How can you show love to your friends and neighbors? Little kindnesses will help friends feel good about you and our church. And if they are non-members, you will be setting a good example of the beliefs of our church.
Following are the instructions for "Giant Tick-Tack-Toe" game. After telling the story "A Valentine for Carla," you could play this game to reinforce friendshipping and loving thy neighbor.
To play Giant Tick-Tack-Toe, you will need: 24' masking tape or rope, ten 9"x11" pieces of poster board, and marking pen.
1. Using tape or rope, mark off giant Tick-Tack-Toe squares on the floor.
2. Draw a large X or O on each piece of posterboard (5 of each) these are the team cards.
3. Divide into two teams. One team uses X; the other, O.
Rules: The first player to raise his hand and answer a question correctly takes a team carda and stands in whatever Tick-Tack-Toe square he wishes. The opposing team gets the first opportunity to answer the next question. If any player answer a question incorrectly, the other team has a chance to give the correct answer. Each time a player answers a question correctly, he takes a team card and stands on the unoccupied square of his choice.
Questions:
1. Who said "love one another as I have loved you?"
2. Finish the song title "Keep the __________________"
3. Who received the Ten Commandments from the Lord? (Moses)
4. Can you name one of the Ten Commandments?
5. Who is the prophet of our church today?
6. Why didn't Lucy like Carla?
7. Who suggested Lucy make a valentine for Carla?
8. How did Lucy feel after she made the card for Carla?
9. Can you name another one of the commandments?
10. Roses are red, violets are blue, . . . can you finish Lucy's poem?
This is an example of questions to use, make up more to fit with your sharing time.
A VALENTINE FOR CARLA (Story)
Lucy took the box of valentines out of the sack. Tomorrow was Valentine's Day, and she still hadn't decided whether to give a card to Carla, the girl next door.
Lucy sighed. Nothing had been the same since Carla had moved in at the first of the year. Lucy and her mother had taken homemade cookies over to Carla and her family, but Carla hadn't even said hello. "She's just shy," Carla's mother had explained.
Lucy quickly decided that Carla wasn't shy--she was just a bad tempered girl who loved to make life miserable for everybody around her. The first week after Carla had moved in, she had thrown rocks at Lucy's dog, Jumper, and now he was afraid to go outside. At school, Carla bullied the smaller children on the playground. She was in the principal's office at least twice a week. Lucy and her friends were embarrassed to be around her because she was loud and rough. And now Lucy's mother had said that she should give Carla a valentine. "But, Mom," Lucy argued, "Valentines are supposed to be for people you like. And I don't like Carla Bentley!" "Carla has a lot of problems, Lucy. Maybe if she had some friends, she wouldn't be the way she is," Mother explained. "Sometimes people need attention so badly that they'll do anything to get it, even things they shouldn't."
Lucy sat on the floor of her room, her valentines spread out before her. She was putting two candy hearts in each one. As she wrote each name on an envelope, she checked it off her list. In class, they had passed out a list with all the students' names on it so that no one would be missed. Lucy popped a candy heart into her mouth. Only seven more, and she still hadn't decided about Carla.
Finally, Lucy checked the last name off the list. She stacked the cards carefully and put them into a bag. Then she realized that all her valentines were used up. "Mom!" she called, running into the kitchen. "Guess what? I can't give Carla a valentine!" "Why not?" Mother asked. "Because I don't have any more. Remember, we bought a box of thirty cards? Well that was just enough for my class, so now they're all gone."
"Oh, that doesn't matter," her mother said. "If you decide to give a valentine card to Carla, we have lots of tings you can make a card with." "Make a card?" "Sure. Lots of people make cards instead of buying them. It's fun to do." Mother said, going over to her desk and pulling out a drawer. "See, we have pink and red construction paper, and I remember some white doilies in with the napkins." Lucy shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not sure that I want to, though."
"Well, I'll just leave the things here in case you need them. I'll be back in a while. I have to puck up your brother at soccer practice." Lucy thought, If I give Carla a valentine, maybe she won't be so mean. I could make a really cute one with some of the stickers I have.
Lucy went to her bedroom to get her sticker collection. Some stickers were funny, others were pretty, and some smelled like root beer or peanut butter or strawberry when she rubbed them. She picked out three: a heart in different shades of pink, a furry kitten, and a cluster of sweet-smelling strawberries.
Hurrying down to the kitchen table, Lucy folded a sheet of white paper in half, drew half a heart along the fold, and cut it out. When she unfolded it, she had a pattern to trace around on the construction paper.
Lucy folded a sheet of pale pink construction paper in half, then cut out two red hearts and placed them and the strawberry sticker on the front of the card. She put the kitten and heart stickers on the inside. Then she signed her name at the bottom. Holding the card up, Lucy thought, It's pretty but it's not really a valentine if there aren't any words except my name. But I can't write a fancy poem to a girl I don't even like. Finally, after trying out a number of ideas on scratch paper, Lucy wrote in red ink:
Roses are red
Violets are blue
I'd rather be friends
Than fight with you.
The sun was shining on Valentine's Day morning. Lucy got up early and dressed quickly so that she could run over to Carla's without being seen. As she hurried up to Carla's front porch, the Bentley house was quiet. Lucy propped the card up against the front door, rang the doorbell, and ran. She hid behind the bushes and watched for someone to answer the door.
Mr. Bentley opened it and looked first to the left and then to the right. Lucy could see him smile when he finally looked down and saw the card. He picked it up and closed the door.
Lucy let her breath out. That's it, she thought. She hurried home to eat so that she could meet Kim, her best friend, before school.
The morning passed quickly. After Lucy's class exchanged their valentines, they had a party. For treats, they had red punch and cupcakes with white frosting and red gumdrop hearts on them. Lucy didn't see Carla until lunchtime. Carla was walking toward Lucy and Kim with a funny look on her face.
"I don't believe it," Kim whispered. "Why is she coming over here?"
"I gave her a valentine," Lucy whispered back. Kim looked at her quickly, "You did? Maybe she's going to beat you up."
"I don't think so," Lucy said, smiling shyly as Carla approached.
"Hi," Carla said. "Hi," said Lucy and Kim together. Carla looked down at her shoes. "I-I want to thank you for the valentine, Lucy." She held out a card to Lucy.
"You're welcome," Lucy said, taking the card. "Thank you."
"I didn't have time to make one." Carla stood there awkwardly.
"Oh, that's okay. Would you like to eat lunch with us?" She heard Kim's sharp gasp but ignored her. Carla's face lit up. "Okay!" Then Carla looked at Kim and added, "If you don't mind." Kim looked from Carla to Lucy then back again. "Of course not. Come on, let's get over to the tree before anyone else does." As the girls sat on the bench beneath the old cottonwood tree, four boys walked past.
"Hey! Happy Valentine's Day!" Carla yelled happily at them.
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