In the midst of wickedness and upheaval, Helaman taught his sons to build “upon the rock of our Redeemer” and promised them protection and strength if they did so. This Book of Mormon FHE lesson teaches us how to build our sure foundation on Jesus Christ and what to do when storms overwhelm us.
Scripture
And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your ; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
Hymn
The Wise Man and the Foolish man | Children’s Songbook, Pg. 281
1. The wise man built his house upon the rock,
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
And the rains came tumbling down.
2. The rains came down, and the floods came up,
The rains came down, and the floods came up,
The rains came down, and the floods came up,
And the house on the rock stood still.
3. The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
And the rains came tumbling down.
4. The rains came down, and the floods came up,
The rains came down, and the floods came up,
The rains came down, and the floods came up,
And the house on the sand washed away.
Lesson
FOR CHILDREN
Begin the lesson with the following activity. Have each child color a small picture of themselves on a notecard that has been folded in half. In the meantime, set up a “sure foundation” made of building blocks and another foundation from paper. You can make a foundation of paper that will hold objects by tearing paper into strips and then curling into coils that rest on the sides. As long as your paper structure can hold up the notecards, you’re good. Take a spray bottle and fill it with water. Have the children spray the paper with water until it gets soggy and falls over. Then, have them spray the building blocks. They should hold up. You can also use rocks and sand placed in baking dishes.
Read aloud: In the Book of Mormon, Helaman teaches his sons that if they build their testimonies and lives “upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ,” then they “cannot fall.” This activity shows us that if we don’t build on a sure foundation, storms can come along and topple us over.
Ask: What do you think are some storms that can threaten us? [Doubts, trials, laziness, sickness, evil in the world, fighting in our homes, bullying]
Read aloud: We live in a world that can be full of storms. People are mean and fight. People make bad choices that hurt us. We can have fear and doubts that we don’t fix by talking with God. We can be mean to each other. We can sin and make mistakes. No matter what has happened or what we are facing, we can build or rebuild our sure foundation in Jesus Christ.
Ask: What are some building blocks for our faith? [Prayer, scripture study, asking questions, sharing the gospel, serving others]
Finish the lesson by discussing as a family or group one thing each child wants to do that week to build their sure foundation. Close with your testimony.
FOR TEENS & ADULTS
Begin the lesson by watching the following video. Before pressing play, ask everyone to think about what this video teaches us about how to build our sure foundation in Christ.
Ask: What does this video teach us about building our sure foundation in Christ?
Read aloud: As Helaman taught his sons about building a sure foundation, he spoke of many serious storms that threaten us. He said, “the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yeah, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea…all his hail and his mighty storm.” In our lives, these mighty storms may take different forms.
Share a personal experience where you experienced a storm in your life and how faith helped you through it.
Ask: What are some of the storms the devil uses? How has a sure foundation helped you?
Read aloud: Sometimes, the storms of life can be overwhelming. In the midst of our trials, we must hold onto the promise given by Helaman to his sons. If we will build upon the rock of our Redeemer, then the devil will have no power over us and we cannot fall. This can give us courage when the sky is dark and the thunder is blasting.
Ask: How can we trust in our sure foundation? What are some ways we can continually make our foundation stronger?
Finish the lesson with your testimony.
Featured Products
FREE Book of Mormon Come, Follow Me Coloring Page
Treat
TreatUnderwater Jello Treats
Ingredients:
-blue jello
-Swedish fish or other sea-themed gummies
-Whipped cream
-plastic cups
Directions:
1. Prepare Jello as directed on the box. Pour into plastic cups and place sea-themed gummies into the cups. Let harden. Top with whipped cream.
Activity
Paper Building Structure
Continue your activity from the children’s lesson by seeing who can build the paper structure that holds the most weight. Use books to see which paper structure is the strongest.
Aleah is a graduate of Southern Virginia University, where she studied English, Creative Writing, and Dance. She now works full time as a marketing and product manager, writer, and editor. She currently hosts the podcast “Single to the Glory” about singlehood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Aleah served a mission in California and loves baking, Lang Leav poetry, Gaynor Minden pointe shoes, and Bollywood movies.
