This lesson is another one from my Family Home Evening Swap. It was put together by the wonderfully talented Melanie Day who also runs the Sugardoodle Website. The lesson is about repentance and the need to keep ourselves clean and unspotted from the world. It does require some advance preparation so read carefully what you need to do. The preparation sounds kind of gross but it really is worth it. The object lesson it teaches will be understood by those of all ages in your family.

It has been brought to my attention that the story Kyla’s Choice is missing from the lesson. I have tried unsuccessfully to find it. Sorry about that! I think the Peanut Butter Boy would be a very good substitute to use.

Becoming Clean FHE PDF

Here’s the first page of the lesson so you know what you are getting. Click on the link above to download the lesson in it’s entirety in pdf form.

PREPARATION – A. You’ll need a sheet of paper for each family member (wadded into a ball) and masking tape for the game. B. The night before FHE, fix a really messy meal (spaghetti, ice cream, oatmeal, etc.) Leave the dirty dishes on the table until the food really dries out and sticks to the plates. Then remove the dishes from the table and store them in the cupboard so you can use them again for this FHE. C. Follow the instructions to make juice cubes.

OBJECTIVE – To learn why we repent and how to do it.

OPENING SONG – Help Me Dear Father (pg. 99 of the Children’s Songbook) – both verses

OPENING PRAYER- (To be assigned)

SCRIPTURE – Doctrine & Covenants 18:13

On Monday evening, fix a nice meal for your family and just before you call them for dinner set the table with the dirty dishes you used the night before. Tell them that you forgot to do the dishes last night and so they will have to eat using dirty dishes. As you set the food on the table, the family will act disgusted that you expect them to eat off dirty plates. Explain that you get tired of doing the dishes all the time – and besides, after you clean them, then at the next meal they just get dirty all over again. As they continue to complain finally gather all the dishes and place them in the kitchen sink to soak. Have each person take turns cleaning a plate and silverware for their own use.

Since the food is dried on these dishes, it will take more effort than usual to get them clean. As family members begin to scrub them, discuss the fact that these dirty plates are a little like us when we sin or become unclean. If, after we do something wrong, we immediately and sincerely repent, we can gain forgiveness for our sins.If, however, we wait a long time to repent, it becomes harder and harder to do so. After a while we may forget that we did something wrong; or, with the passage of time, perhaps we won’t think that what we did was all that bad.Our sins will continue to stick to us and will be more difficult to get rid of, much like this food which has been sitting on these plates for a long time.

It is important that each night as we pray to our Father in Heaven that we think about the things we did that day. If we committed a sin, we should take the time to repent sincerely right then, rather than waiting until later.