“Sharing Time: Mormon, a Valiant Prophet,” Tambuli, Sept. 1988, 2
Sharing Time:
Mormon, a Valiant Prophet
When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.(Mosiah 2:17).
Imagine if you were asked to write down all the things the people of your country do. Then imagine if you were asked to write a short record of everything that happened during the last thousand years of their history.
While you are doing this, your people are at war, and you must hide to protect what you have written. You may not use a typewriter or computer or even paper and pencil, but you must write on metal plates so that your record can be safely buried in the earth.
The prophet Mormon did these things. His writings are called “The Book of Mormon.” You may never be asked to do what Mormon did, but no matter what hard things you must do, you can be a valiant servant like Mormon.
Instructions
Read the statements about Mormon, then number the pictures to match the story. (You can also color the pictures.)
Illustrated by Paul Mann
1. A good man named Ammaron wrote about his people. Then he hid the record so bad people would not find it. (See 4 Ne. 1:47–49.)
2. When Mormon was only ten years old, Ammaron told him where the records were. He said when Mormon became twenty-four years old, he should get the plates out of the hiding place. (See Morm. 1:2–4.)
3. Mormon was a serious boy and obeyed God’s commandments. When he was fifteen, the Savior visited him. (See Morm. 1:15.)
4. Even though Mormon was only sixteen, he was a good leader and was chosen to lead the Nephite armies. He did this for many years. (See Morm. 2:1–2.)
5. Eventually the Lamanites made the Nephites move to the north. Mormon took the plates from their hiding place in the hill called Shim and began to write his own record on them. (See Morm. 2:3, 17.)
6. For the next ten years there were no wars. Mormon taught the people about Jesus, but his people would not be good and repent. (See Morm. 2:23–24; Morm. 3:1–3.)
7. When new battles began, the Nephites won. But because the Nephites did not try to be good, Mormon refused to be their leader. (See Morm. 3:7–11.)
8. Later Mormon agreed to lead the Nephites into battle. At the Hill Cumorah, he was hurt and thousands were killed. (See Morm. 5:1; Morm. 6:1–10.)
9. Mormon hid most of the important records in the Hill Cumorah. He gave the gold plates to his son Moroni and told him to finish writing the record. (See Morm. 6:6; Morm. 8:1.)
10. Years later Moroni hid the gold plates. In 1823 he came and showed Joseph Smith where they were hidden. Four years later Joseph began translating Mormon’s record. (See Morm. 8:5, 13–14.)