“November 16–22. Ether 6–11: ‘That Evil May Be Done Away,’” Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 (2020)
“November 16–22. Ether 6–11,” Come, Follow Me—For Primary: 2020
I Will Bring You up Again out of the Depths, by Jonathan Arthur Clarke
November 16–22
Ether 6–11
“That Evil May Be Done Away”
The ideas in this outline are not instructions you must follow. They are meant to spark your creativity and invite inspiration.
Record Your Impressions
Invite Sharing
Use pictures from this week’s and last week’s outlines in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families to help the children review what they’ve learned about the Jaredites crossing the sea. Let them take turns sharing what they know.
Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children
Heavenly Father can comfort me when I am scared.
It must have been frightening for the Jaredites to be “tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind” (Ether 6:5). But the Lord kept them safe and helped them. How can you help the children turn to the Lord when they feel afraid?
Possible Activities
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Using words and phrases from Ether 6:2–12, describe to the children the Jaredites’ journey across the sea. Invite the children to pretend to climb into the barges and pretend that their barge is being moved and covered by waves. How would it feel to be in a real barge in rough waters? What can we do when we are scared? Read together verses 7 and 9 to see what the Jaredites did when they were frightened.
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Tell about a time when you were afraid and Heavenly Father comforted you. Share with the children a hymn or song that helps you “thank and praise the Lord” (Ether 6:9) for His help. Let the children share their favorite Primary songs, and sing some of them together.
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Use this week’s activity page to help the children make paper barges. Explain that the barges helped the Jaredites stay safe even when they were surrounded by water (see Ether 6:7, 10). What has Heavenly Father given us to keep us safe on our journey back to Him?
I can be thankful.
After arriving safely in the promised land, the Jaredites were so thankful that they “shed tears of joy” (Ether 6:12). How can you encourage a spirit of thankfulness in the children you teach?
Possible Activities
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Read to the children phrases from Ether 6:9 and 12 to teach them how the Jaredites showed their gratitude to the Lord for helping them reach the promised land. Ask the children to name some things they are thankful for. Sing together, like the Jaredites did, a song that expresses gratitude, such as “I Thank Thee, Dear Father” (Children’s Songbook, 7).
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Read to the children Ether 10:2 to show that even many years later, the Jaredites remembered how the Lord had helped their ancestors cross the ocean. Help the children think of ways the Lord has blessed them. Then let the children draw pictures to remind themselves of these blessings (or help them choose from some pictures you bring, perhaps from a Church magazine).
I am blessed when I follow the prophet.
The book of Ether clearly shows that when the Jaredites followed the prophets they were blessed, and when they rejected the prophets their lives were harder. Think of ways you can help the children see that the same is true for us.
Possible Activities
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Show a picture of the living prophet, and ask the children what they know about him. What does a prophet do? Explain that the Jaredites had prophets too, and whenever they followed the prophet, they were blessed and happy (see Ether 7:24–27). How can we follow the prophet?
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Sing together a song about prophets, such as “Follow the Prophet” (Children’s Songbook, 110–11; see also Gospel Art Book, nos. 4–27, 67–87). Talk with the children about things the prophets have taught us to do (for example, reading our scriptures daily, keeping the Sabbath day holy, or serving others), and invite them to act out obeying that counsel when you say “Follow the prophet!”
Teach the Doctrine: Older Children
I can trust Heavenly Father to guide me to eternal life.
The account of the Jaredites’ voyage across the sea can be compared to our journey through mortality. Both journeys are sometimes dangerous and require faith that the Lord will guide and protect us.
Possible Activities
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Read together Ether 6:2–12, pausing frequently so the children can draw pictures of what they are reading. How is the Jaredites’ journey like our lives? Help the children identify and label what different parts of their drawings might represent in our lives. For example, the Jaredites could represent us. The barges could represent our homes, the Church, or the gospel. What might the wind, the water, the shining stones, and the promised land represent?
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Help the children find words and phrases in Ether 6:2–12 that show how the Jaredites trusted God. Share examples of how relying on God has helped you during difficult times in your life. Encourage the children to share any similar experiences they’ve had.
ImageJaredites traveling with animalsMinerva K. Teichert (1888–1976), Journey of the Jaredites across Asia, 1935, oil on linen on masonite, 35 x 48 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art
Remembering what the Lord has done for me brings peace.
One thing that distinguished the righteous Jaredite kings from the wicked ones is that the righteous kings “remembered the great things that the Lord had done” for them (Ether 7:27). How can you inspire the children to remember what the Lord has done for them?
Possible Activities
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Ask the children to read Ether 6:30; 7:27; and 10:2 individually or in small groups and find something that these verses have in common. Share your feelings about what the Lord has done for you, and invite the children to do the same.
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Share with the children about how you try to remember ways the Lord has blessed you and your family. Help the children think of ways they can remind themselves what the Lord has done for them. Give them each a piece of paper, and invite them to ponder and write down something He has done for them recently. Suggest that they make a regular habit of writing down blessings they notice from the Lord (see “O Remember, Remember” [video, ChurchofJesusChrist.org]).
The Lord is merciful when I repent.
Even though the Jaredites often rejected the prophets and became wicked, the Lord always forgave them when they humbled themselves and repented.
Possible Activities
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Read together Ether 9:28–35, and help the children think of three or four short sentences that summarize what happened in these verses. Then read Ether 11:5–8, and help the children identify similarities between the two accounts. What do we learn from these stories?
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Ask the children to think of other people in the Book of Mormon who humbled themselves and were forgiven. Use pictures from the Gospel Art Book or Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families to help them remember. Bear your testimony that the Lord forgives us when we sincerely repent.
Encourage Learning at Home
Invite the children to share with their families something Heavenly Father has done for them that they are grateful for.
Improving Our Teaching
Help the children be creative. “As you teach children, allow them to build, draw, color, write, and create. These things are more than fun activities—they are essential to learning” (Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 25).