Children

The Faith in God booklet begins with a special message from the First Presidency:

“Our Dear Young Friend,

“You are a child of God. He is your Heavenly Father. He loves you and cares about you. He wants you to have faith in Him and pray to Him often – anytime, anywhere.

“He hopes you will keep the covenant you made when you were baptized and follow the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. He has given you the gift of the Holy Ghost to guide you, a family to love and teach you, and Primary leaders and teachers to help you.”

For girls: “You are now preparing for new opportunities in your life. Use these years to develop the qualities that will help you be a righteous young woman.”

For boys: “You are now preparing to receive the Aaronic Priesthood. Use these years to learn about the priesthood and to be worthy and ready to receive it.”

For both: “We encourage you to learn and live the gospel, serve others, and use the talents Heavenly Father has given you to learn and do many good things. Earning the Faith in God Award will help you become the kind of person you would like to be and the person Heavenly Father knows you can become.”

The purposes for fulfilling the Faith in God Award have been outlined above. I’d like to take a moment to look a bit closer at these purposes.

When members of the LDS (Mormon) Church are baptized, they make certain covenants, or promises, with Heavenly Father. These promises can be found in the weekly sacrament prayers as a constant reminder of what we should be doing.

After being baptized those holding the Melchizedek Priesthood place their hands on the new member’s head to seal this baptism, then gives the gift of the Holy Ghost. Members of the LDS Church are encouraged to make goals and accomplishing them in order to help each individual reach his and her potential. To keep this process going teachers and leaders are provided to help.

The girls in the Faith in God program (as well as Young Women program as teens) are encouraged to look for ways to help increase their spirituality, their sense of duty and honor in being a member of this Church, as well as the sacred responsibility of one day becoming a wife and mother.

The boys in the Faith in God program (and subsequent Young Men program as teens) are also encouraged to look for ways to help increase their spirituality, sense of duty and honor in being a member of this Church. They are also encouraged to learn about the sacred responsibility of holding the Aaronic Priesthood, as well as becoming a husband and father.

As the boys and girls accomplish each goal, they will find themselves increasing in knowledge, discovering and using their unique talents to help others, find joy in service, and the wonderful feeling that accompanies a job well done.

Every adult in the world likes to feel good about themselves. Children are no different. Teaching them when they’re young can only make them stronger as teens and then adults, creating generations of strong, hard-working, worthy members of our world.

Just as the young men and young women of the LDS (Mormon) Church have programs designed to help them develop spiritually, mentally, and physically, so do the boys and girls in Primary age 8-11. This program is called ‘Faith in God’.

When a child reaches the age of eight and is baptized, he or she should receive a booklet titled ‘Faith in God for Girls’ or ‘Faith in God for Boys’. The child is asked to work on different activities in various areas:

· Learning and Living the Gospel
· Serving others
· Developing Talents
· Preparing for the Priesthood (for boys)
· Preparing for Young Women (for girls)

Many of the activities to be passed off are the same for both boys and girls. For example, one activity in the Serving Others section is:

· Plan, prepare, and serve a nutritious meal.

There are many activities designed specifically for boys or girls. For girls, one activity is:

· Write in your journal how you can serve the Lord as you stand for truth and righteousness

For boys, one activity to help them prepare to receive the Aaronic Priesthood would be:

· Learn about the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood (see D&C 13, 107:20, and Joseph Smith – History 1:68-73)

An extra benefit to the boys being involved in this program is many of the activities are designed to help them in scouting as well.

One of the most wonderful things about this program is how it teaches these young people to make and accomplish goals. None of them are too difficult, and under the program’s structure both parents and teachers can help the children attain these goals.

An adult woman (or two) will help the girls out by arranging an activity night, twice a month, either in her own home or a home of one of the girls. Where scouting is implemented, those nights can be substituted for activity nights.

The hope is that after the child has turned eleven, and has then completed all of the requirements, she can have the certificate located at the back of the book signed by both the Primary president as well as a bishop/branch president.

Once your child graduates from Primary and continues on into the Young Men and Young Women programs, they will continue to habit of making and accomplishing goals. The hope is that as these children grow they will continue this excellent habit, helping them to become goal-oriented adults.