Alma 19:4,9,10,11

4 And she said unto him: The ^aservants of my husband have made it known unto me that thou art a ^bprophet of a holy God, and that thou hast ^cpower to do many mighty works in his name;9 And Ammon said unto her: ^aBelievest thou this? And she said unto him: I have had no witness save thy word, and the word of our servants; nevertheless I ^bbelieve that it shall be according as thou hast said.
10 And Ammon said unto her: Blessed art thou because of thy exceeding faith; I say unto thee, woman, there has not been such great faith among all the people of the ^aNephites.
11 And it came to pass that she watched over the bed of her husband, from that time even until that time on the morrow which Ammon had appointed that he should rise.


She heard testimony from one and then another source, and decided to believe. She had no witness. She just decided to believe, and that belief propelled her to act. In her case, acting was just waiting and watching, but she acted all the same. And then, he rose. And she received her witness. 

(Ether 12:6 : And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that ^afaith is things which are ^bhoped for and ^cnot seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no ^dwitnessuntil after the ^etrial of your faith.)


And that's all.

Alma 13

3 And this is the manner after which they were ordained—being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great faith, are called with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such.

So. When a man or woman exercises faith unto good works, and chooses good, they are called with a holy calling. Associated with that holy calling is a preparatory redemption. Is it possible that being called, even if it is a small calling, carries with is a sort of cleansing/redemption to a person who is trying to do good and be good? In the same way that whom the Lord calls he qualifies or magnifies?

When I was called to be the YMP several years ago, I felt very unqualified and unworthy. I know this was a result of my doubts, not my faith, but the answer to my heartfelt prayers came as a very direct feeling of forgiveness, and assurance of my usability. It was as though I was being preparatorily redeemed for that calling.

This scripture isn't talking about callings, it's talking about a call to the priesthood. Not the ordination, but just a sort of abstract call. Maybe in that sense, the call is nothing more than the Holy Ghost working on a man or woman to do better, such that they can receive redemption, such that they can go and serve.

Meeting President Monson / Elder Nelson

When I was about 14, I went on the National Scout Jamboree in Virginia. President Monson came to speak to those scouts who wished to hear him, and allowed for the sacrament to be administered. I was in an impromptu choir, which sang "I am a Child of God." I committed those words to memory as a result of that choir, I think.

He spoke from a small gazebo up on a hilltop, and after the meeting (I can't remember a thing he said), many of us rushed up there to shake his hand. I, along with about five other boys, stuck out my hand hoping he could shake it. He shook the hand of the boy next to me, but he looked right into my eyes for a couple seconds.

I will never forget his face, his eyes, or the feeling that flowed into me. It was the Holy Ghost, telling me that this man was different. That he as anointed and special. If I hadn't already known, but had someone tell me he was a prophet, I wouldn't have doubted it for a second. As it was, I knew he was a prophet already, but I understood it a lot better.

A few years later, I attended somebody else's stake conference to hear Elder Nelson speak. (He wasn't the President of the Quorum of the Twelve then.) Afterwards,  I went up to shake his hand. This time, there was no other hand to mix up with mine; he shook my hand and spoke very kindly to me. I will always remember him as being kind. He also gave an apostolic blessing then, which was the first time I had ever heard of such a thing.

Alma 12: 3-8-ish

3 Now Zeezrom, seeing that thou hast been taken in thy lying and craftiness, for thou hast not lied unto men only but thou hast lied unto God; for behold, he knows all thy ^athoughts, and thou seest that thy ^bthoughts are made known unto us by his Spirit;

4 And thou seest that we know that thy plan was a very ^asubtle plan, as to the subtlety of the devil, for to lie and to deceive this people that thou mightest set them against us, to ^brevile us and to cast us out—

5 Now this was a plan of thine ^aadversary, and he hath exercised his power in thee. Now I would that ye should remember that what I say unto thee I say unto all.

6 And behold I say unto you all that this was a ^asnare of the adversary, which he has laid to catch this people, that he might bring you into subjection unto him, that he might encircle you about with his ^bchains, that he might chain you down to everlasting destruction, according to the power of his captivity.

7 Now when Alma had spoken these words, Zeezrom began to tremble more exceedingly, for he was convinced more and more of the power of God; and he was also convinced that Alma and Amulek had a knowledge of him, for he was convinced that they ^aknew the thoughts and intents of his heart; for power was given unto them that they might know of these things according to the spirit of prophecy.

What stands out to me in these verses is that Alma was careful to point out that the devil was Zeezrom's adversary. Alma was subtly inviting Zeezrom to join his team, which was Christ's team. He was direct in pointing out Zeezrom's plan, but above any pettiness or unkindness. He and Amulek were so far above him spiritually; they didn't want to waste any time with sniping, contention, anger, or rejection. They just invited him to listen and learn and repent. They loved him.

I would love to be that kind of man. I would love to be able to view others, even others who, while not beneath me, have little to no understanding of the things about which I have a testimony, and just love them. See them as my brother or sister who at one point made the decision to follow Christ. Perhaps they just know not where to look for redemption and reformation.

There is no room for fear or being intimidated from that perspective. Just love.