Learning from Jacob and Enos, a wise father and son

I often thought about Enos while I was studying and teaching from the New Testament last year. He didn't contribute many words to the Book of Mormon but he showed great faith. The one chapter that he wrote was invaluable. While I was studying Jacob 5-7 and Enos over the last two weeks, these are the things that struck me the most.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media-library/images/enos-praying-900652?lang=eng

1. The reiteration of the importance of what they were doing with recording and focusing on what their descendants needed to read and learn from their records.

Lehi, Nephi, Jacob, and Enos likely didn't imagine the concept of the printing press and copy machines, let alone digital copies. They knew they were writing for others to read and learn but were they able to understand the scope, that their words would translated and printed over and over again and brought to all the lands?

Nephi stated that they were writing this book to "persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved." (1 Nephi 6:4). Yet, I wonder if he realized that he would be persuading many so many generations later. These words were being written and guarded by single individuals! How simple, from a father (Lehi) to a son (Nephi) to a brother (Jacob) to a son (Enos).

When we think of this being such a personal thing, how does that apply to you? Do you keep a journal? If so, do you make sure to write down the insights and the moments that turned you closer to God, and to having a clear focus on what you are doing in this life? There is a very popular professor at the University of Utah, that goes by the name of Dr. Abe. He shares that he writes in his journal daily, then reviews it at the end of the week, pondering what he has learned, what he can do better, how he served in the world around him. It makes the written word so meaningful and purposeful. How can we be like the faithful Lehi, Nephi, Jacob, and Enos?

2. The faith the followers of God showed in going into the wilderness, recording the records, and following instructions that they didn't always fully understand. 

In Jacob 4:10, Jacob advised, "Wherefore, brethern, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works."

When Jacob was nearing the end of his life, he concluded his record by sharing the faith it took to live his life, stating, "I conclude this record, declaring that I have written according to the best of my knowledge, by saying that the time passed away with us, and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream, we being a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jersualem, born in tribulation, in a wilderness, and hated of our brethern, which caused wars and contention; wherefore we did mourn out our days." (Jacob 7:26).

When Enos subsequently inherited the plates to share he told his story about praying fervently, and how his "soul hungered" (Enos 1:4) and how he "cried unto him in mighty prayer" (Enos 1:4). The Lord answered Enos' prayer for forgiveness, then Enos prayed for his people. He prayed sincerely, with great desire for forgiveness from the Lord, and as a result, the Lord spoke to him in his mind, and Enos said, "my faith began to be unshaken in the Lord" (Enos 1:11).

3. The importance of being good parents and good examples to others.

Enos starts his records by calling his father, "a just man - for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition fo the Lord - and blessed be the name of my God for it." (Enos 1:1). This reminds me of the opening verse to the Book of Mormon, written by Enos' uncle, Nephi, "I Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in the all the learning of my father ..." (1 Nephi 1:1).

When Lehi had a vision and shared it with his family, Nephi showed respect to his father by first listening to him, but then faithfully praying himself to learn what his father had learned.

These were good children that were motivated by good examples in their lives. Of course, there were those, like Laman and Lemuel, who chose not to follow the great example they were given but they were all given the opportunity to choose.

4. Missionary work
Some recurring things jumped out at as me as well, from studying the New Testament last year and what Lehi, Nephi, and Jacob already stated in previous chapters.

The theme of missionary work was on my mind as American missionaries from around the world are trying to make their way home (as a safety precaution and a response to the Covid-19 pandemic). I have several nephews that have made the difficult trek back, stuck in airports waiting for new flights to open, and not knowing exactly where they are going to be in a day, or a month from now.

Yet, no matter how they serve and where they serve, they follow the direction from Jacob in Jacob 1:7, "Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his rest ..."

Yet, like the people in Enos time, they continue to serve in faith, even when sometimes "our strugglings were in vain in restoring them to the true faith."

Conclusion
We are living through a difficult trial right now, with a lot of unknowns regarding the progression of Covid-19. Luckily, we have prophets, past and present, that can guide us through these trying times. I'm astounded by the new things I learn from them every time I read their words. I look forward to their continued wisdom as I navigate the world we live in today, and as I listen to Jacob, who advised, "O, be wise; what can I say more?" (Jacob 6:12).

Come Follow Me - Sunday School (2 Nephi 31-33 and Jacob 1-4) - Be Reconciled Unto God

Even though we are not meeting as a class in the church building on Sunday (See Church News, 12 March 2020), I'm sharing some of the slides I prepared for the adult Sunday School lesson that I was scheduled to teach. These slides are not meant to be viewed in order but to jump around based on our class discussion and inspiration. I hope they add to your pondering and discussions at home! (Click on any image to see a larger version of the slide.)

The last two weeks of Come Follow Me cover chapters written by Nephi and Jacob. I am fascinated by Jacob who spent his childhood, youth, and early adulthood traveling through the wilderness.

In 2 Nephi 31-23 we learn that "Jesus Christ and His Doctrine are the Only Way to Eternal Life." 

As quoted in the Adult Sunday School manual, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland explains this further:

We can gain inspiration in our daily lives as we ponder what this mean. I like the reminder above that Elder Holland shared in 1997 above paired with a Facebook post he published last month:

How can you personally seek the path to eternal life? What areas do you need to work on? How have you been inspired by others on the path to eternal life?

In 2 Nephi 31:15-20, we study that "He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved." This made me think about 2 Nephi 5:11, that the blessings that come, come with work. That we reap the fruit of the seed that we sow. I added that on the right in the slide below to be viewed alongside President Uchtdorf's insightful words in 2007: 

In 2 Nephi 32:1-6, we learn about how the Holy Ghost instructs us. Nephi understood this well, and chastised his older brother in 1 Nephi 15:8-11 for not understanding this. Again, this goes back to the previous slide, where we discuss that the blessings require effort.

Jacob 1-4

I've skipped over a number of slides that just don't make sense without discussion. Moving on to Jacob 1-4, the next lesson, Jacob talks about how we can "Be Reconciled to God through the atonement of Christ."

I love this image of King Benjamin speaking from a tower so that more people could hear him. He is one of my many scripture heroes, as he was "truly good without guile." We study in the Come Follow Me for Individuals and Families manual about our own worthiness in the Lord's eyes to magnify our callings, and we see how righteous leaders like Jacob did this for his people. Jacob was so faithful. He grew up in the wilderness, wandering for the first part of his life, and listening to his older brothers - not just Nephi, but Laman and Lemuel undoubtedly had opinions and shared them in his presence. However, he was unfaltering in choosing the Lord.

Thinking about Jacob, and of course, the Savior, and how all of these great people magnified their callings while here on earth, what did we learn from them? What do we learn from our leaders today, in all their "humanness"?

Images: King Benjamin | Lehi | Jesus | Enos

My favorite way that I have seen leaders magnify their callings is in small and simple things - remembering the names of all of their flock. I remember moving into this area and meeting a brother in the ward that I didn't know even know knew my name, and he asked how my husband and I were doing, by name. Later, when he was called to be the bishop, I already felt he was someone that cared about others individually.

I love President Henry B. Eyring's talk, "Rise to Your Call," that he gave in October 2002. He says, "Your call has eternal consequences for others and for you. In the world to come, thousands may call your name blessed, even more than the people you serve here. They will be the ancestors and the descendants of those who chose eternal life because of something you said or did, or even what you were."

In Jacob 2:12-21, Jacob talks about being careful of pride. 

In verse 13 he warns, "you have obtained many riches; and because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethern ye are lifted up in the pride of your heart ... and persecute your brethern because ye suppose ye are better than they." He continues to verse 18-19, "But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope of Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good ..."

The Sunday School manual references an excellent talk from Elder L. Tom Perry:

I also thought this set of scriptures about "looking beyond the mark," would lead to valuable discussion:

I highlighted four points from Elder Cook's talk, and I think this slide alone could be used for an entire one-hour discussion, or even just one of the four blocks that I created:

(“Looking beyond the Mark,” Ensign or Liahona, Mar. 2003, 42–44).

While I'm disappointed that I didn't get to have a discussion with the class and hear all of their amazing and spirit-led insights as they read the scriptures, pondered the lesson, and were inspired in class, I'm grateful to have read the words of Nephi and Jacob in these scriptures, and been blessed by their insights. I have more studying to do on Sunday around these scriptures and am excited to "feast upon the words of Christ" further.

Notes from Relief Society today - Learning to sail our ships

In Relief Society today we focused on "Knowing, Loving, and Growing," by Elder Hans T. Boom, a talk from October 2019 General Conference that I have quoted in the past, when we were studying Ephesians in the Bible and learning about how to Strengthen Families. In addition, we studied "The Second Great Commandment," by President Russell M. Nelson, from October 2019 General Conference.

We had a great discussion, and I was mostly focused on just listening to it but I did jot down a quote, and another quote that I found as a result of the lesson. Lastly, I drew a little picture showing a girl who was inspired to bring a watermelon to a woman she barely knew, but it was exactly what the pregnant, lonely woman was craving. Listen to the Lord, and follow promptings to help others in need.

In the above referenced talk, President Nelson stated:

Latter-day Saints, as with other followers of Jesus Christ, are always looking for ways to help, to lift, and to love others. They who are willing to be called the Lord’s people “are willing to bear one another’s burdens, … to mourn with those that mourn; … and [to] comfort those that stand in need of comfort.”³

They truly seek to live the first and second great commandments. When we love God with all our hearts, He turns our hearts to the well-being of others in a beautiful, virtuous cycle.

"In Knowing, Loving, and Growing," Elder Hans T. Boom says:

We all know where we can do better. There is no need to repeatedly remind each other, but there is a need to love and minister to each other and, in doing so, provide a climate of willingness to change.

Teaching and Reviewing Book of Mormon Stories

I subbed for the Primary Choristers in our ward last week. We reviewed and learned the song "Book of Mormon Stories." Our choristers want to sing this song in this order: vs. 1, 4, 7, 2.  This was SO FUN, and went by so fast.

I basically put on a mini play where we sang each verse of the song while kids held up props or acted out their role.

What I Liked About this Singing Time

• Great participation. Several kids that are normally too shy to get up and participate in the front of the room willingly came to the front of the room!
• Teachers involvement. I handed them copies of the lyrics their class would be involved in, and had them decide what to hand out to each child and "direct" the kids. I like having teachers participate in Singing Time when possible.
• Fun way to learn the song.
• Kids learned the words fast. It was definitely aggressive to cover all four verses at once but I wanted to make sure every child had a prop and an opportunity to participate. I don't regret doing it this way because it was so fun but it would definitely be helpful to have a second week to reinforce each verse. 
• (I can see Week 2 being something fun like - hand out all the pieces, not by class, and have it be a game for the kids to figure out when to stand up. I might just have them stand without coming to the front so they aren't too intimidated by this game. OR, have kids come up and ask the class to "unscramble" them and put them in the right order before the verse ends. I would NOT do a full repeat but I would incorporate a bunch of the same stuff, somehow.)

How it Worked
I prepped a prop bag for each of the verses of the song.  Below is a list of the props for each verse, pictures of some of the props for that verse. I explain further what I did below the lists of props for each of the four verses.

Also, in case you are wondering, for safety issues, and since I don't have permission from the children's parents to post their pictures, I've blurred out everyone's faces in the pictures :)

Verse 1
1. Gold plates I had made previously (but you could use a real Book of Mormon)

2. Headbands - one for a Lamanite, one for a Nephite, and one for Jaredite. (Make a bunch of these for a big class. I opened to the first page of the Book of Mormon and explained that this song was a little misleading because it says it's "all about the Lamanites from ancient history" and its actually tells about the Lamanites, Nephites, and Jaredites. I would have spent a little more time here but I was worried about time. In hindsight, I could have given it one more minute but I was worried about time, and it did go by very quickly. I didn't want to risk one class not being able to go up.

To make the headbands, attach long strips of paper together, then cut slits on the ends so they can be closed around the head and adjusted to different sizes. I laminated mine.

3. I cut out some blue paper in a zig zag for "sea" and laminated it.

4. I cut out and laminated a half circle to represent a boat.

5. A poster board that said "CTR" for "righteously"

Verse 4
1. Abinadi's chains.

I linked paper together with a stapler to make a chain for the bound Abinadi. I labelled the wrists and ankles so it would be easy for the child to know which end went where, and I also made the ankle chains much wider to slip more easily over feet. "Abinadi" had the "chains" around his ankles earlier but had taken them off by the time this picture was taken, unfortunately. He was wearing boots so he had to take his shoes off to get the chains on. It was my favorite prop and so easy to make!

2. A gold crown for King Noah.

I cut little tabs into the crown so it was easy to size for different children's head sizes.

I had "King Noah" raise his fist and make an angry face when we sang that part. The kids loved it, and it was fun to see a shy, sweet girl pretending to be angry in Junior.

3. A poster board that said "CTR"

4. A picture of Abinadi standing before King Noah

This was mainly because this song didn't lend to as many props.

5. Fire!

I laminated together orange and yellow paper to look like fire and had the kids holding the fire move their fire in front of Abinadi during that part of the song. I very quickly reminded them that Abinadi died by fire, but he died righteously.

Verse 7
1. A chair for Samuel to stand on for the "city wall" (Yes, this little girl is standing on a chair.) I LOVE how her teacher is helping her. Yay for teacher participation!!

2. A headband for Samuel (actually I didn't make one because I was planning to include my Bible garb but I forgot it)

3. Blue arrows that I laminated.

This is an opportunity to make a bunch of arrows to make sure kids have enough props. In Junior Primary, each child had an arrow and just pretended to throw it.

In Senior Primary, two children each had multiple arrows, and they threw them at Samuel. It was awesome because since the arrows were just laminated paper, they really couldn't hit Samuel.

4. A poster board that said "CTR" (for "righteously"). I briefly explained why we were using the poster.

Verse 2
1. Headbands that said "Lamanites" on them. Again, this is a chance to make multiple headbands for a bigger class.

2. Book of Mormon

3. Hearts. The hearts represent being brothers. I made two for the class size. Make multiple here.

4. A poster board that said "CTR."

Making Assignments with the Prop Bags
I reviewed the class list and how many children I thought would be there on Sunday to determine which class got which props, since some verses lent themselves to more visuals. I also planned to move one child to another class if necessary but everything worked out so that I didn't need to do that. The key is to make sure you have more props than you think you will need. No child left behind!

Having a separate bag for each verse made it easier to quickly hand a group of props to each class. In some cases, I combined classes. I made sure to review the roster beforehand, but then did a quick count of each class as they came in to see who was missing that day and if that impacted which bag I wanted to give a class.

I also didn't want the Sunbeams to go first because I thought that it being so early in the year, they might still be a little shy (depends on the class every year!) so if they saw another class go first, they might have a better understanding of what was going on, and be more willing to come up. I had several Sunbeams that came up that have been too shy to participate as of yet so I believe this theory was correct. The nature of the participation was a little less intimidating as they were up there with their entire class, got to see everyone else do it first, and were preoccupied with their props.

Other Thoughts
While it's fun to act out the traditional motions to "Book of Mormon" stories I feel that some of the motions are outdated and not accurate to the cultures they represent. For example, in the Book of Mormon, and in pictures that artists have depicted, I have not seen any evidence of Lamanites with two feathers (two fingers) sticking out of headbands. This way of singing the song was an easy way to avoid the popular motions but not in a way that the kids would miss them.

Just to be clear, I know the motions are beloved and still well remembered by many of the choristers that teach them. I understand, and love the nostalgia and sentimentality there. I thought this was a fun way to move further into the gospel of the song, though.

Also, it's a great opportunity to share you testimony. I did not do this in Junior Primary because I ran out of time but in Senior Primary, I let them know that as fun as it was to sing these songs, for me they were powerful because I know and believe that they really happened, and are a witness to us of the prophets that came before our time.