The introductory pages of the Book of Mormon include the testimonies of Joseph Smith Jr., the Three Witnesses, and the Eight Witnesses. They testify that the Book of Mormon is from God and was translated from golden plates, by the power of God. Their testimonies help us to develop our own testimonies of the Book of Mormon. The lesson this week focuses on testimony and how our children can develop their own testimony of the Book of Mormon by reading it, asking God if it is true, and living the teachings found in it's pages.
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➤ L E S S O N
Open the lesson with a song and a prayer.
🎶 O P E N I N G S O N G : "Scripture Power"
➤ I N T R O D U C T I O N
Ask children the following questions. Allow everyone who is present to take turns responding.
1) What does bread taste like? (Describe the texture, flavors, etc.)
2) What does an apple taste like? (Describe the texture, flavors, etc.)
3) What is it like to get a haircut? (What does it feel like, how long does it take, etc.)
4) What happens when you flip on a light switch? (How does it work, how do you know, etc.)
After children respond to the questions, explain the following:
Sharing a testimony is telling another person about something that you have experienced. If you know what it’s like to eat an apple, and someone you know has never eaten an apple, you can bear your testimony to that person so they know what it’s going to be like.
If you have had a haircut before and someone you know has never had a haircut and they’re afraid, you can bear your testimony to that person too and maybe they won’t be afraid any more.
🎥 V I D E O : "Diego the Dune Buggy: A Story About Testimony"
Say: “We are going to watch a video about Diego the Dune Buggy. Diego finds a new road to drive on, but he doesn’t know where the road goes. While you are watching, see how many people bear testimony to Diego about the new road.”
Discuss the following questions after watching the video:
1) How many people shared their testimonies with Diego? (Three)
2) What did they tell Diego? (That the road on the right was a good road to drive on.)
3) What did Diego do after he heard the three testimonies? (Took action, went on the road.)
4) Did the green dune buggy know about the road? (No.)
5) What did Diego do to help the green dune buggy? (Diego shared his testimony.)
➤ S C R I P T U R E
Hold up a copy of the Book of Mormon and read the subtitle “Another Testament of Jesus Christ.” Explain that this book contains people’s testimonies about Jesus Christ.
Ask the following questions:
1) Where can we find testimonies about Jesus Christ? (In the Book of Mormon.)
2) Where else can we find testimonies about Jesus Christ? (Discuss.)
3) Once we have heard some of the testimonies of Jesus Christ, what do we have to do next to get our own testimony? (Take action, follow Christ’s teachings, pray and ask for a testimony from the Holy Ghost, etc. Discuss.)
Briefly show children the “Testimony of Three Witnesses,” the “Testimony of Eight Witnesses,” and the “Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith” in the front of the Book of Mormon.
1) Do you know where the Book of Mormon came from? (Discuss the translation of the
gold plates.)
Explain: Translating means writing something in a different language. When Joseph Smith got the gold plates, they were in a different language. God gave Joseph two stones to use to translate the gold plates, and the stones worked by the power of God.
1) Have any of us seen the gold plates? (No.)
2) If we haven’t seen the gold plates, how can we know about them? (Testimony of all the witnesses.)
3) How many people bore their testimonies in the front of the Book of Mormon? (12)
4) How can we have our own testimony about the Book of Mormon? (Take action, read the book, pray and ask for a testimony from the Holy Ghost, etc. Discuss.)
➤ A C T I V I T Y
Invite children to try translating messages into a different language using the pigpen cipher!
Complete the activity with children to explore characters from a different language and other features of the gold plates.
➤ T E S T I M O N Y
Bear testimony of the truths found in the scriptures.
'Come, Follow Me' is a resource offered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is designed to be used in the home to support personal and family scripture study to build faith in Heavenly Father and His plan of salvation and in the Savior Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Come, Follow Me is self-contained and adequate, when used properly. Products and materials designed to supplement this resource, though they may be helpful in some instances, are not necessary for a successful home study program.