The NEPHITES | A Journey That Began With One Brave Family

Scripture Setting: 1 Nephi–2 Nephi

The story of the Nephites begins not with a kingdom, but with a family doing something incredibly difficult—they walked away from everything they knew because God asked them to. Lehi, a prophet in Jerusalem around 600 B.C., warned his people to repent. When they rejected his message, the Lord commanded him to take his family into the wilderness for their safety.

This decision set the foundation for one of the greatest stories in scripture.

Lehi’s wife, Sariah, followed with courage. Their sons—Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi—reacted in different ways. Some doubted. Some complained. Some believed. And one, young Nephi, sought the Lord so sincerely that he became a prophet and leader in his own right.

Together they traveled through deserts, crossed oceans, built communities, kept records, and wrote some of the most important teachings in the Book of Mormon. Their struggles were real—familial conflict, hunger, fear, and miracles that tested hearts as much as they strengthened them.

For families today, their story is easy to relate to. It’s about learning to trust God, sticking together, and choosing faith even when the path ahead is unclear.

In Rumors of War, the early Nephites are known for their strength in faith and obedience—a reminder that every great people begins with a few brave souls willing to listen to the Lord.