I Know the Scriptures are True
Perhaps family members could share some of the “many instances” (verse 2) in which the Spirit has manifested to them that the scriptures are true, just as He did for Oliver Cowdery. How can your family “rely upon the things which are written” (verse 3) in the scriptures? How can you build your family’s foundation on the “rock” (verse 4) of the gospel?
Friend September 2015 “A New Feeling” – Child feels Holy Ghost while reading the scriptures
Each of Us is of Great Worth to God.
Doctrine and Covenants 18:10–12
Many people struggle with feelings of low self-worth; others are unkind toward people who are different from them. The powerful message of Doctrine and Covenants 18:10 can change how we view ourselves and people around us.
Repeat verse 10 with the children, this time replacing “souls” with the children’s names.
Help the children think of things that people consider valuable. Then let the children take turns looking in a mirror, and as they do, tell each child that he or she is a child of God and of great worth. Testify that to Heavenly Father, they are more valuable than all the things they thought of earlier.
- Ask each child to write his or her name on a piece of paper and pass the papers around the room. Invite them to write on each paper they receive something they like about that person. Encourage them to be kind and thoughtful in their comments. Then help the children read Doctrine and Covenants 18:10–12, and invite them to share what they learn about how God feels about us. Explain that we are all of great worth to God because we are His children.
- Show the children something that is very valuable to you. How do we treat things that are valuable to us? Ask a child to read Doctrine and Covenants 18:10. How can we show other people that “the worth of [their] souls is great” in our sight?
Each family member could read Doctrine and Covenants 18:10–13 and substitute his or her name in place of the words “soul,” “souls,” and “all men.” You could then discuss how these verses help us understand our worth to the Father and the Son (see Doctrine and Covenants 19:16–19).
Liahona February 2021 “Your Worth is Great” Family Study Fun: Circle of Worth
Circle of Worth: Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer were counseled to remember that “the worth of souls is great in the sight of God” (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10). As we help others to see their own worth, we bring them nearer to Christ while becoming closer to Him ourselves.
- Invite family members to sit in a circle.
- Each person will take a turn standing in the middle of the circle.
- Everyone sitting in the circle will tell the middle person, “You matter to me because ___________,” and share specific details of why that person is of worth to them.
- The middle person will then choose their own statement of personal worth: “I matter to God and myself because __________.”
Discussion: Why is it important to remember our own worth as well as the worth of those around us? If Christ were in the circle, what would He say about us? Read Doctrine and Covenants 18:10–13 and discuss what Christ went through because of how much He loves and values us.
Friend February 2021 “Scripture Time Fun”
Friend February 2021 “Scripture Time for Little Ones” For Doctrine and Covenants 18–19: Help your little ones say, “I am important to Heavenly Father.” Then sing “I Am a Child of God” (Children’s Songbook, 2) and have your children give themselves a hug when they sing the words, “I am a child of God.”
Friend November 2020 “We are Moving Forward”
For additional teaching ideas see “Child of God“
Sharing the gospel brings great joy.
Doctrine and Covenants 18:13–16
Tell the children about something that brings you joy. Let each child tell you about something that brings him or her joy. Read Doctrine and Covenants 18:13, 16. What brings the Lord joy? What does He say will bring us joy?
Taking on the Name of Christ
Do your family members’ names have special meaning? Maybe you could talk about why names are important and what it means to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ (see Mosiah 5:7). This could be a good opportunity to help family members prepare to take Christ’s name upon themselves when they are baptized.
Friend April 1988 “A Name to Live up to” Jenny is sad that she isn’t named after someone whom she could try to be like–someone who did great deeds–but she is reminded that she took on the name of Jesus when she was baptized.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “Mosiah 4-6”
Talk to the children about why people put their names on things, such as school assignments, sports jerseys, and so on (see Mosiah 5:14–15). How can we show that we have Christ’s name “written always in [our] hearts”? (Mosiah 5:12).
Friend February 2021 “Your Baptism Covenant”
Jesus Christ suffered for me.
Doctrine and Covenants 19:16–19
Invite the children to tell the story again in their own words, and then invite them to read how the Savior described the experience in Doctrine and Covenants 19:16–19. What do we learn from His description?
Help the children memorize the third article of faith.
Suggested song: “I Stand All Amazed,” Hymns, no. 193.
Jesus Christ obeyed Heavenly Father, even when it was hard.
Doctrine and Covenants 19:18–19, 23–24
Show a picture of Jesus Christ suffering in Gethsemane (see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). Ask the children to tell you what they know about what is happening in this picture. Summarize in your own words what the Savior said in Doctrine and Covenants 19:18–19 about His suffering. Emphasize that suffering for our sins was the hardest thing anyone has ever done, but because Jesus loved His Father and us, He obeyed God’s will. How can we obey Heavenly Father?
Help the children think of simple actions that go along with phrases in Doctrine and Covenants 19:23.23 Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me. Read the verse several times while the children do the actions. Help them think of ways we can learn of Christ and listen to His words.
God’s blessings are greater than the treasures of the earth.
Primary 5: Doctrine and Covenants and Church History “Lesson 10: The Book of Mormon Is Published”
Doctrine and Covenants 19:26, 34–35, 38
When the translation of the gold plates was almost finished, Joseph Smith began looking for someone to publish the translation as a book. He talked to a printer in Palmyra, Egbert B. Grandin, and asked him to give an estimate of the cost of printing the book. Grandin did not want to print the “golden Bible,” as he called it, because he knew that people were against the book, and he was afraid he would not be paid. Joseph went to Rochester, New York, to see if he could find someone else to do it. One printer refused to print the book because he did not believe Joseph’s account of where he got it; another agreed to print it, but his price was very high. Finally Joseph returned to Palmyra and convinced Grandin to print the book. Grandin agreed only after Martin Harris pledged his farm to guarantee the printing costs.
People in Palmyra who opposed the Book of Mormon held a meeting and resolved not to buy the book when it was published. Grandin again became worried that he would not be paid. Martin Harris was afraid he would lose his farm, and he wondered what he should do. Joseph Smith inquired of the Lord, and the Lord told Martin not to “covet” his own property but to “impart it freely” to cover the costs of printing the Book of Mormon (see D&C 19:26). Martin Harris eventually sold 151 acres of his farm to pay Grandin for publishing the Book of Mormon.
Martin and Lucy Harris had one of the finest farms in Palmyra, New York. It had taken them years to acquire, had enabled them to raise a family, and had given them good standing in the community. But in 1829 it became clear that the Book of Mormon could be published only if Martin mortgaged his farm to pay the printer. Martin had a testimony of the Book of Mormon, but Lucy did not. If Martin went forward with the mortgage and the Book of Mormon did not sell well, he would lose his farm and jeopardize his marriage. At some time or another, we all face questions similar to those that Martin may have been facing: What is the gospel of Jesus Christ worth to me? What am I willing to sacrifice to help build God’s kingdom? It may help us to remember that no one has ever paid a higher price to bless God’s children than Jesus Christ, “the greatest of all” (Doctrine and Covenants 19:18).
Martin made the decision to mortgage his farm. His sacrifice paid for the printing of the first 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon. And now, more than 190 million copies later, millions of souls around the world have been blessed.
For more information about the publication of the Book of Mormon, see Saints, 1:76–84.
The Book of Mormon did not sell very well in Palmyra, and as a result, Martin Harris ended up having to sell a large portion of his farm to pay the debt (see “The Contributions of Martin Harris,” Revelations in Context, 7–8). Ponder that sacrifice—and the blessings you’ve received because of it—as you read these verses. You might also think about what the Lord has asked you to sacrifice. What do you find in these verses that inspires you to make these sacrifices with “rejoicing” and “gladness”? (see also verses 15–20).
Printing the Book of Mormon
Primary 5: Doctrine and Covenants and Church History “Lesson 10: The Book of Mormon Is Published” See more stories, activities, and question ideas at the link.
Display the sack or container of letters and tell the children what the letters are supposed to spell. Ask the children to arrange the letters in the proper order, setting aside any unnecessary letters. (You may want to write the phrase on the chalkboard so the children can look at it as they arrange the letters.)
As the children arrange the letters, explain that when the Book of Mormon was first published, books were set by hand in metal type. The printer had to select and place each letter individually. Point out that this was a very time-consuming process, as the children can see from putting the letters together in the short phrase you gave them.
Friend March 2017 “Find It!”
Primary 5: Doctrine and Covenants and Church History “Lesson 10: The Book of Mormon Is Published” See more stories, activities, and question ideas at the link.
Show the picture of the printing of the Book of Mormon. Point out the sheets that are printed and stacked, ready to be bound into books. Explain that several pages were typeset, one letter at a time, and then printed on one large sheet (see enrichment activity 3). The printer made one copy of the sheet and looked for errors on it. When the sheet was correct, five thousand copies were printed. This process was repeated until five thousand copies of the entire Book of Mormon were printed. Then the printed pages were sent to the bindery, where they were folded, cut, and bound into books. The first five thousand copies of the Book of Mormon were completed in the spring of 1830 and cost $3,000 to print. Satan had tried hard to stop the translation and publication of the Book of Mormon, but he was unsuccessful.
3. Have each child fold a piece of paper into eight sections (see illustration). Then have the children unfold their papers and write numbers on each side as illustrated:
Make sure the children write 15 on the back of 16 and 10 on the back of 9. Have the children refold their papers: first so that 14 and 15 touch; then so that 12 and 13 touch; and finally so that 8 and 9 touch. Each paper should look like a small book, with 1 on the front and 16 on the back. With scissors or a paper knife, cut the top and right edges of the pages so that they open like a book. Have the children turn the pages so they can see that the numbers are in the right order. (Practice this activity before class so you can show the children how to do it.)Explain to the children that this is the way the pages of the Book of Mormon were printed: pages were arranged in a certain order and then printed on one large piece of paper. The large piece of paper was then folded and trimmed so that all the pages were in the right order. Many of these small “books” were then combined to make the Book of Mormon. Some books are still printed today using this process.
Doctrine and Covenants Stories “Witnesses See the Gold Plates”
“On the Trail: Where the Book of Mormon Was Published”(March 2013 Liahona and Friend)
A photo story about the Grandin Building in Palmyra, New York.
Liahona February 2021 “Printing the Book of Mormon”
Just for Fun
“Publishing the Book of Mormon” (March 2013 Friend)
Find the copies of the Book of Mormon hidden in this picture.
Additional Resources
Doctrine and Covenants Historical Resources “Doctrine and Covenants 18-19”