The Atonement of Jesus Christ cleanses me and helps perfect me.
Watch this video to learn about the Atonement.
It could be said that the Book of Mormon is largely an account of people who changed because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Activity
Divide into three groups and give each group one of the scriptures below to read (or read or watch the illustrated Book of Mormon StoriesEnos,Alma the Younger, Anti-Nephi, Lehies. Have each group share how that person or group changed because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
In addition to suffering for our sins, the Savior also suffered our pains, sicknesses, and other infirmities so He would know how to comfort us.
Activity
Read the scriptures below and have the children list the things that Jesus suffered in the blue box below. (It will open in a new tab.)
Mosiah 3:7 And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.
Mosiah 15:5 And thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people.
Alma 7:11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
Isaiah 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Invite them to think of times when they have felt some of these things.
According to Alma 7:12, why did Jesus suffer all of this?
12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
What does succor mean? (Give assistance and support in times of hardship and distress.)
Enos CHAPTER 1 Enos prays mightily and gains a remission of his sins—The voice of the Lord comes into his mind, promising salvation for the Lamanites in a future day—The Nephites sought to reclaim the Lamanites—Enos rejoices in his Redeemer. About 420 B.C.
How can you help your children make their prayers more meaningful? Consider showing them a picture of Enos praying; let them describe what they see. They could then close their eyes and imagine they are talking to Heavenly Father face-to-face. What would they like to talk about? What might He want to say to them? [Invite the children to think about talking face-to-face with Heavenly Father each time they pray.]
As you read aloud Enos 1:1–5, younger children could pretend to be Enos by acting out hunting, kneeling to pray, and so on. Older children could listen for a word or phrase that describes Enos’s prayers. What do these words tell us about Enos’s prayers? Share an experience when your soul “hungered” and you “cried unto” the Lord (Enos 1:4).
How can you help your children understand that Heavenly Father will hear and answer their prayers? Consider inviting them to list some things they typically pray for. Then you could help them find what Enos prayed for in Enos 1:2, 9, 13–14, and 16 (see also “Chapter 11: Enos,” Book of Mormon Stories, 30–31). [Discuss how the children can follow Enos’s example in their prayers; for instance, you could talk about why Enos was willing to pray for the Lamanites—who were his enemies—and invite the children to pray this week for someone who has been unkind to them. Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “Enos-Words of Mormon”]
Discuss some modern equivalents of each of these (forgiveness; family, ward members, and the bishop; bullies at school; understanding the scriptures; and so on.)
Kneel together and see if you can give a thoughtful, meaningful prayer for all that you identified.
Discussion: Why are our prayers more meaningful when we are more specific in our expressions? What else can you do to make your family and personal prayers more thoughtful?
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “Enos-Words of Mormon”Sing together a song about prayer, such as “A Child’s Prayer” (Children’s Songbook, 12–13). Perhaps your children could raise their hands every time they hear the word “pray” or “prayer” or another repeated word. Tell your children about some of the ways that Heavenly Father has answered your prayers.
Friend March 2020 “Come Follow Me for Little Ones” Read Enos 1:4–5 together and help your little ones say, “I can pray to Heavenly Father anytime, anywhere.” You could use five fingers to review the parts of prayer: 1) start with “Dear Heavenly Father,” 2) thank Him for blessings, 3) tell Him about your day, 4) ask Him for what you and others need, 5) end “in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.” Or create actions for the rhyme, “I close my eyes. I bow my head. I listen while a prayer is said.”
Primary 4 Book of Mormon: Lesson 9 “Enos Prays”Tell the following riddle, and ask the children to raise their hands when they know the answer.
I am not a person, place, or object.
I can be so quiet that no one else can hear, or loud enough that everyone in the room can hear.
I can be used when you are alone or in a group.
I am used any time, any place, under any circumstance.
I am used for gratitude, guidance, comfort, forgiveness, protection, help, good health, or for any other blessing you need for yourself or for someone else.
You use me to talk with Heavenly Father.
What am I?
Write the children’s responses on the chalkboard. When they recognize that the correct answer is prayer, ask if they have any questions about prayer. Summarize their questions on the chalkboard, and ask the children to listen for answers as you share the story of Enos. At the end of the story, refer back to the questions and discuss them.
Before dying, Jarom delivered the plates into the hands of his son Omni (Jarom 1:15), who then passed them on to his son Amaron. Amaron tells that the more wicked part of the Nephites had been destroyed. (Omni 1:5)
6 For the Lord would not suffer, after he had led them out of the land of Jerusalem and kept and preserved them from falling into the hands of their enemies, yea, he would not suffer that the words should not be verified, which he spake unto our fathers, saying that: Inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall not prosper in the land.
7 Wherefore, the Lord did visit them in great judgment; nevertheless, he did spare the righteous that they should not perish, but did deliver them out of the hands of their enemies.
After Amaron, the record continued to be passed down from father to son, Amaron to Chemish to Abinadom to Amaleki.
Amaleki tells of a man called Mosiah, “he being warned of the Lord that he should flee out of the land of Nephi, and as many as would hearken unto the voice of the Lord should also depart out of the land with him, into the wilderness
14 And they discovered a people, who were called the people of Zarahemla.
Book of Mormon Stories “Mosiah and Zeniff” The Nephites and Lamanites had many wars. One day, the Lord told a Nephite named Mosiah to leave the land of Nephi with anyone who would follow the Lord.
Many Nephites obeyed the Lord and left with Mosiah. The Lord led them to a land that had people living in it. They were called the people of Zarahemla.
The people of Zarahemla also came from Jerusalem long ago. They were happy the Lord sent the Nephites with the brass plates. Mosiah’s people joined the people of Zarahemla. All the people chose Mosiah as their king. He taught them about the Lord.
Who were the people of Zarahemla?
15 Mosiah discovered that the people of Zarahemla were led by God out from Jerusalem at the time that Zedekiah, king of Judah, was carried away captive into Babylon. Among that group was Mulek, one of the sons of Zedekiah.
After the people of Zarahemla arrived in the promised land, they met Coriantumr (see Omni 1:21), the last known survivor of the Jaredites, whose story is told in the book of Ether.
Because Amaleki did not have any children Amaleki gave the plates to King Benjamin. Amaleki concluded his record in about 130B.C., about 470 years from the time Lehi left Jerusalem.
As a historical account, the book serves as a bridge between the small plates of Nephi (1 Nephi–Omni) and Mormon’s abridgment of the large plates of Nephi (Mosiah–4 Nephi).
I can bless others when I listen to the Holy Ghost.
As Nephi was writing the record of his people, God directed him to create two sets of plates, called the small plates and the large plates of Nephi. Nephi didn’t know why he was commanded to create two sets of plates, but he trusted that the Lord had “a wise purpose … , which purpose I know not” (1 Nephi 9:5
Centuries later, as Mormon was abridging Nephi’s large plates, he came across the small plates. The small plates covered many of the same events described in the large plates that Mormon had already abridged, but the small plates focused more on spiritual matters and the ministry and teachings of the prophets. God inspired Mormon to include the small plates of Nephi in his record in addition to the large plates.
Like Nephi, Mormon didn’t understand God’s purpose for having both sets of plates, but he trusted that it was “for a wise purpose” (Words of Mormon 1:7).
Today we know what God’s purpose was. In 1828, after Joseph Smith had translated part of Mormon’s abridgment of Nephi’s large plates (116 manuscript pages), Martin Harris lost those pages. God commanded Joseph not to retranslate this portion because evil men would change the words and try to discredit Joseph (see Doctrine and Covenants 10, section heading; Doctrine and Covenants 10:14–19, 30–45).
Video and Images from Doctrine and Covenants Stories
Thankfully, God had foreseen this and provided the small plates, which covered the same history that was lost with the 116 pages. The small plates compose the books that come before Words of Mormon, and Mormon’s abridgment of the large plates begins after the Words of Mormon.
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “Enos-Words of Mormon” Mormon followed the guidance of the Holy Ghost to include the small plates of Nephi in the Book of Mormon. Everything we’ve studied in the Book of Mormon so far this year has come to us because Mormon made the choice to listen to the Spirit. How can you help your children learn about listening to the Spirit? Invite them to take turns reading the verses from Words of Mormon 1:3–8. You could talk about what they learn from each verse. Your children could then:
Invite the children to share stories they have learned from the Book of Mormon so far this year (pictures from the Gospel Art Book may help them remember). Explain that we have these stories in the Book of Mormon because Mormon listened when the Holy Ghost told him to include them.
Sing together a song about the Holy Ghost, such as “The Still Small Voice” (Children’s Songbook, 106–7).( Sing it several times in different ways, such as fast, slow, or in a whisper. When you whisper the song, open to Words of Mormon 1:7, and point out that Mormon described the Holy Ghost as a whisper.)
Come Follow Me Kid Hidden Candy- Hide a piece of candy somewhere in the room. Blindfold one person and assign another person to act as the “still small voice.” Have the rest of the family talk loudly while the blindfolded person tries to hear the still small voice’s whispered directions to where the candy is. Talk about how we’re blessed when we listen for the Holy Ghost and heed the Holy Ghost’s promptings. Point out how Words of Mormon 1: 7 explains the Spirit as something that whispers to us. Encourage family members to try to hear the quiet promptings from the Spirit each day.
Share an experience when you followed a prompting from the Holy Ghost (or share the story below). How did your actions bless others? Explain that Heavenly Father wants us to help and bless others, so He sends the Holy Ghost to guide us.
Friend March 2020 “Check the Kittens” After everyone has gone to bed, a girl kept having the thought to go and check on their kittens. She acted on the prompting and found that a warming light had fallen over onto the kittens cardboard box and would have caught on fire. The Holy Ghost helped keep their family and kittens safe.
People in the Book of Mormon wrote their family history on the plates (see Omni 1:1). You can write your family history too! Write your name on a strip of paper. Tape or glue the ends together to make a ring. Then write the name of a family member on another paper and loop it through the ring. Tape or glue the ends together. Add as many family links as you can!
