Come, Follow Me
What was Joseph Smith’s role in the Restoration?

What was Joseph Smith’s role in the Restoration?

Prepare Yourself Spiritually

After centuries of apostasy, the Lord restored His Church and the fulness of the gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith. This Restoration began with Joseph’s First Vision, in which Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared. Through the Prophet Joseph, the Lord brought forth the Book of Mormon and other scriptures, restored priesthood authority, and established His Church.

Resources to Help You Prepare

These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.

Questions to Ponder before You Teach

How has your life been blessed by the truths restored through Joseph Smith? How did you gain your testimony of Joseph Smith? How can you encourage the young women to gain testimonies of their own?

How can studying the life, testimony, and sacrifice of Joseph Smith deepen the testimony of each young woman in your class? How can hearing the testimonies of others help?

What can the young women do to prepare to learn? For example, they could read a talk, watch a video, or study a scripture related to this doctrine.

Teaching in the Savior’s Way

The Savior invited His followers to testify to others of the truthfulness in His teachings. He promised that the Spirit would help them know when to testify and what to say. How can you help the young women recognize when they are being prompted by the Spirit to share their testimonies?

Video: “Help Us Discover the Gospel”

Meeting Outline

1. Counsel Together and Share Experiences

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

Lead a discussion about items such as the following:

  • Our class: Who is missing today? What visits do we need to make? Who should we invite to an upcoming activity? Who needs our help and prayers?

  • Our responsibilities: What assignments do we need to make? What assignments have we fulfilled? How have we invited others to come unto Christ, and how can we invite others now?

  • Our lives: Remind the class of the discussion from the last meeting. What experiences have we had with applying what we learned? What experiences have we had in the past few weeks that strengthened our testimonies of the gospel?

If possible, discuss these items beforehand in a class presidency meeting.

2. Learn Together

Led by a leader or teacher or a member of the class; approximately 25–35 minutes

After studying the above resources and following the inspiration of the Spirit, you may select one or more of the activities below to help class members understand the doctrine.

  • Invite the young women to read Elder Craig C. Christensen’s talk “A Choice Seer Will I Raise Up,” searching for blessings we have because of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Ask them to write what they find on the board. What other blessings can the young women think of that they have because of Joseph Smith? Consider sharing how you gained your testimony of Joseph Smith and how the Restoration of the gospel has been a blessing in your life.

  • Ask the young women to imagine that a friend of another faith asks, “Why is Joseph Smith so important in your Church?” Invite them to look for possible answers to this question in the video “Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration.”

  • Invite each young woman to make a list of things she learns as she reads about Joseph Smith in True to the Faith (pages 89–90) or Doctrine and Covenants 135:3. Ask each young woman to share one thing from her list and explain why it is meaningful to her.

  • Display several pictures depicting events in Joseph Smith’s life (see Gospel Art Book [2009], nos. 89–97). Ask the young women to describe the events depicted. If possible, help them find scriptures that describe the event (possible scriptures are suggested at the beginning of the Gospel Art Book). Invite a few of them to share their testimonies of Joseph Smith.

  • Read together Elder Neil L. Andersen’s challenge: “Gain a personal witness of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Let your voice help fulfill Moroni’s prophetic words to speak good of the Prophet” (“Joseph Smith,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 30; see also Joseph Smith—History 1:33). Review the paragraph in Elder Andersen’s message that starts with “To the youth listening today,” and invite the young women to choose one of the different ways Elder Andersen mentioned to strengthen a testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Let the young women share their thoughts and feelings about how they can share their testimonies of Joseph Smith’s divine calling.

3. Plan to Act

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

  • Ask the young women to discuss any feelings or impressions they had during the meeting. What was meaningful to them? Is there something they can do personally or as a class to apply what they have learned?

  • Give the young women a few minutes to record what they will do in the coming weeks to act on their impressions. Invite them to share their ideas.

  • Remind the young women that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.