I made this "wedding cake"...
...and had it displayed on the table with forks, plates and my wedding pictures of BJ and I in front of the Salt Lake temple.
We talked about the importance of a Temple Marriage and the blessing of Eternal Families that it can bring to us if we make right choices and live worthy of these temple blessings.
I encouraged the girls to all make the goal now to be married in the temple when the time is right. I told them that even one small decision can alter the direction of their life, and that they need to be aware of their decisions and be sure to make good worthy decisions NOW that will lead them to a future temple marriage.
Towards the end of my lesson I picked up the wedding cake that had been sitting on the table and told them that there was no reason for them not to be blessed with a temple marriage and receive the blessings of an eternal family. I held out the cake and reminded them that this is what they wanted; the white cake, the happy temple marriage, the eternal family and all the other blessings that the temple can give us.....
then I dropped the cake in the garbage can and said....
"Don't Throw it Away."
They all GASPED,
their EYES WENT WIDE
and they sat in SHOCK!
(did she really just throw that cake away??!!?)
YES!
I encouraged them all to decide NOW and set a goal to get married in the temple... this way, when they are 'in the middle of it all' they will have already made their decision and it'll be easier for them to do what they need to do to accomplish their goal.
I then reminded them how sad it would be for even one small decision to change the direction of their path in life and "throw it all away."
How mean am I to tease them with the thought of getting to eat wedding cake and then throw it in the garbage??
...Well, I'm not THAT mean!
I then pulled out these cupcakes that I made reminding them of how "sweet" the blessings of a temple marriage are.
They all enjoyed the lesson..
Several of them told me as they were leaving the class that they were making the goal now to get married in the temple and that they would never forget the day that I threw a wedding cake in the garbage can!!
I think I got the reaction I was hoping for!
12 comments:
That is AWESOME! And I'm sure they will NEVER forget that visual!
Hey, would you mind emailing me those 2 pics of the kids in the car. I still have to catch up on all my posts but I didn't have any of the kids in the car. Thanks!
Ali,
What an amazing lesson!!! You are so awesome. Do those young women know that they have the best teacher ever? Great Job!!!
There's a reason you have that calling. What a FABULOUS idea! I know that's a lesson I would never forget. Wonderful job, and what a creative way to reach into their busy minds.
What an amazing idea! I bet you left such an impression on these girls lives. You are amazing! I am so excited to hear you will be up at the end of the month. What days will you be up here? We will be blessing Halle on June 7th, and I would love for you guys to come if you are interested! Miss you!
You ROCK!!
Love It!!! Is Cake decorating a secret skill! Every cake on this blog is beautiful!!! I wish all YW leaders everywhere could steal that lesson and use it! AWESOME!
Allison, The cake was beautiful. No wonder the girls couldn't believe you would throw it away. I think I will never forget this lesson even though I wasn't there to hear it. Being married in the temple has been a wonderful blessing for me. Still if I'm not careful, faithful, I can still "throw it all away". Thank you for thelesson. I love you!!!
I heard all about it - the cake was beautiful and I think the Mia Maids are so lucky! You are so talented. :)
You are awesome! Those girls are so lucky to have such a great friend and teacher. What a great reminder too...Temple marriage is sooo important, and the Temple is essential in our path back to our Heavenly Father.
Your kids are growing up too fast. We are excited to see you guys. Let us know when you get here!! Zachary can hardly wait!
that was such a great idea! i'm going to steal it from you one day. :)
THAT was INCREDIBLE!! I felt my heart drop as I read the story! I will never forget this one, and hope to be able to use it sometime myself!!
Love you SO much! Can't wait til tomorrow to see you!
What a great visual! You are so creative Allison! I hope to use your great idea sometime. Of course, you may have to make the cake. I have no talent for cake decorating. Like many of said... those Mia Maids are sure lucky to have you as their teacher.
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