Missionary Olympics

Divide the participants into teams of reasonably equal age, abilities and Church knowledge. The teams or companionships then work their way round a series of workshops spending 10 mins at each task before moving to the next one.

The six workshops we had were:

Oops! It Came Off. In this workshop the team was required to sew on a shirt button. Points were awarded for fastening on and off securely, the security of the finished article, the neatness of the job done.

I’m Hungry. For this workshop they had to fry an egg and clear up the resulting mess. (They could eat it if there was time.) Points were awarded for washing hands before starting, using oil in the pan, cooking it through and the clean up process at the end.

I Have A Question. This one was heavily weighted towards Seminary students (because they are at a distinct advantage in the mission field!) I co-ordinated with the Seminary Teacher to find a Seminary scripture that all our current students could identify from a clue and recite instantly. Turned out to be 1 Nephi 3:7 in this case. When the team entered the roonm they were given a clue to a scripture which they then had to recite. Points were given for correct identification and for finding it quickly (real scriptures NOT electronic ones!) Also for recitation – various levels depending on accuracy. The leader in this workshop also awarded bonus points for more than one person reciting and for efforts made to learn especially by our many non-member youth.

What Can I Wear? This workshop required the teams to iron a shirt with points for correct use of the iron, ironing each part of the shirt and putting it on a hanger at the end.

How Much? This one was the hardest for our teenagers since we gave them a series of pictures of shopping items and a whole pile of prices to match them with. (Thanks to internet grocery shopping) Needless to say they were rubbish, but it was fun and they could have a point for every correct price.

Where Am I Going? This required the groups to produce a whistle-stop lesson on the Plan fo Salvation. Points were given for diagrams, labels on diagrams, explanation of the doctrines involved and use of appropriate scriptures.

Alot of preparation has to go in to this activity and it is very leader-intensive, especially if you are in a small unit, but it went down well with members and non-members alike. It also taught a bit of doctrine to our regular visitors.