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Family Home Evening Materials

Theme: Peace
Packet #120310

5 tips for successful Family Home Evenings

1. Pray. Pray about the needs of your family as you consider topics for home evenings,
and pray as you prepare.
2. Prioritize. Make Family Home Evening a priority; learn to say no to other activities.
3. Involvement. Involve everyone in the family; help little children take part.
4. Commitment. Be committed and be consistent. Set a designated time and stick to it.
Holding Family Home Evening on a weekly basis takes dedication and planning on the part
of all family members.
5. Relax and enjoy it. The most important thing your children will remember is the spirit they
feel in your family home evenings and activities. Be sure the atmosphere is one of love,
understanding, and enjoyment.
 Peace
Conference Talk:
For more information on this topic read “Turn to the Lord,” by Donald L.
Hallstrom, Ensign, May 2010, 78–80.
Thought:
In the most difficult circumstances of life, there is often only one source of peace.
The Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.
(Donald L. Hallstrom, “Turn to the Lord,” Ensign, May 2010, 78–80.)

Song:
“Keep the Commandments,” Children’s Songbook, p. 146.
Scripture:
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I
unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
(John 14:27)

Lesson:
Ask family members to think of times of trial and difficulty when they felt
that no one could understand what they were going through. Tell your family you
are going to read the words of a hymn that asks questions and then gives answers.
Read the first two verses of “Where Can I Turn for Peace?” (Hymns, no. 129.)

1. Where can I turn for peace?

Where is my solace
When other sources cease to make me whole?
When with a wounded heart, anger, or malice,
I draw myself apart,
Searching my soul?

2. Where, when my aching grows,

Where, when I languish,
Where, in my need to know, where can I run?
Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish?
Who, who can understand? [Have a family member give an answer.]
He, only One.

Ask who “He, only One” refers to. As you read together Hebrews 4:14–16,
have your family look for why He can understand our sorrows and our grief. Ask:
 • Are there any trials we face that the Savior does not understand?
• Are there any sorrows for which the Lord cannot give comfort? Why?
• What do we need to do to take full advantage of what “He” offers?
Share an experience when the Savior brought you peace, comfort, or understanding.
(Beth Lefgren and Jennifer Jackson, Building Blocks for Better Lessons, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1998], p. 56.)

Story:
I’m sure my parents received the announcement of an impending hurricane with little enthusiasm,
but for me, a boy of eleven, it was tremendously exciting. The menacing storm had crawled along just
off the eastern coast of the United States as far north as New Jersey and was turning onto the land.
Now the hurricane was headed directly for our small town of Toms River.
It was summer, so there was no school, and I just stayed around home waiting for the storm to hit.
The sky was overcast. The feeling of anticipation was electric. Preparations of window taping, battery
changing, and water storing made it all the more dramatic.
Then the wind began to blow. Just a breeze at first, but it soon became a mighty, howling beast that
drove the raindrops like bullets and took up, if it could, anything not tied down.
I stationed myself out on the big porch of our house just out of the rain and watched as the forces
of nature unraveled. A garbage can clanged down the street like a tin can pulled behind some
newlyweds’ jalopy. Lightning, thunder, broken tree limbs, and flying debris? wow, what a great storm!
After a while the wind seemed to die down rather suddenly. There were a few breaks in the clouds.
The patches of blue sky, the birds singing, and the now- soft breeze almost made me forget about the
natural disaster that only minutes before had been ravaging our neighborhood. It was peaceful and
beautiful, a calm beyond calm. It was the eye of the hurricane.
It didn’t take long for me to realize that the pace would pick up again before we were through with
this windy, rainy struggle, and, sure enough, the full force of the hurricane was back upon us in short
order. Round one, a bit of a breather, and now round two.
Thank goodness there was no knockout punch! Actually, I enjoyed the whole thing, from start to
finish, but I think the town felt a little beat up when the storm finally passed for good.
Sometimes our lives are a lot like that storm. The winds of stress and pressure blow hard. Work,
family, and other responsibilities send all kinds of things clanging across our path, great challenges to
our intellectual preparation, emotional stability, and physical resistance. Life can be incredibly fun, but
we do sometimes feel a little beat up.
How nice to realize that there is for each of us a place where the blue sky shines through, the birds
sing, and the soft breezes blow. There’s a quiet place deep down inside of us, away from the storm.
Here we can find a brief reprieve from the daily disaster. All we have to do is learn to go there from
time to time. We can enjoy a refreshing calm that will strengthen us against the onslaught that, just like
the other half of the hurricane, surely must descend upon us.
A quiet place, a quiet mind, a comfortable chair, and a pleasant thought. Hold that thought. If it
escapes, quietly bring it back. It will stay a little longer this time. A bit of practice and you can go to
the eye of your personal hurricane whenever you need to. Just knowing it is there can often be comfort
enough.
(Don H. Staheli, It’s the Principle of the Thing, [Salt Lake City: Shadow Mountain, 2002], p.113.)

Activity:
A person claps only the rhythm of a known hymn. The other players try to name the hymn from the
rhythm being clapped. When someone guesses correctly they can be the clapper (or let everyone take a
turn).
 Refreshment
Homestyle Baked Scones

You’ll love the homemade goodness of these scones.

31⁄2 cups flour
1⁄2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
31⁄2 cups whipping cream, divided
11⁄2 cups cranberries
Sugar for dipping

In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; stir well. Add 3 cups whipping cream,
reserving 1⁄2 cup, and the cranberries; stir just until moist. Roll dough out on a floured surface. Using a
round cookie cutter or a glass, cut dough into circles. Dip tops of unbaked scones in remaining
whipping cream and then in sugar. Place on lightly greased cookie sheets (12 per sheet). Bake at
425 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes. Serve warm with butter. Makes about 30 scones.
(Julie Badger Jensen, Essential Mormon Celebrations, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2005], p. 19.)

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Finding Peace, Happiness, and Joy
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