Jacob and Enos, by Scott Snow

March 23–29

Enos–Words of Mormon

He Works in Me to Do His Will

Enos, Jarom, Omni, and Words of Mormon are short books that have many precious lessons for the children you teach. Search for these lessons, and ponder ways you can help the children learn them. The ideas in this outline may help.

Record Your Impressions

Invite Sharing

Help the children remember what they learned from last week’s lesson. Did they share what they learned with their family or others?

Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children

Enos 1:1–19

I can talk to Heavenly Father through prayer.

Enos’s experience teaches several truths about prayer. How will you inspire the children to follow Enos’s example as they pray?

Possible Activities

• Show a picture of Enos; for example, see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families, or use the picture Enos Praying (Gospel Art Book, no. 72). Ask the children to talk about what is happening in the picture, and then share Enos’s experience with them. You could use “Chapter 11: Enos” (Book of Mormon Stories, 30–31, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

• Ask the children to share things they like to talk about with their parents. Explain that praying to Heavenly Father is how they can talk to Him. As you read Enos 1:1–4 to the children, invite them to pretend to be Enos by acting out hunting, kneeling to pray, and so on. Explain that Heavenly Father heard Enos’s prayer and forgave his sins.

• Sing together a song about prayer, such as “A Child’s Prayer” (Children’s Songbook, 12–13). Invite the children to raise their hands every time they hear the word “prayer” or another repeated word. Testify of the power of prayer in your life.

As children of God, we can pray to our Heavenly Father.

Words of Mormon 1:3–8

I can bless others when I listen to the Holy Ghost.

When he was compiling the Book of Mormon, Mormon was prompted to include the small plates of Nephi. He didn’t know why the small plates were needed, but today we are blessed because he followed this prompting. This example can inspire the children to follow the Spirit.

Possible Activities

• Invite the children to share stories they have learned from the Book of Mormon so far this year (pictures from Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families or the Gospel Art Book may help them remember). Explain that we have these stories in the Book of Mormon because Mormon listened when the Holy Ghost told him to include them. Why did Heavenly Father want us to have these stories?

• Share a story from Church magazines or from a general conference message about someone who followed the promptings of the Holy Ghost. Or share one of your own experiences. Invite the children to draw pictures of the story. How were the people in these stories blessed because they followed the Holy Ghost?

• Ask a ward member to visit the class and share an experience when he or she followed a prompting from the Holy Ghost. How did his or her actions bless others? Explain that Heavenly Father wants us to help and bless others, so He sends the Holy Ghost to guide us.

• Sing together a song about the Holy Ghost, such as “The Still Small Voice” (Children’s Songbook, 106–7). Sing it several times in different ways, such as fast, slow, or in a whisper. When you whisper the song, open to Words of Mormon 1:7, and point out that Mormon described the Holy Ghost as a whisper.

Teach the Doctrine: Older Children

Enos 1:1–19

Heavenly Father hears and answers my sincere prayers.

It can be easy for our prayers to become routine or casual. Enos’s experience is a reminder that receiving answers to our prayers sometimes requires a “wrestle” and “many long strugglings” (Enos 1:2, 11).

Possible Activities

• Invite the children to close their eyes and imagine they are talking to Heavenly Father face-to-face. What would they like to talk about with Him? Invite the children to think about talking face-to-face with Heavenly Father each time they pray.

• Invite the children to work in pairs and read Enos 1:1–5. Ask them to search these verses for a word or phrase that describes Enos’s prayers and then share what they find with the class. What do these words suggest about Enos and his experience? Let the children share anything else that impresses them about Enos’s prayers. Share an experience when your soul “hungered” and you “cried unto” the Lord (Enos 1:4). Allow the children to ponder one thing they can do to make their prayers more meaningful.

• Ask the children to list some things they typically pray for, either on the board or on this week’s activity page. Then invite them to search Enos 1:2, 9, 13–14, and 16 for the things Enos prayed for, and add those things to the list. Discuss how the children can follow Enos’s example in their prayers; for instance, you could talk about why Enos was willing to pray for the Lamanites—who were his enemies—and invite the children to pray this week for someone who has been unkind to them.

Words of Mormon 1:3–8

I can bless others when I listen to the Holy Ghost.

The Lord knew that the first 116 translated pages of the Book of Mormon would be lost (see Doctrine and Covenants 10; Saints, volume 1, chapter 5). To replace this loss, He inspired Mormon through the Spirit to include the small plates of Nephi in the Book of Mormon. How can you inspire the children to follow Mormon’s example and listen to the Spirit?

Possible Activities

• Ask the children to take turns reading the verses from Words of Mormon 1:3–8 one at a time, and then help them summarize what they learn from each verse. Explain that Mormon followed the Spirit by including the small plates of Nephi (which we now have as 1 Nephi through Omni) in the Book of Mormon. How are we blessed because Mormon listened to the Spirit? How might the Book of Mormon be different if he hadn’t listened? Share an experience in which you were prompted by the Holy Ghost to do something that blessed someone. Invite the children to share any similar experiences they may have had.

• Invite one child to read Words of Mormon 1:7 and another to read Doctrine and Covenants 8:2–3. What do these verses teach about how the Holy Ghost speaks to us? Help the children identify times when they have felt promptings from the Holy Ghost. Use Moroni 7:12 to explain that if a thought is good and inspires us to do good things, it comes from Heavenly Father. For an example, consider showing the video “Preparation of Thomas S. Monson: Always Follow the Promptings of the Spirit” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Invite the children to listen for promptings to do good and follow them.

Encourage Learning at Home

Encourage the children to ask their family members to share experiences they’ve had with prayer or the Holy Ghost.

Improving Our Teaching

Use music. Primary songs and hymns can help children of all ages understand and remember gospel truths. Singing can also keep children actively engaged in a learning experience. (See Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 22.)