Week of October 2 2016: The Opening Pages of the Book of Mormon

We hope that you have had a beautiful week reading Joseph Smith's account of the opening of the restoration.  I loved delving into his words and testimony, and thinking about the many pathways and possibilities that led to the first vision and the opening of this exciting dispensation of the fulness of times.

I was particularly struck this week by the role his mother Lucy played in these amazing events.  I imagine that it was hard for her to watch her son question and search, poring over the scriptures and pondering deeply, and I also imagine that she supported him in his faithful quest for truth, knowing that he was a serious and spiritual young person.  She must have suffered for him as he showed signs of exhaustion after the first vision, and after he received and began to translate the plates, and she certainly encountered the daily stresses of any women running a household and raising children.  And yet I know that she was faithful, optimistic, supportive, and open to the spirit.  

Here is an excerpt from my journal this week in response to our prompt:  

"I don't remember when I first heard the account of the first vision, but I do vividly remember singing the "Oh How Lovely Was the Morning" when I was seven or eight, in our little rented chapel on Alfred Street, and feeling such an excitement that I couldn't sit in my seat.  I was always a little restless in church, but this time I was bouncing up and down so much that my dad had to glare at me from the stand to remind me to be calm.  I also remember my brother and I waiting for my dad one long evening at the church building, watching film strips to keep ourselves entertained.  As we watched one about the first vision, and I heard the words of Joseph Smith History aloud on the wavery tape recorder, I was filled with a powerful witness of its truth, one I have never forgotten.  Now as I read Joseph's account I am amazed that an earnest question, diligent study of the scriptures, and an honest prayer could so change the course of history.  I need to take my own questions, scripture study, and prayers more seriously.  They can change the course of my own history."

This Week's Journey:  

Read:

The Book of Mormon Title Page, Introduction, Testimonies of the Witnesses, Brief Explanation

1 Nephi chapters 1 and 2

Watch/Listen:

“Preserving the Heritage of Latter-Day Saint Women,” Julie B. Beck

https://history.lds.org/article/preserving-the-heritage-of-latter-day-saint-women?lang=eng    

Write:

Write about a woman of faith who has inspired you.  It could be a family member, a woman from the scriptures, or a woman from history.