Due to Mother's Day, Preston's Birthday on Wednesday, Emi's Sister's Baptism on Saturday, and assorted other events, everyone was excited this morning. Each child ate two chocolate-chip cookies for a snack, but at least one boy thought that three or four would have been much more reasonable! We learned that many prophets kept written records of the things Heavenly Father told them to tell His people and the things that they and their families and friends did. We discussed how it was important for them to write these things down, so that they could remember, and also so their descendants and other people could read what Heavenly Father had told them and how He had helped them. We learned that Mormon compiled all the writings of the Nephite prophets and wrote them on the Gold Plates. We know these records as the Book of Mormon because Mormon did so much work to edit them and copy them onto the plates. We talked about why he had chosen to write them on golden plates instead of paper or another medium and decided that the metal would last a long time and not fade or fall apart as it aged. Mormon wanted the plates to last until a much later prophet was instructed to find them. Mormon gave the plates to his son Moroni, who finished writing the records and then buried the plates in a special box. The children know Moroni as the angel we see on top of temples, so they were thrilled to learn more about him. We learned that Moroni came to visit Joseph Smith hundreds of years later to tell him about the Gold Plates. The children were fascinated that Moroni came three times during the night with the same message. We talked about how important the Book of Mormon is and how Joseph Smith needed to learn everything that Moroni taught him thoroughly. The next morning, Joseph Smith went to do his chores on the farm, but he was so tired from spending the whole night talking to an angel that his father sent him home. He fell while climbing over a fence, and while he was lying on the ground, Moroni came to him again! Moroni repeated his message and told Joseph to tell his father what he had learned. The children had been keeping count and announced that this was the fourth visit from Moroni. Joseph told his father all that he had been taught, and Joseph's father believed him and told him to obey the angel's instructions. Later that day, Joseph Smith went to the Hill Cumorah and found the gold plates where Moroni had left them. . .and Moroni appeared again! We talked about how Joseph Smith was not allowed to take the plates yet, but had to come back three more times, a year later each time, and he talked with Moroni every time. Preston thought Joseph Smith must have been really tired of seeing Moroni by the eighth time! The last time, Moroni told Joseph it was time to take the plates and the Urim and Thummim and translate the records. We discussed how grateful we are that Joseph Smith followed Moroni's instructions and brought forth the Book of Mormon, so that we can study and learn from it today. We learned that we can keep records as the prophets did. We can write or draw pictures in journals to help us remember the important things that we learned, did, and felt. The children each chose a journal and embellished it inside and out with crayons, pencils, and alphabet stickers. Everyone enjoyed this activity!
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