Friend to Friend: A virtual event for children from all over the world

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invites you to participate in Friend to Friend, a virtual event for children ages 3 to 11 that will take place on Saturday, February 20, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. (Salt Lake City, UT time). The event will include various activities, music and messages aimed at children, their parents, leaders, and invited friends.

The event will be led by Church President Russell M. Nelson and Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, accompanied by other Church leaders and general officers, who will deliver dynamic and fun messages focused on how children can love God and serve others.

“I am so excited for the children to experience this very special event,” said Sister Joy D. Jones, Primary general president. “I hope you feel valued, needed, and loved by Jesus and our Heavenly Father. This will be a memorable opportunity to feel connected with other children from around the world, as they learn and sing together about how they can serve the way Jesus did.'

The 40-minute program will be available in English, Spanish and Portuguese, with original content in each language and can be viewed through the site: laiglesiadejesucristo.org, YouTube and Facebook.

“Friend to Friend is made up of short segments that are designed to be watched over and over again,” explained Sister Lisa Harkness, first counselor in the Primary general presidency. “Each segment will be a great resource for home gospel study and will serve as a catalyst for inspired family conversations,” she said. 'We can imagine the children watching the show with their friends and sharing gospel messages as they learn to follow the example of Jesus together.'

Leaders reported that children will be invited to be an active part of the event, so parents are asked to have sheets of paper, drawing materials and scriptures at hand. Depending on local circumstances and government restrictions, Church leaders may encourage children and parents to gather in their homes, in meetinghouses, or other places to participate, always observing the health measures recommended by the proper authorities.

In preparation for the 'Friend to Friend' event, children from 3 to 11 years old in the Caribbean Area and with the help of their parents and leaders are invited to participate in the #IHaveAFriend challenge.

The event in the Caribbean

A choir made up of 23 children from the Dominican Republic will have a special part in the event, representing the Caribbean Area, performing Primary songs titled 'I’m Trying to Be like Jesus' and 'We’ll Bring the World His Truth.'

The challenge: I have a friend

From February 7th to the 20th, all Caribbean children will be invited to participate in the #IHaveAFriend challenge, with the help of their parents and leaders. They will be encouraged to share through a video on social networks a personal goal of their choice in one of the growth areas of the Children and Youth Program (spiritual, physical, social, or intellectual). This should be done using the hashtag #IHaveAFriend and mention the account churchofjesuschrist.caribbean

In the video, they are asked to challenge a friend to do the same. If their friend accepts the challenge and completes it or shares their own goal through a similar video on social media (with the help and supervision of their parents), they will both be featured on the Church's social channels and during the broadcast of the event on February 20th.