Jesus for Two Jelly Beans

We just watched General Conference. It happens twice a year. We watch it on TV or listen to it on the radio as we work on the garden or tidy house. Saturday and Sunday for 4 hours a day. 

 When I was a child, I dreaded it. My mom would be all excited and I would be bored to tears watching mostly bald, old men in glasses and dark suits, talk slow enough to put me out. Somehow though, I still found a testimony and now I look forward to the great mens teachings, something in me yearns to hear truths and values spoken allowed. I think as they speak, "yah, you're right! I can do better at that." Or as they teach, I feel in my heart that what they say is right, even though I'm doing it wrong. I then know what I need to work on to be a better person. Somehow though, for all my trying to be good, you would think I would be a little further along than I am! 

I don't require the girls to listen to all of it, a session is 2 hours long and that is plenty enough for their age group, I also let them color and play with paper dolls as we listen. This year, I thought of a simple way my girls could try to focus on listening to the prophets words. We bought a bag of jelly beans and I drew them a key. Any time they heard one of the words I had drawn they could take a jelly bean.

Green= Joseph Smith, President Monson (our current prophet) and anything about prophets

Yellow= Jesus Christ, the Savior, our Redeemer, any name for Jesus

Orange= Heavenly Father, God

Blue= Baptism, member, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the name of our church is worth 2 beans b/c of the Jesus Christ)

Red= Family, love or missionaries (we love you Hannah!!)

Pink= The Book of Mormon

It was way too easy for them. After 2 talks (about 20 mins) Hazel was tapping out. Mom, if I eat anymore jelly beans I will be sick. But she managed it. She started pacing around the room, she would hear something she knew was on the list, "Baptism, got it." "Jesus, got it." " Family, got it". I was surprised at how much they did get. They are smarter than I thought, at least I mean, they can regurgitate words they hear really well.

Next time, I will do something more difficult, family history, temple work, restoration of the gospel- what have you. And maybe in a few years, they too will cherish hearing goodness spoken as I do.