Lesson 7: Crossing the Sea
Show a sign written in a different language. (For me, I’ll have it written in Russian) The sign should say, “Nephi listened to the Holy Ghost”.
What does the sign say?
Obviously they won’t be able to translate it without help.
Share with them what it means.
What do you need to do in order to be able to understand this kind of writing?
Is it something you could learn if you wanted to?
Sometimes we are able to do something quickly and easily – without much effort. But to speak a different language we need to study, practice and listen.
In order for us to hear and understand the Holy Ghost we need to work at it as well.
What are some things that we can do to learn how to hear the promptings of the Holy Ghost?
This week we get to learn about the family’s journey across the sea. It wasn’t an easy journey nor was it a quick journey. But it was an important one.
Select one child to come to the front of the classroom and put a blindfold on them. Once he is blindfolded, have the other class members move the chairs around.
Ask one person to come and direct the blindfolded child through the chairs to get to the other side.
Once he has accomplished that, ask the rest of the class to loudly (without yelling) direct him incorrectly while the one that helped him before helps him again in a quiet and calm voice.
Which way was easier for him to work his way through?
Why was the one easier than the other?
How is that experience similar to what you will encounter?
Personal Story:
A friend of mine was getting baptized. She wasn’t getting baptized when she was 8. For several months she studied the gospel and read the Book of Mormon. She went to church and she met with the missionaries. During this time, she grew to love the Book of Mormon and she wanted to get baptized and knew with all of her heart that it was the right thing to do.
The night before her baptism, she heard a voice yelling in her ear not to get baptized. Warning her that it would change her life forever and did she really want to give up all of the worldly things that she had planned. She began to be afraid until she prayed and was comforted by a very soft voice assuring her that all would work out for her if she got baptized. She did get baptized. Yes her life did change. But she has always known that temptation would be very loud and that the Holy Ghost would be very soft.
Today we are going to talk about Nephi and his family’s journey to the Promised Land.
Please open your Book of Mormon to 1 Nephi 18.
How was Nephi able to build a ship? 1 Nephi 18.1-3
1 And it came to pass that they did worship the Lord, and did go forth with me; and we did work timbers of curious workmanship. And the Lord did show me from time to time after what manner I should work the timbers of the ship. 2 Now I, Nephi, did not work the timbers after the manner which was learned by men, neither did I build the ship after the manner of men; but I did build it after the manner which the Lord had shown unto me; wherefore, it was not after the manner of men. 3 And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things.
Once the ship was built, the Lord directed them to board and set sail.
Watch the podcast “Chapter 8 – Crossing the Sea”
What did Laman, Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael do?
What happened after they tied Nephi up?
What have we been given that is similar to the Liahona?
In our lives, what are some things that can make it so that we can’t hear the promptings of the Holy Ghost?
Who can remember how Lehi and Sariah felt when Laman and Lemuel were misbehaving?
How do you think your parents feel when you are being disobedient?
What about when you are being like Nephi?
What did you notice about how Nephi acted towards his brothers when they were being mean?
How can you be more like Nephi?
Listening to the Holy Ghost is not always easy. Sometimes we will be prompted to do something when we don’t want to. Sometimes we will be tempted to do the opposite of what we know we should. But I want you to know that I know that the Holy Ghost is a gift: A precious gift that will help us to choose the right. The Holy Ghost was given to us with a promise that if we listen with our hearts, we will be guided, instructed and comforted.
Personal Story:
Not very long ago, I was in the mountains with my family and it started to snow. My youngest daughter needed to get to a birthday party down in the valley but my oldest wanted to stay up in the mountains for a little while longer with her dad. When I was leaving, my husband said to me, “Are you sure you are okay driving in the snow?” I gave him a look and said, “um, yea, I’ve driven in the snow for over 20 years. I’ll be fine.”
But guess what? My husband was listening to a prompting by the Holy Ghost. Because he said something to me, I was more cautious while I was driving. My phone rang and I thought about answering it, but I felt very strongly that I needed to let the call go to voicemail.
Just a few seconds later, I was turning the corner very slowly and my car started to slide on the ice. I prepared everyone in the car because I knew that we weren’t going to stay on the road. For the next few moments we were rolling down the mountain until we came to a stop on a boulder in the river.
Sometimes, even when we listen to the Holy Ghost, bad things can still happen. But because I did listen to the Holy Ghost and because my husband listened to the Holy Ghost, I was driving very slowly and carefully. Because I didn’t answer my phone, I could pay close attention to the road and could adjust the car so that it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.
Has there ever been a time that you have listened closely to the Holy Ghost and made a decision based on how you felt?
How can you be prepared to hear the Holy Ghost?
*** If there is time, we can play one of two games.
The first is a game from the Friend magazine. It is a good game to test what they remember about Lehi’s journey from Jerusalem.
The second game is from Sugardoodle.net.
