Introduction
Some testimonies are quiet. Elder Holland’s is both quiet and thunderous—anchored in the evidence of Christ’s work: a blind man now seeing, priesthood power passed by laying on of hands, sacred temples redeeming the dead, and the Book of Mormon changing hearts “by the gift and power of God.”
This lesson help walks your class through plain but precious ways God answers prayers, invites covenant discipleship, and builds unshakable witness—often through “spit and clay” methods that seem too simple to be divine…until they open our eyes.
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Section 1: Mourning and Trust
“We acknowledge these things with love and affection and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Discussion Questions
- What does faithful mourning look like?
- How do we hold grief and trust together?
- Where have you seen Christ’s comfort amid tragedy?
- How does “love unfeigned” change our tone online/offline?
- What helps you avoid cynicism when “daily” sorrows arise?
- What prayers feel most honest in mourning?
- How can RS ministering embody “love and affection”?
- How do you talk about hope without dismissing pain?
- When has trusting Christ changed how you mourned?
- What small mercy have you noticed this week?
Object Lesson Ideas
- Two jars (water + tears): add a drop of oil (“trust”) that calms the surface.
- Weighted blanket: tangible comfort; pass it briefly around.
- Tissue box + cross sticker: comfort anchored in Christ.
- Dark cloth → small candle: grief + light can coexist.
- Bandage: healing is gradual; Christ is the Healer.
Personal Sharing Prompts
- A time grief deepened your prayer.
- When someone mourned with you.
- A small evidence of Christ’s nearness in loss.
- How you hold space for others’ pain.
- What “trust in Jesus” looked like on a hard day.
- A hymn/line that carried you.
- How ministering met you in mourning.
- A practice that keeps your heart soft.
- What you’ve learned about God from grief.
- Where you need His comfort now.
Section 2: The Blind Man’s Evidence
“One thing I do know: whereas I was blind, now I see.”
Discussion Questions
- Why does Elder Holland emphasize evidence?
- How do personal experiences trump arguments?
- What’s your “one thing I know” statement?
- Why did obedience (wash in Siloam) precede sight?
- How can we bear witness without contention?
- What practices open us to new light?
- How do you respond when your faith is mocked?
- Where have you been “blind” and then seen?
- What helps you notice small miracles?
- How can RS spotlight lived evidence?
Object Lesson Ideas
- Clay (play-dough) on a jar → rinse: simple obedience → clarity.
- Blindfold → remove: act first, understanding later.
- Dirty lens → wipe: repentance as lens cleaning.
- Before/after photo: incremental sight.
- Flashlight in dim room: even a little light changes everything.
Personal Sharing Prompts
- Your “whereas then/now” story.
- A prompting you obeyed before you understood.
- A time truth cut through noise.
- How a simple act brought revelation.
- When you defended your experience calmly.
- Your Siloam—where you go to wash.
- A small habit that opened big light.
- A witness that surprised you.
- Moment you realized, “I can’t unknow this.”
- How you teach kids to notice evidence.
Section 3: Plain and Precious Means (“Spit and Clay”)
“God can bless us by whatever method He chooses… Are we willing to persevere…no matter how much spit and clay it takes?”
Discussion Questions
- Why do simple means offend sophisticated minds?
- What “plain” practices you’ve been tempted to dismiss?
- How do you discern humble means from mere habit?
- What does perseverance look like in prayer/study?
- Where have “ordinary” servants blessed you?
- How do we avoid chasing novelty over nourishment?
- What keeps you steady when results are slow?
- How do you receive help from “unlikely” sources?
- What blessing felt “in disguise”?
- How do we celebrate small and simple methods?
Object Lesson Ideas
- Brown paper bag (ordinary) with gift inside: power in plainness.
- Bread + water: simple → sacred.
- Pencil + sharpener: small friction → clarity.
- Seed in soil: invisible work below the surface.
- Metronome: steady beats build mastery.
Personal Sharing Prompts
- A “plain” practice that saved your week.
- Someone “ordinary” who changed your life.
- A blessing you almost overlooked.
- How consistency beat complexity.
- A disguised answer you later recognized.
- When you stayed and the light came.
- A time the Lord’s method surprised you.
- Where you’ll persist this month.
- How you honor small obedience at home.
- What “spit and clay” looks like for you now.
Section 4: Power and Authority—By Laying On of Hands
“They are conferred only by the laying on of hands…in an unbroken sequence back to…Jesus Christ.”
Discussion Questions
- Why does divine authority matter?
- How do you recognize priesthood power in daily life?
- What have ordinances changed in you?
- How does “unbroken sequence” strengthen faith?
- How can sisters access priesthood power?
- What covenants help you draw that power?
- How do you prepare to receive a blessing?
- What role does humility play in authority?
- How do you explain priesthood simply to a friend?
- Where have you felt the Lord’s hands through others?
Object Lesson Ideas
- Chain links: authority connecting back to Christ.
- Hands silhouette: power flows to lift and heal.
- Key: covenants unlock access.
- Name card on a lanyard: authority isn’t self-assigned.
- Empty cup → filled: ordinances channel grace.
Personal Sharing Prompts
- A priesthood blessing you can’t forget.
- A covenant that re-centered you.
- Where you’ve felt priesthood power as a disciple.
- A time the sacrament remade your week.
- How you prepared your heart for an ordinance.
- Someone who magnified authority with meekness.
- A temple moment of unmistakable power.
- An “authorized hands” experience in your family.
- What you teach your kids about priesthood.
- Your gratitude sentence for priesthood power.
Section 5: The House of the Lord—Mercy for the Living and the Dead
“Sacred, dedicated houses of the Lord…merciful, salvific work…for the deceased… To my knowledge, this particular evidence…is not seen elsewhere…”
Discussion Questions
- How does proxy work reveal God’s universal love?
- What does temple work teach you about the character of Christ?
- How has family history opened your heart?
- What does it mean that no one is penalized for time/place?
- How do temples anchor your week?
- What small barriers keep you from the temple?
- How do you feel worship differs inside the House of the Lord?
- What “evidence” of truth do temples offer you personally?
- How can RS help each other get there?
- What covenant do you want to live more fully?
Object Lesson Ideas
- Name cards (blank slips): each name matters to God.
- Temple photo: point to spires—arrows heavenward.
- Doorway frame (paper): passage opens both ways.
- Family tree sketch: roots and branches meeting.
- Two candles: living and dead, one light/same Christ.
Personal Sharing Prompts
- A time you felt ancestor love.
- A family name miracle.
- A sorrow you carried to the temple altar.
- How proxy work softened your heart.
- What you feel crossing the temple threshold.
- How covenants bless your home rhythms.
- A “come back soon” impression.
- An obstacle you overcame to attend.
- A friend you’ll invite to do baptisms.
- Your next temple commitment.
Section 6: The Book of Mormon—Gift and Power of God
“Translated ‘by the gift and power of God.’ That’s it. That’s all… It’s been for me a rod of safety…a light of revelation…when mists of darkness come.”
Discussion Questions
- What does Elder Holland model about trusting simple explanations?
- How has the Book of Mormon been your “rod of safety”?
- What passages pierce your present questions?
- How do you read when life is noisy?
- What helps you resist critics and hold experience?
- How do you teach why you read, not just that you read?
- What “mists of darkness” has it cut through?
- How do you mark/record revelation from it?
- What would “daily rod” look like in your home?
- How can RS rally around reading together?
Object Lesson Ideas
- Walking stick/rod prop: steadying power.
- Flashlight over text: light + word together.
- Compass on the book: it orients your path.
- Anchor on ribbon: truth holds in storms.
- Sticky flags: visible evidence of lived study.
Personal Sharing Prompts
- A verse that arrived “on time.”
- Your reading routine that actually works.
- A doubt eased by a page of scripture.
- How you teach kids to feast.
- A notebook entry that became revelation.
- A chapter that is “home base.”
- A friend you studied with.
- A Sabbath where a scripture re-lit you.
- What you’ll try this week (method/time).
- Your one-sentence witness of the book.
Section 7: A Seasoned Witness—“I Am of Age”
“He should be heard because he was of age… Well so am I… I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see.”
Discussion Questions
- Why does longevity in discipleship matter?
- How do seasoned witnesses steady a ward?
- What makes a powerful personal testimony?
- Where has the Spirit overwhelmed you with assurance?
- How do we honor older saints’ voices?
- What evidence in your life you cannot deny?
- How do you sing “Amazing Grace” in your own words?
- What will you still believe at 85?
- How do you keep your testimony growing, not coasting?
- How can RS curate a “gallery of witnesses”?
Object Lesson Ideas
- Jar of river stones: each labeled “witness”—years of evidence.
- Photo timeline: mark spiritual milestones.
- Old hymnbook: time-tested truth still sings.
- Tree rings image: deeper roots over years.
- Torch pass: one generation to another.
Personal Sharing Prompts
- Your earliest undeniable witness.
- A later-in-life assurance.
- A prophet/apostle line that anchors you.
- Near-loss that became found.
- What you want your grandchildren to know.
- A testimony sentence you’d etch in stone.
- An “edge of death and back” moment (as applicable).
- Where the Spirit has overwhelmed you.
- How you keep first love alive.
- Your current line of humble certainty.
Conclusion: See, and Keep Seeing
Elder Holland’s message invites us to live by evidence—the kind the Spirit writes in our bones: comfort in mourning, sight after obedience, power through authorized hands, mercy stretching to our dead, and the Book of Mormon lighting our way. God’s answers may look “plain” at first, but they open blind eyes.
As you teach, invite each sister to name her “one thing I know” and to choose one plain and precious practice to keep seeing—this week. Because in Christ, we can all say, “I once was blind, but now I see.”
