There is a divine pattern in the scriptures that shows how to connect the children of God with heaven. This pattern includes listening to the words of living prophets, studying the words of scriptural prophets, pondering those teachings, and then praying in faith to our Heavenly Father, knowing He will hear and answer your prayers.
In mentoring, how do we provide opportunities for our children and youth to connect with heaven by following this divine pattern? May we offer a few simple suggestions? First, we invite you to help youth prayerfully plan activities with the purpose in mind of connecting them with heaven, which in turn opens the door for our youth to have experiences that inspire them to study, ponder and then pray with faith, seeking answers to the questions of their souls.
For example, if a troop of Boy Scouts is working on the Orienteering merit badge, can we in the process of teaching how to read a compass also include a discussion on how to recognize and follow impressions from the Holy Ghost and how to trust and follow modern-day liahonas like scriptures, prophets or patriarchal blessings?
This kind of inspired planning and implementation will not only help them advance in Scouting but, more important, will also help connect them with heaven. We can follow the example of the prophet Lehi, who, while traveling in the wilderness, used the metaphors of a river and valley to invite Laman and Lemuel to be “continually running into the fountain of all righteousness” and to be “firm and steadfast” (1 Nephi 2:9, 10).