Book of Mormon 26 - “Converted unto the Lord”

The sons of Mosiah were wonderful missionaries. They stayed close to the Lord and were directed by the Spirit. As a result, “…thousands were brought to the knowledge of the Lord…I say unto you, as the Lord liveth, as many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away” (Alma 23:5-6). The converted Lamanites became so righteous that they laid down their weapons, never to pick them up again. The power of their faith and courage is a wonderful example to all who aim at living a righteous life. I was inspired by hearing that none of those who were converted by these brethren, ever fell away from the truth. That is astonishing!

The Anti-Nephi-Lehis

Since the restoration of the gospel, we have heard accounts of amazing missionaries who converted thousands of people. The Spirit has always been instrumental in leading these missionaries to souls who have been prepared to receive the truthfulness of the Restored Gospel. Elder Wilford Woodruff was a missionary of this calibre. He was led to a pivotal convert, Thomas Kington, Superintendent of the United Brethren. This group had broken away from the Primitive Methodists. They had forty lay preachers who had been teaching and baptising when Elder Woodruff first moved into the Greater Herefordshire area. Thomas Kington had been teaching daily prayer and the importance of the family. Gospel principles were readily accepted by members of the United Brethren and hundreds were baptised by Elder Woodruff (Whittaker, D.J. Harvest in Herefordshire. Ensign, Jan. 1987).

President Wilford Woodruff

On the African continent there are many other examples of the conversion of thousands of Saints who were prepared by the Lord to receive the Restored Gospel. Elder Dale LeBaron, from Johannesburg, South Africa, spent three and a half months interviewing African converts in ten African countries (Ghana, Nigeria, Zaire, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Ciskei, Transkei, Swaziland, and the Mauritius and Réunion Islands) for the Department of International Studies at Brigham Young University. In Gospel Pioneers in Africa (Ensign, Aug, 1990), Elder LeBaron discussed some of the many converts and their stories. Many of these stories are shown in the Living Scriptures Church History Docudrama called A Legacy of Faith.

Prior to 1978, when the Priesthood became available to all men, there were many unbaptised converts in African countries who sought for the truth, read Church literature, and received inspired direction through the Spirit. “Their faith penetrated the spiritual darkness as they shared their newfound knowledge and conviction generously with neighbours” (LeBaron, 1990). One of these converts was Joseph W.B. Johnson. He was converted after reading the Book of Mormon in 1964. He received a personal revelation of the truthfulness contained in these scriptures and then shared the message of the Book of Mormon with others. 14 years later, when the missionaries first made contact with Brother Johnson, he had already organised many unbaptised congregations, calling themselves The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Many accepted the message of the missionaries.

In Nigeria, Anthony Obinna had also prepared souls for the missionaries. In the late 1960s, Anthony had a night vision of a man in the most beautiful room he had ever seen. He later saw a photo of the Salt Lake Temple in the Reader’s Digest magazine, and recognised the room and the building from his dream. He wrote to Church Headquarters requesting LDS literature. When the missionaries finally arrived in Nigeria, they found many people prepared for the gospel.

Anthony Obinna and early Nigerian Saints

Conversion is a process that influences the convert deeply. Thinking about converts and change made me think of my father’s baptism. Although the story is light-hearted, it is very memorable, and very special to me. My father was baptised just in time to progress in his Priesthood enough to baptise me when I turned eight years of age.

In his youth, my father was educated in the navy. His family life was almost non-existent. He qualified himself as a dance teacher and, later, a mining engineer. My father was a heavy smoker and liked his whiskey. My mother joined the church 11 years before my father. Over these years, it was hard for the family, especially my mother. I remember my dad smoking in the house and mum running around opening doors, spray can in hand. Dad always used to say she was making a fuss over nothing. That was, until he quit smoking and could not tolerate anyone else smoking in the house!

My dad

Anyway, in April 1965, my father asked if he could talk to the missionaries. My mum panicked, thinking he was going to stop them from coming to our home. When they arrived, my dad said he wanted to speak to the missionaries privately. My mum panicked even more! He was cloistered in the kitchen for well over an hour with the missionaries. When he came out, he said he had an announcement to make. He said he was going to be baptised. My poor mum turned a most peculiar shade and nearly fainted. That was not what she had expected to hear! We were all over-joyed.

I will never forget the day my dad was baptised. We lived in Mt Wellington and had to travel through to Papatoetoe to use a chapel with a baptismal font. Now, today, the trip would take about 20 minutes, as there is a direct route from one place to the other. In those days, the route was long and circuitous, as the land between Mt Wellington and Papatoetoe was marshy and undeveloped.

My dad was known for his quick, hot temper. He could never tolerate idiots. He was also never averse to letting them know exactly how he felt, in the most colourful language! Anyway, we were travelling along happily in the car, when an idiot on a motorcycle failed to stop at an intersection and my dad had to swerve to avoid hitting him. The motor cyclist jammed on brakes, skidded and ended up prone on the kerb, next to our car.

My dad started to wind down his window. We saw the lines of anger. We saw the redness rise from his neck, to his chin, his ears, then to his forehead. We knew what was coming. We felt quite sorry for the young man lying on the roadside. He could read the reaction in my father’s face. My dad opened his mouth to speak. Suddenly, the thought must have crossed his mind… “I am on the way to my baptism”. When he spoke, it was, “You…” (loudly, followed by a pause) “…you…” (with less conviction, followed by another pause), “…you… naughty boy!” We all burst into gales of laughter. That was not the usual comment he would have uttered under duress! It was delightful! We literally giggled all the way to the chapel. Now that was a change that was worth witnessing!

In a way my father’s story reminds me of the Anti-Nephi-Lehis. They made a unique covenant with the Lord that they felt obligated strongly to follow. They became peaceable followers of Christ. When my father joined the Church he also made a commitment to the Lord that he would be more in control of his temper, his words, and his behaviour. He made that change. Within 18 months of his baptism, my dad was made bishop of the Auckland 13^th Ward.

I always count my blessings as a member of the Church. I love psalms that ring with gratitude and praise. I have even tried to write one myself (see Book of Mormon Lesson 7 blog post). In Alma 26 we find the Psalm of Ammon and in Alma 29 we find the Psalm of Alma. I love both of these chapters.

In the Psalm of Ammon we hear Ammon’s words of gratitude. His heart is brimming with joy and he rejoices in his God. He has already proved to be a man of courage and faith and a great missionary, yet he is still humble. It always amazes me that our greatest prophets have been the humblest of men. I recall when Nephi was quoting the words of Isaiah, “…Woe is unto me; for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips…” (2 Nephi 16:5, also Isaiah 6:5). Ammon shows this same humility. In Alma 26:12 he says, “…I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things…” His reliance on the Lord’s strength is inspirational.

In Alma 26:16, Ammon states, “I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.” I am sure we have all felt like this at some point. I have often tried to bear my testimony, only to find the words do not convey the depth of what I feel, the gratitude to my Saviour, and my conviction of the truthfulness of the gospel.

One part of Ammon’s psalm was particularly relevant to me. In Alma 26:27, Ammon states, “Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us…” I have witnessed the insidious nature of depression, after having one of my own children diagnosed with severe clinical depression. All my life I have been mildly bipolar, so I know the emptiness of depression. I know that the comfort of the Lord is the best healing power. I wish I could share this with anyone who suffers, has suffered, or will suffer from the ugliness of depression. The best source of comfort and light is the Redeemer and His love. A talk from the October 2015 General Conference brought peace to my soul. The talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Will Do Wonders Among You, was so poignant and comforting. He said, “His divine love and unfailing help will be with us even when we struggle - no, will be with us especially when we struggle.”

In Alma 29, the Psalm of Alma, Alma glories in the Lord. In Alma 29:9, he states, “I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.” Alma rejoiced when he heard about the missionary success of the sons of Mosiah. Alma had an “Abundance Mentality”, and not a “Scarcity Mentality” (Dr. Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People). The Scarcity Mentality sees success as a pie – if you have a piece of the pie, there is now less for me. The Abundance Mentality sees success as infinite. We can have an Abundance Mentality and realise that the success of others does not detract from our own success. Like Alma, we can be filled with joy at the successes of our friends and family members.

I was struck by the importance of missionary work when I read Alma 29. In Alma 29:15 we read, “Behold, they have laboured exceedingly, and have brought forth much fruit; and how great shall be their reward!” In Faith Precedes the Miracle, President Spencer W. Kimball (2001, p. 280) stated, “…each good deed, each testimony, each proselyting effort, each safeguard thrown about others is like a blanket over one’s own sins.” I, for one, want and need that blanket!