The following transcript is intended to aid in your study. However, while we try to go through the transcript, our transcripts are primarily computer-generated and often contain errors. Please forgive the transcripts’ imperfections.

===

Segment 1

---

So Pharaoh finally agrees to let the children of Israel go and that Moses can finally lead them out of Egypt. In fact, the Egyptians, you guys, they were so ready for them to leave that the scriptures tell us they were urgent or anxious for them to get out because they worried if they stayed, they would all be dead men.

That's what the scriptures say. So the whole congregation, which according to some scholars, was around 2 million people, they fled Egypt. And today as we discuss Exodus chapters 14 through 18, we will find out how they left. What happened as they were leaving and how they were left as they began their journey in the wilderness.

Welcome to the Sunday, on Monday Study Group, a Deseret Bookshelf plus original, brought to you by LDS Living where we take the come Follow Me lesson for the week and we really dig into the scriptures together. I'm your host, Tammy Uzelac Hall. Now, if you're new to our study group, please follow the link in our description that will explain how you can best use this podcast to enhance your come Follow Me study.

Just like my longtime listening friend Cheryl Harkness. Cheryl, thank you for saying hi to me. I'm so glad I met you. Now, the best thing about our study group is each week we're joined by two of my friends, so it's always a little bit different and today is different and I'm so excited. These are two women who know their scriptures.

I love them because I've met them over at the high school where my daughter attends seminary and my daughter is in love with these two women. They are seminary teachers. I'm so excited to introduce you to Camille Marsh and Amy Reading. Hi ladies. Hi. Hi Tammy. Thanks for having us. What Amy's been on before a couple of years ago and I, I talked her into coming back.

She's stressed 'cause she's also going to grad school and she's teaching full time and she's a mom and she has calling. So thank you Amy for agreeing. I'm so tickled. It's just an honor to be here with you. It's a dream. And then we talked Camille into it. Camille's reaction was like, uh, no, no. I loved her.

A big dough eyes when we said, no, you're gonna be on the podcast. I was a little intimidated. Not gonna lie. How do you two know each other? Tell the story. 'cause it's fun. Well, well, originally we were in book club. You go Camille? Yeah, we were in book club together when I moved here. Amy, you lived here before?

I did. I think we moved here in 2014. You've lived here longer, right? Yeah, yeah. Yeah. So when I moved here, I think I met you through book club and that's the first time I met you and we've been friends ever since. And then we became like, my dream come true 'cause Amy's my hero. Mm-hmm. And now I get to have an office next door to her, which is a dream come true in all honesty.

But a few years before I got to have an office next to Amy, I did see her out on a walk and I remember saying to her, kind of yelling, Amy, I feel like maybe I need to try to be a seminary teacher. What do you think? And Amy, what was your response? Maybe it was a day like today when I came home and cried and said, God, I'm sorry I blew it today.

And I saw Camille and I'm like, oh, you should not do it. It is so hard and you love them and it is so hard and so much time. And I don't know, Camille, I don't know that. It's a great idea. Have you had your day where you've come home and cried? Oh yeah. Yep. Lots of lots. It's a stretching. It's a stretching experience for sure, teaching seminary.

But I just feel that I get to have a gem like Amy, who knows all and is just the wisest of the wise next door. So. You won an Amy For sure. You guys are kind. I'll pay you later. No. Have you had the day where you lay where everybody's out of the, the building and you just lay on the floor in your classroom and turn on?

You know Michael McClain and Cry? Oh, for sure. Party one. I totally did that my first month of teaching, I'm like, what have I done? Oh, heart wrenching. But it's the best job. But it is, you just wanna do the best for God. And it is, it's overwhelming all the time. It does just feel like the stakes are high, really high.

And so you just don't, you don't wanna mess up because there's too much at stake. But then you just have to know that it's in his hands. And Amy, you tell me this all the time, God will be able to make up for your lack. So that's what we hope, right? We count on it. Yeah. Oh, that is so awesome. Okay, well I, uh, I love that you both are here and thank you for agreeing.

Thank you for letting me talk you into this because I will say, I'm not gonna lie, I saved my favorite chapters in Exodus for us three. 'cause aren't they the best? So yummy. So good. Yeah. In fact, that's, that's my favorite thing. You said you were like, these are the Yummiest chapters, the Yummy, you actually called it the Yummiest scripture block.

So we are gonna have such a fun discussion. Okay. If you guys wanna know what my guests look like, you can read their bios and see their pictures in our show notes, which are found at LDS living.com/sunday on Monday. So grab your scriptures, everybody, and something to mark them with. And let's dig into Exodus chapters 14 through 18.

Okay. First things, first, ladies, tell me what did the Holy Ghost teach you as you were preparing and reading for this discussion? We'll start with you, Camille. Okay. I loved, well, I mean, thi this block, actually, it was hard to pick a favorite I felt like, but. I settled on, um, verse 13 and just where in the Exodus 14, verse 13, and it says, and Moses said unto the people, fear, ye not stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shoo to you this day for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today shall see them again.

No more forever. Anyway, I just feel like so many parts of life feels so daunting and overwhelming, and I just love the assurance that when I shift my focus to the Savior, that he's going to be there and he's gonna help me through whatever impossible situation I'm going through. Any of us are going through, like he will help us through.

And I love it. Wow. Powerful statement. Thank you for immediately focusing on Jesus Christ right out of the gates for this. Awesome. What about you, Amy? What. Um, mine's super similar. I, as I read it, I just kept coming back to trust in the Lord. Right? Trust in the Lord. We, we worship a God that fights our battles.

Mm-hmm. He says in verse 14, the Lord shall fight for you. And I love that the Egyptians are like, okay, we gotta get out. The Lord fights for these guys. And that is, I've been tracking since President Nelson asked us, and I just crossed 400 last week. But to track the promises to covenant Israel, and that's such a predominant one, um, that we worship a God that fights our battles for us.

And we just need to trust that when we're facing overwhelming obstacles, he is a God that actively engages in the fight. And he makes paths where we think there's a path right where it doesn't seem possible. He can fight and, and make paths and, and fix things. And I am just so grateful to worship that God, the God that fights for us.

Okay. Amy, tell me a little bit more about your list of promises for Covenant Israel. Tell me how you started that or where you, what are you referencing? Give me all the good stuff. President Nelson in conference said, as you study your scriptures during the next six months, I encourage you to make a list of all that the Lord has promised he will do for Covenant Israel.

I think you will be astounded. And like bells and alarms went off and he said it has changed his life. Like he's a different person after it. I'm like, so he's the prophet. I, I actually have to try this and I've read all the standard works through all the way now, but I still am finding them every, every day I find another one.

But you just find what this God does for you. And I tag it in my scriptures as promised Covenant Israel. And yeah, I just crossed over 400 this last week. But it's so yummy because you see, we worship a God that that keeps his covenants and that bless us so much more than we deserve it. It's, it will change your relationship with Jesus Christ.

It's so cool. I think that is so cool. Is there one that's, I mean 400, but is there one that surprised you? One that stands out to you on the list? Oh. Maybe that he'll dwell with us because I feel like I have a house with teenagers and lots of energy, and I'm like, there's no way he is here today. Like I thought that in my seminary classroom today, he is not here, but he, I, he doesn't give up on me.

Right. And he is constantly trying to be there and to, to give me nudges as to how I can be better and to guide me to the path. And just a, a god that dwells with us is a cool promise that doesn't give up on me. Wow. Even when I'm cuckoo for coco puff. Absolutely. Cuckoo for Coco Puffs. Um, I love that you did that.

That is, I wanna do that now. That is so cool. Especially going into this storyline today. Well, you could highlight so many things now just in these verses, Kate, that is my favorite. That might be the, the umbrella of our discussion is how many blessings can you find for Covenant Israel in these short chapters?

That is so cool. It's going to change your life. Tammy. I love it. I'm doing it. I'm in totally committed. Wow. Okay, Amy and Camille, thank you. We're only one segment in, and already we have a challenge. We felt the spirit and we've talked about Jesus. It's a win. We could just say amen and go our ways, but we're not, I'm not letting you off that easy.

So here's what we're gonna do in the next segment. We are going to jump into this really yummy scripture block, as Amy liked to call it. And we're gonna find out about all of the goodness and promises given to Covenant Israel in these chapters. We'll do that next.

Segment 2

---

Okay, you guys, I have a fun visual aid for this. Let's turn to chapter 14, verse eight. Probably one of my favorite chapters in the Old Testament. I have a lot of favorites, but I love 14 so much because in chapter 12, the Egyptians in verse 33, it's what I said at the very beginning. In chapter 12, verse 33, it says, the Egyptians were urgent upon the people that they might send them out of the land in haste for.

They said, we all be dead men. Don't you love that? Like get out. And so as they're leaving and they're going, go to Exodus chapter 14, verse eight, and here is my visual aid for Exodus 14, eight. You ever have put one of these on? Oh, I love it. It crops, but it's blue and white for cooks. Mm-hmm. Tell everybody what you see.

A blue number one foam finger. Yes. Number one, every, listen, every seminary teacher needs one of these. Do you guys have one? 'cause if you don't, I'm gonna get one for you. I don't every, oh, plan on seeing one on your desk next week. Um, I love a foam finger, and I'm gonna tell you why. So if you've ever had a reason to wear a number one foam finger, or have you ever been to a game where you were so excited, you were just shaking your fists in the air and you were like, number one.

Have you had moments like that at a game? Oh, yeah. Okay. Go with me. This Exodus 14, verse eight. That is how the children of Israel left Egypt. I like this verse. It's so fun. Camille, you read verse eight. Yes. And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he, I'll pause real quick right there.

Everyone look down at the footnote. A. Because you know, and we've talked about it before, we have to remind you, the Lord did not harden Pharaoh's heart. Right? Pharaoh harden his heart. Carry on. Okay? And Pharaoh hardened his heart and he pursued, after the children of Israel and the children of Israel went out with a high hand.

They were literally like, yes, I would make all my kids in the classroom. Cheer as loud as you can. Pretend you're the Israelites and you're finally leaving. You're so excited. Foam fingers, you know, gr like fe confetti flying. I mean, just, it's the greatest moment. They finally get to leave. And as they're rock walking out with these high hands, they turn around and realize, oh dear, the Egyptians are pursuing after us and they're freaking out.

Now, I said to you that there were at some scholars estimate about 2 million Israelites. Let me show you where that number can come from. So in Exodus, everyone listening, go in your scriptures because you wanna mark this. So it's in Exodus chapter 12 and verse 37. Verse 37 says, and the children of Israel journeyed from Ramseys to suck off about 600,000 on foot that were men besides children.

Now, one of the things about that group of men that's counted is it's just men who are ages 21 and older who would've fought. So it's just the fighting marchmen. So that's just the men. Then you're gonna have to count all the children and all of the women, and some people, some scholars estimate around 2 million people left.

Now that is gonna help us understand a lot more. That's going into chapter 14 because in chapter 14 is they realize that the Egyptians are following them. They freak out. And so, Camille, you pointed out this story and I wanna know, tell me more about this and and why you like this story. What happened when they started to freak out?

Well, I, I think what it was is it becomes just, I don't know, that's where the application came for me. And I'm picturing all of these people, they're leaving so excited, so happy, and then it's like not so fast. And they're looking behind them and they're like, oh no. Like I, what are we gonna do now? And these are people like Pharaoh and his army.

They were terrifying. And I just imagined them like the, the range of emotions of finally leaving and then being trapped. It, you would feel trapped. Mm-hmm. Right? Didn't they have like sand dunes on either side? They have the Red Sea in front of them and then Pharaoh's army behind them. And it, you would just feel like, now what?

Like I the high of highs and then all of a sudden you're in this moment where you're just feeling like I. I'm not in a great place anymore and I actually don't know how I'm gonna get out of this. Even if we are completely like relying on the savior at this point in time, it still feels like impossible.

Mm-hmm. Oh yeah. So I just, well, in fact, go to the back of your head. I love this so much. Go to the very back of your skull at the bottom of your neck where you have that bump where your skull ends, and then there's a soft spot. Do you feel that soft spot? Yeah. So you have the, the bone and the soft spot.

Okay, push on that soft spot. If you were to push your finger at an angle all the way up into your brain through that soft spot, you would hit the amygdala. And the amygdala is your fight or flight response system that God gave you so that when you're in danger, he gave you the ability to freak out. He wants you to fear.

It's the ability to run when you're in danger, to scream, to fight to flight, all of those things. So I imagine 2 million amygdalas. Kicked in high gear because they, either way they go, they're dead men, right? And so it's crazy 'cause you have these 2 million and then we get hit with the verse that you shared with us, Camille.

Go back into that verse then, because 2 million amygdalas are in high gear. And what does the Lord and Moses say to these people? So in verse 13, he says, and Moses said unto the people, fear, you not stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Which, I mean, how powerful would that be? And, and still sometimes my knee jerk reaction when I'm in a situation where there's a lot of fear and anxiety is to do the exact opposite of this.

It's Yeah, because God gave that to you. Yes. It's not standing still for sure. No. It's like, okay, what are we gonna do? What are we gonna do? And fear you not No, I'm, I'm super scared. In fact, my husband calls it, he says that every woman has a security spleen and he says that mine is sometimes very overactive.

I have a very active security spleen, so, oh, my work. 'cause you're a mom. Yeah. Yeah. That's probably why. But yeah, I, I guess I just, I feel like there have been a lot of experiences in my life where I. Have felt like this. So it, this verse to me, just speaks to me that the salvation of the Lord relying on him, him being there for us, and able to rescue us, we will see that when we're standing still and not being afraid, no matter how dire the circumstances may be.

Absolutely. So let's take everything you just taught us and we're gonna turn it up one more notch. Go to verse 14. Will you read that for us? Yeah. And the Lord shall fight for you and ye shall hold your peace. Okay. So highlight, hold your peace. I love this phrase in Hebrew so much because in Hebrew it's not a three letter phrase.

It's just one word. And this is literally what the word means. There's two different meanings for it. The first meaning is, and I love to do this, it's this sh like. Be deaf to the voices around you. That's one of the meanings. Don't listen to what's going on all around you. Don't listen to what people might be saying.

Like tune that out. So I love that definition. Hold your peace means don't listen to the adversary who's probably telling you you're lover. Figure this out, or you're all gonna die and God's really not gonna help you. You can just hear Satan's voice screaming in the ears of our teenagers, can't you? When you think about their lives like he's Emily, father's like, no.

Be deaf to the voices around you and the other meaning of hold. Your peace is this to plow forward. And I love the word plow right there because then you go into verse 15 and the Lord says unto Moses, wherefore Christ, thou unto me. Don't you love that? Why are you crying unto me? Moses speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward.

There it is. So he is like, it, it's okay. I'm gonna do all the things I promised. Don't listen to what everyone's probably saying right now. 'cause you ha 2 million people. There's gotta be naysayers, right? Someone's gotta be saying there's no way he could do it. I mean, it would probably be me not gonna lie.

I might be a little bit of like, are we sure? And so tell me your thoughts when it comes to teaching kids or just even living in the world we're in. How important it's to hold our peace. I think so many times it's like the miracles happen over time and, and so holding our peace might look like exercising the faith and the waiting time.

It, there's not, um, waiting on the Lord sometimes is going to take some patience and. I, I loved when you said sh be deaf to the voices around you, because I think having that faith and, and being in the waiting period sometimes is going to be a very internal quiet thing where we're going to have to really just focus, focus our eyes on the savior mm-hmm.

And worry about the impossibility all around us. Um, I don't know. That's a good question. I almost also think Satan doesn't get, I mean, Camille and I are with these kids every day. He doesn't get them by at lunch saying, oh, you should go rob that seven 11. Right? He's not saying You should kill the neighbor's dog for barking.

Right. He's getting them by being so busy doing really good things. But that they don't take time to hear the voice of the Lord. Wow. And we have President Nelson who said, it is essential right. To, to be able to recognize and hear the voice of the Lord and follow it. And what if stand still and sh and hold your peace is, listen to me.

Let me get in and get Revelation. Right. The first thing they do when they get in their cars, they turn on the radio, all of them. Right. And they come home and they have homework and jobs and crushes and school and games and everything going on. And mom's yelling at 'em to fix dinner and the kids are in the room and they won't get right.

So much noise always right. And then you fall into bed in the name of Jesus supposed in, and you're asleep. And, and when does God get to talk to you? Right. But what if hold your peace and sh is, let me talk, let me give you the comfort that I promise I'll give you. Just let me be able to talk to you. I think that South Satan wins with these amazing youth.

Mm-hmm. Is he keeps 'em so busy that they can't hear him. What a great idea. Like this week I wanna challenge my kids just this week for one week only. Just get in your car and turn the radio off and see what it does differently for you. Even try it for one day, maybe a week. A week will be overwhelming for one of my kids.

So I'll just say today, only today, just try to get in your car and not listen to your radio and just listen to what the spirit, what a great idea. That's such a good challenge. I think that's a great connection to holding your peace. You're both right. That is awesome. So tell me this then, Camille. Has there been a time in your life looking back on the experiences in your lives or in your life where you felt like you couldn't make it, but then you were able to do what you've said to fear not to stand still?

Anything specific that comes up? Yes. Um, I mean, I feel like I've had lots of moments like this where. The savior has just opened up an impossible door, and I've been able to just keep going. But one specific time was, this was just a, a few years ago, Jim, he's my husband and I, we were experiencing a scarier moment in his career and we had made an investment that seemed okay at the time, and then it turned not great.

And I remember praying in my closet that heavenly father would just help the company turn around because he can do that, right? Like, it's just gonna be fine and let's just quickly fix this. Like, we're so sorry. Let's just hurry and turn it around. And, um, the thought came to me that this actually may not.

Resolve very quickly, and which is the worst impression ever. Right. That's not the impression that you want. So I remember, um, being worried and I felt a little bit like just life was really heavy and I remember putting on, um, a happy face for my kids 'cause I didn't want them to be worried. And also, um, an encouraging face for my husband because I, I wanted him to know that like, it's okay.

We're gonna be okay. I'm okay. We're all, it's gonna be fine. Sure. And anyway, this was also like, during the time I remember the Greatest Showman had just come out and there was a moment where like, she was laying on the couch and she had like some groceries crossed off that they couldn't afford and she was asleep and, and you know, the Million Dreams song.

And I just remember feeling like. This is my reality right now. It's so hard. Anyway, they, I, we just, we couldn't see a way forward and I had started to take, I think it was in October, 2019, president Nelson gave a talk, spiritual treasures, and it's when he had asked all of the women of the church to increase their spiritual capacity and knowledge.

And so I signed up for an institute class at this time and I sat by this sweet lady who ended up saying, we, we were talking and she ended up having a really similar experience, which. Having someone that can relate to your dire experience. I don't know why that is so comforting, but it is so comforting.

And I remember her telling me like, it's gonna be okay, even though you can't see a way out, like it's gonna be okay. And during those months, years, I remember just I, the alarm would go off in the morning and I would just, before I even opened my eyes, I would just pray for hope and happiness and that the savior would help me get through the day.

And so we, I mean, time went on as it always does. And um, I have been able to look back. It, it's not overnight, but Doors eventually did open the Red Sea parted. And being on the other side of that really hard experience that did seem just like impossible. There's just no way through. I can see now how that was the way through.

Like the savior wanted us to go that way through that hard thing because it made me solidify my relationship with him in a way that maybe otherwise I wouldn't have, and maybe these Red Sea moments in our lives do that. They just create this relationship with the sick year that is like, I don't know, really sweet and so strong and just I, I just know he's there even when I'm in the middle of how is this gonna work out?

Mm-hmm. So, yeah, that's my experience. Camille, thank you. Thank you for perfectly showing us and applying everything we just learned to your real life. And like you said, it's nice to know that somebody else gets it. 'cause there's many of us listening to you right now going, oh, she gets it. So thank you so much.

I appreciate that. What a great discussion. Okay, so here's what we're gonna do in the next segment. We're gonna find out then what happened to these children of Israel whose amygdalas were kicked in high gear and what they did with this moment in their life. We'll do that next.

Segment 3

---

You probably know the coordination trick where you pat your head and rub your belly. Can you guys do that? Try that. Pat your head and rub your belly. Only this time rub your heart. So bring your hand up a little bit. Okay. Pat your head. Rub your heart. Now try to go the opposite a little bit. Y you're good.

You guys are good. I. Nice. Okay. The reason why I had you pat your head and rub your heart is because these two parts of our body, our head and our heart, have everything to do with what happened next to the Israelites. This is pretty cool. So it is so important for us to know that the way they were able to have this incredible miracle happen was because of these two parts of the body, the head and the heart.

Now Amy, I love so much that you saw this when you were reading. 'cause I asked the women to just send me a few things that stood out to them, and I used it to create our outline for today. And I just had to make sure that Amy talked about this because first of all, she brings up one of my favorite talks from Mother Holland, and then I love how she connects it to this idea.

So Amy, talk to us about what the head and the heart have to do with the miracle that's about to take place. Oh, I'm so excited. It's one of the best talks ever given. It's by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in March of 1999, and it was at BYU and it was cast. Not away there for your confidence. And he's talking to the young adults about receiving revelation.

And, um, he goes in and he quotes in Dr. Covenants eight, and he says, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you, and what shall dwell in your heart and talks about how God, he's, he's going to do both. Right? And I think some of us are like, oh, I'm a mind person.

And some of us are, oh, I'm a heart person. Right? But he's like, God's gonna use both to give us revelation. Mm-hmm. But then he reads the next verse, he says, now behold, this is the spirit of revelation. Behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground.

And I mean, you read that and you're like, okay, so he's talking to Joseph Smith who just had, you know, some pretty cool revelation in this sacred grove and mm-hmm. Learning how to translate and why wouldn't God use that? But how fun to look at the parting of the Red Sea as a source of revelation. Right.

Oh, that's awesome. And it's, it is fantastic. Everybody needs to read this talk, but he teaches us that information is what we usually associate with receiving revelation. And he said it's not just information, though, it's urgently needed. Revelation, right? Yeah. Again, like Camille said, there's a lot of sand.

There's a big old sea in front of 'em, and a big old army coming, and they urgently need to know how to get through. They, they seem stuck, right? Mm-hmm. And we all have had those times when we have urgently need revelation. And Elder Holland says this. He says, first of all, revelation almost always comes in response to a question.

So in my brain, that's the go forward, right? You've paused, you've made sure you're dialed in with the Lord, and then you've gotta, you've gotta go forward. What's our, what's my question in Revelation? And he says, in that sense, it does provide information, but it's urgently needed information. He says, you will need information too, but in matters of great consequence, it is not likely to come unless you want it urgently, faithfully, and humbly.

And I love that. Mm-hmm. And I thought, in my life, when have I needed information? Urgently, humbly, oh and faithfully, and I thought about. In my younger years, I had members of my family that weren't all on the covenant path, should we say it that way? Mm-hmm. And people that I just loved dearly. And I worried as a teenager what my heaven would look like if everybody I loved wasn't there.

Uh, it, it would consume me. And, um, it was actually a 20 year process of praying. I don't know if it was every prayer, but it was for sure every single day. And so there was the faithfully there. I didn't miss, I didn't miss a fast Sunday where I wasn't like, heavenly father, you gotta fix this. I, I need everybody there.

It's not heaven. Right. Praying and faithfully doing that and. I remember becoming a mom and I was the releases I president and I was meeting with the bishop one day and 20 years of this prayer and not getting guidance, an answer I, I don't wanna say guidance at all, but not getting an answer. And he goes, anything I can help you with?

And I go, Bishop, can I ask you this question? I go, I'm really worried about what my heaven will look like. I have people that I love that maybe aren't all in on the gospel or maybe aren't on the covenant path right now that are good, good people, and I can't imagine heaven without them. And. Through the hand of God.

He had a, like a, a water container and a pitcher, right? 'cause it was the eighties and we didn't carry around hydro flasks. Um, but he goes, he, he poured water in it. And he goes, tell me about this cup. And I go, well, it's full. And he goes, well, what happens if I keep pouring? And he pours and water goes all over his desk.

And I go, well, yeah, it was full. You didn't need to add any more bishop. And he goes, and he takes me to the verse that says, we shall have a fullness of joy, um, when we keep on the covenant path, right? When we, when we do the things that God has asked us to do. And he goes, Amy, not one drop will be missing.

And that was my urgency, right? I'm, I have my own little family and I have these babies and I need them all there and I need all the people I love there. And I couldn't breathe. And he says, you won't miss a single drop of joy and 20 years of praying. And that bishop in one second solved it. Hmm. It was the most tender thing, but it was urgent to me, right?

I needed everybody in heaven. And I'm like, okay, if I stay on the covenant path, if I do the things that God's been asked, it's gonna work out and I'm all in, right? I will do anything to have my people and to keep those covenants and to live in a way that I can be bound to Jesus Christ. And I just love that we can get answers.

And Elder Holland said, yeah, if you are asking and you have a question, we worship a God that will give us answers. And then he said, and it takes the action, right? It takes the go forward. Ask your question. Um, a question. Open this dispensation for heaven's sakes. It's how we get light. All of Moses' miracles when they were stuck at the Red Sea.

How do we get through when they were hungry? What do we eat when they were thirsty? Where are we gonna get water? Right? Mm-hmm. He had a question, and that's where Revelation comes from. And I love going back to the go forward. We have to keep going. We can't quit. Had I quit in the 20 years, I wouldn't have the testimony I have to today.

Yeah, I wouldn't have learned to not rely on man and to rely on Jesus Christ. Um, it, it made me who I was because I didn't quit when I didn't get the answer immediately. Mm-hmm. And I'm grateful for that council to go forward. And, and Elder Holland says, don't quit. He also talks about fear. Um, so we have to go to Exodus 1410, and the Egyptians are marching after the children of Israel, and they were so afraid and they cry out into the Lord and they're like, oh, you didn't want us to just die in Egypt, so you take us out here to die.

Right. Yeah. Why did you do this to us? And you just have to laugh. Is this not the word of the Lord? Verse 12, that we did tell the, in Egypt saying, let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians Seriously. They didn't say that. They didn't say, let us be embodied forever. I know. Isn't that crazy? But that fear overcomes them.

Mm-hmm. And I identified with that fear. I'm like, I can't be part of something where I don't get all my people forever. And, and it, it was consuming to me, uh, actually consuming is the word for 20 plus years. What does heaven look like? What? How does this plan work if everybody isn't all in? And Elder Holland just says that after you have gotten a message, after you have paid the price to feel his love and hear the word of the Lord, go forward.

Don't fear, don't ate, don't quibble, don't whine. You may find a root or have to find a root, but leads an unusual way. Nobody had ever crossed the Red Sea this way, but so what? There's always a first time with the spirit of revelation. Dismiss your fears and wade in with both feet. Um, and he quotes Joseph Smith, go forward, not backward.

Courage brethren. And on onto the victory. Yes. And I think it's so important that we remember the times we have felt the spirit of the Lord. We remember those testimony, building moments for when we have questions. We don't throw everything out because of an one unanswered question. Amen. Um, and I started at that same time Elder Ireg gave a talk.

Called. Oh, remember? Remember? Mm-hmm. And he talked about a journal that he would keep. And every night he said, no matter how tired he was, he would write how he had seen the hand of the Lord in his life that day. And I started doing that, and now I'm into a point. I have an app that pings me at 10 30 at night, and I write three ways.

I saw God's hand, but when I forget, when I. Having the fear when I don't know how to go forward, when I don't know the answer to my questions, I can go back and I can go, oh, that's right. I worship a God that has been there all along the way, and even if he's wanting me to become stronger, so he's not giving me the answer, he's there.

He was there in this little tender mercy. 'cause you know what? I didn't kill a single teenager in class today when I felt like a complete failure. That was the tender mercy I wrote down. Yes. Right. But we have those moments where we can go back and remember. And I just think that the children of Israel kept forgetting.

Oh, oh yeah. We just got through blood in the Nile and killing the first all the plagues, right? All of them. Yeah. Frogs and locusts. But we forgot. And, and then we get to the Red Sea and God parts it, and we go through on dry ground. It's a double miracle for heaven's sakes. Yeah. We're not slouching in the mud, right?

Oh. But we're gonna get over here and we're gonna forget about that when we're hungry. And then after we've been fed by manna every single day for 40 years, we're gonna forget about that when we can't get water, right? Mm-hmm. So, so life doesn't ever get easy from what I see in this, but the key is to remember God's hand along the way for when I'm struggling and thinking, oh, you hoo, do you remember me down here?

This is really right. And he's like, oh yeah. Remember every single day of your whole life, I've been there, but I need you to become better. Um, and I just think Elder Holland's talk is profound, and he just teaches us God's gonna provide a way. And, and that's what the revelation is. It is information that is urgent, urgently needed, and God will give it, even if it looks different.

He will give it if we trust that he's always there and he's a God that wants us to step forward to get, do something, to get that revelation. Absolutely. Okay. Do this for me, Amy. Go back to that moment with your bishop boy. I love that story. Yes. I felt something when you shared that, and I want you to go back to that very moment where you said that after 20 years, he summed it up in this one experience.

Okay. Okay. Think back to that moment where that you absolutely knew that was the answer to your prayers. And now show me point to the two body parts where it was confirmed that that was the answer to your prayers. Where, where did you need to feel it? Spot on. It was, it was brain and heart, right? I knew both in that moment.

Yeah. Yeah. Isn't that the most awesome thing about how Revelation works? And that's why I love about that section in doctrine and covenants. I will tell you in your brain and in your heart, 'cause a lot of things make sense in your head, but not in your heart. And a lot of things you do make sense in your heart.

But when there's that disconnect, that's that stupor of thought you're having. And I wonder, and I, and not even wonder, according to Elder Holland, that's the moment Moses had. When you go into Exodus chapter 14, verse 16, here it is. Read verse 16 for us, Amy. But lift up thy rod and stretch out thine hand over the sea and divide it, and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

Now, I can't help but wonder, he had to have felt it in both places because if it was just in his mind, because would've been like, is that my own crazy thought or is that the spirit? Right. That's true. If he had just felt it in his heart, he would've been like, that has to be heartburn. 'cause that's, there's no way this is gonna work.

But I wonder if he felt it in it both places and then maybe he was reminded of his experience in Moses chapter one, verse 25, where the Lord said, I will make you mightier than the waters. I wonder if he went back to that moment and went, wait a minute. Maybe that's what that blessing was. And then he felt the spirit, it all connected for him so that when he did put his rod in the water, he was like, I don't know how this is gonna work, but here we go.

And then it did. And everything you said, Amy was so absolutely spot on. True that they saw this incredible miracle. I love that you said that they walked through on dry ground. It should have been marshy. Don't you love that? It should have been mud, right? Maybe. So. Gross dead fish everywhere. No, it's completely dry ground.

And then we just love it. Let's finish up this segment with verse verses 29, 30 and 31, and we'll each take a verse 'cause it's so much fun. We'll start with me then Camille, then Amy. Okay, here we go. Verse 29. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left.

Thus, the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of Egyptians and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore. That's what he does, right? He saves. We just have to say that. Yeah. Okay. Yep. Verse 31, and Israel saw the great work, which the Lord did upon the Egyptians, and the people feared the Lord and believed the Lord and his servant Moses.

Thank you. I mean, how cool In that verse, Israel saw Israel feared. Israel believed in all the good ways, feared meaning completely having honor in reverence that that word in Hebrew means to stand in awe of or to revere. And so it's just they had this moment and so you're we're just praying. Please remember it.

Even heavenly fathers like, okay, kids, remember this moment, you're gonna need it. And so after that moment happens, then the cool thing about this is that they get through on the Red Sea and dry ground, and then they sing a song. We're gonna show you that song in the next segment.

Segment 4

---

So tell me, do you two have a favorite song about Jesus? And it can be anything. It can be LDS, it can be mainstream, Christian, whatever it is. Do you have a favorite song that you play? So mine, my kids all had to play an instrument to live in my house, and I have told them that at my funeral they have to play.

I know that my redeemer lives and one's on the piano and one's on the violin, and I have the whole arrangement. I've made them practice it for years. I don't know if that's more bit or what, but it fits perfectly with this scripture block, right? I know that my redeemer lives what comfort this sweet sentence gives when I'm standing at a red.

Sea and about to die. It is comforting to know that God is alive, right? Mm-hmm. He lives my ever living head. He lives to bless me with his love. He lives to plead for me above. He lives my hungry soul. To feed with manna. He lives to bless in time of need with manna and with water, and with parting of the sea, right?

He's gonna silence my fears. He's gonna conquer death. He's gonna wipe away my tears. He's gonna call my troubled heart that I don't know the way through this current problem. He's just gonna do blessings. Upon blessings upon blessings. He's gonna bring me safely home, right? Every line we could apply to the children of Israel and to me, quite honestly, I love this song.

Oh my gosh, okay. I have to tell you this. I just barely learned the story about who wrote that song. Just barely like yesterday. 'cause I had to tell the story. This is the coolest thing ever. If you look up the song, HYM 1 36, at the very bottom, you're gonna see who wrote it. Okay? So who's the name of the person that wrote the song?

Samuel Medley. Now I remember reading that thinking that's the name of the medley. Like there's some medley named Samuel that they put the words to. No, that's really his name. Samuel Medley. He was born in the 17 hundreds, and he was born to a very Christian family, like devout Christian family. But he chose a different path.

He was like, no, thanks. It's not for me. And he kind of left Christianity as a whole, joined the Navy, and he had a total miracle at the age of 21 that changed his tune. So while he was in the Navy in England, that's where he was born. He was on a British Navy ship and they were at war with a French ship.

And while they were combating back and forth, he had a severe injury to his leg during this combat and his leg, the injury was so bad that the ship doctor said to him, if it doesn't improve by tomorrow, we'll have to amputate your leg. So he laid there all night tossing and turning, thinking back to his Christian roots and what he had been taught as a child.

And he decided, surely prayer will work. So he started praying that his leg would just be better enough to not have to be amputated. And the next day when they all woke up, the doctor came and looked at his leg and said, it has been a miracle. We will not have to amputate your leg. And from that moment on, he said he became a devout Christian and he spent his life then writing sermons and writing songs.

He has written so many hymns, but this is the one that the most of us that are the most familiar with is I know That My Redeemer Lives. And many people believe that he used the scripture in Job as this story about this man who had to turn his heart over to God and believe in God. And so that, isn't that the coolest story about that?

Oh, I love that. Yes. The coolest. I know that's a great song. Okay. I love it. What about you, Camille? Do you have a song? Yes. I mean, that actually is a really hard question for me because I feel like music is for sure one way that I feel the spirit and I turn to music a lot when I need to feel the spirit.

So, so true. One was, I don't know if I can do this, so I actually wrote down three. Okay. In seminary this year, brother blf, our principal, he has said We are going to have like a theme song and we're gonna sing this at every Gathering Israel event. Yes. And it's hope of Israel. And there is something so powerful hearing all of these teenagers sing, hope of Israel, rise in Might, and they sing it loud and, and Brother Blf has them all get in like a little circle.

And every single time, even if it's like on the pickleball court, we've just had like a pickleball tournament. Mm-hmm. All these kids come in and it brings tears to my eyes. It's like these kids are truly the hope of Israel and they, it, it is so powerful. So I love that one. And all the lyrics in that one are amazing.

Okay. I just have to second witness what she said because they did this at an early morning devotional that I was at, and I started sobbing when they got to the chorus because at one point it was totally unexpected. I did not know what was going on. But when they sing the chorus, they, what's the chorus again?

Camille? You give me the verses. Yeah, it's um, the chorus is Hope of Israel Rising Might with a sword of Truth and light, sound. The war Cry and then they yell, watch and Yes. How was it Amy? What did they do? They yell, watch and pray. Vanquish every flow. Two date. When they yelled, watch and pray, my heart stopped and then I started crying.

'cause they did it every time they sang the chorus. It's the coolest. Good job brother Blf. What a great idea. Okay. Such great songs. Do you have any more you wanted to do? Well, so that one is like a favorite. And then I also, this one is like my up to bat song, I guess. The mm-hmm. It's called a walkup song.

Camille A Walkup. Thank you. Amy, what's your walkup song? I love it. Amy knows I don't play baseball. Um, so I love the, um, I can do all things through Christ, which is the FSY song from like 20, 23, I wanna say. And that was just, I, every single time I hear that song, I think, yes, he can help me, whatever it is that I'm like super intimidated by.

Yeah. That song brings me just strength. Like, Jesus Christ will be there. I can do it. I love that song. Oh my goodness. Okay. Great answers. In fact, that's gonna be my question for the week that I want everyone listening to share. What is your song? What's your walkup song? What's your Jesus Jam? Whatever you wanna call it.

What's, what song about Jesus do you love? Because in Exodus chapter 15, we have a song. So let's go there. Turn to Exodus 15. And this is so neat you guys. First of all, Exodus 15 is called The Song of the Sea. So go ahead and just, it's, that's the name of it, the Song of the Sea. It is Israel's first national anthem.

According to some scholars, it's the very first song ever recorded in scripture right here, Exodus 15. It is all about God. There is no mention of Moses and no mention of man, and it's attributed to Moses and Miriam. They believe that those are the two that wrote these lyrics. So as we go through. Exodus chapter 15.

I asked my guest to read through this and to come prepared to share what are some things that this song taught you about Christ and what can we mark? So we'll just take turns going back and forth and just kind of share what are some things you guys marked in this chapter. Okay? But before we do, how many listeners are gonna write it and go Deliverance from the Promise Land?

That's all their favorite song. It's the best. Well, I, I did love in verse two, just the, the Lord is my strength and my song. And isn't that in one of our hymns? Which one is that? 89? I had to look that up. Hymn 89. Okay. All. Yeah. So I love that one. The Lord is my strength and my song He, he and He is become my salvation.

He is my God. I will prepare him and inhabitation and habitation my father's God, and I will exalt Him. All couriers out there. If you get to choose the hymn for Sunday, choose 89 for this week's. Come follow me lesson. Yeah, that'd be cool. And so cool how it's the Lord in verse one and the Lord in verse two, and the Lord in verse three, which tell me if I'm wrong, Tammy, I have Yahweh written there, which is Israel's covenant God against Yes.

Promises that He covenants to keep with us, to be our salvation, to be our strength, right? That is promises right there to covenant Israel. How fun to just go through and highlight every time you see Lord, and especially when you see Lord in all caps. It's exactly what it is. It's, it's the Hebrew word, Yahweh, or Jehovah as we now say it.

And I say Yahweh very carefully 'cause we don't like to say it because Jews have asked that it be taken out. That's why it, you're not gonna find it anywhere in the translation. It's been replaced with the Lord and Jehovah 'cause in the 10 Commandments. The third commandment is not to take the Lord's name in vain.

Not the word God that we often think of. They literally will not say this name. It's that sacred to them. So I love how you just, Amy, say that one more time. That Lord means what? Israel covenant. God. That's why I, it's my favorite, right? That's what he is. He's the God of Covenant Israel. I mean, write that down in my scriptures.

Okay. Um, I love verse three. The Lord is a man of war. Boy, I love that because Kerry Mulestein taught me that it's okay to see Jesus as a warrior. We love the soft cuddly Jesus. We love the Jesus that will wrap us in his arms, right? The Jesus that is so kind and merciful. But you also have to love that He's a man of war, that he is a warrior.

Because if God, if, if Jesus Christ is a warrior, that means he knows how to fight my battles, and he knows the enemy's tactics. And so don't be afraid of a Jesus that is a warrior. I love that He taught me that from that verse. That's actually super comforting too. I feel like, Ooh, tell me why. I don't know.

Just even from the beginning when it, when Amy pointed out verse 14 was one of her favorites, the Lord shall fight for you. Just knowing I feel so safe, just knowing he is at the front of my battlefield. He knows the opposition. He knows what I'm up against, and I can't lose. There's no way. Wow. Powerfully said, that is awesome.

To go with the covenant Lord in um, 13 is bonkers. Right? I didn't mean to skip 'cause there's a lot of yummy ones in the middle. But go ahead and skip Thou in thy mercy has led forth the people which thou has redeemed, thou has guided them in thy strength unto the holy habitation I spent. Oh, it has to be thy holy habitation so long on that because we see his mercy.

Mm-hmm. We see his love as someone who will guide us. And then I went down the rabbit hole of if he's taking us. To thy holy habitation. First he's a deliverer, right? Wow. But he's leading us to his home, which took me to temple. So then I went back for all the temple words that I could find. And there's so many places that were being pointed towards the temple.

Like in verse 17, the mountain of thine inheritance, the sanctuary. Oh Lord. Wow. Um, oh Lord shall reign forever. He's the king taking us to the temple. And a lot of scholars believe that going through the Red Sea was representative of baptism, right? Mm-hmm. And so here now we have the temple ordinances to the next step.

And I, I just love that he is merciful and love and that has said love, right? That covenant love, because he's going to guide us till we get to his house to make those covenants. He's gonna lead us there. I 13 is just bonkers. Well highlight mercy 'cause in Hebrew it is, has said. That's so fun. That's the, that's literally what the word is right there.

I wear my ring every day and it says Hesset in Hebrew and I just remember, I am a covenant. I have covenant love with, with Jesus Christ. Oh, I love that, Amy. I love that we went down the rabbit hole on 13. That is so fun to do in scripture. By the way, study one verse for a whole week if you want to. Wow.

Very cool. I also loved in 16, it says, fear and dreaded shall fall upon them by the greatness of thine arm. They shall be as still as a stone till thy people pass over. Oh Lord. Till the people pass over, which thou purchased. I, I feel like if I had been in one of the Israelites for that last plague and I had experienced the Passover and I had put the blood over my doorframe and I had been.

Praying and experience that sacrifice and then seeing the, the mourning of those Egyptians that then yes, lost. I think that those words point to that and also point to the savior who did purchase us. He, he did sacrifice himself and then allowed us to pass over through death and through sin to then return home to him.

That is fantastic, Camille. Wow. So good. I linked that phrase, Camille, that that which, that has purchased back to 14 verse three. 'cause Pharaoh's like, oh, we can get them. They're entangled in the land. Mm-hmm. Right. They're stuck and I think we are entangled until Christ. Right. But Jesus, he has purchased us, he has redeemed us.

He has delivered us. We're not entangled in sin or in death or in our red sea moments anymore. He, he's purchased, he's, he's fixed all the things and I just, I love that we started out entangled and we end with he's, he's covered all of it. Oh, that's so cool. It reminds me of, I put this next reference next to it just now, when you was talking about that Exodus chapter 19, verse five, when he says in here that he wants his people to become a peculiar people, because the word peculiar in Hebrew is seola, which means purchased or owned.

That's so cool. But that word purchased in 16 is not seola. It literally means owned, like it's that word. But I love how he's, and now it goes back to what you just said, Amy. Oh my goodness, this is so cool. 'cause he's talking about being peculiar right here, being purchased, being owned. And then in that chapter in 19, he then wants to give them the temple like you in, in verse 17.

But they weren't ready for it. Amy, I love that you just taught that. 'cause he does, he calls him peculiar. He is like, I wanna give you all the tic priesthood and everything and tries to give it to him and they're not ready for it. So he is gotta go. Oh, forget about it. That's Wow. And how often do we see the word his hand?

Which I mean, I went through, I circled over and over and over, which we see hand, which makes me think two things. President Hunter said everything. God touches lives. Right. Sherry d quoted him saying that. And so if we invite his hand in, but then you go to the temple and Baristed power and covenants.

Mm-hmm. And his hand takes us to that next step. Right? We live from his hand and his hand is what gives us power and covenants. And I, I actually, I totally agree with you, Tammy. I think he's leading us on a whole different path that we've lost over the years in the Bible here. But I think the temple is all over chapter 15.

Oh, I totally agree. I love that you pointed that out and the hand, oh, that is so cool. Well, ladies, you did not disappoint. Wow. That was such a fun discussion. I knew. I knew it would be with you two. You did such a good job. And we just discussed this incredible song, the song of the see and the message that it has is powerful.

So take some time to study that. Okay, so we gotta move on because we have two more things we have to talk about that are super duper important. And this is so much fun. So the children of Israel, they come through the Red Sea on dry ground, they sing this beautiful song and give praises to God and to Jesus Christ and all the things that have just happened for them.

And then the next thing they do is, uh, wah. We'll discuss that in the next segment.

Segment 5

---

Ladies, what's the waw moment? What happened? What's going on? Amy, tell us the story. I think this is crazy. Well, it is kind of crazy until I look at my own life and I do the same thing. How many wa wa moments do we have, right? Yes. So we're in chapter 16. Yes. And they've, they've seen these amazing miracles.

They've seen the plagues, and then all of a sudden they're, they're complaining again. Verse three, the children of Israel said unto Moses and, and Aaron would to God that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of there is again when we sat by the flesh pots and when we did eat bread to the full, were they at the Heliman Center?

Heliman halls having a full buffet as slaves. Like, it's so silly. Were you have brought us force into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger. Right? Oh my goodness. Um, and then we just love God. He's like, okay, here's the question. And Moses asks, then said, the Lord unto Moses, behold I will rain bread.

I'm not gonna sprinkle it. I'm gonna reign it down from heaven for you. And the people still go out and gather a certain rate every day. And I do think we have to camp on that every day. Because I thought about, I love that, like we've talked about every day I wanna see his hand, but every day I need to invite him in.

Every day I need to be reading my scriptures. Right? Yeah. I was taught this. Can I tell a quick little story Please. When I had the birth of my first child, I had been teaching seminary up until Friday and I was induced on Tuesday. And they call and induced me 'cause she's a couple weeks over and they're like, come in early.

I had to be in the hospital like five. I don't do anything before six. So it was rough. Mm-hmm. And I go in and we have a 20. Four hour labor and then we're, so we're into the next day and they had to do a bunch of things. 'cause the umbilical cord was tied. She comes out purple, they rush her off. And I, you know, I'm panicked.

I'm telling Colton, you follow that baby? He's like, what about you? I'm like, I'm fine. You know, the, the panic. And so after like a couple hours, they bring her to me and I'm having that hallmark. Moment, like sun is coming through the window, angels are singing. I'm looking at this baby and I'm like, oh, I only know teenagers.

I don't know what to do with this child. And then I'm just, it kind of, it's all the feelings. Feelings, right? The hormones, all the things. And all of a sudden I have this thought, I haven't read my scripture since Monday, and it is Wednesday. And then my little sassy self says, oh, God's gonna understand.

It's been a busy couple of days and I will never, ever forget. In fact, I'm, I'm gonna, I put a little mark to look at this in heaven. I am honest to goodness, somebody was in that room and I hear clear as anything. I just sent you one of my most precious daughters. And if you aren't in those scriptures every single day, to do everything you can to bring her back, right?

And I can count on one hand the times I have missed since that day of reading My book of Mormon, um, all of them. I was in the hospital. I don't know what my problem is there, but, um. We need it every single day. Right? Elder Pearson. Yeah. We love this. He says, if you are struggling, confused, or spiritually lost, that's all of us.

I urge you to do the one thing I know will get you back on track. Begin again to prayerfully study the Book of Mormon and live its teachings every day. Every day, every day. I testify of the profound power in the Book of Mormon that will change your life and strengthen your resolve to follow Christ. And they needed that manna every day just like we need it.

We can quit eating right We, and if we die, we'll be resurrected. God has covered that. But if we quit reading our scriptures, our spirits. Right. Yeah. And, and we're toast. We need him every day. We need the, the living bread and, and the living water. I, I, I don't think it's a coincidence that that's what he gives them.

Right. Right. So that every day they are reminded, I need him every single day. I need to see his hand every day. I need to be guided by him every day. I need to invite his spirit in every day. And we, we need that. There is a reason that by two o'clock on fast Sunday, everybody at my house is hangry because they want food.

Mm-hmm. And I just so wish that our spirits got hangry and reminded us. Oh, you haven't read the book before me? No, you haven't invited me in. We need that manna, we need that nourishment. And I just think that that's why God said go out and gather it daily. Right? Uh, there's just power in what we do every day to invite God in.

And I love verse 12, right? He says, and ye shall be filled with bread and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God. And so many times my cute seminary students, I want 'em to make a scripture study habit every semester. And so many of 'em will say, I want to read until I fill the spirit. And I love that, right?

They are filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the Lord your God. And we do that so that we know God, and we have that relationship and we have those moments. Again, not a coincidence that every Sunday we get to partake of the sacrament and remember the living bread and the living water, and refresh that covenant and, and renew our souls.

And we're not filled in the, the physical sense, but we are certainly filled, um, with his spirit and know that he's there and know that again, he has cleansed us and purchased us, and redeemed us from everything we messed up on that week. And we get to start again. I, I love so much everything about the manna reigning down from heaven.

Amy, I love your testimony. I do. I have a question though, Amy, when you said, I wish our spirits got hangry, I, I was like, wait a second. But I think what if I, what if they do. Oh yeah. Once you're in the habit, talk to me about that. You can't not read right? You can't do it. Yes. And what is, what does it look like then when your spirit is hangry?

What are the signs? Yeah. Tell me what you're thinking. Right, Camille? 'cause I thought the same thing. I'm like, do they get hangry? I wonder. Let's discuss that. Yeah. But do they, if you're a 16-year-old kid that hasn't read, I don't think, I don't know to the level that my 16 year olds get by two o'clock on fast Sunday.

Well, no, that's true. But so how do we flip that? Right? How do we get them spiritually hangry so they realize they need Jesus every day? Well say what you want, Camille. Yeah. Well I, I was wondering if, like, in my life it's almost like the more. I am exposing myself to spiritual experiences. Like if I am in sacrament meeting and I'm partaking of the sacrament, I'm, I'm in the temple.

I'm doing some daily scripture study. Then the, the minute, see, I don't know that I have been quite as consistent throughout my life as Amy. I wish that I could say that there's been three days that I've missed scripture study my whole life. I don't know that I can say that, but I, I will say I, there is a tangible difference in my life when I am spending time in the scriptures and maybe that disparity of clarity of thought or having promptings that I can recognize as the spirit.

I feel like we live in a world right now where it's, it's maybe a little bit hard to tell between what's, what's real, what is real. Aren't we all asking that is, is that AI or wait? Yeah, one. I feel like the hangry, like our spirits need to have that daily manna, the daily nourishing of Jesus. I actually love Amy in verse, I think it's 19 and, and Moses said, let no man leave of it.

I'm not, I mean, you can read till the morning, but let no man leave of it. Like this is, it needs to be picked up. I need to pick that up every day. I don't know. Wow. Well, especially too, because I went to, as you both of you were talking, I, I've never thought of it like this before, but how often people are like, well, I don't, especially, you know, your kids.

Well, I don't really understand the scriptures and it's hard for me to read that language. I heard that a ton as the seminary teacher. The language is weird. I don't get it. I, I really don't understand what it is. And don't you just love that that manna in Hebrew means. What is it? What is it? And, and even you're like, you know what?

I don't know, but it works. Can you, I, that's what I would say to my kids if we were cat, you know, going around and collecting manna and my kid would be like, well, what is it? And I'd be like, I don't know, but it's delicious, so let's just eat it. 'cause it's gonna make us feel real, real happy. So just put it in your mouth and be quiet.

I just think that maybe that's how it is with scriptural stuff. Like, you know what? I totally get it. And I'm telling you right now, I don't know. I don't know either, but I know it works. So just keep reading your scriptures. Eventually you will get it to the point where you become proficient with it, where you will know it tastes so good that you can't imagine your life without it.

Now listen, I'm old and it's taken me this long to figure that out, so just keep eating. That's all I can say like that. That's kind of what I'm thinking about this manna. What is it? I don't know, but it's real good. Yeah. And I wonder if there's a part that gratitude plays in this too, because sometimes maybe they're bored after 40 years of eating the same thing every day.

I don't know. But I, I hope that in my life instead of complaining, I can find a place to be more grateful. One of my favorites stories about the savior in Matthew 15, again, bread, there's so much, bread is like hands, it comes up and we have to dive there. But he's feeding the multitude, the, and there's no food.

Right? But he doesn't wanna send them home hungry because he always is worried about us being hungry. And so they find the seven loaves and the few fishes. Yes. And I love this. He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. This is Matthew 15, that was verse 35, 36. He took the seven loaves and the fishes and gave thanks.

And before there wasn't enough. There is no way that seven. Um, loaves and a few fishes are going to feed this multitude, right? There's no way of thousands. But when we give thanks, there's always enough. And I wonder if instead of complaining about the manna after all the years, or not having enough, if we can find the things to be thankful for, like Christ teaches us right there to give thanks, even when there's not enough that there will be enough, right?

Mm-hmm. He teaches us in doctrine covenants 59. The only thing that makes God angry is when we're not grateful. And I wonder if he's like, for real, I've gotten you through the Red Sea and I've gotten you through the plagues, and you're out and you're not in slavery, and now you're, you don't think I can handle bread?

You, you don't think I've, I've got this. I I'm actually the bread of life, right? And if instead of turning to a place of criticizing God or wondering about his lack, if he isn't answering in the way we want, that we see his hand and have that daily gratitude, I think that's a key part to seeing this every day.

Is that, did they stay grateful every day for 40 years? Yes. I love it. Oh, I do too. And then the challenge too in verse 22, that on the sixth day they're to gather twice as much bread, but if they did it on other days, it would turn to worms. I, I think that's in verse 20. It's gonna stink and be wormy and gross.

So he is telling him this miracle. In fact, this is one of the first times it's even mentioned about keeping the Sabbath. They holy. They haven't even gotten the 10 Commandments yet. This is the very first mention of this, that he's preparing them, like prepping them. Like this will, let's get used to this.

Let's see, the miracle. Don't you love that? I love that. Let me show you a miracle around something you haven't even asked to do yet so that when you are asked to do it, you might go, oh yeah, yeah man, let, like you will be blessed if you keep the Sabbath. They holy. He's literally tangibly think te teaching them.

And so there it is. Keep the Sabbath day holy. I love it. Verse 25, 26. But then what is so cool about this story is that the very end in verse 35, 34 and 35, but then he says, and the Lord commanded Moses. So Aaron laid it up before the testimony to be kept. So the word testimony right there is the arc of the covenant.

And so they are to keep a pot of manna in the arc of the covenant, which I love the arc of testimony because they put certain things in that arc and there's, this is one of the first things they're gonna put in there to remind the people of how good God is to his children. And then that never gets stinky or wormy.

How cool is that too? But like back to tender mercies. Yes. And remembering his hand and seeing it and having something. So we remember exactly like it makes me think what would be like I would wanna do right then and there with all my students. I'd wanna do a a time capsule and have them put one thing in that day that where they saw the hand of the their Lord.

And then when you get to it later, when you get into Leviticus and you start to see the other things they put in their time capsule, how fun to add stuff and do this as a family. Like create your own little time capsule this year of seeing the hand of the Lord in your life. And then we're gonna seal it up at the end of Old Testament year and come back in four years.

Like I love that they have this arc of the testimony is what it's called, the arc of the covenant or arc of the testimony. And that's what they'll do. And so think about that in your own life, like what would you put in your arc of the testimony? What is one thing I just want you guys really quickly think in your life right now, what's one specific time where you saw the hand of the Lord in your life?

For me this morning, my cute little, um, 16-year-old teenager. We read our scriptures as we're racing out the door every morning and eating breakfast and just hearing him testify of a verse he read last night made my whole day just to see him growing in his testimony of Jesus Christ. And I, I just had to write that down and capture that God sees us in all of our places and, and my darling 16-year-old is teaching me who I'm a hundred years old, right?

Mm-hmm. He can still teach me from his, his book of Mormon, and that was such a tender mercy that God uses the youth to do big things. Yeah. That's cool. Very cool. What about you, Camille? I might say I have had a student, he's only come twice and I've been in communication with his cute mom and she's been super worried and it has gotten to the point where I, I.

I didn't know if he would be coming back to seminary. And as I was prepping my lesson for Wednesday, Tuesday night, I had this very specific prompting to include a certain video if this student was there, which in my mind I was like, huh, why would I think that he has not been here since the second week of August?

Like, I don't, he's not gonna come tomorrow. And I'm standing in the doorway welcoming kids in, and I hear his name and I'm like. Are you kidding me? Like I had that specific slide in my PowerPoint. Mm-hmm. And I even have in the notes if this person is here, show this video. And he comes walking in the door and I just knew that heavenly father knows and loves this kid.

Like there is no explanation for why I would've had that thought, included that slide and here he is. It it was amazing. Wow. Outstanding. You two what great things to put in your arc of testimony to remember that The hand of the Lord and the daily manna. So thank you. Thank you for everything you taught me.

That was so cool. That discussion of that chapter. Is there also a space, Tammy for things. That remind us like they have this arc of the testimony, A visual reminder. Yeah. Right. And we have CTR rings, or we have our garment, our sacred garment. Sure. We have, I think there's a space in what in my life do I have to remind me of Jesus Christ and what that looks like.

I think like that real intentional to what reminds me of him in every day, so that I am thinking of him always and directing my life. Right. Oh, I love it. That's, that's, that's fun to ponder as well. Isn't that so great? What a great way to think about that. Absolutely. Okay, so that's, that is chapter 16. Oh my goodness.

You guys. Now we still have chapter 17. Okay. So in the next segment we're gonna do this chapter, and I'm so excited to talk about this and so is Camille. I'm very impressed. 'cause what she pointed out to me, I was like, talk to me sister. You're speaking my love language. It's Hebrew, so we're gonna tell you the coolest story and a word that will blow your mind and we'll do that next.

Segment 6

---

Oh, we have one word we're gonna talk about, but the story to get to that word is so cool. So Camille, tell us the story in Exodus chapter 17. 'cause it's a good one. Okay. So it's amazing. They've been, you know, we're, we've been traveling through the wilderness. We are being fed every day. We're still sometimes, you know, getting a little grumpy though if we're a little bit uncomfortable.

So we've got here, we're, we're thirsty. So, you know, in verse two, wherefore the people did chide with Moses and said, give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, why chi you with me? Wherefore, do you tempt the Lord? And they thirsted for water and the people murmured against Moses and said, wherefore is it that thou has brought us up out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst.

So here we go again. We are thirsty and we want to go back to Egypt. I can't even imagine. And then I do, I look at my own life and I'm like, oh yeah, yep. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm Sometimes this is me Anyway, so you know, Moses amazing. He is smiting the rock water's coming out and it's amazing. And in verse seven, and, and I don't wanna gloss over this 'cause that's like amazing and we've got so much symbolism of the living water.

Yes. And the rock and who like, this is all Jesus. Right. This is amazing. Great. And then verse seven, and it says at the very end it says, is the Lord among us or not? Wow. Like make this decision like, are you in, are you out? Like we, you have to decide is this, is Jesus Not in every moment of this experience.

Welcome him in welcome. Let His hand touch everything. Amy, I love that so much. And then in verse eight, in that, I love that there's just those three words and then came Alec. All of a sudden we're in trouble. I put doom beside that, like, and then now we're going to have a fight, right? Mm-hmm. So we're, Moses is saying to Joshua, okay, we've got to choose men.

We're gonna go out to fight. And Joshua must have been super brave because he's like, great. Oh, I'm gonna choose my fighters and we're gonna go out. And then he's fighting and we have Moses and Aaron and her. They're going up to the top of the hill. And when Moses is holding up his hands, then Israel is prevailing.

And when he lets down his hands, Amalek prevailed and verse 12. But Moses' hands were heavy and they took a stone and put it under him. And he sat there on, and Aaron and her stayed up his hands, the one on the one side and the other on the other side, and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

Okay? So this is the word that I kind of want. You to teach us though, that I have in my scriptures, the, how do you say it? Una, how do you say it? Una? Yes. Una Muna or Una. Yeah. And I, I need you to teach us all about this because I love the wor, I love every, I feel like faith has been a huge theme with all of these chapters today.

Yeah. Faith is something that I love to study too. How do you have more of it? What can you do with that power? And sometimes I've, I've felt a little bit like faith is a, a feeling. Do you have it or do you not? Mm-hmm. You know, it's, is this, are you faithful? And, and then this, when you bring in this Hebrew word, all of a sudden it's not.

Faith is not a feeling. Faith is an action and it means support. And what I love the very most about this is. I know we talk a lot about Moses and his hands being held up from Aaron and her like, like supporting the prophet, which is amazing and sustaining our leaders and, and that's all so, so, so important.

So I don't wanna take away from that, but, but this, this other maybe way of looking at it has been so intriguing to me because it, this is from the talk of elder Sandino Roman faith, a bond of trust and loyalty. Mm-hmm. And he is talking, this is actually in one of the footnotes. He, he brings up this Hebrew word and he says it places the action on the one who supports God.

It is not knowing that God will act, but rather I will do what I can to support God. Yeah. And I feel like that. To me has brought such a powerful way of looking at faith, where I am gonna act, I'm gonna walk into that water even if the sea has not parted yet, and the the ground is still soggy because I'm gonna follow Moses, I'm gonna act, and faith is this power that.

Even if I don't know the end or if it doesn't work out, like I think it should work out. Mm-hmm. I'm still going to act and support and do what I can to show God. He's everything to me. Yeah. Wow. That was outstanding. And you're absolutely right, isn't it? It's, well, I think what's really remarkable to me is that faith is the first principle and ordinance of the gospel to have first faith in him.

And I think one of the ways I, I love the way you just described it, and I love this talk by Elder Roman, because when you look back at this story, isn't it so fascinating that here they're having this moment, the first thing is, is the Lord among us or not? And then they get to see this miracle where if his arms are in the air, they win.

If his arms fall down, they lose. So they come up with a great plan. You love that, don't you? 'cause I would be the one, like if I'm holding his arm up, what about those guys? They're so tired. Moses was tired holding him up, but at least he got to sit down. And so you just think these poor men are having to hold their arms up.

The faith that God would prevail if they held the arms up. But the faith wasn't in their mind like we think it will. The faith was the action. And so if you go back into verse 12, highlight the word steady in there. Because when it says, we'll read it one more time, that Aaron and her stayed up his hands, the one on the one side and the O, um, the other on the other side, and his hands were steady.

The word steady in Hebrew is actually Una. That's where it's from, that the hands were faithful until the going down of the sun, meaning those hands were in action mode, holding up those arms so that they could prevail and they could win. And that's where it comes from, is that storyline right there. And that word Una or Una in verse 12, they were supported by Aaron and her.

So then when we say I have faith in God, it's not us saying, I have faith in God because he supports me. It's I have faith in God because I support him, and I do those things that allow me to have. I, I will keep acting, keep moving, keep stepping forward. I mean, and I love everything you guys have talked about today is exactly that.

At the end of the day, they had faith. They took that step forward. They took the step into the Red Sea, they took the step into the wilderness, and you can see how important it is to teach the children of Israel about faith. I mean, it really is about are you willing to do what the Lord has asked you to do?

That is faith, and we talk about how they were there for 40 years. If you go to Deuteronomy chapter one, verse two, it actually tells us how long the journey actually would've been from point A to point B. Amy, when you get there, how long was the actual journey? Or how long should it have taken them? There are 11 days journey from Horeb, by the way of Mount Sear to Kadesh Bernie.

That's so fun. It really should have just been 11 days. They're gonna wander for 40 years, and we do love the number 40. The symbolism is, it could have been absolutely 40 years, or the symbolism of 40 in scripture is the time it takes to learn a lesson, but it means a test or a trial. So it could have just been how long it took them to get it together, which was to absolutely learn how to have faith in God, faith in Jehovah Action.

Word. Doing the things to stay up the savior's arms. Isn't that crazy? Like we would do that. Go ahead, Amy. Could that also go back to the covenant, right. That we talked about? Yes. And And our part is to keep our end of the covenant because if you go back to that question in seven, is the Lord among us or not?

I thought I was just jotting down as we were sitting here. All the promises to Covenant Israel that proof he is right. I am with you. I am in your midst. I will dwell with you. Of course he's among us. He's covenanted to be. Yeah. But I have to keep my end of the covenant and do the things I have said to invite him in and keep him in.

Love it. Yeah. He's like, I'm right here. Not going anywhere. What are you gonna do? Just hold those arms up. You'll prevail. You've just gotta have faith. You just have to have muna. You just have to be steady. Don't you love how the word steady is faith right there. Una. You just gotta be steady. Just keep on keeping on.

Yeah. And in the Bible dictionary too, I love that it talks about how faith is a principle of action and power. Yes. So cool that we've got that combination of action and power and Oh, very good. It, it says, and by it one can command the elements, heal the sick, influence any number of circumstances. When occasion warrants even more important by faith, one obtains a remission of sins and eventually can stand in the presence of God.

Yeah. Oh, I, I just think it's so cool and in James, in chapter one, in verse 22, it says, but be doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving your own selves. Um, I just, there's something really powerful to me of knowing this Hebrew word for faith. Steady, faithful. I love that you taught us that, and that I, it, it truly is, is my actions.

I, I just think that's so powerful that I am showing my trust in God by how I act. Yeah. That I, I don't know. I can't, what can I do to show him that I love him? And it's these actions of keeping the commandments. It's the actions of how am I spending my time? It's the actions of how am I treating people around me.

Those actions matter, and that's showing my trust in God. And that is what faith is. Wow. Amen. Amen to everything both of you said. Wow. Thank you. You guys. That's the end of our discussion. That was so awesome. Okay. So gather your thoughts and look at things you maybe wrote down. What is one of your takeaways from our discussion?

What's an eternal truth that you learned? And I'm gonna go first because I wrote so many notes. Okay. For starters, I'm gonna say this. So I loved so much, Amy, your talk about the full cup, not one drop will be missing. Like I felt that in my heart, in my mind, that was so awesome. And then because I felt that both places, it's true.

I loved that. And then the thing I love the most too, that you said, Camille, is when you told us the story about your student who showed up for class, isn't that awesome how you had that thought and then you acted on it? I wonder, I would love to know, as Amy said, when we go back into heaven and we can look back on that moment and go to that chapter in our life, I would love to know if he showed up because of a combination too, of the prompting you got and then your faith, you're acting on that prompting.

Oh, and then you are ready. Like I think sometimes we underestimate the power of our faith and the good that it can do. And so I, I thought that was really cool. I wrote so many notes, but those are some things that I really liked that you, you taught me today. So thank you. I, I love so much. Uh, both of you are.

Honestly, just such an inspiration of knowing the doctrine of Jesus Christ so well, and so I'm just grateful for the opportunity to learn from you today. I really liked Amy when you talked a little bit about the hand of the Lord and how yeah, everything that he touches and we can ask him to touch each of our kids and each of the little parts of our life that just feel like they're not clicking or whatever the problem might be.

I loved when you taught us about that, the hand of the Lord and how powerful that is. Mm-hmm. I can't wait to go back and read that conference talk now. That was so fun. I know. Yeah, I love so much. I'm just so humbled. Don't you just love that God gives us amazing humans that make us better? I'm just grateful to both of you, and for some reason my brain as, as, as Camille, was testifying of faith and, and Tammy as you were teaching us the heart and mind.

And in my brain I'm like, oh, it might be either one and, and you're testifying that we can feel both and know things that are true. I went to Romans eight. I don't know, but I love the verse. It says, I reckon that the sufferings of this present time, and if I had been walking for 40 years. I, I, I'm not gonna lie, I would've complained.

I just would've Right? For sure. That would be suffering for me. But he says are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. And then he says in all things, we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. And I just think that life is hard and we have our red seas, and we have our hungry and our thirsty and the battles and, and we're, that that is a lot to hold up arms all day long, right?

Oh yeah. It, it's hard. But these sufferings are worth it for Jesus. And they're worth it because every good thing in my life is because of him. And, and I love, I wanna thank for and I feeling it in my heart and in my mind. And am I giving those to him? And am I acting in faith and am I going forward and can I be a little bit better tomorrow than I was today?

Because it is worth it to be with Jesus Christ and it's with it for the glory that he wants to give us. And, and I just love him. Oh, thank you ladies. Thank you. I felt the spirit so strong right now, especially I just look back at my scriptures, is the Lord among us or not? And I dare say he was among us today where three are ga, two or three are gathered in my name.

Um, we testified of him and we felt the spirit. So thank you so much. We're done. Woo. Yes. That was so good. Wow. Ladies, you are the best. Tammy, you are actually amazing. You're amazing. You are amazing. Okay. Tell me then, what eternal truth did you learn? What is your takeaway from our discussion? Boy, that was so awesome.

I love those women, Amy and Camille, you're the best. Okay? Go join us on Facebook or follow us on Instagram to share what you've learned. And then throughout the week, we're going to post a question from this discussion. And I already told you what it is. What is your favorite song about Jesus? I wanna know everybody's that is so much fun.

And then comment on the post that relates to this lesson and share your thoughts. You can get to both our Facebook and Instagram by going to the show notes for this episode at ldsliving.com slash Sunday on Monday, and go there anyway, because it's where we're gonna have links to all the references. And there were so many today as well as a transcript of this entire discussion.

So go check it out. The Sunday on Monday Study Group is a Deseret Bookshelf Plus original, brought to you by LDS Living. It's written and hosted by me, Tammy Uzelac Hall, and today our just perfect, fabulous study group participants were Camille Marsh and Amy Reading, and you can find more information about my friends at ldsliving.com slash Sunday on Monday.

Our podcast is produced by Cole Wissinger and me. It is edited and mixed by Cole Wissinger, and our executive producer is Erin Hallstrom. Thanks for being here. We'll see you next week, and please remember, oh, please remember that you are God's favorite.