Obstacles to Zion

We had a mother-daughter activity last Saturday.  Spice really liked it and several of the girls mentioned how much they enjoyed it.  I learned a lot as I prepared for it and so I thought I would share what we did, in case anyone is in need for a mother-daughter activity for Activity Days or Young Women.  I can't connect my iphone to my computer for some reason so I don't have pictures - I'll post some when I figure out what's wrong.

This was the invite:

Activity Day Girls:
Do you and your mom have what it takes to overcome obstacles and earn a sweet reward?

Come find out at our Mother-Daughter Activity Day Party!

Saturday, September 18th at 2 pm

“We should remember that when we are involved in the work of the Lord, the obstacles before us are never as great as the power behind us...” -Dallin H. Oaks

The opening to the activity:
We opened with a song "As Zion's Youth in Latter Days" and a prayer.

I brought a radio and talked about the importance of staying in tune with the frequency of the Holy Ghost because we are constantly bombarded with messages.  I talked about the decline in the morals of our culture and how we can no longer get away with being "just a little better" than the world, because the world's morals are at a rapid decline and we'll decline right along with them - we can't look around anymore and say that just because others are doing something (even members of the church) that it must be okay.

I quoted:
More than we even realize, our culture (or world around us - Babylon) determines what foods we like, how we dress, what music we like, what we do... “All too often, we are like puppets on a string, as our culture determines what is "cool."”  (Elder David R. Stone) and a couple other thoughts from Elder Stone.

About the course:
This obstacle course represents many of the messages we get in the world -  the obstacles to becoming what our Savior would have us be and to having true joy.  But remember how I said that we often don’t even realize how much our culture determines what we do and think?  For this reason, all of the girls will have to go through the obstacle course with blindfolds on!  The blindfolds represent the lack of experience and awareness.

I mentioned that I got the idea for this activity from Elder Ballard in the last conference - his talk was called Mothers and Daughters. 

Then I read what he said:

Daughters:
Your mothers adore you. They see in you the promise of future generations. Everything you accomplish, every challenge you overcome brings them pure joy. And likewise your worries and heartaches are their worries and heartaches.
And so, my dear young women, with all my heart I urge you not to look to contemporary culture for your role models and mentors. Please look to your faithful mothers for a pattern to follow. Model yourselves after them, not after celebrities whose standards are not the Lord’s standards and whose values may not reflect an eternal perspective. Look to your mother. Learn from her strengths, her courage, and her faithfulness. Listen to her. She may not be a whiz at texting; she may not even have a Facebook page. But when it comes to matters of the heart and the things of the Lord, she has a wealth of knowledge. No other person on earth loves you in the same way or is willing to sacrifice as much to encourage you and help you find happiness—in this life and forever.
Love your mother, my young sisters. Respect her. Listen to her. Trust her. She has your best interests at heart. She cares about your eternal safety and happiness. So be kind to her. Be patient with her imperfections, for she has them. We all do.

Mothers:
We have a family friend who travels often with members of her extended family. Her primary observation after each trip is how much the young women behave like their mothers. If the mothers are thrifty, so are their daughters. If the mothers are modest, so are the girls. If the mothers wear flip-flops and other casual clothing to sacrament meeting, so do their daughters. Mothers, your example is extremely important to your daughters—even if they don’t acknowledge it.
Throughout the history of the world, women have always been teachers of moral values. That instruction begins in the cradle and continues throughout the lives of their children. Today our society is bombarded with messages about womanhood and motherhood that are dangerously and wickedly wrong. Following these messages can put your daughters on the path to sin and self-destruction. Your daughters may not understand that unless you tell them or, better, unless you show them how to make good choices. As mothers in Israel, you are your daughters’ first line of defense against the wiles of the world.

The Activity

I explained the Rules:
-Blindfolded unless obstacle says other wise. 
-You may take your daughte'rs hand between obstacles, but you may not touch her during the obstacles
-There are six obstacles (show where they are), you may do them in whatever order you would like, except for the 6th one must be done last since it is also the sweet reward which represents the sweet joy you feel in life as you overcome the world and walk in truth and light.
-Each obstacle starts with a quote.  Read it to your blindfolded daughter before you begin the obstacle.
-Some of the obstacles have papers taped to them which represent what they are - try to use the representative name as you guide your daughter. For example: Instead of saying - stop there is a chair in your way - if the chair has a paper on it that says “Wrong kind of music”, you would say, “Stop - wrong kind of music is in your way”  - read as many of the papers as you can to your daughter.

There were six obstacles.  The first three were set up on tables in the cultural hall.  #4  was set up in the hall way.  #5 was in a classroom, and #6 was in the back of the cultural hall (the partition was closed).
I had the following instructions taped to the beginning of each obstacle.  (Except for the parts in parentheses - those explain the set-up)

Obstacle #1:
(A table set up with notecards and pens)
Speaking with the “Tongue of Angels”

Quote:
“Sisters, there is no place in that magnificent spirit of yours for acerbic or abrasive expression of any kind, including gossip or backbiting or catty remarks.
“Speak hopefully. Speak encouragingly, including about yourself...Our words, like our deeds, should be filled with faith and hope and charity, With such words, spoken under the influence of the Spirit, tears can be dried, hearts can be healed, lives can be elevated, hope can return, confidence can prevail...[speak] only that which is good and edifying...”
                                             -Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Activity:
You may take off your blind fold for this obstacle.
Mothers:  Write 5 things that you like about your daughter     
Daughters: Write 5 things that you like about your mother
Do not show your notecards to each other yet, but take them with you.

Obstacle #2
(A table set up with scriptures, pens and notebooks)
Learning to receive “Personal Revelation”

Quote:

“The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life.

“Qualifying for the Lord’s Spirit begins with a desire for that Spirit and implies a certain degree of worthiness...Many answers to difficult questions are found by reading the scriptures because the scriptures are an aid to revelation. Insight found in scripture accumulates over time, so it is important to spend some time in the scriptures every day. Daily prayer is also essential to having the Lord’s Spirit with us.  Those who earnestly seek help through prayer and scripture study often have a paper and pencil nearby to write questions and record impressions and ideas.” -Sister Julie B. Beck

Activity:

Blindfolded, find the following scripture: 1 Samuel 3:9-10.  Have your mom read it.
Write: “Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth.” in the journal. 
You may remove the blindfold at the end to see how you did!

Obstacle #3
(a table set up with a several button-up shirts inside a box)
Making our bodies a place where the “Spirit can dwell”

Quote:

Your body really is the instrument of your mind and the foundation of your character...If you are well groomed and modestly dressed, you invite the companionship of the Spirit of our Father in Heaven and exercise a wholesome influence upon those around you. To be unkempt in your appearance exposes you to influences that are degrading...Avoid immodest clothing. Dress and groom to show the Lord that you know how precious your body is. -Elder Boyd K. Packer

Activity:

Daughters: Blindfolded - Find a shirt, put it on, button it up. 
You may remove the blindfold at the end to see how you did!
Mothers: Guide, but let the girls do as much of this on their own as they can (no metaphor here - just for fun), don’t worry if the shirt is inside-out or buttoned funny.

Obstacle #4
(Chairs in the hallway to obstruct the path - quotes taped on to the chairs and some to the wall - the ones on the chairs signified a "block" to progression.  The ones on the wall had arrows pointing the way and signified the way to go to progress.)

Finding wholesome recreation

Quote:
“The leisure time of children must be constructively directed to wholesome, positive pursuits” -Ezra Taft Benson

“We can live as a Zion people, if we wish to. Will it be hard? Of course it will, for the waves of Babylonian culture crash incessantly against our shores. Will it take courage? Of course it will”. - Elder David R. Stone

Activity:

Mothers: Guide your daughters through the obstacles.  Read them what the obstacles represent as you come to them.  Some obstacles will block your way and some will guide you.

Daughters:  Listen to and trust your mothers.

(Here are the quotes that I chose to put up):

 The Right Books: 

“Seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom”
-D&C 88:118

The Wrong Books: 

“With the abundance of books available today, it is a mark of a truly educated man [or girl!] to know what not to read.” -President Ezra Taft Benson. 

The Right Music:

“Inspiring music may fill the soul with heavenly thoughts, move one to righteous action, or speak peace to the soul”
-President Ezra Taft Benson

The Wrong Music: 

“Music can also be used for wicked purposes. Unworthy music may seem harmless, but it can have evil effects on your mind and spirit. Choose carefully the music you listen to.
“Pay attention to how you feel when you are listening. Don't listen to music that drives away the Spirit.” -For the Strength of Youth

The Right Media: 

“Whatever media we read, watch, or listen to has an effect on us.

“Choose only entertainment and media that are uplifting.

“Wholesome entertainment promotes good thoughts and righteous choices and allows participants to enjoy themselves without losing the Spirit of the Lord” 

The Wrong Media: 

 "If we do not make good choices, the media can devastate our families and pull our children away from the narrow gospel path.

Often media's most devastating attacks on family are not direct or frontal or openly immoral... Rather the attacks are subtle and amoral—issues of right and wrong don't even come up.

Immorality and sexual innuendo are everywhere, causing some to believe that because
everyone is doing it, it must be all right.

This pernicious evil is not out in the street somewhere; it is coming right into our homes, right into the heart of our families"  

-M. Russell Ballard

Wrong Type of Recreation:

“Team sports and technology toys like video games and the Internet are already winning away the time of our children and youth.
Some young people are amusing themselves to death—spiritual death.”

Dallin H. Oaks

Right Recreation: 

The leisure time of children must be constructively directed to wholesome, positive pursuits.  -President Ezra Taft Benson

Parents should teach gospel priorities through what they do with their children
-Dallin H. Oaks

Obstacle #5:
(see set up description below)

Bombarded with Messages:

Quote:

“Today we are barraged by multitudes of voices telling us how to live, how to gratify our passions, how to have it all.... Our young people are bombarded with evil and wickedness like no other generation... Satan’s tactic is to “turn their hearts away from the truth, that they become blinded and understand not the things which are prepared for them. He creates a smoke screen that obscures our vision and diverts our attention... He throws dust, so to speak, in their eyes, and they are blinded with the things of this world...”
 -James E. Faust

Activity:

You may take off your blindfold for this activity:
Mothers and Daughters: Go in the room, Sift through the bombardment of messages of the world (take from Elder Faust’s talk with some examples) on the balloons and help each other find a balloon with the solution for overcoming the messages.  Whoever finds it, show it to your mom or daughter and then put it back for the next girl to find.  There are hints about the solution from Elder Faust on the walls of the room.

(Set up:
A Room filled with balloons.  Hints taped to the wall (also from Elder Faust) The balloons had messages on them from Elder Faust's talk here.  One of the balloons had the solution to overcoming the bombardment of voices.

Here is what we wrote on the balloons (the last one is the solution):

Murmuring voices that conjure up perceived injustices.
“It’s not fair”
Whining voices that abhor challenge and work.
“It’s too hard”
Seductive voices that offer sensual enticements.
“Wear this or do this so boys will notice you.”
“Think and worry about boys - have a “crush”"
 Soothing voices that lull us into carnal security.
“It’s not that bad”
Intellectual voices that profess sophistication and superiority.
“You’re too smart to believe things you can’t see”
Proud voices that rely on the arm of flesh.
“That commandment doesn’t really apply to you.”
Flattering voices that puff us up with pride.
“You are so much better than....”
Cynical voices that destroy hope.
“You’ll never be good enough.  Why try?”
Entertaining voices that promote pleasure seeking.
“You are here to have fun!  Don’t take things so seriously!”
Commercial voices that tempt us to “spend money for that which is of no worth, [and our] labor for that which cannot satisfy.”
“If you buy that, you will be so happy!”
Delirious voices that spawn the desire for a ...death-defying thrill.
“It’s dangerous, but it’s such a rush!”
“Ponder the things of the Spirit and to respond to its promptings”

Here are the hints that were taped to the wall in the room:
"This is an ancient solution, even eternal, and may not be popular in a society that is always looking for something new"
"It requires patience in a world that demands instant gratification".
"This solution is quiet, peaceful, and subtle in a world enamored of that which is loud, incessant, fast paced, garish, and crude."
"This solution requires you to be contemplative while your peers seek physical titillation." 
"This solution is one unified, consistent, age-old message in a world that quickly becomes bored in the absence of intensity, variety, and novelty".
"This solution requires us to walk by faith in a world governed by sight.")


Obstacle #6
(tables set up with different flavors of cupcakes, frostings, and decorating supplies.  Boxes to take the cupcakes home in)
Learning to Serve

Quote:
“And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the devil, who is the master of sin, or who is the evil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers, he being an enemy to all righteousness.
But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another. -Mosiah 4:13”

Activity:
You may remove your blindfold for this obstacle
Decorate a cupcake for each other.  Give each other the cupcake along with the notecard with the 5 things you wrote about each other.  You can then “serve” your other family members by decorating some cupcakes for them too (one for each family member).

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We had such a great time!  I hope this helps a few people out there who are looking for ideas :-)