Missionaries to the Lamanites

In the Book of Mormon there is an incredible story of brothers who learned the gospel of Jesus Christ from their father. Their father was the leader of the Nephites, but these sons preferred preaching the gospel to ruling over the people. They first preached to their brethren the Nephites throughout the land of Zarahemla. After that they desired as well to preach to the Lamanites, and they went up to the land of Nephi amongst their enemies to invite them to repent. They suffered greatly at the hand of the Lamanites and the Nephite dissenters there, but they were protected in miraculous ways by the Lord. The brothers taught with power and authority, and eventually there were thousands of Lamanites who were converted to the Lord because of their efforts. The converted Lamanites laid down their weapons of war and rejected their hatred and wicked tradition of their fathers. They desired to make it right to the Nephites and to have communication again with them. The missionaries were filled with joy and greatly blessed by the Lord.     

                Most readers familiar with the Book of Mormon would immediately recognize the above paragraph as a description of the missionary efforts of the sons of Mosiah. And they would be right—that is an accurate telling of their story. But it is also an accurate description in every detail of the missionary labors of Nephi and Lehi, the sons of Helaman, who just like the sons of Mosiah went among the Lamanites and had incredible missionary success there among them. Perhaps we do not know their story as well because we do not have as many details about it or as many chapters devoted to it, but I believe we should remember more often and talk more frequently about the incredible account of Nephi and Lehi’s missionary labors. They were cast into prison among the Lamanites and were about to be slain when they “were encircled about as if by fire, even insomuch that [the Lamanites] durst not lay their hands upon them for fear lest they should be burned. Nevertheless, Nephi and Lehi were not burned; and they were as standing in the midst of fire and were not burned.” Instead of speaking negatively towards those who had just been about to kill them, they called out, “Fear not, for behold, it is God that has shown unto you this marvelous thing, in the which is shown unto you that ye cannot lay your hands on us to slay us.” Like Alma and Amulek, the walls of the prison shook, but unlike that story among the people of Ammonihah, the prison walls didn’t come down on the Lamanites. Instead, the voice of the Lord was heard by all: “And it came to pass that there came a voice as if it were above the cloud of darkness, saying: Repent ye, repent ye, and seek no more to destroy my servants whom I have sent unto you to declare good tidings.” I love the description of these Nephite missionaries whom the Lord miraculously protected: “And Nephi and Lehi were in the midst of them; yea, they were encircled about; yea, they were as if in the midst of a flaming fire, yet it did harm them not, neither did it take hold upon the walls of the prison; and they were filled with that joy which is unspeakable and full of glory. And behold, the Holy Spirit of God did come down from heaven, and did enter into their hearts, and they were filled as if with fire, and they could speak forth marvelous words.” This incredible experience is then recorded: “And it came to pass that there came a voice unto them, yea, a pleasant voice, as if it were a whisper, saying: Peace, peace be unto you, because of your faith in my Well Beloved, who was from the foundation of the world. And now, when they heard this they cast up their eyes as if to behold from whence the voice came; and behold, they saw the heavens open; and angels came down out of heaven and ministered unto them. And there were about three hundred souls who saw and heard these things” (Helaman 5:23, 36, 44-49). A scene which started out as an execution turned into a profound spiritual manifestation with an invitation from the voice of God to repent and to have peace through the Son of God. In the end the experience wasn’t even really about Nephi and Lehi but rather it was centered on Jesus Christ as this people was taken from darkness to light and invited to have faith in Christ. The miraculous conversion of these Lamanites through the courageous missionary efforts of Nephi and Lehi is a story that deserves to be told again and again to encourage each of us to likewise repent and come out of darkness into the light of Christ.