Let's talk about Alma!
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| "And they were in number about two hundred and four souls." Abinadi's daily planner said zero. |
Of all the missionary stories from the Book of Mormon, one of my favorites is the story of Alma and Abinadi. Alma the Elder's conversion teaches us something that we must understand if we are to become successful missionaries and members. That is, the way to measure success. All to often, we missionaries get caught up in numbers. Members, on the other hand, have trouble seeing the fruits of their efforts at all. Eventually, it gets to the point that you think: "why do I even try? Nothing happened last time, why would anything happen this time?"
This is where we begin to draw on Abinadi's experience. Now, if you haven't read this story, I would highly suggest doing so: Mosiah chapter 17 and 18. However, for those who want a refresher, I'll do my best:
~ Abinadi is imprisoned for prophesying of the destruction of King Noah and his people ~ He is brought before King Noah and his council (Alma is one of the council members) ~ Abinadi preaches again ~ He is put to death ~ Alma believes his word and preaches to the people ~ Alma leads a group of believers into the wilderness, to escape King Noah ~ Alma ends up baptizing all the believers in the Waters of Mormon ~
The moral of the story: the fruits of your efforts are not always visible. Giving someone a pass-along card or a Book of Mormon may seem ridiculous to you. I mean, how many times have you been given something on the street and then thrown it away as soon as you're out of sight? As digital missionaries, we pour countless hours into things that we have no idea who or how many will see. Blogs, emails, Facebook posts; we are often only able to see one side of the missionary work.
And yet, I can recount to you hundreds of conversion stories that start with "well, he was given a Book of Mormon 10 years ago." I hope to soon hear "well, he looked up what a Mormon was online and found this blog." The thing is, we shouldn't have to see the other side to know that missionary work is essential. There's always an Alma out there. If the Lord knows He can rely on you to speak with those in your path, then He will put Almas in your path.
This is where we begin to draw on Abinadi's experience. Now, if you haven't read this story, I would highly suggest doing so: Mosiah chapter 17 and 18. However, for those who want a refresher, I'll do my best:
~ Abinadi is imprisoned for prophesying of the destruction of King Noah and his people ~ He is brought before King Noah and his council (Alma is one of the council members) ~ Abinadi preaches again ~ He is put to death ~ Alma believes his word and preaches to the people ~ Alma leads a group of believers into the wilderness, to escape King Noah ~ Alma ends up baptizing all the believers in the Waters of Mormon ~
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| Unfortunately, the Alma's aren't always wearing hats... |
The moral of the story: the fruits of your efforts are not always visible. Giving someone a pass-along card or a Book of Mormon may seem ridiculous to you. I mean, how many times have you been given something on the street and then thrown it away as soon as you're out of sight? As digital missionaries, we pour countless hours into things that we have no idea who or how many will see. Blogs, emails, Facebook posts; we are often only able to see one side of the missionary work.
And yet, I can recount to you hundreds of conversion stories that start with "well, he was given a Book of Mormon 10 years ago." I hope to soon hear "well, he looked up what a Mormon was online and found this blog." The thing is, we shouldn't have to see the other side to know that missionary work is essential. There's always an Alma out there. If the Lord knows He can rely on you to speak with those in your path, then He will put Almas in your path.
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