Washed Clean

President Boyd K. Packer tells a wonderful story about a dirty train ride and his wish to be clean in an article Titled Washed Clean that was in the Friend Magazine April 1999. He talks about baptism and repentance as our means of being spiritually clean. I use this article and his story to help stress the feelings of being dirty vs being clean. It's a great resource!

Go to LDS.org and look in the gospel library for the 1999 April Friend Magazine article titled "Washed Clean"

Repentance/Washed Clean Demonstration

This boy does not get a name as I don't want to make anyone feel bad.

The demonstration goes something like this.

"This boy has already been baptized."

Give age appropriate sins...keep it light.

"This week in school he looked at his friends test to get the answers he did not know."

Color his eyes with the marker.

"Yesterday when his mom asked him how long he played games he lied and only told her about half the time he really played."

Color his mouth with the marker.

At this point or in between the sins you can go into the steps he needs to take to repent of these two sins.

"He started feeling really bad during class when his teacher gave him back his test with the grade on it. He knew it wasn't his work that he was getting credit for. As soon as class was over he went up to his teacher's desk and told her what had happened. He took full responsibility for cheating, he had to take the "0" grade that was required by the school. This means he will now have to work harder to get a good grade in this class, but he won't feel bad inside about the choice he made anymore. That night in his prayers he asked Heavenly Father to forgive him."

When the boy repents in your demo wipe the appropriate spot with the wet rag. If you will talk about each sin separately be careful to only wet the mark he just repented of, they all come off with water and if the fabric is wet you can't get the marker on!

After repenting he is "Washed Clean"!

Baptism/Washed Clean Demonstration

I typically don't name the little girl in my drawing because I don't want to make anyone feel bad.

The demonstration goes something like this,

" This girl is getting ready to be baptized."

"She's done a few things wrong. She kicked her brother last week."

Then color the girls foot with the marker.
"She took a cookie without permission and lied to her mom about it."

Then color her hand and mouth...for the taking and the lying.

You can talk more in depth at this point to give information about how baptism cleanses us from our sins, how she needs to apologize to her brother and tell her mother the truth about the cookie.

"She has met with her Bishop and is ready to be baptized."

Because we believe Baptism by Immersion is the correct mode of baptism, this little girl gets dunked all the way under the water.

I do not try to demonstrate any of the Priesthood ordinance with words or having another figure to be in the water with her to baptize her. I feel that would be inappropriate.

This is only to demonstrate how the baptism cleanses her from her sins.

If you wanted to explain with words how someone is baptized with proper Priesthood authority that is up to you. But I have always felt that was best saved for another lesson.

When the girl comes dripping out of the water all those marks/sins are gone.

Baptism & Repentance/Washed Clean Supplies needed

Draw two simple figures of a boy and a girl on muslin fabric with permanent markers.

You need a container filled with water for the baptism demonstration and a really wet washcloth labeled "Repentance"

There are markers that quilters use for marking quilt lines that disappear with water.
They run about 3 to 4 dollars for one marker.
I use these markers as the marks disappear as soon as they are wet.
I have not tried washable markers so I am not sure if they need soap or scrubbing.
The marks from the markers represent "sins"

Make the "sins" appropriate to the age group you are teaching.
For small children it's simple things like hitting my brother, not sharing, lying to mom about the cookies I ate, ect.
As kids are older use things like cheating on a test, taking a candy from a store, taking a friends game/toy.