Through the experience of Zion’s Camp and trying to help one another amidst intense persecution, the early Saints learned about the mercy of God after trials. This FHE lesson helps us better understand what that can look like for us today.
Scripture
For after , as I have said unto you in a former commandment, cometh the blessing.
Hymn
Does the Journey Seem Long? | Hymn #127
1. Does the journey seem long,
The path rugged and steep?
Are there briars and thorns on the way?
Do sharp stones cut your feet
As you struggle to rise
To the heights thru the heat of the day?
2. Is your heart faint and sad,
Your soul weary within,
As you toil ’neath your burden of care?
Does the load heavy seem
You are forced now to lift?
Is there no one your burden to share?
3. Let your heart be not faint
Now the journey’s begun;
There is One who still beckons to you.
So look upward in joy
And take hold of his hand;
He will lead you to heights that are new—
4. A land holy and pure,
Where all trouble doth end,
And your life shall be free from all sin,
Where no tears shall be shed,
For no sorrows remain.
Take his hand and with him enter in.
Lesson
FOR CHILDREN
Begin the lesson with this simple object lesson. Prepare a sheet of unbaked cookie dough. Let the children help if time permits. Preheat the oven. Ask the children about how hot the oven will get and if they should touch it. Ask what happens if they were to put their hand inside it. Then, ask why they are going to put the cookies in the oven. Put the cookies in and continue the rest of the lesson.
Read aloud: The intense heat inside the oven is what bakes cookies so we can eat them. Sometimes, life gets really hard. We may experience things that make us feel sad, angry, or hopeless. It may feel like we’re in a hot oven. We may feel like we’re in pain. However, we have a promise from our Heavenly Father that even when we go through hard times, he will bless us.
Ask: What is something hard you’ve gone through?
Read aloud: We may not always understand why we have trials, but we can see through the lesson of cookies that after tribulation God gives us sweet blessings.
Share a personal experience about a hard time in your life where the Lord blessed you.
FOR TEENS & ADULTS
Begin the lesson by reading the short essay “The Acceptable Offering of Zion’s Camp” as a group. Discuss the following questions:
- Can you relate to any of the experiences of Zion’s Camp?
- What does Nathan’s experience teach us about facing trials with faith?
Read aloud: We have promises from the Lord that blessings follow tribulation. However, our expectations and the will of the Lord may not always be in sync. In the case of Zion’s Camp, many brethren were upset and disappointed that they were not able to complete their mission the way they wanted to.
Ask: How can we have faith in the Lord’s blessings and promises, especially when it is different when it looks different than we expected?
Finish the lesson by sharing any personal experiences and bearing your testimony.
FOR SINGLE STUDY
Read “The Acceptable Offering of Zion’s Camp” and look specifically for ways Nathan had faith in the Lord. Make a list and then see if you can think of a personal trial in your life. Record what ways you tried to follow the Lord. Compare the lists and see how you can improve in the future.
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Treat
TreatEasy No-Bake Cookies
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
3 tbsp cocoa powder
2/3 cup peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups quick oats
Directions
- Add butter, sugar, milk, and cocoa powder to a saucepan and bring to a boil for 1 minute.
- Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Stir in your oats.
- Drop heaping tablespoons onto wax paper and let cool.
(Courtesy of lilluna.com)
Activity
Watch “Zion’s Camp”
Watch the Church produced movie “Zion’s Camp” here.
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.
