Our YSA focus for April was "Building Testimonies," so we decided to have a "Fireside," that actually had a FIRE! Note the rain on the windshield!
The weather was an absolute downpour! The activity was to start at 4:00 pm. Here we are sitting in the car waiting for the rain to stop and someone to arrive to open the gate at 4:33! Luckily, fifteen minutes later, we got inside and started playing murder. The young adults really liked the ice-breaker! After about another half hour, we ended up with almost 40 people which was more than we expected since it had been raining all day long! We started with Book of Mormon skits. We played clumps to get into groups, then passed out the skits giving them fifteen minutes to prepare before presenting.
Clumps
Leader starts calling out random numbers that the group must clump into.2, 15, 8, 6, etc. in a designated time as
measured by a stop watch. No one can be
left out, so as soon as the groups are all in (say #4 groups, they must look
around and make sure no one person is
left out. They must grab the extras
and put them into their groups before the time is up or that number has to be
clumped again. When the game starts, people tend to gravitate to those they know well, but after
4 or 5 rounds, everyone is clumping randomly. Then you call out "11" (or whatever the number
will be with the total number in attendance, divided by 6, or however many groups you need,) and you have your
groups. The game is about the clumping
race! Once the groups are clumped into the right number, you have your groups.
Mosiah 12:17-19, 13 & 17
Characters: Abinadi, false priests of King Noah, King Noah
All character parts can be played by
either men or women
· 12:17-19 Abinadi is imprisoned for
prophesying the destruction of the people and the death of King Noah. The King commanded his false priests to gather
to decide what to do with Abinadi. They
wanted to question him, but with the intent to entrap him. He answered them boldly and withstood all
their questions
· 12:25-26 Abinadi chastens the false
priests.
· 12:33 He tells them the importance of
keeping the commandments God delivered to Moses on Mount Sinai.
· 12:35,36 He begins to relate the commandments
· 13:1,2,3 They try to restrain him with murderous
intent, but he, with the power of God, commands them not to touch him until he
is finished with the message God intends to deliver. This powerful miracle underscores the
importance of the all-important ten commandments which the world ignores and
mocks by their choices.
· 13:11-28 Abinadi courageously continues to covey the
ten commandments to the false priests chastening them because they are not
written in their hearts. He also
testified of the atonement and the ultimate sacrifice of the Lord.
· 17:1-4 The wicked king commands that
Abinadi be put to death. Alma, one of
the priests, believed the words of Abinadi and began to plead with the King for
his life. The King was angry and sent
Alma away and his servants to slay him.
He fled and while in hiding, wrote down all the words of Abinadi.
· 17: 5-10 Abinadi was thrown in prison
for three days, falsely charged and told that if he would not recant all that
he said, death would be the outcome. He
testified that his blood was being shed innocently and this act would testify
against them in the eternities.
· 17:11-20 The King was frightened, but
the priests pressured him to kill Abinadi.
His skin was scourged and torn, he was burned at the stake, and as he
was dying he prophesied that the King would die in the same manner. He called out to God and sealed the truth of
his testimony with his death.
Alma 14
Characters: Alma, Amulek, believers, martyrs, persecutors
All character parts can be played by
either men or women
· Alma14: 5-7 Alma spoke to the people,
many believed and repented, most wanted to destroy Alma and Amulek because they
called them out in their wickedness. The people bound them with strong cords
and took them before the chief judge testifying against them. Zeezrom began to feel harrowed up under his
guilt, aware of his lying words and the damage he had done. He began to plead for Alma and Amulek
explaining that they were innocent and he was guilty before God. They cast the believers out and sent men to
stone them.
· Alma 14:8-11 They threw believing
women, children, and scriptures into the fire to be burned and forced Alma and
Amulek to watch the innocents be burned.
The Spirit constrained Alma to not stretch forth his hand to save them
that the judgments God would exercise upon them would be just.
· Alma 14: 15-22 The judge and his
cohorts began beating alma and amulek and sent them to prison for three
days. Then came lawyers, judges,
priests, teachers who were of the false profession of Nehor to badger and
question them. Alma and Amulek answered
them nothing. They were commanded to
speak or be burned but they answered nothing.
The next day the agitators came
again; beating, spitting, mocking, withholding food and water from Alma and
Amulek while they were bound, naked, and
confined in prison. This treatment continued for many days.
· Alma 14:25-29 The chief judge
returned and beatings and mocking continued until, finally, Alma and Amulek stood on their feet and prayed
out loud to God for deliverance. The
cords that bound them broke, the earth shook mightily, the prison walls fell,
and all the lawyers, priests, and detractors were killed and Alma and Amulek walked
safely out of the rubble.
Alma 23: 16-18; 24
Characters: People who were not converted, the Anti-Nephi-Lehies, and the Lamanites.
All character parts can be played by
either men or women
· 23:16-18 People who were converted to
the Lord wanted a name that distinguished them from others who had not. They chose the name Anti-Nephi-Lehies and
were no longer Lamanites, but friendly, industrious people.
· Alma 24:6-17 The lamanites made
preparation for war and the Anti-Nephi-Lehies would not take up arms against
their brethren. They expressed profound
gratitude for the atonement and repentance, committing to bury their weapons of
war deep in the earth.
· Alma 24:19 The burial of the swords
represented a covenant that they would never again shed blood; they would give
up their own lives rather than take up swords again. They would rather die than commit sin.
· Alma 24: 21 When the lamanites came
to battle against them, the Anti-Nephi-Lehies ran out and prostrated themselves
on the ground before them, calling on the name of the Lord as they were
slaughtered by the sword.
· Alma 24: 23-27 One thousand five were
killed and when the Lamanites saw that they were not fighting but praising God,
they threw down their weapons and with softened hearts, joined the people of
God. More people joined the ranks of God
than were killed. Thus we see that the
Lord worketh in many ways to the salvation of his people.
· Alma 24:30 The people who were converted to the Lord
were descendants of Laman and Lemuel who had never known about God. None of the people who fell away into sin and
transgression from a prior knowledge of God stayed faithful. Their state became
worse than if they had never known spiritual truths.
Ether Chapter 2-3
Characters:
Jared, his brother, their families and
friends.
All
character parts can be played by either men or women
· Ether 2:1-4 The whole group went down
into the valley to hunt for food and fish.
They brought honey bees, seeds of every kind and prepared a vessel. The Lord appeared in a cloud and talked with
the brother of Jared.
· Ether 2:5-13 The Lord commanded that
they go as directed by him in the cloud.
They built barges to travel to the chosen land, pitched their tents in
Moriancumer and lived there for four years.
· Ether 2:14, 15 The Lord spoke to the
brother of Jared from a cloud and spoke to him for three hours, chastening him
for not praying often enough.
· Ether 2:16, 17 The Lord commanded him
to build barges with specific instructions.
· Ether 2:19-25 The brother of Jared
brought his problems to the Lord. There
was no light and no air. The Lord asked
him to come up with solutions to the problems.
He wanted him to suggest solutions and be self-sufficient.
· Ether 3:1-4 The brother of Jared cut
16 small, white, clear stones and asked the Lord to touch them that they might
provide light.
· Ether 3: 4-20 The Lord touched the
stones one by one with his finger and the veil was taken off so that the
brother of Jared saw the finger of the Lord.
He was struck with fear but testified of the reality of the Lord,
demonstrated his faith and the Lord revealed himself unto him.
· Ether 3:19-28 The Lord revealed
perfect knowledge of God unto the brother of Jared, told him to seal up two
stones, write all that he showed unto him; all the inhabitants of the earth and their
doings until the end of time. He
commanded him to seal up his words and the two stones and show them not until a
time in the future when the Lord authorizes new scriptures to be revealed. We anxiously await that day! Prophets have
said that day will not come until God’s people fully utilize and cherish the
scriptures they already have.
1 Nephi 3-4
Characters: Nephi, Sam, his father Lehi, an angel, Laman,
Lemuel, Laban, and Zoram
All of these characters can be either
men or women, they do not need to be men.
· 3: 1-4 Nephi enters Lehi’s tent to
speak to his Father. Lehi relates a
dream in which the Lord commanded him that Nephi and his brothers should return
to Jerusalem to retrieve the record of the Jews and a genealogy of their
forefathers engraved upon plates of brass which are in Laban’s house. (Scriptures)
· 3:7 “And
it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things
which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandment
unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may
accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.
· 3:8-13 With great faith, Nephi and
his brothers set off for Jerusalem. As
they get close they decide to cast lots (draw straws or rock-paper-scissors)
and see who has to go into Laban’s house.
Laman lost and went inside to talk to Laban. After a conversation with him about the
engraved records, Laban threw him out and refused his request, calling him a
robber and threatening his life.
· 3:14-15 Laman escaped, reached his
brothers, and insisted they go back to the wilderness to their father and give
up the quest. Nephi responded, “As the Lord liveth, and as we live, we will
not go down unto our father in the wilderness until we have accomplished the
thing which the Lord hath commanded us.”
· 3: 17-21 He then suggests that they
should go to their old homestead where they had left gold, silver and precious
things as they escaped the destruction of Jerusalem that prophets had counseled
would happen because of the wickedness of the people. He argues that the language of the people
must be preserved through the records and also all the sacred words of holy
prophets received through the spirit and power of God, since the world
began.
· 3: 22-27 He pleads with his brothers
to not abandon their assignment that they might be faithful in keeping the
commandments of God. Finally compliant,
they return to their former home, gather up precious valuables and return to
Laban’s home to try again. When they
present their former wealth to Laban in exchange for the records, Laban lusted
after the property and threw them out again, sending his servants to kill them.
In their escape, Laban acquired all the
property. They fled into the wilderness,
escaping the servants of Laban and hid in the cavity of a rock.
· 3: 28-31 Laman and Lemuel were
furious and began beating Nephi and Sam with a rod. In the thick of the attack, an angel stood
before them saying: “Why do ye smite your
younger brother with a rod? Know you not
that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you, and this because of your
iniquities? Behold ye shall go up to Jerusalem again and the Lord will deliver
Laban into your hands.” Immediately after the angel leaves, Laman and
Lemuel begin to murmur again.
· 4: 1-3 Nephi exclaims, “ Let us go up again unto Jerusalem, and
let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is
mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty,
yea, or even than his tens of thousands?” He describes miracles of the past
and the strength of the Lord.
· 4: 4-7 They were still angry but
followed Nephi back to Jerusalem, outside the walls, at night, where he told
them to hide. Nephi crept into the city and went towards Laban’s house. “I was led by the Spirit, not knowing
beforehand the things which I should do.”
· 4: 8-17 He came upon a drunken man on
the ground and when he looked closely, saw it was Laban with his sword. He pulled the sword from the sheath, observed
its quality, and was constrained by the Spirit to kill Laban. Nephi struggles with this command by the
Spirit, noting three important reasons to obey: 1) Laban had tried to kill him
2) Laban had stolen his family’s property 3) An entire nation’s salvation
depended on their being able to have the records and learning of the
commandments contained therein.
· 4: 18-27 He lifted Laban’s head by
the hair, cut off his head with the sword, put on all Laban’s garments and
armor and went into the treasury. He
commanded Laban’s servant to give him the keys by imitating Laban’s voice and
manner. He told Zoram to follow him and
took the records. As they walked, Zoram was convinced that Nephi was Laban and
talked of the Jewish leaders.
· 4: 28-38 When Laman, Lemuel and Sam
saw him, they were terrified and thought that Laban had killed Nephi and was
now coming to kill them. They fled in
fear. When Nephi called them back, Zoram
was frightened and tried to escape, but Nephi seized and held him, telling him
that he could go with them and be free if he would follow and stay. Zoram believed Nephi and gave his promise to
stay as they journeyed back into the wilderness unto their father.
Alma 17-19
Characters: the sons of Mosiah, Ammon, King Lamoni, King
Lamoni’s daughter, King Lamoni’s servants, attacking Lamanites
All character parts can be played by
either men or women
· 17:1-5 Alma was traveling to Manti
and ran into the sons of Mosiah. They
had been on a mission for fourteen years with many sacrifices in body and mind;
hunger, fatigue and labor in the spirit.
· 17: 9-11,16 They fasted and prayed
that the Lord would enable them to be an instrument in the hands of God to
bring their brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth. The Lord counseled them to be patient and
long-suffering and he would use them in his hands to the salvation of many
Lamanite souls.
· 17:19-23 Ammon went to the land of
Ishmael and as he entered , they bound him with strong cords and took him before king Lamoni.
Ammon told him he desired to live among them, perhaps until he
died.
· Alma 17: 25-39 The King liked Ammon
and suggested he marry one of his daughters.
Ammon said no, but he would be a servant to the King and guard his
flocks. Some Lamanites scattered the
flocks and the King’s other servants were panicked that they would be killed,
but Ammon was thrilled because he knew he could win the hearts of his fellow
servants by saving the king’s flocks.
When the men came to scatter the flocks again, he stood forth and cast
stones at them with his sling. They then
lifted clubs to slay him and as they did, he cut off their arms. When they were driven away, he returned to
the King taking the arms as a testimony of what had occurred.
· Alma 18:18-19 When the servants
testified to the King of Ammon’s great power in preserving the flocks, he
believed him to be the Great Spirit.
· Alma 18: 22-39 Because of Ammon’s
service to the King and the trust developed thereby, he was invited to testify
of the power by which he accomplished great things in behalf of the King.
· Alma 18: 40-43 When the plan of redemption was
explained, the King began to cry unto the Lord for mercy. When he had done
this, he fell to the earth as if he were dead for the space of two days and two
nights. His wife, sons and daughters
mourned over his body thinking he was dead.
· Alma 19: 6,13 Lamoni receives the
light of everlasting life and sees the Redeemer.
After each of the skits, we discussed how the principle taught in the scripture block applied to the lives of the youts.
Every one picked up their chair, moved out to the parking lot and roasted hot dogs and marshmellows! It was a huge hit!
The fire pit was masterfully built in a metal drum on a cinderblock base. Many had never experienced a bon fire and the slow drizzle didn't dampen their enthusiam!
We had a testimony meeting that was very special. The young adults all helped cleanup afterward. It was great!
A new member expressing his love for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
