Linda K. Burton - A Mothers Prayer

Suggestions for Family Activities

As we invite our family members to experience things for themselves, gospel lessons become personala deep part of who they are. Here are a few ideas to help your family share deeper experiences related to this story:

Invite family members to find a family history story that helps them increase their faith in Heavenly Father. Parents could find and share faith-filled stories from their own family history with younger children.

Encourage young ones to illustrate their favorite part of this story or their own story from family history.

Ask children to put themselves in the place of one of the people in the story and to retell the story from that perspective.

As a family, write together the story of one of your own sacred experiences to pass down to future family members to help strengthen their faith.

Search for scripture stories that illustrate this same principle of the Lord answering the prayers of those who put their trust in Him after having done all they could. For younger children, look through gospel art or scripture readers together to find stories about prayer.

Invite a living relative to share a personal spiritual experience with your family and explain how it increased his or her faith.

Give each family member a notebook to start a spiritual experiences journal to record his or her own experiences with the Spirit throughout life.

As a family, work together to create a poster of things you can pray about, and have the children illustrate the list. Discuss how we can pray at any time, in any place, for any reason.

Ask family members to share a time when they felt the Lords love for them.

Invite family members to write down or draw one or two ideas of how they can help, serve, and support another family member in a current challenge.

Kneel together in family prayer, uniting your faith as you pray for a particular family member or a family need.

2018 Linda K. Burton

Illustrations 2018 Jennifer L. Meyer

Portrait photo of Johan Nicolai Madvig (1804-1886), Royal Library, Copenhagen by Emil Rye. Public Domain.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, Deseret Book Company, at permissions@deseretbook.com or PO Box 30178, Salt Lake City, Utah 84130. This work is not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The views expressed herein are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of the Church or of Deseret Book Company.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

(CIP data on file)

ISBN 978-1-62972-471-3

Printed in China

RR Donnelley, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China8/2018

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Copenhagen, Denmark, 1874

J oseph Kjar (pronounced care) could almost taste the jam-filled pastry drizzled with melted sugar. Almost. At the end of the week, Josephs mother would try to bring home a special treat. He knew he would get only one bite, maybe two. His mother couldnt afford more than a single pastry. And with two brothers and two sisters at home, Joseph never expected more than a sampling. But when Mother Kjar returned from work empty-handed, Joseph knew something was wrong. He was only ten, but he was very observant. His mother looked worried, and he was determined to know why.

A fter a meager dinner of fish and rye bread, Joseph helped his mother with the dishes. Softly, he asked, Are you feeling well, Mother?

His mother nodded and forced a smile. Its been a long day, but I can manage. Just a little more difficult with a new baby coming and having to work extra hours while your dear father is in the hospital.

But Joseph wasnt fooled. He knew his mother was about seven months pregnant and that she was tired from washing and mending clothes to earn what money she could, but there was something else troubling her.

A t bedtime, Mother Kjar watched over her children as they said their prayers. Although her heart was heavy, she tenderly tucked them into bed. Then she kissed them good night and blew out the candle. But Joseph was more troubled than tired. He waited until his siblings were asleep, and then he wriggled out from under the thick quilt and crawled over his brother Peter, careful not to wake him.

J oseph ignored the cold floor as he tiptoed down the narrow hallway to his mothers bedroom. He could see the glow of soft candlelight coming from beneath her door. He paused a moment when he heard the sound of his mother weeping.

T he hinges creaked softly as Joseph opened the bedroom door. He saw his mother kneeling on the rug, head bowed, praying. She turned when she heard the door open and quickly wiped tears from her eyes. Joseph Julius! she tenderly scolded. You should be in bed.

Mother, why are you crying? Are you sad about father? Joseph asked, half-hidden behind the doorway.

Josephs father had been in the hospital for many weeks recovering from blood poisoning caused by stepping on a rusty nail.