of her life.

I'm way too self-conscious to share the whole movie because I'm really good at acting like a dork, but I am thankful for the spiritual guidance I receive as a mom and for the fun time we had together creating this memory.