Tale of Two Cities Limhi and Alma

President David O. McKay Two voices are calling you—one coming out from the swamps of selfishness and force, where success means death; and the other from the hilltops of justice and progress, where even failure brings glory.

Tale of Two Cities Alma’s People Repent/Baptized Left completely Attacked by apostates and Lamanites Remain humble Burden- Light Lord reveals escape plan Arrive safely in Zarahemla Limhi’s People Kept same behavior Remained surrounded by sin Attacked by Lamanites- Noah killed- Limhi becomes king Placed under bondage- as prophesied Fight back Suffer Forced to be humble Burden- Heavy Create escape plan Arrive safely in Zarahemla

Mikveh (or immersion) Rules Cleansing and Purification A mikveh must be with water from a naturally flowing source… The water must be able to flow into the mikveh freely and unimpeded The minimum size … variously estimated at between 250 and 1,000 liters (quarts). The mikveh must be watertight and must be constructed of natural materials on the spot

Water channels leading to the cleansing cisterns

Essene cisterns for Ritual Cleansings

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Actual Photograph Of Nephite Warrior From the Waters of Mormon- Captain Goodrum-ihah

Alma’s First Requirement for Baptism Mosiah 18:8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light;

Question: How do we ‘bear one another’s burdens’ and not interfere in their opportunities for growth?

Apostle Paul’s Definition Galatians 6:1,2 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness… Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. (Bear with one another’s sins, and so fulfil the law of and focus of Christ)

Last year a friend of mine joined the Church. Although her nonmember mother wasn't hostile, she didn't hide the fact that she cared little for the Church. Three months later the girl and her mother moved to another part of town. They blocked out all day Saturday and Sunday to get everything moved— and even then they doubted if that would be enough time. I called the president of our elders quorum for help. At 7:30 A.M. on Saturday morning, ten guys showed up with four trucks. Combined with the five people in our family, we almost had an army! The mother was so touched by our thoughtfulness that she spent most of the morning crying. She just couldn't believe that so many people whom she didn't even know would treat her so kindly. By 11:00 A.M. everything they owned had been moved into their new home. That single incident caused a miraculous transformation in the mother. She began meeting with the missionaries, and four months later she was baptized.

Twenty-five years ago, after a general priesthood meeting, I felt impressed to stop by Susan's apartment. I was eighteen at the time and felt a little awkward dropping by unannounced. However, Dad had repeated over and over to me the importance of following the promptings of the Spirit, especially when they came as strong as that one did. So I did as I was "told.“ After we were seated, I told Susan about the great meeting I had just attended and asked if she would like me to share my notes with her. She agreed, so I proceeded to summarize each of the speeches. As I spoke, her eyes filled with tears. Later I learned that her boyfriend had invited her to be immoral with him later that evening, and she had agreed. As I spoke, the Spirit bore witness to her of the enormity of the mistake she was contemplating, and she resolved at that moment to never see her boyfriend again. Recently I got a letter from Susan. She wrote in part, "I have since married a wonderful man in the temple and have five delightful children. I have often thanked my Heavenly Father for your visit that night. By following the promptings of the Spirit, you served as an instrument in the hands of the Lord to help me prevent what would have been the most tragic mistake of my life. I can never repay him for what he did for me."