Dear Family and Friends
I do hope and pray that all is well with you and your family members and friends. I am sorry for getting these last posts out to you in such a slow manner. I guess I am still getting used to this new chemotherapy and my pain management therapy as well.
I am so glad that I am still able to teach my preschool class with all this other stuff going on in my life. I am so very grateful that i have my family right here for me when I need them as well as some pretty amazing friends. And my bosses are very helpful which keeps me hopeful...
i have been blessed so much throughout these past five years since the days prior to my diagnosis with stage four breast cancer. I realize that the Lord has been looking out for me throughout my entire life. but since my diagnosis, i have realized that my Savior Jesus Christ has played a very important role throughout my life as well.
I have been learning bits and pieces about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how it isn't just for cleansing us from our sins. His Atonement is also provided to enable us to have this wonderful peace that i have felt since my diagnosis and days prior to it as well:) This first part comes from our manual:
The Nephites witnessed miraculous signs, but over time they forgot what they had experienced (see 3 Nephi 2:1). Recording your experience will help you remember your spiritual experiences. While studying 3 Nephi 1-7.
In some ways, it was an exciting tie to be a believer in Jesus Christ. Prophecies were being fulfilled -- great signs and miracles among the people indicated that the Savior would soon be born. On the other hand, it was also an anxious time for believers because, in spite of all the miracles, unbelievers insisted that “the time was past” for the Savior to be born.(3 Nephi 1:5). These people caused “a great uproar throughout the land” (3 Nephi 1:7) and even set a date to kill all the believers if the sign prophesied by Samuel the Lamanite -- a night without darkness -- did not appear.
In these trying circumstances, the prophet Nephi “cried mightily to his God on behalf of his people” (3 Nephi 1:11). The Lord’s response is inspiring to anyone who faces persecution or doubt and needs to know that light will overcome darkness: “Lift up your head and be of good cheer;,.. I will fulfill all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets” (3 Nephi 1:13).
As you know the Holy Ghost might give impressions to you wanting you to focus on certain principles that are from 3 Nephi 1-7 as you study the material for this lesson. If you follow the promptings you may find out that those particular principles are the ones that will bless one of your family members and friends..
One way that you might be able to help your family members and friends to share some of what they are learning from your lessons and their study, you could have everyone in your family study group to write on piece of paper some of the truths they found in 3 Nephi 1-7 and the scripture references for the truth.
After they have written out their truths which they have found as well as writing down the scripture passage which they found their truths you should collect all of their papers and put them into a 'feeley' box. Oh, you ask, what is a feeley box? It can be any size box that you will need to put whatever items in it that you need. i made one from an empty trash bag box:)
You could actually use any open box, but I think it might be more fun to use a feeley box sometimes when you are teaching at home. I use mine a lot in my preschool as well as teaching at home. It works really well with young children up to middle school age. But it can be fun for the whole family.
So, a feeley box is a closed box with only a whole in it that allows your hand to go inside the box. I use mine for my students to feel for different objects that can go along with a scripture story. In this case we will use our box to hide the papers inside. You can choose one of your family members and /or friends to draw out one slip of paper at a time.
You may want to consider drawing out a few to begin the lesson and discuss them. Then save the others for later on in the lesson or at the end of the lesson. If you have younger children you might consider having them draw a picture representing what truth they have found or remember from listening as others have read to them,
3 Nephi 1-7
Conversion is a process that requires diligent effort.
If you noticed during your study that 3 Nephi 1-7, these chapters describe the people who were already converted to Jesus Christ and His gospel as well as those who were not converted either to Jesus Christ or His gospel. In order to help your family members and friends find and understand the difference between these two groups of people, you will need to get out your poster board you could create a chart on your poster board.
You can make your chart with the following headings Beliefs and actions that weaken conversion and Beliefs and actions that strengthen conversion. You might want to divide the following scripture passages among your family members and friends or you could work together to solve the mysteries of each passage, writing your answers on your poster board in the correct boxes. Your chart could look something like mine here below:
i am sorry, i do not know what happened with the chart maker on this computer, but it doesn't seem to be working. i have tried to make it work multiple times. i want to get this out to you today so this is what i came up with. i hope it comes out well in the final publishing of it:)
Scripture passages Beliefs and actions that Beliefs and actions that weaken conversion strengthen conversion.
3 Nephi 1:4-23, 29-30 not believing the prophet's faith in the prophet’s
words and making fun of words and praying
righteous people (5 -6) for help (verses 8, 11)
3 Nephi 2:1-3 '
3 Nephi 3:12-16
3 Nephi 4:8-10, 30-33
3:Nephi 6:13- 18
3 Nephi 7:15-22
Now here is a question for you and your family members to ponder: How can we keep our conversion strong despite opposition? This is a very important question that we all should ask ourselves … often. I believe we should ask ourselves this question on a regular basis. How often is something that you can decide, but it is worth doing.
Who do you think is “the rising generation” which is referred to at the end of the following passage: 3 Nephi 1:27-30. You and your family members and friends could now have a discussion trying to find out how to strengthen this “riding generation.” Maybe you could look through these verses to find out just why these young Nephites as well as the young Lamanites were unable to withstand the wickedness which surrounded them.
Be sure to include in your discussion with your family members and friends some of the challenges which are facing our rising generation today. Talk together to find out ways in which they can develop their faith in Jesus Christ and in His gospel. You and your family members and friends will find some suggestions in Elder Vien V, Cordon of the Seventy in his message here below:
Helping build faith in the rising generation.
Elder Vleri V. Cordon of the Seventy suggested three ways to help the rising generation stay true to the gospel:
1 “Being More Diligent and Concerned at Home, ;;; Powerful teaching is extremely important to preserve the gospel in our families, and it requires diligence and effort. We have been invited many times to quite the practice of daily family and personal scripture study. Many families that are doing this are blessed each day with greater unity and closer relationship with the Lord.”
2. “Strong Modeling in the Home, … It is not enough just to talk to our children about the importance of temple marriage, fasting, and keeping the Sabbath day holy. They must see us making room in our schedules to attend the temple as frequently as we can. They must see our commitment to fasting regularly and keeping the entire Sabbath day holy.”
3. “Traditions. … As families, we need to avoid any tradition that will prevent us from keeping the Sabbath day holy or having daily scripture study and prayer at home. We need to close the digital doors of our home to pornography.and all other evil influences. To combat the worldly traditions of our day, er need to use the scriptures and the voice of our modern prophets to teach our children about their divine identity, their purpose in life and the divine mission of Jesus Christ” (“ The Language of the Gospel,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 56-57;; italics added).
Ideas for Personal Scripture Study
3 Nephi 1:22; 2:1-3
Forgetting spiritual experiences makes me vulnerable to Satan;s temptations.
You might think that witnessing something so miraculous as a sight without darkness would stay with you for a long time and be an anchor to your testimony. But the memories of the signs and wonders the Nephites witnessed seemed to fade over time. What caused them to forget, and what were the results of forgetting? (3 Nephi 1:22; 2:1-3).
What are you doing to remember and renew your witness of spiritual truths? For example, consider how recording your spiritual experiences can help you. How will you share your witness with those closest to you to help them believe?
See also Alma 5:6; Henry B. Eyring, “O Remember, Remember,: Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2007, 66-69; Neil L. Andersen, :Faith Is Not by Chance, but by Choice,” Ensign, or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 65-68.
3 Nepji 1:4-21; 5:1-3
The Lord will fulfill all His words.
Have you ever thought about the promises of the Lord? He has made many promises to His faithful servants throughout the years in the scriptures. How can yo strengthen you faith in these promises? One way that you can strengthen your faith and your family members and friends’ faith in the promises of the Lord could be to read together the accounts found in the following scripture passages: 3 Nephi 1:4-21 and 5:1-3.
You may decide to read together with your family members and friends the following scripture passage 3 Nephi 1”4-7. Once you have completed your reading of this passage you will need to get out your poster board and make a list of how you and each one of your family study group might feel if you and or they happen to be the believers which are described in these verses.
After you have finished your list, you may want to consider and ask your family members and friends to think about some similar situations or circumstances which you and or they might br facing today. You could write these on your poster board as well. Now, let’s take a look at some other scripture passages from 3 Nephi 1:8-21 and 5:1-3 and find out what we can learn from these passages about the Lord and His promises to His children.
I think it could be a good thing for you and your family members and friends to write in your / their journal anything that we write on your poster board. I could be helpful to have for future reference for each of you. It is just something that i was thinking about just now. And for me, when a thought comes through I need to act on it before it goes away.
This next part for you and your family members and friends is to review a hymn about trusting God. Here are a few you can choose from: Hymn nos. 270 “I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go”; hymns nos. 2, “The Spirit of God”; Hymns nos. 187 “God so Loved us So He Sent His Son”; Hymns nos. 304 “Teach Me to Walk in the Light”; hymns nos. 128, When Faith Endures.
Your family study group could now share with one another any experiences that you have had or that any of your family members and friends have had or when your faith and trust in God was rewarded, or when anu of their faith and trust in God was rewarded, despite any opposition that may have come your way during your circumstances or their circumstances.
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Ideas for Personal Scripture Study
3 Nephi 1:4-21; 5:1-3
The Lord will fulfil all His words.
How do you imagine you would have felt if you had been one of the believers during the time described in 3 Nephi 1-7? How might it have felt, for example, to wait for the night with no darkness that would announce the Savior’s birth, knowing you would be killed if it didn't happen? As you read 3 Nephi 1:4-21 and 5:1-3, look for what Nephi and the other believers did to keep their faith during these difficult times. How did the Lord bless them? What do you learn that can help when you find yourself waiting for blessings promised by the Lord?
3 Nephi 1:4-15; 5: 12-26; 6: 10-15; 7:15-26
We are disciples of Jesus Christ
In this next section you and your family members and friends are going to learn about or review what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. In order to do this you will need to read and study together the following scripture passages: 3 Nephi 1:4-15; 5:12-26; 6:10-15; and 7:15-26 if you remember if was in 3 Nephi 5:13 when Mormon declared to his people “Behold, i am a disciple of Jesus Christ.”
The next thing you can do with your family members and friends is to search through these scripture passages 3 Nephi 1:4-15; 5:12-26; 6:10-15; and 7:15-26/ you will be searching for qualities, beliefs, and any actions which are of Jesus Christ. Then you might consider asking your family study group to write in their journals something that they can each do that will help them to become better disciples of Jesus Christ.
Ideas for Personal Scripture Study
3 Nephi 5:12-26;7:15-26
I am a disciple of Jesus Christ
What do you think it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? (see Doctrine and Covenants 41:5). Om 3 Nephi 5:12-26, Mormon interrupted his abridgment of the Nephite records and declared that he was a disciple of Jesus Christ. Then, in 3 Nephi 7:15-26, he described the ministry of another disciple -- the prophet. What do you find in these two passages that helps you understand what it means to be a disciple of Christ?
3 Nephi 2:11-12; 3:12-26; 5:24-26
When the righteous gather, the Lord can strengthen and protect them.
After you have read through the following scripture passages : 3 Nephi 2:11-12; 3:12-26; 5:24-26, you will learn that part of the reason that the Nephite people were able to beat the Gadianton robbers was because the Nephites joined forces with the converted Lamanites. Also that the Nephites followed the words and directions which were inspired of God and given to Lachoneous. The message from God was for them to “gather themselves together” in Zarahemla as we find in 3 Nephi 3:22.
It’s time for a few questions: What lessons might this hold for you and your family members and friends? You might consider asking your family study group to share with one another any experiences they have had when they have been strengthened by those righteous people all around them. I have been strengthened many times by those righteous friends around me.
Ask your family members and friends to review 3 Nephi 3:12-26. During your review be sure to be watching out for any reasons that the Nephites gathered together. And also look for any blessings the Nephites had experienced. Ask your family study group what they can each do to to gain some of those same experiences when you gather with your family members and friends
How do you and your family members and friends experience those same blessings as you gather with members of our branches or our wards? you and your family members and friends search through 3 Nephi 5:24-26 to find out what more can you and your family study group learn from these verses about gathering together?
Okay, so, picture in your mind -- or you can do this little object lesson with your family members and friends -- have someone come up to the front of the room. Put one strand of yarn around their hands and tie it in a knot. Asj this person to try to break the string. They should be able to break it easily enough to make your point.
After this person has easily broken the string, you begin again with the yarn adding one strand and then another, and then another, and another, and another, and one more just for good measure. Now ask the same person to try to break the yarn now. Gee, so how did they do? Were they able to break the yarn? You may want to check this out beforehand.
If you wanted to do this as an object lesson you may want to try it out with the person who is going to help you during the lesson so that you get exactly the right amount of yarn so that your helper cannot break the yarn once you have it wrapped the second time. After you have practiced you will feel more comfortable doing this object lesson with your family study group.
You also need to make sure that your helper can actually break the single strand of yarn. Also find out how many strands you need to find out just how many strands of yarn you need to add before your helper can no longer break the yarn. This will make it more fun because you can then ask how many strands they think you need to add before (s)he can break the stands.
Then you can point out that when you tie a single strand of year around his / her hands (s)he could break the yarn easily enough, but when you add more strands of yarn what happened? The yarn became stronger which prevented him/her from breaking it!!! Just like when you and your family members and friends get together you are always stronger than when you're alone .
Now, this quite possibly may be a good opportunity for you and your family members and friends to gain help to see how much stronger we are when we gather together. However we are at our strongest when we gather together with righteous people in righteousness. You may have noticed this as you were reading through 3 Nephi 3 for examples.
Just imagine if you and your family members and friends were asked to try to convince the Nephites of the benefits of gathering together as is described in verses 12-26. It may work well for you to divide your family members and friends. You may want to have them work in small groups and discuss how they could do this.Only if this is conducive to your family group.
If you decide to work in groups, let your family members and friends share how they would convince the Nephites of the benefits of gathering together and just how they might do this based upon what they have read in these verses. Them upi can have your groups share what they have come up with.
If your family members and friends are not enough or too young to do this activity in groups you could do this activity together with your family members and friends. When you are finished you can ask the following questions to create a group discussion: What challenges do we face that might be likened to the Gadianton robbers and how can we make our homes and our ward places of refuge?
Ideas for Personal Scripture Study
The Lord strengthens His Saints against spiritual danger.
In our day, we usually don't face vans of robbers that force us to leave our homes and gather in one place. But we do face spiritual dangers, and the Nephutes’ experience may contain lessons that can help us. Look for these lessons as you read 3 Nephi 2:11-12 and 3:1-26.
In 3 Nephi 5:24-26 we read about the gathering of the Lord’s people in the latter days. What do these verses teach about how the Lord is gathering His people today?
See also “Worldwide Devotional for Youth: Messages from President Russell M. Nelson and Sister Wendy W. Nelson,: June 3, 2018, ChurchofJesusChrist.org “Israel-- The gathering of steak” Guide to the Scriptures, scripturesChurchofJesusChrist.org.
1Nephi 3:1-13
We need not fear Satan.
As you have learned in your reading -- the leader of the Gadianton robbers was called Giddianhi. He sent an epistle or a fancy letter, to the Nephites to try to deceive or to intimidate them. You might consider searching 4 Nephi 3:2-10 to review the words of this epostel which Giddianhi had written to the Nephites.
You and your family members and friends may find it interesting to compare the words of this epistle to the different ways that satan might try to deceive and / or to intimidate us today. And here is your final question for this lesson: What do we learn from the reaction of Lachoneus, the chief judge of the Nephites?
Ideas for Family Scripture Study and Family Home Evening
As you read the scriptures with your family, the Spirit can help you know what principles to emphasize and discuss in order to meet the needs of your family. Here are some ideas.
3 Nephi 3:13-14, 25-26
What did the nephites do to protect themselves from the enemy they faced? What are we doing to make our home a place of safety and protection from the evil in the world?
3 Nephi 2:1-3; 6:15-17
To help your family learn how Satan can deceive us, draw a body. And as your family reads 3 Nephi 2:1-3 and 6:15-17, mark the different parts of the body mentioned. According to these verses, what are some of the ways satan tempts us to forget God snf turn to sin?
3 Nephi 4:7-12,30-33
What did the Nephites do when they saw the Gadianton robbers coming? What can our family learn from the Nephites when we face difficult situations? Wha5r can we learn from the Nrphites’ words after the Lord helped them in their time of difficulty?
3 Nephi 5:13; Doctrine and Covenants 41:5
Read 3Nephi 5:13m and discuss what it means to be a disciple of Christ. Maybe family members could talk about times when they noticed eqh oth34 being disciples. If you have small children, you might make a badge that says “I am a disciple of Jesus Christ,: and let them wear the badge whenever you notice them following the Savior.
For more ideas for teaching children, see this weekend's outline in Come, Follow Me-- For Primary
Suggested song: “I]m Trying to Be Like Jesus,” Children;s Songbook, 78-79.
Improving Our Teaching
Help your family liken the scriptures to themselves. Nephi said, “I did liken the scriptures unto us, that it might be for our prophet and learning.” (1Nephi 19:23). To help your family liken the scriptures to themselves, you could invite them to ponder what they would have done if they had been among the believers described in 3 Nephi 1:4-9 (see Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 21).
Our readings for this next week will contain the ”crowning event” in the Book of Mormon -- this would be Jesus Christ’s personal ministry while He was among the Nephites after His death and resurrection in the old world, which can be found in 3 Nephi chapter 11. Knowing this should inspire you and your family members and friends to want to read 3 Nephi chapters 8-11.
I hope you and your family members and friends are doing well during this week, stay safe and continue to learn of our Heavenly Father and of His Son Jesus Christ. Learning about Them is the most important thing that we can do in our lives, especially right now when the world is in such uncertainty.
We need the strength that only Jesus Christ and His Father can provide for us.
It is only our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ who can provide us with the peace that we need in this world of unsettled seas -- no matter what type of ‘troubled waters’ you may find yourselves in --
Jesus Christ has already paid the price of all of our sins and transgressions. He has borne the burden so that we would not have to go through all of the pain and suffering that He went through for each one of us.
Please remember who you are!!! You are each one a child of God!!! You are soooo very important!!! Even if you do not think so at this very moment. You are each one of you also very special. Your Heavenly Father loves you so very much… He sent His Only Begotten Son.
He sent His Son... who came into this world as a newborn babe, born in a stable because there was no room at the inn for this most special child.
Have you and your family members and friends ever stopped and really thought about how much your Savior suffered for you and me and every person who has ever or who will ever live upon this earth.
He suffered every pain that any of us could ever have … physically; socially; emotionally; morally; mentally...etc., that any of us have ever felt or will ever feel. I would say that alone makes Him a great person of interest wouldn't you?
I guess I have rambled enough for today.
I hope and i pray that you and your family members and friends have learned a lot with this lesson and you each have a desire to learn more. Please keep praying as there is great power in prayer. Keep studying your scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon; ...
There too is great power in this most sacred book. Please read from this book every day.You will notice a change in your lives as you faithfully and consistently read the Book of Mormon every day. You may have already noticed this change if you have already been reading from this great book each day:)
I will leave you with this thought on your mind to ponder along with this week’s readings. Until my next post, please continue to stay safe and share what you are learning with those around you:) Have a great week!!!
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