Alma 26:23-30

23 Now do ye remember, my brethren, that we said unto our brethren in the land of Zarahemla, we go up to the land of Nephi, to preach unto our brethren, the Lamanites, and they laughed us to scorn?

24 For they said unto us: Do ye suppose that ye can bring the Lamanites to the knowledge of the truth? Do ye suppose that ye can convince the Lamanites of the incorrectness of the traditions of their fathers, as stiffnecked a people as they are; whose hearts delight in the shedding of blood; whose days have been spent in the grossest iniquity; whose ways have been the ways of a transgressor from the beginning? Now my brethren, ye remember that this was their language.

25 And moreover they did say: Let us take up arms against them, that we destroy them and their iniquity out of the land, lest they overrun us and destroy us.

26 But behold, my beloved brethren, we came into the wilderness not with the intent to destroy our brethren, but with the intent that perhaps we might save some few of their souls.

27 Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success.

28 And now behold, we have come, and been forth amongst them; and we have been patient in our sufferings, and we have suffered every privation; yea, we have traveled from house to house, relying upon the mercies of the world—not upon the mercies of the world alone but upon the mercies of God.

29 And we have entered into their houses and taught them, and we have taught them in their streets; yea, and we have taught them upon their hills; and we have also entered into their temples and their synagogues and taught them; and we have been cast out, and mocked, and spit upon, and smote upon our cheeks; and we have been stoned, and taken and bound with strong cords, and cast into prison; and through the power and wisdom of God we have been delivered again.

30 And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some. (Alma 26:23-30)

Ammon continues.

Ammon tells us when they made it known they were going into the land of Nephi to preach the gospel to the Lamanites, “they laughed us to scorn” (Alma 26:23). This is the first time we read of this.

“The four missionary sons of Mosiah did not choose the easy course. Their choice was neither convenient, nor popular: They gave up the kingship. ‘Mosiah had no one to confer the kingdom upon’ (Mosiah 28:10)—they were all on missions. Serving a mission wasn’t necessarily accepted. They were ridiculed even by other members of the Church … Their choice to serve a mission was not one of convenience.”[1]

Ammon tells us they could not convince the Lamanites the traditions of their fathers was incorrect. This was one of the motivations which led Ammon and his brethren to embark on their mission to the Lamanites.

“That perhaps they might bring them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and convince them of the iniquity of their fathers; and that perhaps they might cure them of their hatred towards the Nephites, that they might also be brought to rejoice in the Lord their God, that they might become friendly to one another, and that there should be no more contentions in all the land which the Lord their God had given them” (Mosiah 28:2).

They were told further they were a hard-hearted people. They delighted in the shedding of blood. They commit the grossest of iniquity. Rather then preach to the Lamanites, the Nephites instead should attack and destroy them before the Lamanites destroy them.

Instead, they went forth with the intent of preaching to them, saving some of their souls.

There came a time when they were depressed and were ready to turn back. Once again, we read about events which Mormon did not include in his abridgement of the plates.

The Lord would comfort them. “And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his Spirit, and said unto them: Be comforted. And they were comforted” (Alma 17:10). The Lord told them to continue their mission and patiently bear their afflictions. “And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls” (Alma 17:11).

If they do this, they were promised success.

“The sons of Mosiah needed that gift of peace as they embarked on their mission to the Lamanites. With more than a little anxiety as they sensed the greatness of their task, they prayed for reassurance. And ‘the Lord did visit them with his Spirit, and said unto them: Be comforted. And they were comforted’ (Alma 17:10; see also Alma 26:27).

“At times, you may long for peace as you face uncertainty and what seem to you to be looming challenges. The sons of Mosiah learned the lesson that the Lord taught to Moroni. It is a guide for us all: ‘If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all [who] humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them’ (Ether 12:27).”[2]

While among the Lamanites, they were patient in their sufferings. They traveled from house-to-house relying on God’s mercies, not the mercies of the world.

They taught them in their houses, streets, hills, temples, and synagogues. “Yea, [King Lamoni’s father] sent a decree among them, that [his subjects] should not lay their hands on them to bind them, or to cast them into prison; neither should they spit upon them, nor smite them, nor cast them out of their synagogues, nor scourge them; neither should they cast stones at them, but that they should have free access to their houses, and also their temples, and their sanctuaries” (Alma 23:2).

They were cast out, mocked, spit upon, beaten, bound with ropes, and suffered all types of afflictions. “And when Ammon did meet [Aaron and his brethren] he was exceedingly sorrowful, for behold they were naked, and their skins were worn exceedingly because of being bound with strong cords. And they also had suffered hunger, thirst, and all kinds of afflictions; nevertheless they were patient in all their sufferings” (Alma 20:29).

Through their faith and the power of God, they have been delivered from their sufferings.

And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some.

They were willing to suffer these persecutions so they might have been the means of saving some souls by being the means of saving some of the Lamanites. Through this, their joy would be full.

“And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

“And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me” (D&C 18:15-16).

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[1] Sacrifice in the Service, Elder Harold G. Hillam, October 1995 General Conference.

[2] “My Peace I Leave with You,” President Henry B. Eyring, April 2017 General Conference.