As a religious educator of students with special needs (physical and mental) I look for concrete hands on ways to teach my students. One year (Jan. 2002) I brought in a fake tree with all of the leaves taken off. I told the students that each week I would give them a specific assignment and if the did it they would get a leaf to put on the tree. Our goal was to make our own Tree of Life as we endeavored to follow the Savior by living his gospel.

The first week’s assignment was to say your personal prayers twice that week. A few days latter Jason, one of my students, came in to class all excited and exclaimed,

“Brother Cluff, Brother Cluff, I prayed last night, I have only one more to go”!

Excited myself that Jason had taken the assignment to heart, I asked him how did it go, did Heavenly Father answer you? He replied,

 “Yes! He said to keep praying”.

Which Jason did from then on. Needless to say, Jason received a leaf that week. Oh the simple faith of these students with special needs. Perhaps many of the worlds problems and my own could be solved or seen in there true light if we all remembered to” keep praying” to our Father in Heaven.