Lesson 26: Alma 23-29

June 29- July 5

Alma 23-29 
They "never did fall away"

Materials: play printed out (below), swords 1 per person (plastic sword, cardboard tube, paper sword, etc.), blanket, sheet of paper, pencils, scriptures
Opening Song: "Teach me to walk in the light" (Children's Songbook, 177) 
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: Alma 24:15 Oh, how merciful is our God! And now behold, since it has been as much as we could do to get our stains taken away from us, and our swords are made bright, let us ^ahide them away that they may be kept bright, as a testimony to our God at the last day, or at the day that we shall be brought to stand before him to be judged, that we have not stained our swords in the blood of our brethren since he imparted his word unto us and has made us ^bclean thereby.

Attention Activity:
Invite a family member to come up. Take their hand and demonstrate a pinky promise. What is this? When we promise something, what does that mean? Today we are going to be talking about a group a good people who made a promise to God.

Lesson:
Ammon and the other sons of Mosiah have been successful in converting many of the Lamanites including the kings. This made the other wicked Lamanites angry with them and want to destroy them. The Lamanites who have converted to the gospel decide to give themselves a different name to set themselves apart. Do you remember what the name is? (Alma 23:17) They called themselves the Anti-Nephi-Lehies. 

Activity: Using the passage below have your family act out Alma 24. 

Cast: Ammon, Anti-Nephi-Lehi (ANL), Lamoni, a Lamanite, an Amulonite. Props: Swords (1 per person, a blanket)

In the land of Midian the Anti-Nephi-Lehies and the sons of Mosiah gather to hold a council to decide what they should do to defend against the angry Lamanites. 

Ammon: Brothers! It is good to see you!

Lamoni: I wish it was under different circumstances. Let me first introduce my bother, Anti-Nephi-Lehi. My father appointed him to be the next king of his lands before he died. 

ANL: It is good to see my fellow brethren in Christ. Unfortunately, the Amalekites, 
Amulonites, and all others who do not believe in God now wish to destroy us. So, what shall we do?

Lamoni: I thank my God, for sending these Nephites (Point at Ammon) to teach us about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am also thankful that we can repent of our many sins. 

ANL: Yes! It was hard for us to repent though.

Lamoni: Yes, we had committed many sins and murders. But our swords (hold up  sword) which were once stained with the blood of the Nephites are now clean and bright through our repentance. I don't think we should use our swords again; I don't want to shed anymore blood. Let us hide our swords away as a testimony to our God that we will shed no more blood since we have been made clean. 

ANL: We should bury them deep in the earth!

Lamoni: Yes, let's bury our swords as a testimony! And if our brethren destroy us, we will go to God and be saved. 

ANL, Lamoni, and the people of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies gather together each with a sword. They bury their swords and weapons in the earth [under a blanket].

Lamoni: We now covenant never to use weapons again for the shedding of man's blood. We will die before taking anymore lives. We will work and not be lazy. 

The Lamanites come. They find the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehies kneeling on their knees without any weapons, praying. The Lamanites kill 1,005 of them without any resistance. 

Lamanite: (confused) What is this? Why don't they fight? I can't do this anymore. Throws down sword. (sadly) What have I done? Oh Lord, I am so sorry for killing all these innocent people. 

Amulonite: (angrily) What's going on now? Why are you saying sorry? This is all the Nephite's fault. Let's go with the Amalekites away from here. 

The Amulonites and Amalekites leave.

Ammon: 1,005 of the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehies died today, but the Lord works in many ways to the salvation of His people. The Lamanites who killed these men have now repented and joined us and they number more than those who have been killed today. 

End Scene

Show the picture from the manual "Anti-Nephi-Lehies buring their weapons" by Dan Burr. Why did the Anti-Nephi-Lehies bury their swords deep in the earth? Do you think they were blessed for making this choice? How? (Read Alma 24:26) Even though a lot of righteous Anti-Nephi-Lehies died, there were more Lamanites converted. 

The Anti-Nephi-Lehies Burying Their Swords (62565), by Del Parson; GAK 311; Primary manual 3-54; Primary manual 4-33; Alma 24:17

What is one thing you are really good at? What's one thing you do that Heavenly Father would be proud of? Now, can you each think of an area where you could improve. What is one thing that you need to try harder to do?

Pass out a slip of paper and pencil to each person. Have everyone write down one thing they need to overcome or stop doing like a bad habit, etc. Do you have a bad habit or something you could overcome or abandon?  Collect the papers and decide as a family a symbolic way to get rid of them (i.e. bury them in backyard, burn them, throw them in the dumpster, etc. )

We all can choose to let go of our personal demons--the things that hold us back. We can all choose to overcome or sins and bad habits. The people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi decided not to fight, even though it meant their certain doom. They said they would rather be killed than break their oath and shed more blood. What hardships are we willing to endure to overcome our own personal faults? The Lord blessed the people, not by protecting them, but by adding to their numbers. Heavenly Father always has a plan. 


Closing Song: "If the Savior stood beside me" (Additional Songs for Children, Hymns app)
Closing Prayer:
Refreshment: Sugar cookie cheesecake bars recipe here

Lesson 25: Alma 17-22

June 22-26
Alma 17-22
"I will make an instrument of thee"

Materials: tools matching print out (below), picture of Uchtdorf's 5 things (below) 
Opening Song: "I will be valiant" (Children's Songbook, 162)
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: Alma 17:9 And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the wilderness, and they fasted much and ^aprayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an ^binstrumentin the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth, to the knowledge of the baseness of the ^ctraditions of their fathers, which were not correct.

Attention Activity: Have your family complete the printout below. In each job, people have certain tools or instruments that are used to fulfill their work. Heavenly Father also has a job He's trying to do. Read Moses 1:39. What tools/instruments do you think Heavenly Father uses in His work? 

Lesson: 
Heavenly Father uses His children to do His work. He uses the righteous to teach others about repentance so that we can all return to Him again and receive eternal life. The sons of Mosiah wanted to serve the Lord; they wanted to help in His work. Each of Mosiah's sons was given a chance to be the next king, but they each turned it down. They wanted to serve a mission to the Lamanites. 

Now we are going to read about the sons of Mosiah. As we read, look for what Mosiah's sons had to do to be instruments in God's hands. Read Alma 17:9-11. What did Mosiah's sons have do to be instruments in God's hands? (were prepared, fasted, prayed for the Spirit, had patience, were long-suffering, had to be a good example, had courage.) 

In April 2019 General Conference, Elder Uchtdorf gave "5 guilt free ways" that we can be instruments in God's hand and gather His church in the latter-days. Show picture below.

We have talked before about gathering Israel and about missionary work, but being an instrument in God's hands also means that you are willing to do what the Lord asks you to do. When you submit yourselves to His will, you have an attitude that says "I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord." President Thomas S. Monson said, "I always want the Lord to know that if He needs an errand run, Tom Monson will run that errand for Him." ("On the Lord's Errand: The Life of Thomas S. Monson, churchofjesuschrist.org) So are you willing to go run errands for the Lord? Are you ready to be his instrument?

Activity: To show how we can do what God asks us to do play a round of Simon Says, or sing "Do As I'm Doing" (Children's Songbook, 276.)

When we are willing to submit to the Lord and allow Him to use our talents to enable His work, we will be blessed beyond measure. I can be an instrument in God's hands to bring salvation to His children.

Closing Song: "I'll go where you want me to go" (Hymnal, 270)
Closing Prayer:
Refreshment: Andes Mint Mini Cheesecake recipe here

Lesson 24: Alma 13-16

June 15-21
Alma 13-16
"Enter Into the Rest of the Lord"

Materials: priesthood cards (front and back) printed and cut out, scriptures
Opening Song: "Love is Spoken Here" (Children's Songbook, 190)
Opening Prayer: 
Scripture: Alma 13:11 Therefore they were called after this holy order, and were ^asanctified, and their ^bgarments were washed white through the blood of the Lamb.

Attention Activity:
Have the cards below printed and cut out (Backside below). Lay them out on the floor or the table scrambled. Have your family unscramble them to spell out "priesthood."

Lesson:
Today we are going to discuss truths Alma teaches about righteous men/priesthood holders. In Alma chapter 13, Alma shares that through their own righteousness, priesthood bearers are sanctified and enter into the rest of the Lord. 

Turn your attention back to the "priesthood" cards. On the back of each card is a verse from chapter 13 and a truth about the priesthood summarized from that verse. Have each family member take turns flipping over the cards and reading about the priesthood. 

Now that we know a little more about the priesthood, let's learn about the blessings promised to them. Keep in mind that these blessings are available to every worthy endowed member of the Church, male and female. Read Alma 13:10-12. 

Activity: 
Close your eyes and imagine you have just been outside and are now very dirty. Maybe you were working in the yard pulling weeds and your fingernails and hands are covered in dirt. Maybe you were playing in the yard after a rainstorm and now have itchy grass and mud over your legs and arms. You feel dirty and uncomfortable. Now imagine that you just stepped out of the bath or shower. Your hair smells like shampoo, and your skin is clean and fresh. Repentance is kind of like taking a shower after you're sweaty and dirty from being outside. How are these feelings similar to what we feel when we sin and then repent and become clean through the Savior's atonement? 

Through Christ's atonement we can repent and as Alma says be "sanctified", "be "washed white", and be "pure and spotless before God." When we are truly clean and ready to enter into the kingdom of God we will no long want to sin, but look at it with "abhorrence" (disgust). The blessing from becoming clean like this is that we can "enter into the rest of the Lord." Entering into His rest is another way of saying gaining celestial glory, exaltation, or everlasting life. 

Through the ordinances of the holy Melchezidek Priesthood, we are able to receive redemption through Jesus Christ and through our faithfulness we can become clean and enter into his rest.

Closing Song: "The Fifth Article of Faith" song (Children's Songbook, 125)
Closing Prayer:
Refreshment:
Cinnamon and Sugar Soft Pretzels recipe here

Lesson 23: Alma 8-12

 June 8-14
Alma 8-12
"Jesus Christ Will Come to Redeem His People"

Materials: scriptures, pictures of carrot & egg, coloring page
Opening Song: "Choose the Right Way" (Children's Songbook, 160) 
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: Alma 12:10

Attention Activity:
        Sing "If You're Happy and You Know It" or "If You Chance To Meet a Frown" with your family. Happy people are easy to be around. A happy person has a good attitude. What does it mean to have a good attitude? (optimistic, doesn't complain, smiles, happy, cheerful, kind, open-minded) What does it mean to have a bad attitude? (grumpy, complains, pouts, angry, upset, pessimistic, closed off, stubborn, close-minded)

Lesson:

Read Alma 12: 10-11. What does it mean to "harden your heart?" Hardening your heart is like having a bad attitude about the gospel. This could be because they feel offended or maybe because they are angry when they are making wrong choices. Their hearts and minds become closed. 

What do you think happens to people who "harden their hearts?" It says in Alma that they "receive a lesser portion of the word, until they know nothing of his mysteries". When someone hardens their hearts, they ignore the Holy Ghost. They are cut off from the spirit. This leads to further sin or being "taken captive by the devil." 

So do we want to have hard heart or soft hearts? Show a picture of a carrot and a picture of an egg like the ones below. What happens when you boil a carrot? What happens when you boil an egg? If you were to put the carrot and the egg in the same boiling pot of water, one would get soft and the other would get hard. In this life, we have to face adversity and sin like the boiling water. We have a choice. Do we let or sins and trials harden our hearts and turn us away from the Lord. Or do we let our adversity soften our hearts, enabling us to become more humble and meek?

Verse 10 also says that if we don't harden our hearts, God will give us a "greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full."  This means that if we have soft hearts and open minds Heavenly Father promises to give us further light and knowledge about the gospel and personal revelation through the companionship of the Holy Ghost. 

Read Alma 10: 5-6. Amulek had hardened his heart and rebelled against God. He admits that he refused to "hear" Him. Then in verse 7-10 Amulek describes how he appears to him and tells him that a holy man will come to his house and he should feed him. Amulek softens  his heart and chooses to believe the angels words. He kindly feeds the holy man, Alma. Because Amulek softens his heart he is blessed by the Lord and becomes Alma's missionary companion. It says in Alma 8: 30-31, "And they were filled with the Holy Ghost. And they had ^apower given unto them, insomuch that they could not be confined in dungeons; neither was it possible that any man could slay them; nevertheless they did not exercise their ^bpower until they were bound in bands and cast into prison. Now, this was done that the Lord might show forth his power in them."

We all have times in our lives where we have a bad attitude. How can we keep our struggles and bad days from hardening our hearts? Share the following quote from President Monson from "Living the Abundant Life," Ensign. Jan. 2012. 

Activity: "Choose Happy" Coloring Page click here

Closing Song: "Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam" Verse 2 (Children's Songbook, 60)
Closing Prayer:
Refreshment:
Carrot Cake Blondies recipe here 

Lesson 22: Alma 5-7

June 1-7
Alma 5-7
"Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?" 

Materials: Whiteboard, marker, printout cut into strips (see below), tape, poster, art supplies
Opening Song: "I Will Follow God's Plan" (Children's Songbook, 164)
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: Alma 5:28 Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand

Attention Activity:
Have a whiteboard or piece of paper ready. Show the picture below. What materials do you need to go camping? Can you just get in the car and go or do you have to prepare? How do you prepare? (pack food, cooking equipment, pack sleeping bags and tents, reserve a camping spot, etc.) 

Lesson:
We have always heard it is important to "be prepared." That motto has been used by the Boy Scouts of America for decades and even used by the wicked lion, Scar in The Lion King. 

Why is it important to be prepared? What has the Lord asked us to prepare for? When Alma was teaching, he asked them a bunch of questions. These questions were meant to help his people to think about whether or not they were prepared to meet God. 

Cut the printout below into strips and place into a bowl. Have family members take turns reading the questions Alma asked his people in chapter 5:14-33. Tape the questions to the whiteboard. When finished read aloud the questions in the blue parenthesis ( ). 

Some of these questions might look familiar some of you. Raise your hand if you've ever had an interview for a temple recommend. A lot of these questions are similar to those the bishop and member of the stake presidency ask you before you are able to enter the holy temple. 
Read your family the temple interview questions (from Closing Remarks, President Nelson, October 2019). 

1. Do you have faith in and a testimony of God, the Eternal Father; His Son, Jesus Christ; and the Holy Ghost?
2. Do you have a testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and of His role as your Savior and Redeemer?
3. Do you have a testimony of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ?
4. Do you sustain the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the prophet, seer, and revelator and as the only person on the earth authorized to exercise all priesthood keys?
   Do you sustain the members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators?
   Do you sustain the other General Authorities and local leaders of the Church?
5. The Lord has said that all things are to be “done in cleanliness” before Him (Doctrine and Covenants 42:41).
   Do you strive for moral cleanliness in your thoughts and behavior?
   Do you obey the law of chastity?
6. Do you follow the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ in your private and public behavior with members of your family and others?
7. Do you support or promote any teachings, practices, or doctrine contrary to those of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?
8. Do you strive to keep the Sabbath day holy, both at home and at church; attend your meetings; prepare for and worthily partake of the sacrament; and live your life in harmony with the laws and commandments of the gospel?
9. Do you strive to be honest in all that you do?
10. Are you a full-tithe payer?
11. Do you understand and obey the Word of Wisdom?
12. Do you have any financial or other obligations to a former spouse or to children?
    If yes, are you current in meeting those obligations?
13. Do you keep the covenants that you made in the temple, including wearing the temple garment as instructed in the endowment?
14. Are there serious sins in your life that need to be resolved with priesthood authorities as part of your repentance?
15. Do you consider yourself worthy to enter the Lord’s house and participate in temple ordinances?

So how do you know if you are prepared to meet God? It's rather simple. If you can give honestly answer the questions above and are found worthy to receive a temple recommend, you are on the right track. Elder Cornish of the seventy said, "As with my own experience, our members often ask, 'Am I good enough as a person?' or 'Will I really make it to the celestial kingdom?' ...Let me be direct and clear. The answers to the questions 'Am I good enough?' and 'Will I make it?' are 'Yes! You are going to be good enough' and 'Yes, you are going to make it as long as you keep repenting and do not rationalize or rebel.'" ("Am I Good Enough? Will I Make it?" General Conference, October 2016). 

Activity: Be Prepared Poster

Using a poster board and art supplies, have your family come up with poster/ad using the words "Be Prepared." You could show your family some MormonAds for some inspiration. The poster can have bold lettering, pictures, taglines, scripture captions, it's up to you. Display the poster in your home through the week as a reminder to always be prepared to meet God. 


Closing Song: "Come, Come Ye Saints" (Hymnal, 30)
Closing Prayer:
Refreshment: 
Brownie Truffles recipe here

Lesson 21: Mosiah 29- Alma 4

May 25-31

Mosiah 29- Alma 4
"They were steadfast and immovable"

Materials: scriptures, coloring page 
Opening Song: Keep the Commandments (Children's Songbook, 146)
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: Alma 1: 30 And thus, in their ^aprosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were ^bnaked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon ^criches; therefore they were ^dliberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no ^erespect to persons as to those who stood in need.

Attention Activity:
Who has ever gotten a birthday card, maybe from Grandma or Grandpa? Have you ever opened it to see money inside the card? How do we usually get money? We usually have to work to get money. Is having a lot of money a good thing or a bad thing? We need to have enough money to pay for the essentials of living like our homes and our food. But, it is important to remember that all the money and the success receive are blessings from our Heavenly Father.




Lesson:

We are going to learn today about the Nephites and the effects that money had on them and their standing with the Lord. Read Alma 4:6-9. How were the Nephites doing at this moment? They were wealthy but they were also living is sin. They were spending their wealth on gold, silver, and "precious things". What kind of clothes were they buying? (Fine silks, fine-twined linen, costly apparel). We hear the term "costly apparel" often in The Book of Mormon just like we hear the term "precious things" often. The Nephites' priorities were all mixed up. They were too focused on things. 

In the book series The Lord of the Rings, there is a character named Gollum. While out fishing, Gollum finds a beautiful shiny gold ring. Overtime, he becomes possessive and greedy. He pushes all others away and the ring consumes him until he becomes a grotesque creature. He calls the ring his "precious" and even commits murder to possess it. His love for a worldly possession ruins his whole life and even leads to his death. 

Photographs were copyright free images taken from pixabay.com

Let us learn from Gollum's mistakes. Although it is nice to have material things, true joy and happiness can only come through living the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Split your family into two groups have half our your family read Alma 4:12-14 and the other read Alma 1:27-31. How does the righteous spend their wealth? What differences could you see between what we just read in our groups and what we read before? It is not sinful to earn a lot of money as long as you use that money to help others. In fact, it is made quite clear in Alma 1 that Heavenly Father blesses the righteous with success and wealth so they can use it to help others.

Read Alma 1: 27 again. What kind of clothing did the righteous Nephites wear? (not costly, but neat and comely) This doesn't mean that we can't get dressed up or wear nice clothes, but rather that our clothes should not be the center of our attention. In the For Strength of Youth pamphlet it says, "Prophets of God have continually counseled His children to dress modestly. When you are well groomed and modestly dressed, you invite the companionship of the Spirit and you can be a good influence on others. Your dress and grooming influence the way you and others act." (pg. 6) What does it mean to dress modestly? It is important that you practice dressing modestly now, because later you will make a covenant to do so when you attend the temple to receive your endowment. 

The Nephites have a complicated relationship with wealth and pride. We will talk about this even more in later chapters when we study the pride cycle. Jesus Christ and the prophets of the Lord have made it clear that our priorities should not revolve around money or "stuff". We should use our blessings to help those around us and build up the kingdom of God. 

Activity: Coloring Page (link here) and Service Activity
The next time you go to the grocery store have every member of your family choose one can of food to purchase and drop off at the local food bank. 


Closing Song: "I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus" (Children's Songbook, 78)
Closing Prayer:
Refreshment: Banana Carmel Ice Cream Pie Recipe here

Lesson 20: Mosiah 25-28

May 18-24
Mosiah 25-28
"They were called the people of God"

Materials: video (link below, coloring page)
Opening Song: "Keep the Commandments" (Children's Songbook, 146)
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: Mosiah 27: 25 And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be ^aborn again; yea, ^bborn of God, ^cchanged from their carnal and ^dfallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his ^esons and daughters;

Attention Activity:
Last week we talked about the baptismal covenant. Did you know that all baptismal fonts are  below ground? This is symbolic of spiritual rebirth. Today, we are going to talk about spiritual rebirth as we learn about the life of Alma the Younger, Alma's son. 

Conversion of Alma the Younger (The Conversion of Alma), by Gary L. Kapp

Lesson:
Have your family watch the Book of Mormon video "Alma the Younger Is Converted unto the Lord" from thechurchofjesuschrist.org (about 12 min.) Alma tried to lead people away from the church. What changed Alma's mind about God? Most of us do not get to see angels like Alma or Paul. But like Alma the Younger, we all need to become truly converted to the gospel. Read Mosiah 27: 25. Being born again is a term that means being converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are born again when we are baptized and take upon ourselves the name of Christ. We renew our covenant to be "born again" every time we take the sacrament. 

"Just as a cucumber is transformed into a pickle as it is immersed in and saturated with salt brine, so you and I are born again as we are absorbed by and in the gospel of Jesus Christ...And after we come out of the waters of baptism, our souls need to be continuously immersed in and saturated with the truth and the light of the Savior’s gospel" (Elder David A. Bednar, "Ye Must Be Born Again" April General Conference, 2007). In other wards being "born again" is an ongoing process. We must try everyday to immerse ourselves in the gospel, trying to live a disciples of Christ. 

Alma had an amazing spiritual experience that helped strengthen his testimony. Elder Neil L. Anderson said in April 2020 General Conference, "Along with the peaceful direction we receive from the Holy Ghost, from time to time, God powerfully and very personally assures each of us that He knows us and loves us and that He is blessing us specifically and openly." We all have had spiritual experiences that have helped to develop our faith. What experiences have you had that have helped you to see that God is real and that he loves you? Read Mosiah 27: 16 . The angel told Alma the younger to remember all the things that God has done for his people. "What 'great things' has the Lord done for you or your family that you should 'remember'?" (CFMFIAF Manual) 

Elder Anderson went on to say, "Embrace your sacred memories. Believe them. Write them down. Share them with your family. Trust that they come to you from your Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son. Let them bring patience to your doubts and understanding to your difficulties. I promise you that as you willingly acknowledge and carefully treasure the spiritually defining events in your life, more and more will come to you. "

We will have times in our lives where we will have to draw from our testimony and our spiritually defining memories. These times will be easier for us to cope with, if we are able to do as Elder Bednar directs and immerse ourself in the gospel--to constantly choose to be born again every week as we partake of the sacrament. Bear your own testimony. 

Activity: Alma the Younger Coloring page 


Closing Song: "Book of Mormon Stories" verse 3 (Children's Songbook, 118)

Alma was rebellious, and he fought against the right.

Then one day an angel came to turn him to the light.

Struck before his brethren, Alma learned humility.

Then he taught in the land righteously.

Closing Prayer:

Refreshment:
Perfect Fried Pickle recipe here