Lay Down His Life for My Sake

After Alma escaped from King Noah and recorded the words of Abinadi, he repented and began to secretly teach the people. Mormon recorded that “he taught them privately, that it might not come to the knowledge of the king.” Clearly Alma knew the risk he was taking. He knew that Abinadi had been killed for what he preached and that the king would likely execute him as well if what he was doing became known to King Noah. And yet, he continued to preach despite the great danger to himself and those who listened to his words. They met “in the borders of the land, that they might not come to the knowledge of the king,” but eventually the king did find out that something was happening among his people and Alma was discovered. “And now the king said that Alma was stirring up the people to rebellion against him; therefore he sent his army to destroy them.” But the Lord helped Alma find out about this, and they “they took their tents and their families and departed into the wilderness” (Mosiah 18:3, 31, 33-34). Alma had, following the example of Abinadi, risked his life to preach the gospel to his people and nearly been killed by the king’s army. But the Lord saw fit to preserve him and his new converts, and they escaped and ultimately were able to join the Nephites in Zarahemla and receive all the blessings of the gospel. Their story highlights the need for all of us to have courage in the gospel and to live by these words from the Lord: “Let no man be afraid to lay down his life for my sake; for whoso layeth down his life for my sake shall find it again. And whoso is not willing to lay down his life for my sake is not my disciple” (Doctrine and Covenants 103:27-28).

                Maria Louisa de Jesus Lopes da Silva from Angola was another who, like Alma, was not afraid to risk her life for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ. She fled her country to Portugal when she was pregnant with her first child to escape the violence of Angola’s civil war. While there she was baptized, and eventually she began to feel the desire to return to Angola and help establish the Church there. An account of her life describes, “In 1990, despite the ongoing violence of the civil war that was still raging, Maria decided to return to Angola. Knowing that there was no Church presence there, she acquired copies of all the Church lesson materials that she could find and packed them in her luggage.” She left the relative safety of Europe to return to her war-torn country so she could share the gospel with the people there. Her story continues: “In Luanda, Maria, the only baptized member of the Church permanently living in Angola, began hosting simple worship services each Sunday and invited friends, family, and neighbors to join her. ‘I started gathering people,’ Maria said. ‘I was always bringing people to learn about the Church.’ Using the manuals she had brought with her, Maria taught all the lessons: priesthood, Relief Society, Sunday School, and Primary. For nearly two years, Maria organized meetings, put together a choir, and taught lessons to the ever-growing group.” In 1992 she had the opportunity to meet with Elder Earl C. Tingey of the Seventy, and he asked her for help to gain official recognition of the Church in Angola. So, she did just that: “The paperwork in hand, Maria set out to hand deliver the application to the appropriate government office, on the way walking past bodies that still lay in the streets, killed as a result of the civil war. In the office, an official told her that many churches had applications ahead of hers and she had little hope. Receiving a strong impression from the Spirit that she should continue, Maria told the official she would trust the Lord and submitted the application. ‘Lord,’ she prayed that evening, ‘Let’s move forward. … Please help us.’ The Church received recognition two weeks later. Many of the converts brought to the Church by Maria were baptized shortly after.” She had served the Lord and the people in Angola just like Alma had done, teaching and testifying and risking her life for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because of her the Church was officially organized and the work moved forward. She and Alma both learned to live by these words of Paul: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).