TERRI:
magine that your dad had something important to tell you so he writes a letter and gives it to you. Then he writes the letter again and gives it to you again (Šhe does this 4 times). Do you think that what he wants to tell you must be important for him to write the letter and give it to you 4 times?

Our Father in Heaven has a message that is this important. This prophecy was so important that it was recorded 4 times in the scriptures: In the Old Testament, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price (hold up each).

Mal. 4:5­6 This scripture was first written long ago by a prophet named Malachi. He was the last prophet in the Old Testament. (I even turned my scriptures so they could see that the scripture I was reading was the very last thing recorded in the Old Testament. I read the scripture and then told them that the song we are learning today is based on what Malachi said in this scripture long ago.

I wrote out each of the scriptures in big print (filled a full page) and handed them out to 4 groups and I read from Malachi. I asked the children to follow along and see how close to the same words your scriptures are. I asked them to put their hands up when they heard words similar to what I was reading.

Now Sis Albright is going to introduce you to a song based on these scriptures.

REBECCA:
Have the children see how close their scriptures are to what you sing in the first part of "Truth from Elijah." Sing up to "have turned" and have them raise their hands when they hear you sing words they are reading.
Ask which words were the same. Have them sing that phrase.

TERRI:
Show Family Tree (of my family, with pictures on a huge posterboard).
What is this? Who are the children? Fathers? Relate to children (imagine this is youŠthis would be your mother, your father etc). I actually named a few children and said "If this was Jason's family tree then this would be him, this would be Sister Stephens, this would be the Bishop etc). I also used a child that had grandparents in the ward.

In the song we sing that the hearts of the children have turned to their fathers.
What does this mean?
TURNED = thinking of, remembering, learning about doing family history research to find out who they were etc

Sing again to have turned
REBECCA:
Ask them to listen for the name of the prophet who restored the truth.
Sing up to "have learned" and ask who the prophet was (Elijah).
Have them sing that phrase with you.
Then ask them to count how many times repeated words are sung up to there while you sing that much again.
Ask what was repeated ("have turned," "have learned") and how many times (3).
Have them again sing that entire first section.

TERRI:
You just sang about Elijah the prophet now I am going to tell you a story about him that will show you what a powerful prophet of God he was.
-ancient prophet of Old Testament
-tell story of priest of Baal (1 Kings 17).
I pulled up a chair and opened my scriptures and told the story quoting a few important phrases.

I told them that when Elijah prayed to Heavenly Father to light the offering on fire God did it because Elijah was a true prophet of God and all of the people watching now knew and believed that Elijah was a true prophet and that they needed to worship God and not Baal.

Remember that the prophet Malachi said that God would  "send the prophet Elijah" and that he would "reveal unto you the priesthood"?
Well,this has happened in the Kirtland Temple in 1836 (show picture of  Kirtland Temple)

Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were praying in the temple when they had a vision where Elijah appeared to them and laid his hands on their heads and gave them the priesthood power that allows us to be sealed as families on earth and have that sealing be effective in heaven so that we can be together forever.

Because of the priesthood keys (or authority) that Elijah brought back to the earth that day in the Kirtland temple when we are married or sealed in the temple our family can be together forever. Now the Church has the powerto seal those on earth with those who are in heaven!

REBECCA:
Next, have the children listen for four things mentioned in the next part of the song that tells what they can do.
Sing up to "bind them to us for eternity." Have four children hold up the following items to help them remember the phrases (elaborate on each one as presented):
"seek out our loved ones" (picture of a child hugging a grandparent),
"Preserving their names and their memory" (my Book of Remembrance),
"to kneel in the temple" (a picture of a temple), and
"bind them to us for eternity" (my family tree poster).

Sing each of these phrases individually with the children, Sing song up to this part again.

ideas for elaboration:
* seek out our loved ones = do our family history, find out who our ancestors were.
* preserving their names and their memory = write it down, learn some stories from your parents, grandparents etc about their childhood and memories.
* we can strive to kneel in the temple and bind them to us for eternity = some of our ancestors were not members of the church (either they did not hear the gospel or maybe they lived before the church was restored through Joseph Smith. Maybe point out someone on my family tree that fits each example). Does this mean that they can't receive the blessings Heavenly Father has in store for them? Explain that we can do their temple work (baptisms, sealing of husband to wife and children to parents) for them and they will receive all of the blessings they deserve and we can all live together as a family forever.


This is why it is important to live worthy to go to the temple and then when we are old enough so that we and our ancestors can have the blessings of being together forever.

REBECCA:
Sing the song from the beginning up to that point. Sing the last line, have the children sing it with you, then sing the entire song.

Express gratitude for your own parents, grandparents, and ancestors, and the desire you have to be with them by being sealed to them for eternity. Remind children that when they are 12 they can go to the temple and do baptisms for family members who have died without learning about the gospel and when they get older they can be married in the temple so that their families can be together forever. Encourage them to live worthily to do this.