Teens & Seminary

On July 24th those of us who live in Utah will celebrate Pioneer Day, or the day the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed the Mormon Church)first arrived in this area.

Whenever I think of the pioneers, those who left behind homes, farms, most of their earthly possessions, and sometimes even family members, there is a hymn that comes to mind. It was written by a young man by the name of William Clayton.

William was only 23 when he first joined the Mormon Church over in England. He was an intelligent young man, well-educated, good with figures and had excellent penmenship (something not really thought about today in the computer age). He and his wife emmigrated to the United States, hoping to meet the prophet Joseph Smith in Nauvoo, Illinois.

His talents were quickly recognized and he was soon put to work as a scribe and secretary. After the martyrdom of the prophet Joseph, William chose to follow Brigham Young, then presiding leader of the Church, to a new place.

You see, since the dawning of this new religion the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had been repeatedly driven from their homes. The Church's headquarters moved from city to city, over many states, until at last they knew it was time to head far out toward the west in the hopes of at last obtaining some peace.

A large group of families, including William, left in early February. At that time the snow was in the process of melting, the dirt roads were thawing and mixing with the slush, creating giant mud pits. The going was not easy.

David B. Haight, an apostle of the Lord, stated:

They left in February; it was now April. Slogging through the fields with the wagons and the horses and the teams and the rain and the mud in Iowa, they were discouraged. The going was difficult, people were dying, and babies were born. They were moving slowly, only traveling a few miles a day. In their discouragement, William Clayton wrote in his journal that he sat on a wagon tongue and wrote a song, hoping it would encourage and give some renewed hope and faith to the Saints.

So he wrote “Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear.” It was difficult. They were discouraged. “But with joy wend your way. / Though hard to you this journey may appear, / Grace shall be as your day.” He was giving them encouragement to keep going, that the situation would get better.

Then he wrote those wonderful lines, “We’ll find the place which God for us prepared, / Far away in the West.” Even though we’re stuck here in the mud and discouraged, this will all change. If we have the courage and the faith the Lord will answer our prayers; it will all come about. It gave them hope and encouragement. “We’ll find the place which God for us prepared, / Far away … / Where none shall come to hurt or make afraid”—stirring, inspirational words.

And then the last verse..., “And should we die before our journey’s through, / Happy day! All is well!” So if we die, we’ve done our best. We’re going to die sometime, as we all know. So “Happy day! All is well!”

“But if our lives are spared again / To see the Saints their rest obtain.” We’ll see if the wagon wheels will stay on and if the rims will stay on the little handcarts and if we can keep up that courage and the strength through our prayers and we’ll get there. “If our lives are spared again / To see the Saints their rest obtain.” If we get there, then “All is well! All is well!”—if we get there and if we have the courage to make it work.

And in his journal he wrote, “I’ve composed a new song—‘All is well’ ” (William Clayton’s Journal [1921], 19); (David B. Haight, “Hymn of the Obedient: ‘All Is Well’,” Ensign, Nov 1997, 70).

The song was later titled, "Come, Come Ye Saints" and has become like an anthem for our Pioneer Day celebration. I invite you to read through the words and think about those times you feel like giving up; as though the world has brought you to your knees and there's no hope. Think about those times, and then read the words, and remember God will never forsake you. He will work to provide for you a better place. You will be blessed for your faith.

I’ve been reading a lot about Enoch in the last few weeks. If any of you have ever read the account in the Bible, you know there’s not exactly a mighty gush of information to study up on.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed the Mormon Church), have been given a bit more insight, which you too can read in the book of Moses beginning in Chapter 6.

When Enoch was still a young man he was called of God to begin preaching to the people of their wickedness. Sound familiar? Satan’s influence ran rampant throughout the land. There were only a few in Enoch’s family who still remembered the Lord and His commandments.

Enoch was frightened by the idea of preaching to the people. He couldn’t understand how he had found favor with the Lord, when he was still so young, the people hated him, and made fun of him because he was “slow of speech” (Moses 6:31). The Lord promised him none of these things would be a hindrance if he would simply have the faith, and do as he’d been told.

Enoch did just that. Can you imagine the surprise of his worst critics when this previously timid teenager suddenly spoke with remarkable eloquence? Can you picture how angry they must have been when he began calling them to repentance? Though his life was in constant danger, he continued to do what the Lord had commanded of him.

Those who chose to repent eventually formed the City of Enoch. These people were so obedient to the commandments, “Enoch and all his people walked with God, and he dwelt in the midst of Zion” (Moses 7:69). They were so righteous the Lord could be among them. In fact, they were so righteous the Lord eventually took the city up to His care and keeping.

Sounds a bit fantastic, doesn’t it? Do you really think it’s possible for an entire city to become so righteous the Lord can exist there? Can you picture being surrounded by utter wickedness, and still obeying the Lord’s commandments to the point you’re “taken up” to Him?

Keeping the commandments is a voluntary thing, but we need to remember what the consequences are when we break those commandments. Fortunately for us the Lord knows we are imperfect, and has put in place repentance to allow the chance to change our ways, and to start over. The latter-day prophet, Joseph Smith, taught:

“If Enoch, Abraham, Moses, and the children of Israel, and all God's people were saved by keeping the commandments of God, we, if saved at all, shall be saved upon the same principle.

"We have been chastened by the hand of God heretofore for not obeying His commands...we have treated lightly His commands, and departed from His ordinances, and the Lord has chastened us sore, and we have felt His arm and kissed the rod; let us be wise in time to come and ever remember that ‘to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams’ (1 Samuel 15:22)” (History of the Church, 5:65).

Let us be wise. Let us remember that choosing to immediately follow the commandments of the Lord is much better and easier than disobedience. When we choose the wrong way there is guilt, there is chastisement, there is a lot of work to repent. When we choose the right way there is strength, there is joy, and there are blessings too numerous to count.

Don’t forget: the City of Enoch was not built in a day. Enoch preached for many years before an entire city of people were brought back to the light. Many more years passed until the people could work together so well that they became the prime example of living a Zion life in an imperfect world.

Satan will come at you. The moment you decide to obey the commandments of the Lord He will plague you with hardships, but it does not have to mean you will fail. Pick yourself up, pray, and start again.

Is keeping the commandments of the Lord important? Of course. Is it worth the effort? I think so.

It is a well-known story among members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, nicknamed the Mormons.

Ammon and his brothers were the sons of a Nephite King. The Nephites were God's people who lived in the Americas starting 600 years before Christ was born. The king, Mosiah, knew his time on earth was coming to an end, and asked his sons who should be king. All of these young men declined the offer, wishing instead to go and serve as missionaries to the Lamanites. The Lamanites were those who were either led to hate the Nephites because of the traditions of their fathers, or who had openly rebelled against God's Church.

Mosiah feared for his sons' lives, and took his concerns to the Lord in prayer. There he was reassured they would be kept safe as they performed His work.

Ammon separated from his other brothers and came to the land called Ishmael that was ruled by a man called Lamoni. Ammon was bound and brought before the king, who asked why he had come to this land where he was hated. Ammon surprised Lamoni by saying his only wish was to serve. Lamoni, pleased by this, set him up with other servants to guard the flocks.

A local band of Lamanites took immense pleasure in scattering the flocks of the king. The servants were far outnumbered and had no way of keeping this from happening. On the third day of Ammon's service the flocks were once again scattered. The other servants began to murmur. They knew King Lamoni would have their lives, as it had happened to other servants before them.

Ammon immediately saw where he could use this experience to help open a door to missionary work. He calmed the servants down saying together they would re-gather the flocks. The servants obeyed, and soon enough they'd accomplished this task. Once again the band of Lamanites came to scatter the flocks. Ammon charged the servants to surround the flocks, and stepped up to deal with these awful men.

Try to imagine the sight of one, lone, unknown individual going up against a throng of evildoers. They had no idea the Lord had promised Ammon's father no harm would come to this son, nor did they realize what power had been granted to Ammon because of his righteous desires.

Ammon began to fling stones with his sling. The Lamanites were astounded as man after man fell, six in all. They rushed at him with their own slings and clubs, but none could touch him. Any one who raised a hand against him had his arm cut off. The only man to die by the sword, however, was the leader of the pack. As he went down the others began to flee from this frightening sight.

Once the Lamanites left, Ammon placed his sword and sling away, continued to water the flocks, and returned to the king's household. His fellow servants, no doubt shocked and amazed by all they had seen, followed his lead. But upon returning to the household they gathered up many of the arms that had been cut off to use as a witness of the remarkable events.

Needless to say King Lamoni was astonished. He asked where Ammon was, to which the servants told him he was preparing the horses for the king's journey into his father's land, which had been commanded of them even before they left to water the flocks.

Lamoni's words beautifully show his surprise. "Surely there has not been any servant among all my servants that has been so faithful as this man; for even he doth remember all my commandments to execute them" (Alma 18:10). Lamoni sent for Ammon, and then the missionary work began.

What can we learn from Ammon about being a successful missionary? Whether you’re a member of a church, specifically called to be a missionary, or simply feel the importance of sharing the Lord’s gospel, here are a few keys to follow:

First is to study, pray and fast (Alma 17:2-3). You can't teach what you don't know. You need to pray about the things you read to know if they are truth, and you should fast to keep yourselves in better tune with the Spirit of the Lord.

Second, you need to love God and others. I think loving God comes first. It was because of their love for God that the sons of Mosiah wanted to go out and preach His word, to turn the hearts of those who didn't know better towards the light. As you explore and enlarge that love for God, you might be surprised to find your capacity to love those who may hate you growing by leaps and bounds.

Third, we need to give service and develop trust. Why is giving service so important? It is a remarkable teaching tool. Think of the Savior, who led a life of service. Only the most humble willingly set aside their own pride and serve others. Those who voluntarily give of their time, efforts, talents, and means instill in others the desire to trust. Ammon's first act as a captive of Lamoni was to offer his service. He saved the king's flocks. He could have gone strutting back in to the king, all full of himself, and demanded that Lamoni now listen to him. He could have caused much fear in the hearts of those who didn't understand. Instead, he quietly went on with the work he'd been commanded to do.

Fourth, we need to teach from the scriptures. Once King Lamoni trusted Ammon, he allowed this great man to teach the word of God. Doors were opened. Lessons were taught. An entire city was converted to the Lord's Church. It was truly a miracle.

One last thing. We can be the greatest orator in the world, teaching and preaching whatever may come into our hearts, but it won't mean a thing unless we have the Holy Spirit with us. If we are not worthy to have his presence with us, if we are teaching things that go against the Lord's ways, the Holy Spirit cannot reside. It is the Holy Spirit that testifies to our hearts, and then the teaching truly begins.

To be the most effective teachers, or missionaries, we have to have that Spirit with us.
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To read the full story of Ammon, start with Alma 17.