Lesson 32

RECORD KEEPING

Objective: Records can be a big help to us in recording events in our life and our family but it has also been a blessing from others keeping records for history and our spiritual well-being.

Visual Aid:  A history book, scriptures or a journal.

Lesson ideas:

* Because people were willing to keep records, we have the Bible, Book of Mormon, church history and many more records.

* Your personal records can strengthen your own testimony as well as many others.

* Tell a story of someone that kept a record and why it is important to you.

* Records are kept on baptisms, marriages, graduations, births, and deaths.

* Records are kept on earth and in heaven. (D&C 128: 8, 9)

* Bear record is a testimony of something that is true.  (Ether 5: 4)

1. “The multitude did see and hear and bear record; and they know that their record is true for they all of them did see and hear, every man for himself and they were in number about two thousand and five hundred souls.” (3 Nephi 17:25)

* We learn the importance of keeping records because the people of Zarahemla who came out from Jerusalem at the time of Zedekiah did not bring any records with them.  Their language became corrupted and denied the being of their Creator. (The Book of Omni 1:14-18)

Scriptures:

Bible

Exodus 24:4 Moses wrote all the word of the Lord

Daniel 12:1 found written in the book

Ezra 4:15 search….book of records

LDS Scriptures

1 Nephi 1 record of my proceedings

3 Nephi 17:25 see…bear record. Know true

3 Nephi 23:13 Jesus commanded that it should be written

Activities:

* Think of people who helped keep records. (Leonardo de Vinci, Wilford Woodruff, John Adams, Anne Frank, Mormon, Moses, etc.)

* Tell how keeping records can help us on a daily basis.  Keep track of food we eat, exercise, and finances.  Write down something you would like to improve on this week that is important to you.  Examples could be practice piano, minutes reading, saying family prayers, or minutes watching TV or on computer this week, the see how you are doing.

* Write in journal of both the regular things you are doing as well as spiritual things.  If you don’t have a journal, you can staple several pieces of paper to start with.

* The Nephites bore record that the records they kept were true.  Everyone write down something you know is true because you saw or heard it.  After you write it down, toss or pass or fly your paper to someone in the room to read.

* Family name game:  Because our names are part of our history, here is a game you can play.  Hand out a piece of paper for each person and ask everyone to write each family members name on the piece of paper including first, middle, and last name add birthdays to make it challenging.  The person with the most correct answers wins.  Spelling might be a tie breaker.

* Plates:  The plates talked about in the Book of Mormon consist of:

1.  The Plates of Nephi, (The Large dealt mostly with the history and the small was mostly the spiritual things).

2.  Plates of Mormon, (Mormon’s abridgment of the Large Plates of Nephi)

3.  Plates of Ether (a history of the Jaredites)

4.  The Brass plates. (The Plates Lehi brought with them from Jerusalem)

5.  The Golden Plates refer to the big book or plates Joseph Smith received from Moroni.

* Make a book out of a piece of cardboard wrapped with foil and make letters on the book with a toothpick.

* Which book would you find Genesis or Nephi or Matthew? (Old Testament, Book of Mormon and New Testament)

* Play Detective:  This time use Mormon or Moroni, or Ether:  Pick a name from the scriptures, like Isaiah. and have everyone but one person know who the group picked.  The one person who didn’t know the name asks everyone questions about that person until he figures out who scripture person is.

Songs:

Hymns

# 13 An Angel from on High

# 87 God Is Love

# 96 Dearest Children, God Is Near You

Children Songbook

# 86a An Angel Came to Joseph Smith

# 86b The Golden Plates

# 94 Family History- I am Doing It