“June 22–28. Alma 17–22: ‘I Will Make an Instrument of Thee,’” Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 (2020)
“June 22–28. Alma 17–22,” Come, Follow Me—For Primary: 2020
Ammon and King Lamoni, by Scott M. Snow
June 22–28
Alma 17–22
“I Will Make an Instrument of Thee”
Just as Lamoni and others in this account had life-changing spiritual experiences, the children you teach can have spiritual experiences with the scriptures that will influence their lives for years to come. Keep this in mind as you ponder how you will teach them.
Record Your Impressions
Invite Sharing
Show a picture depicting an event in Alma 17–22 (see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). Ask the children to tell you about what they see in the picture.
Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children
I can share the gospel with others.
How can the example of the sons of Mosiah inspire your class to share their testimonies with others?
Possible Activities
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Help the children act out Ammon’s story in Alma 17–19. You could refer to “Chapter 23: Ammon: A Great Servant” (Book of Mormon Stories, 64–68, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org). If you think the children would enjoy it, bring simple costumes and props. Tell the children what you learn from the story, and invite them to do the same.
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Display an instrument or tool, and talk to the children about what it is used for. What other tools do the children know of? Invite them to pretend to use a tool. Explain that just as we use instruments or tools to get things done, Heavenly Father can use us to do His work. Read Alma 17:11, and explain that Ammon and his brothers were Heavenly Father’s instruments to help the Lamanites learn the gospel.
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Invite the children to run in place and pretend to knock on doors as you tell the story of Abish going from house to house telling people about God’s power (see Alma 19:16–34). Help the children think of ways they can be like Abish and share the gospel with others.
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Invite the children to draw a picture of themselves sharing the gospel with someone. Help them think of specific things they can share. Sing together a song about sharing the gospel, such as “I Want to Be a Missionary Now” (Children’s Songbook, 168). Give them an opportunity to share their feelings about the things Ammon taught.
Alma 17:21–25; 20:9–27; 22:1–3
I can help others come unto Christ by showing my love for them.
Ammon’s love and service softened the hearts of King Lamoni and his father. What can the children learn from these accounts?
Possible Activities
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Summarize Alma 17:21–25 for the children, emphasizing that Ammon wanted to serve Lamoni. Invite the children to share experiences when they served someone. Remind the children that Ammon’s great service helped King Lamoni want to learn about the gospel (see Alma 18:15–23). Invite the children to think of someone they can serve today, and discuss how they can serve that person.
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Tell the children the account in Alma 20:8–27. You can use “Chapter 24: Ammon Meets King Lamoni’s Father” (Book of Mormon Stories, 69–70, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Ask the children to think of different actions they can do each time you mention Ammon, Lamoni, or Lamoni’s father. Point out that one reason the heart of Lamoni’s father changed was because Ammon loved Lamoni so much. Invite the children to draw a picture of something they can do to show love for someone.
Teach the Doctrine: Older Children
My testimony grows when I read the scriptures, pray, and fast.
Mosiah’s sons grew strong in the gospel and became mighty missionaries because they diligently studied the scriptures, prayed, and fasted. These same things can also help the children you teach.
Possible Activities
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Bring to class items that represent scriptures, prayer, and fasting, such as a set of scriptures, a picture of someone praying, and a picture of food, and explain what each item represents. Read Alma 17:1–4, and ask the children how these things helped the sons of Mosiah. How does reading the scriptures, praying, and fasting help us come closer to Heavenly Father?
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Use the topics index of the Children’s Songbook to help the children find songs about scripture study and prayer. Sing some of these songs together, and help the children identify what the songs teach about how doing these things blesses us.
I can help others come unto Christ by showing my love for them.
Ammon’s desire to be Lamoni’s servant eventually led to the opportunity to teach Lamoni when his heart was open and ready to receive the gospel.
Possible Activities
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Help the children read verses from Alma 17:21–39 that tell the account of Ammon’s service to King Lamoni. Invite them to draw pictures of people or events in the story and then to tell the story in their own words. Help the children see how Ammon’s service influenced the king (see Alma 18:9–23). What can we learn from this account about how to help others want to learn more about the gospel?
ImageAmmon saving the king’s sheepMinerva K. Teichert (1888–1976), Ammon Saves the King’s Flocks, 1935–1945, oil on masonite, 35 x 48 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art.
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Read Alma 22:1–3, and ask the children to listen for how Ammon’s good example affected King Lamoni’s father. Invite them to think of someone they know who needs to know about the gospel. Suggest to the children that their love and good example might help this person see how great the gospel is. Help the children think of ways they can be good examples and show love to the people they thought of.
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Invite full-time missionaries or a recently returned missionary to share the story of Ammon in Alma 17–18. Ask them to share what they learned about missionary work from Ammon and the role service played in their efforts. Discuss with the children ways they can follow Ammon’s example.
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As a class, write a list on the board of things the children can do to serve their family members. How will doing these acts of service bless the entire family?
I can share the gospel with others.
How can you use the accounts in these verses to inspire the children to be missionaries like Ammon and Abish were?
Possible Activities
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Show pictures representing some of the truths Ammon shared with King Lamoni, found in Alma 18:24–40 (see this week’s activity page). Invite the children to pretend to be missionaries and share what they know about these truths with one another.
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Read the account of Abish with the children (see Alma 19:16–20, 28–29). Invite the children to take turns pretending to be like Abish by knocking on the classroom door and testifying of what happened in Alma 19:1–17. How can we be like Abish and testify of the truths we know?
Encourage Learning at Home
Invite the children to prayerfully make a goal with their family to share the gospel with someone.
Improving Our Teaching
Follow up on invitations to act. When you invite the children to act on what they are learning, follow up on that invitation during the next class. This shows the children that you care about how the gospel is blessing their lives. As they share their experiences, they will be strengthened and will help one another live the gospel (see Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 35).