Sacrament Meeting a la Maren

This was my favorite talk on Sunday (I wonder why):
What We Can Learn from the Book of Mormon
by Maren Lightheart
In the Book of Mormon on the title page, the purpose of the Book of Mormon is explained. It tells us that the Book of Mormon was written “to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever—And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all nations—And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ.
This introduction states that the purpose of this wonderful book is to bring people unto Christ and to let them know that He is our Savior and Redeemer, the Eternal God.
There are many stories and teachings in the Book of Mormon that can help us come unto Christ and help us know Him as our Savior. Some of my favorites are when Christ came to the Americas, Moroni raising the Title of Liberty, the 2000 stripling warriors, and Nephi retrieving the plates. Each of these stories are a great of example of faith, obedience, and courage and teach me of the importance of the gospel in my life and bring me closer to Christ.
In the book of Alma, Chapters 18 and 19, Ammon is preaching unto the Lamanite King, Lamoni. In Chapter 18, after hearing Ammon teach him of Christ and preach him the gospel, King Lamoni feels the spirit and falls to the ground as if he were dead. In Chapter 19, after hearing the word of God the same thing happens to the Queen, Ammon, and the servants of the king. Among those present was a woman named Abish who did not fall to the ground. She had been converted at an earlier time and knew that it was the power of God. She brought many people to come see that King, the Queen and the servants so that she could manifest unto them the power of God. Before the conversion of Lamoni and his people, the Lamanites did not have the truth, but Abish had been converted to the Lord and recognized the hand of the Lord. She was able to keep her faith, although those around her did not believe as she did.
Our family, being very busy during the day, has scripture time in the morning. We brought some fun into this story in a few ways this year. My mom, who is always joking and fun, started using different voices for the people. It was almost like a play. We had assigned parts to read and act out and when they all fell to the earth, so did we. This for me made the story feel more real and brought quite a few laughs.
This story about Abish, helped me by showing me that even though I may be surrounded by temptations and people around me that do not believe as I do, I can still live my life by following Christ’s example and standing up for what I know is right. I had an experience last December in which I stood up for something that I know is right. It was not easy because there were those around me that tried to persuade me to do otherwise, even some of my coaches. They didn’t understand why I would choose to do this, but I stood fast and kept strong in my decision. This experience helped draw me closer to Christ as I prayed for help and felt the spirit in my life more strongly.
The Book of Mormon can teach us many things. The more we read it, the closer we can be to Heavenly Father. If we follow Christ’s example through reading the scriptures and living our lives with faith and obedience like his chosen servants in the scriptures, we can be happier in this life and find joy in the life to come. I know the Book of Mormon is true, because I can feel the spirit as we read it as a family and personally. I’m grateful for the things it teaches me and the help it gives me. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.