"They were steadfast and immovable" - Come Follow Me - Mosiah 29 - Alma 4

Today as I was studying scriptures, and re-reading a chapter that I've studied several times in the last week, I felt an intense wave of emotion as I read Alma 2:30:

At this point in history, an evil man Almici, was trying to make himself king of Zarahemla. When he didn't succeed by vote, he made himself a king anyway with his followers, then tried to overthrow the Nephites in the land by brute force. When that didn't work, and the Amlicites had to flee from the Nephites, the Amlicites joined forces with the Lamanites to return and destroy the Nephites. That's when we get to this verse.

In Alma 2:16, it says that Alma is "at the head of his armies," not trying to protect himself, but to protect his people, fighting with the wicked Amlicites face-to-face. This is a scary prospect. It says in Alma 2: 27 that after the Amlicites joined forces with the Lamanites and returned to defeat the Nephites that those Lamanites + Amlicites were "numerous almost, as it were, as the sands of the sea." The Nephites were relying on their faith in the Lord, and that they were defending their beliefs, their God, and their families.

Alma never flinched from his faith in the Lord and in doing so, he helped his people to be strong during great adversity. The Lord gave him strength to slay Amlici in Alma 2:31, then fight the king of the Lamanites in Alma 2:32. I think it's interesting that with Alma's great faith he slew, and even gave chase, that they might have peace in their lands. Whereas the king of the Lamanites hid behind his guards once he realized that he wasn't going to defeat Alma.

Remembering
Earlier this month, I shared a seven-minute video on the book of Mosiah and how we can turn to the Lord if we always remember. When we get to Alma 4, just eight years after King Mosiah has died, and Zarahemla no longer has a king (they've moved to a system of judges that King Mosiah recommended to prevent an evil king from taking over one day, like King Noah did), we see the effects of people forgetting.

In Alma 1, no one went hungry or naked. Everyone was equal. By Alma 4, just eight years later, there were envyings and strife, and people turning their backs upon the naked and hungry. (Click on image to enlargen or click on links above to go to those scripture chapters.)

It's stunning how little time it takes for people to forget, and for a righteous to become corrupt. It's stunning how many people forgot the words of King Mosiah and how much peace and happiness they had throughout the land. It's a reminder to always remember, and always put the Lord first in our lives. We can't take our blessings and gifts for granted, lest we forget where they come from and that they should be used for good, to serve others, to serve our God. We can't forget that the Lord loves us all equally, no matter the trials we face in our lives, our gender, our age, our titles, or the color of our skin. We are to serve each other as equals, as brothers and sisters united under one God.

As happened in the land of Nephi, when Alma listened to Abinadi and escaped into the wilderness to preach the word of God, there were people in Zarahemla that hadn't forgotten. They were steadfast and immovable. They still fed and clothed the poor and needy. Alma himself stepped down as chief judge, appointing a righteous man in his place, so that he could go out among the people and teach the word of God. He was steadfast and immovable in his conviction and desire to bring people to God. He didn't put a title in front of the value of worthy work, and that's something that Lehi, Nephi, Jacob, Enos, King Mosiah, King Benjamin, King Mosiah's son King Mosiah, Alma, and of course, Alma the Younger himself, all did. It was never about fame, accolades, title, or wealth. It was about serving their people because when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God. (Mosiah 2:17).

Gideon Never Forgot
One final thought I want to share about this section of scriptures, is another one of my favorite scripture heroes, Gideon. Gideon was a brave and intelligent warrior. It says in the scriptures that the wicked Amlici was also a wise man but only "as to the wisdom of the world." (Alma 2:1). Gideon could have defeated King Noah but he let him go because the Lamanites were coming and King Noah lied and said he needed to save his people. Then, when King Noah's people were taken in bondage by the Lamanites, it was Gideon who devised a plan to help them escape and return to Zarahemla (Mosiah 22:3-9). Finally, Gideon died defending the word of God from the wicked Nehor (Alma 1:8), because at that point he was very old, and no longer able to defend himself from the blows of the sword. I admire this courageous man. A lot of his successes were that he never forgot. He ended his life as a martyr for the Lord, never forgetting his Lord, his God.

The Book of Mosiah: Gathered in Zarahemla (Come Follow Me study)

This post covers Mosiah 25-29. The Come Follow Me reading for this week is Mosiah 25-28.

Mosiah may genuinely be one of my favorite books in the Book of Mormon. Every time I read it, I am overwhelmed with the awareness of the goodness of God and his hand in our lives. I say this knowing that so many people suffer so many terrible things in this world, and it doesn't seem right, but I truly believe that He suffers when we suffer. In the grand view of the eternities, our life on earth is but a small drop of time. If we can hang on through the tough times, it will get better, and we will return to our Father in Heaven, where all will be well.

Four Sons of Mosiah Kneeling in Prayer

Photo Source: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints website

I want to focus today's thoughts on three themes that stuck out to me the most in Mosiah 25-29, the last chapters of Mosiah. These are themes I've talked about before from other verses of the Book of Mormon and the Bible, which just reaffirms for me their great importance:

1. The importance of record keeping. 

At this point in the book, all the people that we know of that are trying to follow God have reunited in Zarahemla:

1. The descendants of Zeniff (Limhi and his people) that left for the land of Nephi and then ended up in bondage to the Lamanites have escaped back to Zarahemla.

2. Ammon and King Mosiah's other men who went searching for the descendants of Zeniff have returned to Zarahemla with Limhi and his people.

3. Alma, the prophet who listened to the prophet Abinadi and led 450 faithful people into the wilderness, and were eventually put in bondage by the Lamanites have also escaped and returned to Zarahemla.

4. The wicked priests of Noah that kidnapped Lamanites and ended up with Alma's people have already gone to Zarahemla and changed their names to Nephites because they don't want to be associated with that evil (Mosiah 25:12)

It is because of these records, and the records that were brought together that Mosiah read to the reunited people, that they, and now us, know of their stories. I love picturing the people gathered together as they gasped and reacted to the history as it was shared to the people. (Mosiah 8-11). I related to to Mosiah 25:8 when it says, "For they know not what to think" as it goes through their emotions of great joy and grew sorrow for what happened to their brethern.

Throughout the Book of Mormon, we get updates on who is keeping the records, and how they are being handed off. Near the end of Mosiah, King Mosiah uses seer stones to translate some of the new records that came into his care from all the people gathering in Zarahemla, and then he entrusts them to Alma the Younger, to both care for and to continue the history of his people. (See Mosiah 28:20)

What experiences are you living through now, and what have you learned from them, that can bless others? What legacy do you want to live behind? I was intrigued as a read someone's hand-written history recently how they divided their history: 88% about their personal work history, 5% listing their trips, 4% listing their church positions and one story of faith, and 3% about family that skimmed over spouse, children, and grand-children. What balance do you want in your history? Or do you have one at all? Even writing an annual Christmas newsletter and binding those together could be a decent history. Think of the book of Enos, where Amaron summarized 320 years of the history of his people in just five verses! (Omni, 1:4-8).

2. The blessings of great faith.

Throughout the Book of Mormon and the Bible, there are great stories of mighty faith, and how the Lord blessed them. When Alma has to deal with people that are taken "in divers iniquities" (Mosiah 26:11) he goes to the Lord in prayer about what to do, rather than taking advantage of his power.

The Lord answers him, "Blessed art thou, Alma, and blessed are they who were baptized in the waters of Mormon. Thou art blessed because of they exceeding faith in the words along of my servant Abinadi. And blessed are they because of their exceeding faith in the words alone which thou has spoken unto them."

Remember, those that were baptized in the waters of Mormon had to leave behind their belongs and flee into the wilderness to practice what they believed.

Another area where I saw great faith was after a son of Alma and the sons of Mosiah repented, the sons of Mosiah wanted to return to the land of Nephi to preach repentance. I'm sure Mosiah would have liked to keep his children near and safe, after all, his sons had to plead "for many days," (Mosiah 28:5). Mosiah trusted in the Lord though, who told him, "Let them go up, for many shall believe on their words, and they shall have eternal life; and I will deliver thy sons out of the hands of the Lamanites." (Mosiah 28:7).

3. The importance of loving everyone and what that means.

Mosiah was a good and faithful man. In fact, it says in Mosiah 29:40 that, "... they did wax strong in love towards Mosiah; yea they did esteem him more than any other man; for they did not look upon him as a tyrant who was seeking for gain, yea, for that lucre which doth corrupt the sou; for he had not exacted riches of them, neither had he delighted in the shedding of blood; but he had established peace in the land, and he had granted unto his people that they should be delivered from all manner of bondage; therefore they did esteem him, yea, exceedingly, beyond measure."

His love was selfless.

In addition, he fought for fairness between all groups. It says in Mosiah 27:3-4, "And there was a strict command throughout all the churches that there should be no persecutions among them, that there should be an equality among all men. That they should let no pride nor haughtiness disturb that peace; that every man should esteem his neighbor as himself, laboring with their own hands for their support.

When men were brought before Mosiah that were doing bad things, he asked Alma to figure out what to do, and Alma turned to the Lord (Mosiah 26). They both sought to be fair.

Conclusion
When the book of Mosiah draws to a close, two great men, King Mosiah, and Alma have passed away.

King Mosiah's legacy is one that was esteemed greatly and loved greatly by his people "exceedingly, beyond measure" (Mosiah 29:40).

Alma's legacy was founding the church in the land of Zarahemla, which you can see best through the son that he raised, who "did walk in the ways of the Lord, and he did keep his commandments, and he did judge righteous judgements; and there was continual peace through the land" (Mosiah 29:43).

Alma (the elder) then died at 82, and Mosiah then died at 63, 509 years after Lehi left Jerusalem (Mosiah 29:46).

What an incredible legacy and a story of great faith among so many.

(Video) Turn to the Lord for Peace - The Importance of Remembering

I am so compelled by the story of the people that left Zarahemla and eventually returned to Zarahemla: Zeniff's group, Alma's group that ran away was an off-shoot of Zeniff's group, and Ammon's group that went looking for Zenniff at King Mosiah's request. Also, the people of Zarahemla that the Lord directed to that part of the land in the first place, and Mosiah, King Benjamin's father, who was led by the Lord out of the land of Nephi to the land of Zarahemla.

When I was asked to share a recorded message this week, I thought about the below passage of scriptures that deeply affected me as I was studying them last week. I put my thoughts into a video recording so that you can both listen to my thoughts and watch some slides I made to go with them here. It's seven minutes long.

The talk is centered around these scriptures:

Mosiah 23:25-29 -

25 For behold, it came to pass that while they were in the land of Helam, yea, in the city of Helam, while tilling the land round about, behold an army of the Lamanites was in the borders of the land.

26 Now it came to pass that the brethren of Alma fled from their fields, and gathered themselves together in the city of Helam; and they were much frightened because of the appearance of the Lamanites.

27 But Alma went forth and stood among them, and exhorted them that they should not be frightened, but that they should remember the Lord their God and he would deliver them.

28 Therefore they hushed their fears, and began to cry unto the Lord that he would soften the hearts of the Lamanites, that they would spare them, and their wives, and their children.

29 And it came to pass that the Lord did soften the hearts of the Lamanites. And Alma and his brethren went forth and delivered themselves up into their hands; and the Lamanites took possession of the land of Helam.

Come Follow Me: In the Strength of the Lord - Mosiah 7-10

The themes for Mosiah 7-10 that most stood out for me were learning from our parents, faith during affliction, and the importance of record-keeping. I felt the theme in the Come Follow Me manual for this set of scriptures was a great umbrella term for these themes that stood out for me: "In the Strength of the Lord."

Summary of the history covered in Mosiah 7-10
In Mosiah 7-10, King Mosiah sends 16 strong men, led by Ammon, to find out what happened to the men that left to inhabit the city of Lehi-Nephi, who left with Zeniff. They had never heard from them again. What happened is that Zeniff struck a deal to live peacefully in Nephi-Lehi, and did so for twelve years, before the Lamanites attacked them with King Laman's blessing. From then on, the people of Zeniff had to guard their people, and with God's help, they defeated and slayed 3,043 Lamanites in one day and one night but they also lost 279 of their own brethren. They were watchful from that point forward. 22 years later, King Laman's son had taken reign and the attacks began again. By the time Ammon found the people, they are in bondage, paying a 50% tax on all they had to the Lamanites, a heavy burden.

We learn that this land was huge, and it was a miracle that Ammon found them because a descendent of Zeniff, King Limhi, had also sent people out to find the city of Zarahemla - 43 people that were lost in the wilderness for any days and found a city that had been destroyed, but they never found Zarahemla.

Strength in the Lord
Throughout the story, we learn about how turning to the Lord, or turning away from the Lord, had consequences for people. We learn that the reason the Lamanites were so vile against the descendants of Zeniff was that they held a grudge taught to them by their fathers, that they felt they had been unfairly wronged by Nephi. We have a great responsibility to influence for kindness and good instead of nurturing generations-old grudges that can be based on untruths and often the selfish bending of the truth. Why nurture anger when we can nurture Christ-like attributes that seek to serve and bring kindness to others?

Our decisions can truly affect generations to come. We see this as I have mentioned in the past, with the strong leadership of men like King Benjamin and King Mosiah, who labored with their people and taught the importance of faith, hard work, and obedience to God. We see this in the opening lines of the Book of Mormon, as Nephi declares that he has been born to "goodly parents."

We see this as King Limhi joyfully welcomes Ammon into his land after realizing that he, too, is a descendant of Zarahemla. He holds a meeting of all of his people and focuses on a God of mercy that helps his people through their trials. He says in Mosiah 7:18-20:

"O ye, my people, lift up your heads and be comforted ... put your trust in God, in that God who was the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob; and also, that God who brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, and caused that they should walk through the Red Sea on dry ground, and fed them with manna that they might not perish in the wilderness; and many more things did he do for them. And again, that same God has brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem, and has kept and preserved his people even until now; and behold, it is because of our iniquities and abominations that he has brought us into bondage."

Nurturing Strength in the Lord
Bringing these two strong lessons together, that of being an example in teaching goodness, and that of turning to the Lord, we can see examples of how this happens effectively.

During a Sunday School lesson many months ago, a woman in church shared that she has a young daughter that experiences some anxiety. They read together an account of one of her ancestors that shared that she struggled from anxiety, too! Hearing that her ancestor was just like her, but was still a great woman, brought this child a lot of comfort. This wouldn't have happened if the mother wasn't faithfully following the direction to work on family history, if an ancestor hadn't focused on good record-keeping, and if the mother hadn't worked to instill in her daughter that we can turn to the Lord in our struggles.

In another example shared in the Sunday School manual, Elder Donald L.Hallstrom shared his story in "Turn to the Lord," of grandparents that suffered a devastating loss (their only daughter died in childbirth trying to bear twins) and how they turned to the Lord despite their heartbreak. Years later, another descendant died giving birth at 34, leaving behind four children. Says Hallstrom, "With the example that they had seen in the previous generation, my parents - without hesitation - turned to the Lord for solace."

We can always turn to the Lord in our struggles, and like the quote from King Limhi above shows, the timeline of when the struggle will end is not always clear, but the Lord will provide a way and lift our burdens for us as we faithfully trust in him.

Leaders Labor with their Own Hands

I love being able to read about the history of the descendants of Nephi and some of the qualities that made them good and righteous leaders to their people and to their children. I learn so much from these great examples, and many of the leaders that we read about in the scriptures share similar sentiments.

In Mosiah 1:3, it says of King Benjamin, "And he also taught them concerning the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, saying, 'My sons, I would that ye should remember that were it not for these plates, which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God."

Then, similar to the advice that our modern-day prophet President Thomas S. Monson in his last public address, King Benjamin says in Mosiah 1:7, "And now, my sons, I would that ye should remember to search them diligently, that ye may profit thereby; and I would that ye should keep the commandments of God, that ye may prosper in the land according to the promises which the Lord made unto our fathers."

You can click to enlarge the below chart. I've put together three examples of great leadership from recent scriptures, from three great leaders. Note that in each example, the leaders worked for what they had, and for the common good. I love that King Mosiah, the son of King Benjamin, had learned from his father that it was important to serve others and become "not burdensome to his people,"

Come Follow Me: Mosiah

(Please note: You can click on any image to see it below in larger detail.)

This is the current focus of the Come Follow Me for Individuals and Families reading:

I wanted to recap though, by pointing out that Mosiah is the start of a new section of the Book of Mormon, where the Small Plates that start with Lehi's family leaving Jerusalem now go into the Large Plates that Mormon abridged, with "Words of Mormon" being where Mormon explains the abridgment, like this: Small Plates -> Words of Mormon -> Large Plates, abridged.

What's so fascinating to me about the Small Plates is that that half of the writers wrote very little, even only a few verses so we know that a great deal of time passed and there were probably many incredible stories during those 100s of years that were summed up in one or two sentences, but we don't have those details, except to understand that "we had many seasons of peace; and we had many seasons of serious war and bloodshed." (Omni 1:3).  I've indicated how much time passed and how few of verses were written in the chart above. This makes what few sentences each chose to wrote that much more powerful. I think they chose with care what they finally wrote before they passed the plates along to someone else.

This is so poignant for me now because while the Book of Mormon frequently talks of war, we don't always get to see it from the emotional point of view of the individuals that were living that life. We know it was bad though, as in The Words of Mormon, Mormon laments, "And it is many hundreds of years after the coming of Christ that I deliver these records into the hands of my son; and it supposeth me that he will witness the entire destruction of my people." (Mormon 1:2) 

He ends his short 18 verses about his abridgment by saying in verse 18, "Wherefore, with the help of these, King Benjamin, by laboring with all the might of his body and the faulty of his whole soul, and also the prophets, did one more establish peace in the land."

I love this, because we learned that just like our humble Savior, King Benjamin served among his people, and taught his son, the future King Mosiah, to also humbly serve. King Benjamin says:

This message of hope and goodness is consistent as we turn to our prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, and other worthy sources, like the Book of Mormon, to guide us through a global crisis that is giving us just the tiniest glimpse of a world at war. Their focus is on keeping the commandments of God, having a home-centered church, and on serving others, because when we "are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God" (Mosiah 2:17). Less than a week ago, the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a letter sharing some of their global efforts to bring relief to others, including an invitation for anyone that wants to, to help serve in these efforts by contributing in ways like joining in the effort to make masks.

It's interesting comparing some of the last words King Benjamin spoke to his people in a large gathering and the last words that our previous and beloved prophet, President Monson, spoke to his people in a large gathering. I compared these two especially because in Mosiah 2:30, King Benjamin, recognizing that he has reached the ends of his years on earth says, "For even at this time, my whole frame doth tremble exceedingly while attempting to speak unto you; but the Lord God doth support me, and hath suffered me that I should speak unto you ..." We have seen our modern day prophets in our last days, and the photo I chose to use below is from President Monson's last General Conference talk, when his frame did tremble, too, as he was nearing the end of his goodly life on this earth.

King Benjamin:

King Benjamin goes on to say, in verse 41, "And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of neverending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it."

President Thomas S. Monson in his parting words taught of the importance of studying and pondering the Book of Mormon to protect us from sin and evil and be in a position to hear the voice of the Spirit:

I am grateful to read from inspired prophets in ancient times and hear their voice in modern times, that their message is consistent, that we are children of God, and that we can turn to God. I look to the last words that President Russell M. Nelson shared during April 2020 General Conference, in a talk called "Go Forward in Faith,":

      " The many inspiring components of this April 2020 general conference—and the sacred week that we now begin—can be summarized by two divinely decreed words: 'Hear Him.;¹ We pray that your focus on Heavenly Father, who spoke those words, and on His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, will loom largest in your memories of all that has transpired. We pray that you will begin anew truly to hear, hearken to, and heed the words of the Savior.² I promise that decreased fear and increased faith will follow.

      Thank you for your desire to make your homes true sanctuaries of faith, where the Spirit of the Lord may dwell. Our gospel study curriculum, Come, Follow Me, will continue to bless your lives. Your consistent efforts in this endeavor—even during those moments when you feel that you are not being particularly successful—will change your life, that of your family, and the world. We will be strengthened as we become even more valiant disciples of the Lord, standing up and speaking up for Him, wherever we are."

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Want to learn more about my faith?

I believe the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. We learn from people in ancient times about how to be a follower of Christ. You can email me at esumnertime@gmail.com if you'd like me to send you a free copy of this book or to learn more about my faith. You can also visit https://www.comeuntochrist.org/ to learn more about the Savior, Jesus Christ, and how learning about him and what he taught when he was here on earth has enriched my life.

Learning from Jacob and Enos, a wise father and son

I often thought about Enos while I was studying and teaching from the New Testament last year. He didn't contribute many words to the Book of Mormon but he showed great faith. The one chapter that he wrote was invaluable. While I was studying Jacob 5-7 and Enos over the last two weeks, these are the things that struck me the most.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media-library/images/enos-praying-900652?lang=eng

1. The reiteration of the importance of what they were doing with recording and focusing on what their descendants needed to read and learn from their records.

Lehi, Nephi, Jacob, and Enos likely didn't imagine the concept of the printing press and copy machines, let alone digital copies. They knew they were writing for others to read and learn but were they able to understand the scope, that their words would translated and printed over and over again and brought to all the lands?

Nephi stated that they were writing this book to "persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved." (1 Nephi 6:4). Yet, I wonder if he realized that he would be persuading many so many generations later. These words were being written and guarded by single individuals! How simple, from a father (Lehi) to a son (Nephi) to a brother (Jacob) to a son (Enos).

When we think of this being such a personal thing, how does that apply to you? Do you keep a journal? If so, do you make sure to write down the insights and the moments that turned you closer to God, and to having a clear focus on what you are doing in this life? There is a very popular professor at the University of Utah, that goes by the name of Dr. Abe. He shares that he writes in his journal daily, then reviews it at the end of the week, pondering what he has learned, what he can do better, how he served in the world around him. It makes the written word so meaningful and purposeful. How can we be like the faithful Lehi, Nephi, Jacob, and Enos?

2. The faith the followers of God showed in going into the wilderness, recording the records, and following instructions that they didn't always fully understand. 

In Jacob 4:10, Jacob advised, "Wherefore, brethern, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works."

When Jacob was nearing the end of his life, he concluded his record by sharing the faith it took to live his life, stating, "I conclude this record, declaring that I have written according to the best of my knowledge, by saying that the time passed away with us, and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream, we being a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jersualem, born in tribulation, in a wilderness, and hated of our brethern, which caused wars and contention; wherefore we did mourn out our days." (Jacob 7:26).

When Enos subsequently inherited the plates to share he told his story about praying fervently, and how his "soul hungered" (Enos 1:4) and how he "cried unto him in mighty prayer" (Enos 1:4). The Lord answered Enos' prayer for forgiveness, then Enos prayed for his people. He prayed sincerely, with great desire for forgiveness from the Lord, and as a result, the Lord spoke to him in his mind, and Enos said, "my faith began to be unshaken in the Lord" (Enos 1:11).

3. The importance of being good parents and good examples to others.

Enos starts his records by calling his father, "a just man - for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition fo the Lord - and blessed be the name of my God for it." (Enos 1:1). This reminds me of the opening verse to the Book of Mormon, written by Enos' uncle, Nephi, "I Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in the all the learning of my father ..." (1 Nephi 1:1).

When Lehi had a vision and shared it with his family, Nephi showed respect to his father by first listening to him, but then faithfully praying himself to learn what his father had learned.

These were good children that were motivated by good examples in their lives. Of course, there were those, like Laman and Lemuel, who chose not to follow the great example they were given but they were all given the opportunity to choose.

4. Missionary work
Some recurring things jumped out at as me as well, from studying the New Testament last year and what Lehi, Nephi, and Jacob already stated in previous chapters.

The theme of missionary work was on my mind as American missionaries from around the world are trying to make their way home (as a safety precaution and a response to the Covid-19 pandemic). I have several nephews that have made the difficult trek back, stuck in airports waiting for new flights to open, and not knowing exactly where they are going to be in a day, or a month from now.

Yet, no matter how they serve and where they serve, they follow the direction from Jacob in Jacob 1:7, "Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his rest ..."

Yet, like the people in Enos time, they continue to serve in faith, even when sometimes "our strugglings were in vain in restoring them to the true faith."

Conclusion
We are living through a difficult trial right now, with a lot of unknowns regarding the progression of Covid-19. Luckily, we have prophets, past and present, that can guide us through these trying times. I'm astounded by the new things I learn from them every time I read their words. I look forward to their continued wisdom as I navigate the world we live in today, and as I listen to Jacob, who advised, "O, be wise; what can I say more?" (Jacob 6:12).