The purpose of this game is to understand the importance of the Scriptures, where they came from, what their purpose is, and how they impact our lives.
This game is played with a variety of obstacle courses in a Book of Mormon setting.
It can be adapted to fit your needs and you can use any stories to surround your courses.
Three teams are formed as the participants come into the building.
You could randomly assign a color as people come in.
Think of a different name for each team, such as, the People of Ammon, the Mulekites, the Nephites, the Lamanites.
Each team will earn things in their assigned color.
By the end of the game, the winning team is the one with the most point, and who has gathered as many of the following items as possible:
a.. Laban's sword (one for each team)
b.. Brass Plates (one set for each team)
c.. Urim&Thummin (to decode the Scripture to be engraved)
d.. Title of Liberty (one per team, in team color)
e.. 116 pages (post-it notes in team color)
f.. 3 Golden Plates (to be engraved)
g.. 1 set of Golden Plates for each prophet
Start the activity in the Relief Society Room.
Opening prayer.
The person directing the activity divides the youth into 3 groups and explain the rotation.
Moroni comes in.
"Dear brothers and sisters, I have come to visit with you to tell you of precious things. You will meet 3 of my companions: Jacob, Helaman and Ether. Pay attention to what you are asked to do.
You will need to gather specific items that you will bring to me at the end of your wanderings today. We will see each other again after you have visited my 3 friends"
Moroni leaves the Relief Society Room and goes in his "hiding place" behind the curtain behind the temple-pyramid.
Separate the youth into groups:
#1 rotation: Jacob, Helaman, Ether
#2 rotation: Helaman, Ether, Jacob
#3 rotation: Ether, Jacob, Helaman
Jacob's room:
"My name is Jacob. I am the son of Lehi. This land where you now stand is the land of Jerusalem where my father was born. The Lord told his prophet Lehi to leave Jerusalem for it was to be destroyed. So Lehi took his family and removed to the desert.
Then the Lord commanded Lehi to send my brothers back to Jerusalem "unto the house of Laban and seek the records, and to bring them down hither into the wilderness: (1 Ne 3: 4)
These records were of great importance. They were engraved on plates of brass and contained:
The 5 books of Moses, a records of the Jews up to the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, Kinf of Judah. They also contained the prophecies of all the prophets up to that time and a genealogy of my father's family, the descendants of Joseph (1 Ne 6:10-18) You will need to retrieve these plates from Laban's house that your people might not dwindle into unbelief. Go and retrieve these brass plates and remember to also bring back Laban's sword."
Activity:
Need: Brass Plates, for props: box with jewels, sword, silky materials, scarf, turban, mannequins head, rugs.
The youth climbs over the wall to get into Jerusalem: lay down 2 long tables feet out fitting into each other. They find Laban drunk in an alley and chop off his head and get his sword and cloak. They have to get passed Zoram to get the plates, and have to put together Laban's outfit according to a picture of Laban, hanging in plain sight in Laban's house. The picture can be lowered to make the activity more difficult, once the instructions have been given. (memory game)
Zoram is or not fooled and gives them the plates or sends them back for adjustments in their costume. We used old pieces of material and cut 3 different turbans, 2 skirts, 2 jackets, wrist bands. You can add a beard, a pair of boots or sandals etc.
The group goes through a "tunnel" that represents the ocean trip and meets Helaman in America.
Helaman's room:
"My name is Helaman. I am a descendant of Nephi. After building a boat, Lehi's family crossed the great waters and came to a land choice above all others, wherefore, says the Lord: " I will have all men that dwell thereon that they shall worship me." (2 Ne 10: 19).
To reach the land the group has to team up and cross the ocean on boards with hooks to which 6 people are attached. They have to work together to move the board along, and cross over into tires.
"Once they were here for a while Lehi's older sons, Laman and Lemuel rebelled and separated from Nephi and Sam. Two people formed who waged cruel wars against each other: the Lamanites ans the Nephites.
Having no regard for their fathers' traditions, the Lamanites had not wanted any of the records and soon had fallen into unbelief. Alma and King Mosiah's sons became missionaries to the Lamanites and brought some of them back to the knowledge of the prophets and of the truth. I was commanded to keep a record of this people during my life as the prophets of this land had also done before me. The same is now asked of you. You will find a strip of paper containing a scripture in your language and writing and it will be your task to transcribe it into the hieroglyphics. You will fill in the missing letters with the help of the Urim and Thummim, which will be provided for you. It will also be necessary for you to retrieve Captain Moroni's Title of Liberty that was created to remind the people to honor their God, their freedom, their peace, their wives and children (Alma 46:12)
Bring back these items."
Obstacle course #2:
Use ideas from the rest of the Book of Mormon pertaining to Lehi's descendants, like Ammon protecting King Lamoni's sheep. Your obstacle course should have as end goal, a Title of Liberty in team color.
Along your path, make sure to include a place where to finish the engraving of a set of Golden Plates.
(Invent a new language and transpose 3 Nephi 27:25 to the new writing, some letters might already be marked on the gold sheet, allowing for blanks to be filled. Prepare a Urim & Thummim with a decoder to help transpose the message from English to the new writing)
Needed: Ammon's arms, engraving plates, Title of Liberty
Ether's room:
"My name is Ether. I am a descendant of Coriantor, who was the descendant of Oriah, son of Jared, who came forth with his brother and their families from the great tower at the time when the Lord confounded the language of the people. The brother of Jared was a mighty man and the Lord preserved the language for him, his family and friends. He was commanded to build eight small barges, in the shape of a dish at the bottom and at the top. They were completely closed in and would have made the trip across the great waters very frightening.
The Lord blessed them because of the brother of Jared and he put light into 16 stones that they might have some light during their journey to a land choice above all others, which the Lord has preserved for a righteous people, and which he has sworn whoso should possess it should serve him. The true and only God or they should be swept off when the fullness of his wrath should come upon them."(Ether 2:8)
Your task here will be to gather 116 pages in your team color. Only gather your color and bring them with you on the rest of your journey."
Obstacle course #3:
Block off a corridor, turn off the lights, and have the youth find as many post-it notes in their team color as they can (116 pages), with the help of 16 stones placed on the floor to light up the area. You could build rocks and insert a flashlight inside them, or find glow in the dark paint and paint the rocks with it.
Needed: 16 rocks painted with fluorescent paint, black light bulbs plus work lights to use with the fluorescent paint, 116 pages in each team color
End:
All meet back in the gym where Moroni is waiting after coming out from behind the curtain.
"Dear friends, through your travels this afternoon you have learned of things written by prophets of old. "
"These things are precious. So precious that the Lord commanded us to hold these as sacred and to live what they teach that they may guide us through our lives and return us to Him. I was commanded to gather these precious records and to seal them until the time the lord saw fit to bring them out again.
A while back I visited Joseph Smith and a part of these records was given to the world, the writings, live what they teach. Hold them sacred for these are the ruler with which your lives will be measured."
Moroni receives the plates from each prophet then from each group leader. He places them in a big silver box and places a stone over them.
2 Nephi 33: 1-4; 15.
Closing prayer.
Plates:
Spray paint pieces of cardboard with gold paint.
Cut into book size pieces
Divide into stacks: 1 for each prophet, 3 sets of brass plates, 3 plates to engrave
Need a pen to engrave with.
Engrave the message , leaving out the letters to be engraved during the game.
Engrave the top plate of each stack with a message in the coded language (I used the "symbol" font on the pc)
With a hole punch, punch 3 holes in each plates. Spray paint some cord or use the rings and bind the plates together in stacks.
Each prophet and each group leader will give his set to Moroni at the end of the activity.
Pyramid out of boxes.
Scenery: to cover the dividers
Music: whale songs/oceans sounds.
Hieroglyphics: 3 Nephi 27:25
"For behold, out of the books which have been written, and which shall be written, shall this people be judged, for by them shall their works be known."
Give a partial scripture and have the players fill in the blanks with the proper letters.
F.. b.h.l., .u. .f .h. b..ks wh.ch hav. b. w.... a.. wh.ch shall b. w...., shall .h.s p..pl. b. ju.g.., f.. by .h.m shall .h... w..ks b. k..w.
F.. b.h.l. .u. .f .h. b..ks wh.ch hav. b... w...... a.. wh.ch shall b. w......, shall ..h.s p..pl. b. ju.g.., f.. by .h.m shall .h... w..ks b. k..w.
Urim& Thummim:
Make a breast plate with a piece of cardboard and an old pair of glasses.
Decoder:
1 lace doily + base about 3-4 in in diameter
gold paint/spray can
glue gun styrofoam ball
Cover the styrofoam ball with a piece of plastic. Place doily over it and pin in place. Spray the stiffener in several coatings to give it a shape. Spray with gold paint.
Use strips of paper with decoder, paste then on an elevated surface (I used the lid of the spray paint) Place in the base (I used an old globe base, and a small plastic tub)
Glue the doily in place with a glue gun, over the base and the words. Spray paint the parts that need touch-ups
to put in the decoder :
o = o e = e r = r t = t
n = n d = d i = I