Perhaps Until the Day I Die

We have been following Alma the Younger's experiences for a while, and now we get to hear about the experiences of the sons of Mosiah during the same time frame. These men were with Alma when he was visited by the angel, and he had his life-altering experience. They too saw and heard the angel speak, and were similarly changed.

They all went to preach the Gospel to the Lamanites.  Their desire was to share their testimonies and help them come to a knowledge of their Redeemer.

First we get to hear about Ammon's experience. We hear about how he approached the land of Ishmael, where Lamoni was king. Ammon was captured and brought before Lamoni.

I think it is Lamoni's intention to figure out what a Nephite would be doing coming into his land, so he asks him "if were his desire to dwell in the land among the Lamanites, or among his people.

Ammon's response tells a lot about his commitment to his purpose of sharing his knowledge of the Redeemer with these people:

"And Ammon said unto him: Yea, I desire to dwell among this people for a time; yea, and perhaps until the day I die." (Alma 17:23)

The reality is, Ammon didn't know how it was going to end up. Maybe the Lamanites were bloodthirsty enough that they would kill him. Maybe he would spend the rest of his entire life just trying to teach, but being rejected.  It didn't really matter to him how it ended up, though, because he was committed to his cause. 

I think Lamoni probably sensed something good in Ammon, as he offered to let Ammon marry one of his daughters. Ammon refused and just said "I will be thy servant".

We can learn a lot from Ammon about how to share the gospel. He didn't come in saying "I'm here to teach you the gospel". He just wanted to serve. Opportunities to share the gospel will come naturally as you serve and learn to love the people you serve and will eventually teach. This is just as true in life as a non-full-time missionary. We serve people, and give them respect and kindness, and perhaps at some point, we have the opportunity to share the gospel with them.

I think one thing that amazes me about Ammon is his level of commitment to the cause. He didn't just show up on Lamoni's door saying "I'm here for 18 months to 2 years to share the gospel with as many people as possible." He just went among the people to teach and without some deadline, he was just willing to serve those people and maybe, just maybe, at some point, share the gospel and the knowledge of the Savior with them. That's commitment.