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The Gospel Doctrine lesson #9  manual objective is “To inspire class members to read the prophecies of Isaiah and to help them understand how these prophecies apply in their lives.” Our Objective To suggest ways that women can liken the scriptures unto themselves. Commentary I think it is fair to say that God WANTS us to benefit from the scriptures.  Our Heavenly Parents did not set up earth life as a test rigged for us to fail but rather a grand developmental play and work space. So, when you hit Isaiah it may seem like a head snapper— what am I suppose to do with these?  The lesson manual points out that Nephi gives us several keys to that can help us better understand the Isaiah versus. I am going to focus on one that has been both a challenge and a strength of mine— “liken the scriptures unto us.” I have always had a brain that is able to see the application of things— the analogy wrapped inside the situation. Being a storyteller I am almost always able to see possible layers that offer richness. This means I should be good at likening scriptures to my own life and seeing ways I can benefit from them.  The trick comes in that sometimes the scriptures seem far— and not just because they were written by Isaiah.  Obviously the vast majority of scriptures that we study are examples and stories about men. Sometimes this means that the examples feel challenging for me to liken unto myself… I just don’t feel that connected when I read about generals or wicked kings or chopping off arms.  (And not to say that men would feel connected to chopping off arms either!) However, I WANT to benefit from the scriptures.  So putting my storyteller hat on, I offer a few ways that women can also liken the scriptures unto their own lives. Look for the universal. While many of the stories in the Book of Mormon have a protagonist or a situation that does not feel like my life on the surface, digging in a little bit often provides richness. So, for example, I have never had to wander in the desert for many years. My camping has been for pleasure and didn’t involve liahonas or praying for food or building boats. On the surface this example has little to do with my life. However, when I dig in a little deeper, I know there have been times that my life felt barren…pointless…demanding. Rather wandering-in-the-desert-like. And the moments I used my personal liahona of asking God which way to go, of humbly asking for emotional sustenance, of asking God how to solve big problems— then my life was richer for it. We can all benefit from applying the universal lessons in the Book of Mormon. Recognize where there are women in the Book of Mormon…even when they don’t have names. When Bethany and I sat down to write the Book of Mormon volume of Girls Who Choose God , we were stunned to find out just how many times women were mentioned. And while it was culturally-appropriate (though still irksome) that women were not named at that time, it is not cultural appropriate now to ignore women’s contribution. So, let’s all pay attention. Let’s see what we can learn from Nephi’s wife, Nephi’s sisters, the women who got baptized at the Waters of Mormon, etc. To be women who can prayer with power, women who can choose to break false traditions, women who choose to be believers— those are lessons for both women and men. Think about the women who were there but are not mentioned. Elder Ballard gave a talk at Women’s Week at BYU and said that we all need to look for the women of the Book of Mormon. He mentioned what kind of mother Moroni must have had…and that made me wonder about all the other women who existed at that time. Who were the sisters of the stripling warriors? Who were the mothers of the prophets and generals? How did the women feel as their cities and families were under attack? As we liken the scriptures unto our lives, I pray that we will acknowledge and benefit from the richness of the women of the Book of Mormon— both those mentioned and those who we know were present and trying their best. Related Mormon Women Project Interviews Life, By Design , Alyson Von Feldt Years ago when I was a new mother, I was studying the topic of revelation. I was in D&C 76 and I followed a cross reference which took me to the book of Proverbs and I read the first dozen or so chapters as if for the first time. When I came to Proverbs 8:22-31, I read about a woman named Wisdom speaking in that poem and had a significant spiritual experience. One of the most profound of my entire life. I felt like the top of my head was opened up and light and understanding poured into it. I read in this poem about a heavenly woman named Wisdom who was present at creation and I could not believe that I had never noticed her there before nor had anyone ever called her to my attention at church or in my religion classes. It just seemed to me plain as day that a divine woman was telling her story in that poem. I remember standing up in astonishment because I always wondered why the scriptures never mention a heavenly woman of any sort. Not an angel who is a woman, not a heavenly mother, not a single noble and great female intelligence performing a heavenly role. Of course there are many great strong, mortal women in the scriptures, but here was what appeared to be a heavenly woman speaking in her own voice, plain as day. Celebrating the Unseen Woman , Heather Ferrell I got my degree in Public Health and did a Women’s Studies minor. I learned that God did not make women unequal, but in the way our world is set up, we don’t see women. They’re invisible. A lot of the classes I took asked us to look for what the issues are for women and to talk about them. I realized that a lot of the anger I had was simply because women aren’t talked about. I think that’s central to my blog. Once you know that there are women in the scriptures, you can bring them out and talk about them.At BYU I took a class from Camille Fronk on women in the scriptures. She was writing a book for Deseret Book about women in the Old Testament, and recruited us to be her research assistants. I got Deborah. That was my first taste of research and, wow! I loved it.In that class, I learned about women I’d never heard of before. It’s funny to me now because I know them so well that I think, how did I never know who Puah and Shiphrah were? Other Related Women’s Voices Wanted: Hands and Hearts to Hasten the Work , Linda K. Burton Just as our faithful sisters in the scriptures, such as Eve, Sarah, Mary, and many others, knew their identity and purpose…We too can know of our own divine heritage as beloved daughters of God and the vital work He has for us to do. The Vision of Prophets Regarding the Relief Society: Faith, Family, Relief , Julie B. Beck In their charge to “save souls,” sisters were authorized to organize and participate in an extensive sphere of influence. The first Relief Society president was set apart to expound the scriptures, and Relief Society still carries an essential teaching responsibility in the Lord’s Church. Looking for additional perspectives on this lesson? We recommend Mormon Sunday School , Meridian Magazine  and LDSLiving .

Commentary on Gospel Doctrine lesson #10 Doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay. Not the divorced twenty-year old. Not the young mother in forced labor, permanently separated from her home. Not the high school dropout , or the homemaker who never got a college degree. Not the woman who faces social stigma for her faith. Not the wife or sister of an addict . Not the practicing lawyer , who is also the mother of young children. Not the primary president struggling with infertility. Hath he commanded any that they should depart out of the synagogues, or out of the houses of worship? Behold I say unto you, Nay. Not the daughter of two mothers. Not the refugee . Not the gay jazz artist. Not the immigrant or the convert . Not the single mother or unmarried professional . Hath he commmanded any that they should not partake of his salvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay. Not the sisters or the wife who survived abuse. Not the adopting mother or the relinquishing mother . Not the bishop’s wife betrayed by her husband. Not the survivor of genocide, or the woman trapped in a conflict zone. Hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay. Not the young widowed mother of five. Not the opera singer or performer’s wife who balance fame with family. Not the podiatrist who put her career on hold to raise her children. Not the grieving mother who broke down racial barriers in her industry. Not the mother of four who took twenty years to finish her graduate degree in Mathematics. Not the woman with a physical disability, or with special needs children. He inviteth all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; He denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile. The Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love. And except they should have charity they were nothing. Other Related Women’s Voices That Our Children Might See the Face of the Savior , Cheryl C. Lant What does it mean to seek the face of the Savior? Surely it means more than just recognizing His picture. Christ’s invitation to seek Him is an invitation to know who He is, what He has done for us, and what He has asked us to do. Coming to Christ, and eventually seeing His face, comes only as we draw close to Him through our faith and our actions. It comes through a lifetime of effort. The Joy of Womanhood , Margaret Nadauld Our lives reflect that for which we seek. And if with all our hearts we truly seek to know the Savior and to be more like Him, we shall be, for He is our divine, eternal Brother. But He is more than that. He is our precious Savior, our dear Redeemer. We ask with Alma of old, ‘Have ye received his image in your countenances?’. Looking for additional perspectives on this lesson? We recommend Mormon Sunday School , Meridian Magazine  and LDSLiving .

The Gospel Doctrine lesson #11 manual objective is “To help class members understand the doctrine of Christ and have an increased desire to press forward, feasting on His words.” Our Objective To reflect on the meaning and application of what it means to have a “brightness of hope” and to “press forward.” Commentary 2 Nephi 31:20 “Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.” End, definition: 1 – the last part. 2. – a purpose or result. 1. End: the last part, finish, ending. My sister and I used to walk five long blocks home from the subway together. When the weather was blustery and cold, I would count down the blocks as we struggled against the wind and imagine the warm comfort of our destination. She disagreed with that. “Don’t think about home,” she’d say. “If we imagine that our walk will never end, it’s not so bad.” She’d keep saying that until finally we got to our front door. Which of us was enduring well? Which had a brightness of hope? I wanted to focus on the future, the ending. She wanted to focus on the present. I was hoping to get home as fast as possible so that I could forget the dismal cold. She was dwelling in the here and now, not denying the present for a more perfect future. If I apply Nephi’s phrases to our attitudes toward the bitter cold walk and the warm home at the end of it, then my sister is good at enduring, while I am the hopeful one. But take these attitudes separately and apply them toward a Christian life, and they are incomplete. When Nephi talks about a brightness of hope, he doesn’t mean for us simply to count down until this difficult life or a even difficult stage of life is over. And when he talks about enduring, it’s not just the sheer work of the present. We need a paradoxical combination of both realities. How can that happen? because Christ’s atonement is eternal, not locked into the prison of past, present, and future, not tied to an ending. Because of Christ, the distant light of a future hope can illuminate our present — so that our here and now is receptive to the grace of inspiration, forgiveness, strength beyond our own, love that is a deep well of joy. And our endurance can go beyond resigning ourselves to current trials toward a realization that our present life is part of our eternity. 2. End: a goal, a purpose, the fruit of our labors. When Pilate asked Christ whether he was a king, he replied, “To this end was I born,” declaring his own royal and divine purpose ( John 18:37 ). What is our end? Toward what purpose do we need to endure or press forward? Say “press forward,” and the first thing that comes to my mind is Hymn No. 81 , “Press Forward, Saints.” This hymn is essentially 2 Nephi 31:20 , set to resolute and invigorating music by Sister Vanja Y. Watkins, who is a composer of some of our best-loved hymns and Primary songs, such as “Families Can be Together Forever” and the Articles of Faith. Say, “press forward,” and you imply resistance and opposition. Hymn No. 81 is one of exertion, one that the Mormons crossing the plains should have sung as they were trudging through snow and wading through rivers to their promised land. Or the song that Nephi and his family might have sung on their own pioneer trek, pressing forward through “many afflictions and much difficulty, yea, even so much that we cannot write them all” ( 1 Nephi 17:6 ). The end of our existence is hard work. But the story Sister Watkins shares about composing the music for “Press Forward, Saints” is not one of afflictions and difficulty: At a dinner party one evening, a melody started playing through her mind to the lyrics composed by Marvin Gardner. Even though these lyrics were already set to other music, this insistent melody didn’t leave Sister Watkins’ mind until she could get home to record it. In her words, the music “just came to me. I used my pencil to write it down, but I really know the source.” When copyright issues prompted the Church’s General Music Committee to look for a new hymn arrangement, Sister Watkins serendipitously submitted her already-composed music, and it was enthusiastically accepted for the 1985 hymnbook. You can read or hear the story of this hymn here and here . It’s a story of the Spirit as an agent of grace, carrying Sister Watkins’s work forward through pure inspiration. –Which is the truer story of achieving purpose? The Nephites’ steadfastness during their difficult trek across the world, or the glorious grace of inspired melody? Both, of course. When Christ talks of his atonement, he calls it his “work and glory” ( Moses 1:39 )– requiring and granting both effort and grace. When we look for the purpose in our own lives, we will necessarily find the same paradoxical combination. To what end was I born? to write hymns? to immigrate to a new land? to marry? to grow a garden? to run a business? to teach a child? to help a neighbor? The infinite and eternal atonement encompasses all these. Enduring to this end is both work and glory. Related Mormon Women Project Interviews Snapshot Portrait , Meghan Decker In one of my last meetings with my therapist, he challenged me to write a book about my experiences. I laughed.I had come out of darkness and back into light; why would I ever want to go back and reexamine those terrible experiences? And why, after putting what little emotional energy I had into hiding my personal, private horror, would I want to reveal myself at the very time I was done with all that?But my plans were not the Lord’s plans. Less than a year after starting to write my story with a collaborator who was a mental health professional, Reaching for Hope: An LDS Perspective on Recovering from Depression was published. As I said my prayers the evening of the book’s release, I suddenly felt sick to my stomach and knew that events were out of my hands. I, at my very worst, in my moments of greatest failure, was now revealed to the world. I hoped the outcome would be worth the cost.It has been. Just last week, a woman I had never met told me she had read my book. I’m never sure what to say to that: “Hope you enjoyed it!” isn’t right. People don’t read that book for relaxation or escape. But she said the words that I treasure each time I hear them: “Now we understand what our son is going through. And he knows that he is not alone, and he has hope that he can recover.”Weeping may endure for the night, but joy can—and does—come in the morning. Other Related Women’s Voices We Have Great Reason to Rejoice , Carole M. Stephens As ‘daughters in [the Lord’s] kingdom,’  we have made sacred covenants. We are walking in what Nephi called the ‘strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life.’ We’re all at different places on the path. But we can work together to help each other “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Eternally Encircled in His Love , Bonnie D. Parkin When I received this call, I pleaded with Heavenly Father to help me know what the sisters in the Church needed. I received a strong witness that we, His daughters, need to know that He loves us. We need to know that He sees the good in us. Feeling His love encourages us to press forward, reassures us that we are His, and confirms to us that He cherishes us even when we stumble and experience temporary setbacks. Looking for additional perspectives on this lesson? We recommend Mormon Sunday School , Meridian Magazine  and LDSLiving .

The Gospel Doctrine lesson #12 manual objective is “To help class members feel a greater desire to magnify their callings, be chaste, and invite others to come unto Christ.” Our Objective To understand how we magnify our callings — both the callings in which we are formally set apart to serve in and the calling of being women and sisters, or men and brothers, in this church. Commentary I have spent a little over two years now serving as the Relief Society president in my ward. Before this, I had served in a variety of other callings of course — even a variety of other leadership callings. I had also supported my husband as he served as the bishop of our ward for five years. When I was called, I felt overwhelmed but I thought I knew what I was getting into. I didn’t. In these two years, I’ve had experiences I never imagined or expected. I’ve rushed into a home, arriving before the police and paramedics, when a woman attempted suicide. I’ve sat with children while child protective services interviewed their sibling after a disturbing event. I’ve listened to women describe the deepest of heartaches as they have dealt with a spouse betraying them, clinical depression overtaking them, or death claiming a loved one. I’ve walked into homes with no food for the children to eat and homes where children functioned in alarming levels of disintegration and disrepair. I’ve seen suffering in its most raw form more than I ever had before. But I’ve also seen beauty in its most pure form, in the hours of quiet service offered by visiting teachers and friends, in the faith and hope demonstrated by those struggling, and by the miracle of watching a heart transform or heal. In these two years, I have changed. How could I not? And the way I see the world has changed. I’ve been stretched to my very limit and I’ve been blessed in extraordinary ways. All of this has led me to ponder on things I never pondered before. And one of those is the centerpiece of this lesson: how do we magnify our callings? What does that really mean? I don’t claim to have it all figured out, but I have developed some thoughts on it as I have sought to magnify my own calling. First, I’ve learned what Jacob teaches here in verse 19 : to magnify our callings, we must first get our errand from the Lord. There are so many things we could do in any calling. To be effective, we need to select carefully which of these things we focus on. The Lord is the only one who truly knows what we can do to best reach and succor those in our stewardship. Next, magnifying a calling is not about the amount of time we put into our calling or even about the effort we exert. In fact, magnifying our calling isn’t about us at all. It’s about the people we serve, the people we have stewardship over. It’s about seeking to understand what they need to improve their lives and then seeking to meet those needs. Magnifying a calling can be hard and it can require us to do things that are uncomfortable for us. This is because it isn’t about what we want to do. It’s about what needs to be done — about what others need us to do. Finally, and related to that, magnifying our callings is representing those in our care. Sometimes that means being their voice, speaking up in behalf of their needs and concerns. As a woman, I usually have stewardship either over other women or over children — whether it be as a Young Women’s president, a primary teacher or a visiting teacher. These people may not have a strong, recognized voice at church on their own. Being their voice — asking the whys, suggesting different ways of looking at something, or helping others see a situation through perspectives they aren’t used to — can make people uncomfortable and even frustrated. It can feel to others like we are “rocking the boat” and it can feel to us like we are “kicking against the pricks.” But if the errand comes from the Lord and if it improves the lives of those we serve, then we should “labor with our might” to do it. We serve in various church callings throughout our lives, sometimes “big” callings and sometimes “small” callings. But I believe women also always have a “calling” as sisters at church, and as Relief Society members, just as men have a “calling” as brothers. And I believe we magnify this calling in the same way we magnify a calling given to us by the bishop in his office and accepted by the ward when they raise their hands to sustain us. We magnify our callings as women in the church by looking for direction for our individual life paths from the Lord, by focusing outward and doing what needs to be done — even when it’s hard, and by being willing to speak up for ourselves and for those around us — those in our care and those we care about. Related Mormon Women Project Interviews A Calling and A Purpose , Katie Jennings It was a few years, a million tears, countless Mother’s Days hiding in the bathroom at church, doctor’s visits, medications, more tears, and lots of nieces and nephews before I understood that I was not going to be a mother in this lifetime. And even as I realized that, it was still a few hundred tears, a few years, and a lot of cookies before I could actually accept it.And then I got a calling that saved my life and taught me my true purpose in this world. I was called as a Primary president in my ward. Heavenly Father gave me 60 kids to call my own and to love and to teach. I made the decision right then and there to throw all of the love, caring, and nurturing that I had in my heart and soul towards those 60 kids. They have returned it in a million different ways, which makes me love them all the more. I love them like they are my own. I count myself blessed to be part of their lives. A Woman of Character , Susan Easton Black I had an opportunity to speak at the Winter Quarters’ Visitors’ Center several years ago about the pioneers. Metropolitan Opera soloist Ariel Bybee had also been asked to be on the program with me. She was to sing “Come, Come Ye Saints,” a hymn that is so closely associated with our own heritage. How many times had I heard that hymn? But this time I actually saw the professional singer perform it. It was such a physical performance; you would have thought she was on the opera stage in front of thousands of people. There was so much energy and power in her performance. At the end, sweat was just pouring down her face like she had given it her all. I remember saying to myself, “I always want to be a teacher like that; I don’t ever want to go into a classroom saying I’m just winging it today or I don’t know much about this topic so don’t worry about taking notes.” I wanted to magnify the talent I had in the same way she magnified hers. It was the first time I’d seen someone who really put “might, mind, and strength” into what she did. It didn’t matter that we were in the basement of a visitors’ center with barely a hundred people present. It was phenomenal. Other Related Women’s Voices Rejoice in Every Good Thing , Chieko Okazaki We don’t need a bishop’s assignment to be kind. We don’t need to sign up to be thoughtful. We don’t need to be sustained by our wards to be sensitive. Rejoice in the power you have within you from Christ to be a nucleus of love, forgiveness, and compassion. Out of Small Things , Kathleen H. Hughes Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. Let’s simplify. The message of a good lesson comes through spiritual preparation. Let’s put our focus on the principles of the gospel and on the material in our study guides. Let’s prepare to create an interesting exchange of ideas through discussion, not through extra, invented work that makes us so weary we come to resent the time we spend in fulfilling our callings. Looking for additional perspectives on this lesson? We recommend Mormon Sunday School , Meridian Magazine  and LDSLiving .

The Gospel Doctrine lesson #13  manual objective is “to help class members better understand Zenos’s allegory of the olive trees and how it applies in our day.” Our Objective To discuss the realities of dating as a midsingle LDS woman. Commentary This lesson focuses on the Hebrew prophet Zenos’ allegory of the olive trees as found in Jacob 5 . In the allegory a Master (Christ) has an olive tree vineyard (the world) in which he labors with his servant (Prophets). The tame olive trees (Jews) have begun to decay and in hopes of saving the vineyard the Master begins grafting the branches (groups of people) from wild olive trees (Gentiles) to the tame olive trees. At first this is successful and the modified trees produce good fruit (individuals and their works). However, over time the vineyard becomes “corrupt” due to “loftiness.” This breaks the Master’s heart, “ it grieveth me that I should lose them.” After counseling together the servant and the Master discern that the roots are still good: Wherefore, let us go to and labor with our might…Graft in the branches; begin at the last that they may be first, and that the first may be last, and dig about the trees, both old and young, the first and the last; and the last and the first, that all may be nourished once again…Wherefore, dig about them, and prune them, and dung them once more…” Together, the servant and the Master labor diligently trying various ways of grafting and pruning until eventually the wild and the tame become united, “…they became like unto one body; and the fruits were equal…” In following Nephi’s directive to liken the scriptures unto myself, I ask: How can the principles and insights of this allegory help me in this mortal existence? How does it relate to my lived experiences and that of my friends and family? This month I turned 39. There are three things I’ve always known in the deepest regions of my soul: (1) I’m an artist; (2) Jesus is the Christ; and (3) I’m a mother. I’m divorced and childless. The fact that I am not a mother is at the root of much of my suffering. tick-tock-tick-tock Earlier this year, I did a wheel of life exercise to assess where I was at in the various aspects of my life. A somewhat balanced wheel of life looks something like this: Mine looked like this: Pac-man. Seeing my life represented in this way motivated me to reassess how I was viewing my love life, the actions I was currently taking and what I needed to change. So, what is a 39 year old, faithful, covenant keeping, woman with a biological clock “ that’s ticking like this ” suppose to do? For me, the answer is in this allegory. The deepest desire of my heart is to partner with a faithful LDS man with whom I can build a life, family and community centered in the celestial principles of love, compassion and unity. The first challenge is finding viable dating options. It is well documented that active LDS midsingle women greatly outnumber our male counterparts. When you deduct from that number men who are homosexual, have limited capacities, or proclaim inaction in response to the tyranny of too many great options (eye roll) that gap becomes a chasm. Attempting to date LDS men through singles wards, set-ups, online dating, single conferences etc. has done little to produce good fruit (viable dating options). Instead, I see a decaying vineyard that has left me feeling discouraged and depressed. In response, I began to reconcile the possibility that I may never remarry and have children. Painful! I leaned into the Father for comfort, Christ’s Atonement for healing, and the Spirit for guidance. Looking at my pac-man wheel of life, I knew what need to be done. The answer was not abandoning those righteous desires but instead to take a different course of action altogether. Feeling spiritually encouraged, I expanded my dating pool to include non-members (wild branches). Rooted in my covenants and core values I now seek a righteous man with whom I am evenly yoked. I’ve become the servant and Christ remains the Master. Together we labor mightly in my vineyard grafting branches through trial and error in hopes of finding the combination that yields good fruit. And blessed art thou; for because ye have been diligent in laboring with me in my vineyard, and have kept my commandments, and have brought unto me again the natural fruit, that my vineyard is no more corrupted, and the bad is cast away, behold ye shall have joy with me because of the fruit of my vineyard. Joy. Our theology teaches us that our Heavenly Parents want us to have joy now, in this mortal existence. There are countless scriptures commanding us to be of good cheer, to rejoice, to have joy. The process of also dating non-members has revitalized my love life and brought me much joy. Yes, it has its challenges but laboring in the vineyard strengthens my relationship with the Godhead and gives me hope. Hope! Hope nourishes the roots and I have faith that this process will yield good fruit. A final note, I believe that we do a disservice to ourselves when we seek answers to hard questions solely within our own echo chamber. I have been greatly edified by individuals, practices and works not of our faith. I challenge us to put into practice the declarations of the 13th Articles of Faith and seek after those things that are “virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy” and bring them back to the vineyard to be grafted that we as a culture, faith and community can be revitalized and produce the best fruit. Related Mormon Women Project Interviews In The Lord’s Time , Peka Holmes Matt, my husband, is hesitant when I say there’s a church couple that wants to get together because he feels like he is a service project or they are going to question him about the church and that makes him feel so uncomfortable. He just wants to go and relax and enjoy and talk to people. But these friends totally make him feel comfortable. They get to know him for him and I think that’s wonderful because when he does bring up the questions about the church they don’t judge him or give him the missionary or the handbook answers. They give him something that’s personal and exactly how they feel and not something that will make him say, “Oh I think this is a great church! Maybe I will join it!” An Instrument of Homecoming , Joanna Brooks I was less active for 7 or 8 years. In the middle of that time I was trying to think of ways to still honor my Mormonism and figure out what was still important to me in the Church. I have pioneer heritage, and I’ve always thought of Pioneer Day–the day we celebrate the pioneers first entering the Salt Lake Valley–as a lovely Mormon cultural holiday. I decided that even though I wasn’t attending Church at the time that I was going to observe Pioneer Day, and I was going to hold a Mormon dinner.Part of my idea doubtless comes from Passover. The Jewish people are brilliant at using food to help remember. They have worked it out over millennia: eat and tell your story. I needed something like that for me! So, Pioneer Day: eat and tell your story.Passover is a spiritual, holy day and Pioneer Day is not a holy day but a cultural day, so I don’t try to make it heavy-handed. We don’t say a series of prayers or have a liturgy like you have for Passover, but we sit around a table and eat and tell stories about who we are. I make some form of Mormon dinner, usually camp and light-hearted. I’ll pull out a couple of Mormon cookbooks I have and cook things that will horrify my husband, various Jell-O dishes, and funeral potatoes (which, truth be told, I never ate growing up as a child but I really like them). My kids and I wear bonnets, and we tell stories about our ancestors who came across the plains.I invite non-member friends mostly. They think it’s great. They’re all kind of pleased to witness a cultural experience. Some of them have not eaten Jell-O before. Most of the people I associate with day-to-day are not LDS, as is true of most of us who live outside the Utah corridor, and me probably more than most because I married outside of the faith and because I work outside of the home, so I have a lot of non-LDS contact every day. So I’m just excited to share it in a lighthearted way with people I’m close to, and they are excited to be a part of it. Choosing God and Abundance , McArthur Krishna I spent two years thinking that it made no sense. When I relied on my own understanding and logic, it didn’t make sense. His current situation was nothing I would have signed up for. But I prayed about it and knew I was on the right path. I would chicken out and bail on the path and then miracles would bring me back. The most profound spiritual experience I’ve ever had was when I prayed about whether I should marry him. It’s the clearest answer I’ve ever received. Sheer overwhelming light that left me gasping.Yet, this process and answer felt like a potentially very slippery slope. Dangerous, even. I needed to make sure I could really trust my relationship with God, because I was being told that I should marry someone who was 1) not the person that I was always told I should marry, and 2) under circumstances that seemed insane to an outside observer. It even felt insane to me!I had some serious blessings along the way in friends and family.  In fact, my congregation was incredibly supportive.  It is one of the aspects that made this process easier.  But then I was visiting a ward and I had one woman in the Church say to me: “That’s fine for you, but I could never settle for a nonmember.”  I flinched and the conversation moved on.  And then I thought, “Wait! That is not okay to let that perspective stand.”So I circled back around and explained my philosophy: The goal of life is to become god-like, and the way we do that is by following God. And I absolutely followed God in choosing whom to marry. It was the craziest decision of my life, but it was clear that I did not settle. Following God’s path designed for me is not settling. This is true for me and everyone!

The Gospel Doctrine lesson #14 manual objective is “To emphasize that the scriptures have been prepared and preserved to guide and direct us.” Our Objective To add deeper meaning to Enos’ example of prayer – and to give examples of faithful women who followed the Lord in His wise purposes. Commentary Enos and Prayers The story of Enos is well known and is a powerful example of prayer, humility, and forgiveness. “And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; all the day long did I cry. … After I had prayed and labored with all diligence, the Lord said unti me; I will grant unto thee according to thy desires,; because of they faith.” Enos 1: 4 & 12 While the scripture story centers only on Enos’ story, I would imagine there were others praying with and for Enos. In a poem by Agnes Bell, entitled “The Book of Enos’ Wife,” she imagines Enos’ wife praying for him. A portion of her poem: He gathered bow and arrows,wrapped his arm around my waist,Kissed my neck and walked away.He didn’t hear me call his name,In daylight, in darkness. He didn’t hearMy plea for our safety, for his soul. Prayer is an important message; and I believe the message is richer when contemplating the web of people who pray with you and for you. In the 2011 film “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”, we see the story of Oskar, a young boy (living in New York City) on a quest to find the origin of a mysterious key. Oskar finds this key among his father’s things after his father is killed in the 9/11 attacks. Oskar forms a plan and then slips away from his home each day to talk to people in a variety of neighborhoods asking them about the key. He wants to know if they recognize the key and they know what lock it might fit. He meets many interesting, kind people on his journey. Near the end of the film, he discovers that his mother has known about his plan from the beginning – and that she has actually gone out ahead of him to talk to people about his quest – ensuring a welcome reception when he knocks on their door. Oskar’s path has been smoothed and prepared by his mother. In a similar fashion, our way is smoothed and prepared by mothers and friends and others who pray with us and for us. For a Wise Purpose “The Lord hath commanded me to make these plates for a wise purpose in him, which purpose I know not.” 1 Nephi 9:5 Nephi makes two sets of plates – and tells us that he does this because the Lord has commanded it for a wise purpose. It takes faith to do the right when we don’t understand “the why”. There are many examples in the scriptures of women who have done the same. Jochebed ( Exodus 2 ) Jochebed, Moses’ mother, seeks answers from God when trying to save her son from Egyptian swords. In a bold move of faith, she sends him down the river in a basket. Ruth ( Book of Ruth ) Ruth chooses love over fear when she decides to stay with her mother-in-law, Naomi. She plays a great part in history later on, but uses faith when making her original choice. Abigail ( 1 Samuel 25 ) Abigail chooses right by taking a peace offering to David and his men, though she does not know beforehand how it will be received. Esther ( Book of Esther ) Esther fasts and prays and makes a faithful choice to go before the King in an attempt to save the Jewish people from death. Nephi’s wife ( 1 Nephi 18 ) While on a ship on the ocean, Nephi’s brothers bind him with strong cords. With faith and courage, Nephi’s wife confronts his brothers and then turns to the Lord, who creates a storm to frighten Nephi’s brothers. Pioneer Women (Mormon History) Many faithful pioneer women braved long travel in difficult conditions to follow the Lord and the prophet west, without knowing their final destination. Keeping a record for future generations – as a testament of Christ “We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they many look for a remission of their sins.” 2 Nephi 25:26 There are many reasons why Jarom, Omni, Amaron, Chemish, and others kept records, including following the Lord, instructing their people, and preserving scriptures for future generations. But, I believe the most powerful reason is to teach of Christ, so that our children may know Him. It is the responsibility of women, mothers, and others to continue to influence our children (and future generations) with the scriptures. Related Mormon Women Project Interviews Prayer Changes Things , Willie Mae Wright Douglas It was such a hard time. Sometimes you don’t have anyone you can turn to. It was always chaotic between my husband and my son. My husband was against our son’s lifestyle. He didn’t care that he was sick. I just can’t explain how hard that was. It was a load weighing me down. I would go for a walk every evening and I would walk and I would pray. I asked God to help him and keep my son and not let him suffer, because I didn’t think I would be able to stand seeing him suffer when there was nothing I could do to help him. A Pioneer in Paris , Josiane Lazeras My mother is very religious. When I was young, I saw her praying. I learned to pray. When the missionaries asked us to pray to know if the message of Joseph Smith and The Book of Mormon was true, for me and my brother, prayer was already something we were accustomed to. Even when we were young, we had the habit to get on our knees and pray. It is something wonderful that my mother passed to us, a spiritual heritage. I’ve done genealogy work for my mother’s Swiss side and I was astonished and happy to see that many of my ancestors were named Isaac, Abraham, Jacob, or Moses. There really has been a spiritual heritage that has enriched me, I think. Then, after my conversion, the Church has enriched me spiritually as well. Other Related Women’s Voices Now Let Us Rejoice , Barbara Thompson Sisters, now more than ever, we need women to step up and be strong. We need women who declare the truth with strength, faith, and boldness. We need women to set an example of righteousness. We need women to be ‘anxiously engaged in a good cause.’ We need to live so that our lives bear witness that we love our Heavenly Father and the Savior Jesus Christ and that we will do what They have asked us to do. We need to rescue ‘all that is finest down deep inside of [us]’ so that as daughters of God we can do our part to build the kingdom of God. We will have help to do this. As Joseph declared, ‘If you live up to your privileges, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates.’ A Woman of Faith , Margaret Nadauld A woman of faith trusts God and faces adversity with hope…In prayer she seeks the kind, unfaltering guidance and help of a listening Heavenly Father. As she prays, she listens—allowing the communication to be two-way. She trusts that in His still and quiet way, He will lead her by the hand and give her answer to her prayers. Looking for additional perspectives on this lesson? We recommend Mormon Sunday School , Meridian Magazine  and LDSLiving .

The Gospel Doctrine lesson #15 manual objective is “To increase class members’ understanding of their indebtedness to God and to encourage them to ‘[put] off the natural man … through the atonement of Christ the Lord’ (Mosiah 3:19).” Our Objective To practice “seeing” the women in The Book of Mormon and to learn how to put off the “natural [wo]man… through the atonement of Christ the Lord.” Commentary This last week was General Conference. Like most LDS mothers I early herded my brood in front of the screen, hastily preparing the night before by printing off coloring pages and bingo cards to keep them engaged for at least a few hours of the 8 hour conference. And I won’t lie, it wasn’t easy. In fact, it would have been much easier to send them outside or put on a video for them instead. I probably would have heard much more of the conference, instead of constantly having to mediate arguments and get someone another snack. Yet, here is the thing. I want conference to be a family affair. I want my children to know that this is what we do as a family; that we listen to the prophet. It is something I want them to know, from the very start, even if it means a long, messy and noisy conference. I was reminded of this when I read through the story of King Benjamin’s address in Mosiah 1-3. It is easy for us today to see parallels between what King Benjamin did, calling his people together for a message (even printing off copies of his words so that everyone could have them), to our modern day General Conference. Yet the part that stood out to me this time was this, And it came to pass that when they came up to the temple, they pitched their tents round about, every man according to his family, consisting of his wife, and his sons, and his daughters, and their sons, and their daughters, from the eldest down to the youngest, every family being separate one from another ( Mosiah 2:6 ) Even back then conference was a family affair! It makes me smile now to read through King Benjamin’s address and imagine the women there. The mothers, using all their ingenuity to keep the little ones quite and focused, the grandmothers and older women shepherding and spoiling the grandchildren, the sister-in-laws working together to feed the family and keep the tent tidy, the little girls playing and getting underfoot, and the young women eager to learn, but also secretly hoping that the boy in the neighboring tent might notice them. It is only one little verse but if you take a moment to set the scene in your mind it becomes rich and dynamic, and just bursting to the seems with women and children. Remembering that women, lots of them of all ages, were attending King Benjamin’s address is important because they are only mentioned one other time. In fact in Mosiah 2:40 he addresses the crowd as “old men, and also ye young men, and you little children who can understand my words” completely omitting the women who would have been listening. I’m not sure why he addressed them like this, but it may have been indicative of Nephite culture, which makes it even more important that we use a bit of imagination and remember to “see” the women. We know they were there, and that they were touched by his message, because later on in Mosiah 5:7 , King Benjamin tells us about those who make a covenant with God and become, the Children of Christ, his sons and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters. These women were changed by the message they heard, and like Mosiah urged, they desired to put off the “natural [wo]man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child…” These women, as evidenced by the covenant they made, had a desire to be better and to more fully committed to God’ work. Mosiah 3 is also a powerful chapter for King Benjamin’s women listeners because it where we learn the name of Mary, the mother of Jesus. King Benjamin told his the people that he had been visited by an angel and that this angel had told him about the coming Savior, Jesus Christ. Can you imagine if the prophet stood up in General Conference and told us that he’d been visited by an angel who’d given him a message about the future! You bet we’d all be on the edge of our seats, and I expect it wasn’t much different for these women. This was life changing type of stuff. Yet to me the most beautiful part of King Benjamin’s account of his visit by the angel is that he tells them the name of the mother of the Savior, Mary. Mary is unique in that she is the only woman in the scriptures whose name was known before her birth, and among the small group of men whose names were announced before they were born— Noah, Aaron, Moses, Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, and Joseph Smith. It is beautiful to me to think that hundreds of years before she was born these Nephite women knew her name. I can imagine them naming their daughters Mary, speaking of Mary, dreaming of Mary, and hoping for Mary… the mother of their Savior. These Nephite women are great examples to us. I know that their example has impacted how I view my General Conference attendance. I imagine myself, like these women, assembling my family before the tower— as crazy and noisy as that may be— and eagerly soaking up the words of the prophet. Yet not just hearing them but letting them sink deep into my heart and into my soul, changing my desires and my very being– allowing myself to be born again. Related Mormon Women Project Interviews Choosing God and Abundance , McArthur Krishna We used to think there weren’t enough women in the Book of Mormon to fill a book, but when I read and researched the Book of Mormon really thoroughly, specifically looking for women, I found over a hundred instances when women are mentioned—even though they’re not often mentioned by name. Our books—including the current Girls Who Choose God Bible stories—have both named and unnamed women. Even if women aren’t named, it’s important to understand that they were active participants.For example, in the Book of Mormon, there were women being baptized at the Waters of Mormon and pitching their tent to listen to King Benjamin speak. There are the mothers of the Stripling Warriors, and the Nephite daughters who pled with the Lamanites for the lives of their families. There are so many women who are active participants in their faith. Celebrating the Unseen Woman , Heather Farrell It was the darkest point of my life up to that point. I was really low. My parents were getting divorced. I was surrounded by all this filth. I saw what it was like to have lots of money, and I thought, I don’t want it! I don’t want money! I don’t want fame! This is how your children turn out! This is what you have to deal with! I saw what the girls my age were into, and I thought, I don’t want any of that.I realized that what I wanted was the gospel. It came back to that rock. Even though marriages fall apart, even though people lie, even though people don’t treat you right, you still have light. And even if those people treating you wrong are in your family, even if they’re in the Church, it doesn’t matter. You still have light. Someone else’s behavior doesn’t change any of that. Other Related Women’s Voices Motherhood and the Family , Mary F. Foulger We stand in awe at Mary’s assignment to be the mother of the Lord, but we, too, have been called to mother gods. Ripples , Virginia U. Jensen As we think of women whose righteous influence ripples through eternity, let us consider Mary, the ‘precious and chosen vessel.’ Presented by an angel with an unprecedented, holy pronouncement, she graciously submitted to the will of the Lord: ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.’ Her faith, obedience, and humility set a standard for all women. With Holiness of Heart , Bonnie D. Parkin For centuries, righteous women have been stepping forward to join the cause of Christ. Many of you have only recently been baptized; your covenants are fresh in your hearts, your sacrifices still tender. As I think about you, I am reminded of Priscilla Staines from Wiltshire, England. Nineteen-year-old Priscilla joined the Church in 1843. Alone. She had to steal away in the night to be baptized, because of the persecutions of her neighbors and the displeasure of her family. She wrote: ‘We waited until midnight … and then repaired to a stream of water a quarter of a mile away. Here we found the water … frozen over, and the elder had to chop a hole in the ice large enough for the purpose of baptism. … None but God and his angels, and the few witnesses who stood on the bank with us, heard my covenant; but in the solemnity of that midnight hour it seemed as though all nature were listening, and the recording angel writing our words in the book of the Lord.’Her words ‘None but God and his angels … heard my covenant’ touch my soul, for like Priscilla—no matter our age, our gospel knowledge, our time in the Church—we are all women of covenant. Looking for additional perspectives on this lesson? We recommend Mormon Sunday School , Meridian Magazine  and LDSLiving .

The Gospel Doctrine lesson #16 manual objective is “To encourage class members to seek and maintain the ‘mighty change’ of heart that comes through exercising faith in Jesus Christ.” Our Objective To reflect on the role of questions and doubts in our spiritual journeys and to embrace grace for ourselves and others as they question. Commentary Not long ago I rediscovered my journal from about ages seventeen to twenty sitting on a bookshelf. Heartfelt talk of God filled many of its pages. I was wrapped in fervent belief and swayed by doubts about college, dating, and where I stood before God. Reading the small leather book was revelatory. I was struck by just how much I have always been myself, with the same passion for literature and theology. Although it was somewhat painful to review my earlier perspectives, it was a huge relief to see the things I struggled with in my twenties foreshadowed in its pages. I was surprised to find that I was wondering about belief versus acculturation as a senior in high school, something I thought I dealt with more as a college and grad student: was I simply a member of the Church because I was raised as one or because I actually believed what I had been taught? I felt compassion for the person who was on a journey of conversion with some rough roads ahead. At times when I have felt like I could not read any other scriptures, I have turned to the early chapters in Mosiah again and again. They are the gospel, pure and simple. In chapter 4 , King Benjamin instructs his listeners that salvation comes through Jesus Christ. The purity of the repentant believer’s heart matters, and so do her actions toward those who (falsely) seem more beggarly than she. The tasks of discipleship should be performed in balance and moderation. In chapter 5 the Nephites feel this message in a heart-transforming way. They see their state before God, desire to change, and offer a group prayer to that end. They enter into a covenant, reborn as Christ’s sons and daughters. I don’t doubt that it was possible for everyone to experience a powerful conversion simultaneously. I do, however, wonder whether there were those among the congregation who felt doubt, or who had a hard time being “steadfast and immovable” ( Mosiah 5:15 ) in the spiritual knowledge they gained. They still needed to live out their lives in a manner which would place them on the right hand of God, and for some believers the arduous task is one of maintaining belief even as they desire so badly to believe. King Benjamin’s discourse brings questions about the tricky balance of certainty and questioning, of the growth of the individual believer and the affirmations of the believing collective to the fore. The public faith we see in modern or ancient General Conferences forms a louder, more sure counterpoint to the quieter, at times less-certain musings of the believer’s heart. I have had miraculous converting experiences, and I have sat through many meetings where people’s affirmations of belief did not match where I was in my journey of faith. I have felt the sting of having a different perspective, one that makes me unique but that also, in my heart of hearts, caused me to fear I was wrong, flawed, or not worthy. I am coming to accept that this doubt, this questioning, is part of my journey, and that it is hardwired into the way I think. This dialectical process has led me forward, has kept me growing. It has taught me which avenues of thought to avoid and has led me to a firm belief that this scripture is true: “Under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives” ( Mosiah 5:8 ). All are alike unto God, the faithful and the questioner, and perhaps it is possible to be both. Related Mormon Women Project Interviews All Here Together , Bianca Morrison Dillard I have a lot of questions, but I feel more comfortable and confident sitting with those questions. I don’t feel like I have to necessarily put them on a shelf and not think about them anymore. I can hold them and say, “This is my faith and these are my doubts, and it’s all here together, and I feel confident in the core principles that I am going to follow.” In Darkness, In Grace , Hillary Stirling Eventually, I was able to see a psychiatrist who prescribed medication that did more to lift the darkness than all my prayers had. Though I was grateful for that partial relief, I also felt surprisingly angry. Are we not promised over and over that the Gospel brings peace to our hearts and that our Heavenly Father’s plan is one of happiness? So why could I get those things from a pill but not from Him?…It has taken me a long time, but I have come again to a place of surety. I know my Father lives. I know that He loves me enough to let me struggle through the lessons I need to learn. I know He trusts me enough to try my faith. Above all, I know that despite how I felt, the reality is my Savior had already experienced every moment of my despair, frustration, and anguish. I never was and never will be abandoned. Other Related Women’s Voices Do I Believe? , Bonnie Oscarson To believe, we need to get the gospel from our heads into our hearts! It is possible for us to merely go through the motions of living the gospel because it is expected or because it is the culture in which we have grown up or because it is a habit. Perhaps some have not experienced what King Benjamin’s people felt following his compelling sermon: “They all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.”We all need to seek to have our hearts and very natures changed so that we no longer have a desire to follow the ways of the world but to please God. True conversion is a process that takes place over a period of time and involves a willingness to exercise faith. Be Ye Converted , Bonnie Oscarson True conversion is more than merely having a knowledge of gospel principles and implies even more than just having a testimony of those principles. It is possible to have a testimony of the gospel without living it. Being truly converted means we are acting upon what we believe and allowing it to create ‘a mighty change in us, or in our hearts’ (Mosiah 5:2). Looking for additional perspectives on this lesson? We recommend Mormon Sunday School , Meridian Magazine  and LDSLiving .

The Gospel Doctrine lesson #17 manual objective is “To encourage class members to follow the counsel of Church leaders, particularly those whom the Lord has called as prophets, seers, and revelators.” Our Objective To highlight the possible continuities between Solomon’s Temple and the New World temples, particularly the centrality of the divine feminine, Wisdom. Commentary At a Symposium held in honor of Joseph Smith at the Library of Congress in 2004, the eminent scholar of temple theology, Margaret Barker, discusses the centrality of Christ and of His Priesthood to Solomon’s—“the priests of the Most High after the order of Melchizedek, which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the Only Begotten Son.” 1 She also describes the central—and long-since obscured—role of Wisdom in that Temple. Wisdom’s symbol was the Menorah—a stylized, golden almond tree with a candlestick in the center and three branches on either side. Wisdom—the Feminine Divine, or The Mother in Heaven—has several names, perhaps the most prevalent of which are Asherah and El Shaddai (God with breasts) and her dominant symbol is a tree—specifically the Tree of Life. 2 During the reign of King Josiah there arose a contestation between the Temple Priesthood and a group called the Deuteronomists with whom Josiah sided. Barker suggests that a plausible reason for why Lehi was under constant threat of his life and, therefore, forced to flee Jerusalem was because he was a member of the Temple Priesthood—the Melchizedek Priesthood, the higher priesthood of the Temple of Solomon. In addition, “hostility to Wisdom was a hallmark of the Deuteronomists, and due to their influence, the Mother and her tree have been almost forgotten—but not in the Book of Mormon.” 3 Given such a premise behind Lehi’s flight, it is not surprising that temples and temple worship play a significant role in the Book of Mormon narrative. We learn in second Nephi 5:16 that “I, Nephi, did build a temple and I did construct it after the manner of the Temple of Solomon.” While it is unlikely that the sacred artifacts such as the ark, the manna and the budding rod (branch) of Aaron also removed by King Josiah were replicated, it is likely that the sacred oil, the cherubim and the Menorah were. So important is it that his readership understand the significance of the construction of the first Nephite Temple that Nephi repeats it in the same verse: “the manner of construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine.” It is, therefore, not surprising that upon the arrival of Ammon and his companions, King Limhi immediately sends “a proclamation among all his people that they might gather themselves to the temple.” 4 What is significant, however, is that Limhi blames the current lamentable situation of his citizens on the fact that they “will not seek Wisdom, neither do they desire that she should rule over them” (capitalization and emphasis mine). 5 It is not unreasonable, therefore, to infer from Limhi’s words that the place accorded in Solomon’s Temple to Christ, His Priesthood and His Mother (Wisdom, Asherah—the Tree of Life) would also have been central to the New World Temples. In Nephi’s vision of the Tree of Life in first Nephi 11, the scripture upon which Barker bases her remarks, Nephi describes the tree as stunningly beautiful: “the beauty of which was far beyond, yea, exceeding of all beauty; and the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow.” 6 The vision immediately following reveals Mary, the mortal mother of the Messiah, carrying the Christ child in her arms. 7 Referencing Proverbs 3:18 and identical descriptions of the Tree of Life in 1 Enoch 32:5 as well as in a text discovered among the Nag Hammadi scrolls in 1945, Barker exclaims: “Imagine my surprise when I read…the account of the vision of the tree whose white fruit made one happy, and…that the Virgin in Nazareth was the mother of the Son of God after the manner of the flesh…This is the Heavenly Mother represented by the tree of life, and then Mary and her Son on earth. This revelation to Joseph Smith was the ancient Wisdom symbolism, intact, and almost certainly as it was known in 600 BCE.” 8 Given that Lesson 17 focuses on a prolonged discussion of the golden plates found by Limhi’s people, their rescue, and a method for translating the plates, it is easy to miss elements from these sections that are central to the Book of Mormon narrative—particularly the presence of Solomon-like temples in the lands of Zarahemla, Nephi and the city Bountiful. In addition to Limhi’s words invoking Wisdom as ruler, or guide, it is also helpful to remember that at the beginning of the Restoration, we are likewise reminded of the sacred connection between the search for wisdom and eternal life: “Seek…for Wisdom, and behold the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you…Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich” (capitalization mine). 9 This injunction is repeated word for word in D&C 11. 10 That Wisdom is associated with eternal life is echoed in the Book of Proverbs where Wisdom is the name of the deity with whom “the Lord founded the earth.” 11 Before the world was, She was. “Long life is in her right hand;/in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of [eternal] life.” 12 1 D&C 76:57 2 Exodus 25:31-37 3 Barker, Margaret “Joseph Smith and Preexilic Israelite Religion,” The Worlds of Joseph Smith: A Bicentennial Conference at the Library of Congress, edited by John W. Welch (Brigham Young University Press, 2006), 76. 4 Mosiah 7:17 5 Mosiah 8:20 6 1 Nephi 11:8 7 1 Nephi 11:13 , 19-20 8 Barker, 76. 9 D&C 6:7 10 Doctrine and Covenants 6:7 ; 11:7 11 Proverbs 3:19-20 12 Proverbs 3:16-18 Related Mormon Women Project Interviews Life By Design , Alyson Von Feldt Years ago when I was a new mother, I was studying the topic of revelation. I was in D&C 76 and I followed a cross reference which took me to the book of Proverbs and I read the first dozen or so chapters as if for the first time. When I came to Proverbs 8:22-31, I read about a woman named Wisdom speaking in that poem and had a significant spiritual experience. One of the most profound of my entire life. I felt like the top of my head was opened up and light and understanding poured into it. I read in this poem about a heavenly woman named Wisdom who was present at creation and I could not believe that I had never noticed her there before nor had anyone ever called her to my attention at church or in my religion classes. It just seemed to me plain as day that a divine woman was telling her story in that poem. I remember standing up in astonishment because I always wondered why the scriptures never mention a heavenly woman of any sort. Not an angel who is a woman, not a heavenly mother, not a single noble and great female intelligence performing a heavenly role. Of course there are many great strong, mortal women in the scriptures, but here was what appeared to be a heavenly woman speaking in her own voice, plain as day. Reflections on the Divine , Fiona Givens I feel empowered by my female eternal identity. This is influenced heavily by our belief in a Heavenly Mother. That resonates with me. Really, can one have a Heavenly Father and a Heavenly Son without a Heavenly Mother? Other Related Women’s Voices A Champion of Youth , Vaughn J. Featherstone Women are endowed with special traits and attributes that come trailing down through eternity from a divine mother. Young women have special God-given feelings about charity, love, and obedience…Theirs is a sacred, God-given role, and the traits they received from heavenly mother are equally as important as those given to the young men. Looking for additional perspectives on this lesson? We recommend Mormon Sunday School , Meridian Magazine  and LDSLiving .

The Gospel Doctrine lesson #18 manual objective is “[to] help class members appreciate the importance of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and stay true to their testimonies of the Atonement.” Our Objective To examine Abinadi’s discourse on true beauty. Commentary Mosiah 14  is a chapter that sticks with me as one of the few chapters that describes the Messiah in terms of physical appearance. This word portrait of the Savior is not flattering. Even less flattering the portrayal of his contemporaries, who see physical appearances but are blind to true worth. This time of rereading the Abinadi chapters of Mosiah 12 – 17, I was struck by a consistent theme of beauty and appearances and began to explore this text to see whether this idea of beauty was more deeply embedded in Abinadi’s gospel message than I had thought. We’re familiar with the dramatic context of Abinadi’s sermons. Thrown out of the city of Nephi for his preaching, Abinadi disguises himself and comes back with the same grim warning of persecution and destruction for King Noah and his people unless they repent. The result: his trial before the priests of the city, accused of slander and false prophecy. King Noah’s priests conduct this trial with an interrogation of Abinadi’s doctrinal understanding, using holy texts to test his answers. Citing Isaiah 52:7-10 , they ask Abinadi to interpret words in praise of beauty, “how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who bringeth good tidings; who publisheth peace. . . .” Why would they think this particular passage would stump a man like Abinadi? Abinadi has been brought to court for his prophecies of gloomy destruction– is this request to interpret one of the most joyful descriptions of preaching a sarcastic dig against his role as messenger of God? Are these priests snidely implying that Abinadi should be giving happy predictions rather than dire warnings? To the priests of King Noah, Abinadi is not a beautiful messenger, and his message is not at all good tidings. But the priests’ sarcastic appeal to a gospel of beauty and peace only pushes Abinadi to a deeper kind of call to repentance. His response to their questions is an impassioned plea, not just that the priests clean up their appearance of evil or their surface-level sins, but that they truly understand the doctrine of salvation and the role of the Messiah. Abinadi continues reading Isaiah, and his chosen passage again talks about appearances and perceptions. This time, however, the subject is not beautiful and the circumstances are not harmonious. In the context of this passage, Isaiah describes the “marred visage” or disfigured face of the Lord’s servant ( Isaiah 52:14 ). And in Abinadi’s quotation of Isaiah 53 , he describes the Messiah himself as one who has “no form or comeliness” and “no beauty that we should desire him” ( Mosiah 14:2 ). This Redeemer, Abinadi reminds the priests, would not be recognized by his beauty. He wouldn’t be immediately appealing. In fact, the very hardships of his mission to save his people would make him seem especially unattractive. Conflicts would arise out of his ministry. And people would turn away from him, thinking that his suffering was evidence that he was out of favor with God. Why is beauty an important gospel topic? Beauty draws us to itself, gives us joy, and inspires creativity. But in these chapters, Abinadi shows that the beauty of the gospel is not always immediately evident. He reminds us of the tricks of appearance in our quest for truth or goodness, and he refuses to accept the priests’ unthinking and shallow lifestyle of peace and prosperity. As he delves into the deeper meanings of scriptures, he models for us the need to go beneath the surface, not in a rejection of beauty itself, but so that we can understand what true beauty really is. In Mosiah 15 , Abinadi comes back to the priests’ original passage, this time clarifying the costs and value of that beauty and redefining our relationship to it. He expounds Isaiah’s words, boldly aligning himself with the prophets who preach of Christ, and then clarifies the source of beauty and peace: “And behold, I say unto you, this is not all. For O how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that is the founder of peace, yea, even the Lord, who has redeemed his people; yea, him who has granted salvation unto his people” ( Mosiah 15:18 ). Elaine Dalton echoes Abinadi when she urges us to, “look into the mirror of eternity. Remember who you are! See yourself as our Heavenly Father sees you. You are elect. You are of noble birth. Don’t compromise your divine inheritance. You were born to be a queen. . . . Develop deep beauty.” Abinadi is an advocate for beauty and peace, but this comes only through a deeper vision of the doctrine of salvation and the spirit of prophecy, a deeper engagement with the word of God. The Savior descended into an ugly world of suffering in order to infuse it with true beauty. If we look with the eyes of the Savior we can see this beauty in ourselves and in the world around us. Related Mormon Women Project Interviews Standing Firm When It All Falls Apart , Ashlee Birk I would say, believe in yourself. Every trial enables us to discover our own strength. We can turn to Heavenly Father and we can turn to the gospel, but we can’t find out who we are through anyone else. No amount of makeup or clothes or kind words will change the way you view yourself. Even though we aren’t perfect, Heavenly Father sees our beauty and He sees our willingness to work hard. He sees everything that no one else does. I wish women who are going through hard times would see themselves as God sees them. If we could do that, we wouldn’t doubt ourselves or question our abilities or our worth. Other Related Women’s Voices   Here to Serve A Righteous Cause , Carol F. McConkie I was reminded that to shine with the beauty of holiness, to stand with the Savior, and to bless others, we must be clean. Purity is possible through the grace of Christ as we deny ungodliness and choose to love God with might, mind, and strength. Remember Who You Are! , Elaine Dalton Recently, a group of young women visited my office. At the end of the visit, one young woman confided with tears in her eyes, “I have never thought of myself as beautiful. I have always felt very ordinary. But today, as I walked past the mirror in your office and glanced into it, I was beautiful!” She was beautiful because her face shone with the Spirit. She saw herself as our Heavenly Father sees her. She had received His image in her countenance. That is deep beauty. Looking for additional perspectives on this lesson? We recommend Mormon Sunday School , Meridian Magazine  and LDSLiving .

The Gospel Doctrine Lesson 19 objective is: “To encourage class members to renew their determination to honor their baptismal covenants and trust in the Lord.” Our Objective To examine the feminine nature and influence in Mosiah 18-24 Commentary My heart did a little leap when I realized my particular assignment for this week: the chapters of Mosiah 18 – 24 are some of my favorite in the scriptures. They are what I would describe as the chapters most imbued with female sensibilities in the Book of Mormon. That’s not really saying much because the Book of Mormon is so masculine in its character and characters, but here we get a brief respite with both female characters and an exposition on peace instead of war. Let’s start with Mosiah 18, a beautiful chapter which includes the verses most often associated in modern church rhetoric with the treasured offerings of women, and specifically our Young Women as they are quoted in the Young Women theme: the people who joined Alma at the Waters of Mormon were “willing to bear one another’s burdens” and “mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things and in all places…” (Mosiah 18: 8-9) This passage is kind of like our women’s equivalent of what Doctrine & Covenants Section 20 is for men: a call to action and a delineation of behaviors and priorities that constitute commitment to God. But as women sometimes write off Section 20 as something only Priesthood holders need to take to heart, so too may men face the temptation to leave Mosiah 18 to the women and girls. Let’s realize that even though this is part of the Young Women theme, it is also a description of the covenant every one of us takes on at baptism. Just as women are full participants in Priesthood ordinances and exercise the rights of the priesthood whenever they act in God’s name, so too do men exercise these “feminine” qualities whenever living up to their baptismal covenants. It is interesting to contrast the description of this crowd of people to the description of the crowd that gathered to hear King Benjamin several chapters earlier. King Benjamin routinely addresses “My brethren,” and the people are organized and communicated to through the men of the group. In contrast, the Waters of Mormon depict a scene of individual commitment, without a single reference to “brethren” or “men”. Rather, chapter 18 refers to “the people” and “every one”, and it numbers those who are baptized as “souls,” rather than counting them by the men at the heads of the families. Of course some of the most distinct female characters of the Book of Mormon appear in Chapter 20 in the form of the Lamanite daughters, who “sing, dance and make themselves merry.” Happily, we’ve already had Nephi’s mother, sisters and wife several hundred years earlier to remind us that women in the Book of Mormon do do more than just sing and dance! But what is touching about this chapter is that it is the love of these girls that motivates the Lamanites to wage war on Limhi and his people, eventually leading to a happy ending of the scene. In a verse of great passion and imagery, we are told that the Lamanites “fought for their lives, and for their wives, and for their children; therefore they exerted themselves and like dragons did they fight.” (Mosiah 20: 11) The language here reminds us of the words of Moroni’s Title of Liberty later in the book, and we can see from both examples that while female characters in the Book of Mormon may be rare, the love for the women is the undercurrent that drives much of the book’s passion and action. Related Mormon Women Project Interviews Global Mom , Melissa Dalton-Bradford We believe in and hold as our model a Jesus Christ who was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.  And the God who revealed himself to Enoch was a God who wept openly. At the same time in Primary, we learn that “no one likes a frowny face.” Perhaps we’ve absorbed conflicting messages, and subsequently feel shame (or worse, we shame others) for feeling genuine, even bone-crushing sorrow. Maybe we get Alma’s exhortation in Mosiah 18 wrong where he talks to the people who want to enter the fold of Christ. It’s striking to reread his words. He doesn’t say, “Here is a strict list of dos and don’ts.” He says you need to – number one, top of the list – be ready to bear one another’s burdens, to suffer with others. You need to be open to sorrow, to others’ sorrow. You need to learn to actively mourn with those that mourn and comfort those that stand in need of comfort. But here’s the core of it: Alma says we are to mourn first and comfort second. I think that we might too often jump over the mourning. We want to rush in and comfort things away, in the sense that we want to make everything better, back to normal, and quickly. Mourning, though, real mourning takes energy, sympathy, focus and time. Much more time than anyone imagines. A lot of time. For some injuries, a whole life full of time. Other Related Women’s Voices We Have a Great Reason to Rejoice , Carole M. Stephens “You quietly stand as witnesses of God, mourn with those that mourn, and comfort those who stand in need of comfort without realizing that you are keeping your covenants—the covenants you made in the waters of baptism and in the temple. When you love, watch over, and serve others in small and simple ways, you are actively participating in the work of salvation, God’s work ‘to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.’” Relief Society: A Sacred Work , Julie B. Beck “We [Relief Society] operate in the manner of the priesthood—which means that we seek, receive, and act on revelation; make decisions in councils; and concern ourselves with caring for individuals one by one. Ours is the priesthood purpose to prepare ourselves for the blessings of eternal life by making and keeping covenants. Therefore, like our brethren who hold the priesthood, ours is a work of salvation, service, and becoming a holy people.”

The Gospel Doctrine lesson #20 manual objective is “to inspire class members to continually apply the principle of repentance, become converted, and share the gospel.” Our Objective To explore how we can become more united through our shared histories and faith. Commentary In lesson 20, we might be tempted to focus entirely on the poignant experience of Alma the Younger (or Alma the Son of Alma as the text tells us). As he repents, he feels the torment of a damned soul swept away in a moment and he receives the overwhelming light of redemption. Though Alma’s narrative is one of my favorites in all of scripture, if we focus entirely on Alma, we might miss some important and instructive moments in the text that powerfully remind us of the collective elements of redemption. As we begin chapter 25 , we have multiple groups physically brought together. They have points of similar experience, yet they also have considerable differences. Alma’s people, Limhi’s people, the Nephites, and the original residents of Zarahemla—the Mulekites are all brought together. Though the first three groups were descendants of Lehi and his family, they had experienced different histories in the past several decades. Like the Nephites, the people of Mulek originated in Jerusalem, but the two groups had contrasting paths to the Promised Land—hundreds of years of distinct leaders and a different language. Over time the Mulekites welcomed and offered protection to these disparate groups of Nephites in Zarahemla. At this point in the narrative their new King Mosiah saw an opportunity to unite these distinct groups through sharing their histories. The people experienced “wonder…amazement…joy…sorrow…pain and anguish” as they read their records together (25:7–11). They shared in the depths of sadness and soared with joy. As it was with these newly united Nephites, stories are a critical way in which we can come together. We learn about the experience of the Other—she whose experience is very different than our own. Trying to understand the experience of someone outside of ourselves helps us to gain empathy. We can only begin to love and serve others as we truly make the effort to understand them. This unity created through a shared history undergirds King Mosiah’s desires for the newly created church. He proclaimed that there should be “no persecutions among them, that there should be an equality among all” (27:3–4). Mosiah attempted something momentous—something celestial. Equality reigns in the celestial kingdom and this is Mosiah’s desire for the church ( Doctrine and Covenants 76:95 ). This unity also brings together members of the church despite desperate persecutions and the specific nefarious efforts of Alma the Younger and the Sons of Mosiah. They come together as sisters and brothers to support Alma the Elder (I’m confident that Alma the Younger’s mother is likewise central to this) and raise their voices in united faith that the rebellious sons might be brought to truth. As Alma the Younger is given an opportunity to repent and receive redemption, the Lord emphasizes the expansive opportunity that is redemption. The Lord said, “Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters; And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God” ( 27:25–26 ). Most of the time we ignore the limitations of gender specific language and we are grateful when certain church leaders make an effort to make the language of scripture more inclusive. But there are examples in scripture, like this promise from the Lord that even further highlight the inclusive nature of salvation with their use of inclusive language. As the Sons of Mosiah were likewise converted they also joined in this expansive vision; “they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble” ( 28:3 ). All of humankind is gracefully offered the opportunity to be changed and to become new women and men of Christ. Looking for additional perspectives on this lesson? We recommend Mormon Sunday School , Meridian Magazine  and LDSLiving .