Alma 26:1 could we have supposed when we started…that God would have
granted unto us such great blessings
The Lord is able to bless us
with things which exceed our comprehension. We might imagine the greatest of blessings,
but he is still capable of exceeding our most excellent expectations. These
blessings may be realized in mortality or in the hereafter, but Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered
into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love
him (1 Cor 2:9).
Stephen L. Richards
“I
think that is a solemn thought for all of us, and I trust that as we ponder it
we shall all decide, as I have reason to believe we will, that we will aspire
to the highest ideals, to the loftiest stations attainable with this holy power
that God has given to us. If we aspire to attain that exaltation, work for it
consciously, serve faithfully, keeping the commandments, our rewards will
exceed even our fondest expectations. Of that I am convinced.” (Conference
Report, Apr. 1959, p. 86)
Alma 26:4 thousands of them…have been brought into the fold of God
Conversion by the thousands
seems incredible to modern day missionaries. But the Lord is capable of greater
things than we can comprehend. A few instances in which thousands were gathered
at once are given:
1) On the day of Pentecost, those who had heard the word
were invited to repent and be baptized, and the same
day there were added unto them about three thousand souls (Acts
2:41)
2) The success of the early brethren in Great Britain
was astounding. By April of 1838 Heber C. Kimball had converted 1500:
“‘The other brethren also met with remarkable
success. The field was ripe, ready for the harvest, and thousands of the House
of Israel were soon gathered into the fold.’ By 1841, Elder Kimball with other
members of the Quorum of the Twelve reported seven or eight or ten thousand
persons being baptized. ‘Of the converts made by the eight members of the
Twelve during the years 1840 to 1841 few apostatized.’ During the years 1840 to 1846, British
converts sailed from England bound for Nauvoo. ‘This was the beginning of a
migration movement of such magnitude that the Church in America became
predominantly English for the next fifty years.’” (Regional Studies in LDS
History: British Isles, p. 107)
3) George Q. Cannon reaped a similar harvest on his
mission to Hawaii:
Heber
J. Grant
“During
the few years he (George Q. Cannon) was there he translated the Book of Mormon
into the Hawaiian language, and he baptized over 3,000 natives. I have never
been among a people that seemed to me to be more sincere, to have a greater
love for each other and for the Gospel, and a greater reverence for those who
hold places of honor in the Church of Christ than I met on our recent visit to
Hawaii.” (Conference Report, Oct. 1935, p. 7)
Alma 26:5 the field was ripe
As one looks upon a field of
grain, it is easy to tell that the time has come for harvest. Ammon states that
the field was ripe but it must not have
looked that way when they started on their journey. Rather, to mortal eyes the
Lamanite field would have appeared to be a vast wasteland of weeds, briers, and
thorns. Why else would Ammon’s friends have laughed him to scorn when they told
them of their plans to do missionary work among the Lamanites (v. 23-24).
Thus, we see that the Lord
in his omniscience knows when the field is ripe. We don’t. We should never say,
“there is no hope with this person or with this group of people.” Through spiritual
eyes, we may be surprised to see how ripe the field really is. Even if the task
seems as formidable as preaching to the ancient Lamanites, the Lord has
promised us that the people of the last dispensation are ready for the gospel,
for he has said, behold the field is white already
to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same
layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul (DC
4:4).
Alma 26:5 behold the number of your sheaves! And they shall be
gathered into garners
“A dictionary definition of sheaves is a
quantity of heads of grain bound together. Ammon’s mention here of sheaves
refers to the converts brought into the church by faithful missionaries who had
thrust in their sickle.
“Each of us owes his membership in the Church to
another person. Someone had to teach us. We are the sheaves that they have
reaped. Note the grateful words of President David O. McKay:
‘A short time ago, I stood in a little room in Wales,
in which my mother was born 102 years before, the room so small that the
six-foot bed covers the entire width, and its length is barely two feet longer
than it is wide, and the old rafters just two feet above my head, so about
eight feet high. But my thoughts on that occasion have been sacred to me. I
share one or two with you.
‘I thought, as Sister McKay and I stood in that small
bedroom, how different life would be now if two humble elders had not knocked
at that door a hundred years ago! And how different life would be if my
mother’s father and mother had not accepted that message? I looked around the
village and found descendants of others who heard it at that time, descendants
of some who ridiculed my grandfather and grandmother, for having accepted the
truth; and they made light of their religion, scoffed at them and ostracized
them for having accepted Mormonism. I realized how unenlightened those
neighbors were when they condemned my grandparents.
‘…Father’s folk were way up in the north of Scotland.
It was only through the gospel that Father and Mother met. So I expressed
gratitude, as I sensed it probably never so keenly before, as we stood in that
little room, six by eight.’ (Gospel Ideals, pp. 122-3)”
(Book of Mormon Student Manual, 1981, p.
264)
Alma 26:6 the storm cannot penetrate to them
Those who have built their
foundation upon the rock of Jesus Christ, cannot be overcome by the fierce
winds of the evil one, Therefore, whoso heareth
these sayings of mine and doeth them I will liken unto a wise man, who built his
house upon a rock—And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds
blew and beat upon that house; and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock
(3 Ne 14:24-5).
Alma 26:7 they are in the hands of the Lord of the harvest, and they
are his
By this phrase, Ammon
indicates that his converts are considered the elect of God. To the elect of
God, the Lord has given the promise that they will not be lost, And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of
all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again
at the last day (Jn 6:39). With his apostles, except Judas, Jesus
accomplished this task. In the great intercessory prayer, he said, I kept them in my name: those that thou gavest me I have
kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition (Jn 17:12).
Alma 26:9-10 Aaron rebuked him
Mormon says that Aaron was
rebuking his brother. Ammon had said nothing offensive to Aaron until verse 9
when he seemed to take credit for their success, saying, if we had not come up out of the land of Zarahemla.
Aaron’s rebuke is actually quite gentle, I fear that
thy joy doth carry thee away unto boasting. Aaron is saying, “now don’t
get carried away thinking you are anything special.” Ammon was, of course,
“something special” but a true servant of the Lord never takes credit for what
the Lord has done. To do this demonstates pride and insolence. Aaron wants to
make sure that Ammon does not give himself too much of the credit. But Ammon
never meant to extol his own virtues and his response is a great explanation of
his own nothingness compared to the power of God.
Alma 26:11 I do not boast in my own strength
Bruce R. McConkie
“Boasting
is of two kinds: either righteous, or unrighteous; either in the arm of flesh, or
in the Lord and his gracious goodness and power. ‘He
that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord,’ Paul said in summing up a
sermon on boasting, ‘For not he that commendeth
himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.’ (2 Cor. 10:7-18; Ps.
44:8.) Ammon spoke similarly: ‘I do not boast in my
own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart
is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. Yea, I know that I am nothing;
as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself but I will
boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things. Therefore, let us
glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice for our joy is
full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in
the Lord?’ (Alma 26:8-16, 35.)
“Boasting
in the arm of flesh, one of the commonest of all sins among worldly people, is
a gross evil; it is a sin born of pride, a sin that creates a frame of mind
which keeps men from turning to the Lord and accepting his saving grace. When a
man engages in self exultation because of his riches, his political power, his
worldly learning, his physical prowess, his business acumen, or even his works
of righteousness, he is not in tune with the Spirit of the Lord. Salvation
itself comes by the grace of God, ‘Not of works,’
that is not of the performances and outward display of the law, ‘lest any man should boast.’ (Eph. 2:4-22; Rom.
3:27.) As King Benjamin asked, after explaining the goodness of God and the
comparative nothingness of men, ‘Of what have ye to
boast?’ (Mosiah 2: 17-26.)
“Even
when the righteous glory in the Lord, certain very definite restrictions attend
their godly boasting. The elders are to proclaim against evil spirits, but ‘Not with railing accusation, that ye be not overcome,
neither with boasting nor rejoicing, lest you be seized therewith.’ (D.
& C. 50:32-33.) Spiritual gifts are poured out abundantly upon the true
saints. ‘But a commandment I give unto them,’
the Lord says, ‘that they shall not boast themselves
of these things, neither speak them before the world; for these things are
given unto you for your profit and for salvation.’ (D. & C. 84:73.) ‘Talk not of judgments, neither boast of faith nor of
mighty works.’ (D. & C. 105:24.)” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 93)
Alma 26:11 my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy
Ezra Taft Benson
“My
beloved coworkers, you face the happiest years of your lives. I know whereof I
speak. I have been there. I have tasted the joy of missionary work. There is no
work in all the world that can bring an individual greater joy and happiness. I
pray your joy will be full, and like Ammon of old, you will be able to say:
(quotes Alma 26:11-12.)” (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 213)
Neal A. Maxwell
“When
we reach a point of consecration, our afflictions will be swallowed up in the
joy of Christ. It does not mean we won’t have afflictions, but they will be put
in a perspective that permits us to deal with them. With our steady pursuit of
joy and with each increasing measure of righteousness, we will experience one
more drop of delight-one drop after another-until, in the words of a prophet,
‘our hearts are brim with joy.’ At last, the soul’s cup finally runs over! (Brim
with Joy, p. 13.)
Alma 26:12 I know that I am nothing
The nothingness of man
compared to the greatness of God is truly astounding. In our world where man is
the dominant creature, it is easy for some to forget God. In His absence, man
becomes the dominant force in the universe. So how great are we? The scriptures
put us in our place in a hurry. It is a matter of perspective, and that
necessary spiritual perspective teaches us where we belong in the universal
hierarchy. After Moses had seen a vision of the many worlds God has created, he
conceded, I know that man is nothing, which thing I
never had supposed (Moses 1:10). King Benjamin understood this
principle, asking of what have ye to boast? And now
I ask, can ye say aught of yourselves? I answer you, Nay. Ye cannot say that ye
are even as much as the dust of the earth…I would that ye should remember, and
always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness,
and his goodness and long-suffering towards you unworthy creatures (Mosiah2:24-5;
4:11). Born of eternal perspective, this is the humility which we must foster
in our lives, for He that exalteth himself shall be
abased, but he that abaseth himself shall be exalted (DC 101:42).
Wilford Woodruff
“We
have no chance to be lifted up in the pride of our hearts with regard to the
position we occupy. If the President of
the Church or either of his Counselors or of the Apostles, or any other man,
feels in his heart that God cannot do without him, and that he is especially
important in order to carry on the work of the Lord, he stands upon slippery
ground. I heard Joseph Smith say that
Oliver Cowdery, who was the second Apostle in this Church, said to him, ‘If I
leave this Church it will fall.’ Said
he, ‘Oliver, you try it.’ Oliver tried
it. He fell; but the Kingdom of God did
not. I have been acquainted with other
Apostles in my day and time who felt that the Lord could not do without them;
but the Lord got along with His work without them. I say to all men--Jew and Gentile, great and small, rich and
poor--that the Lord Almighty has power within Himself, and is not dependent
upon any man, to carry on His work; but when He does call men to do His work
they have to trust in Him.” (G. Homer Durham, Discourses of Wilford Woodruff,
pp. 123-4)
Alma 26:16 we will glory in the Lord…I cannot say the smallest part
which I feel
Neal A. Maxwell
“Even
the gospel glimpses are difficult to convey. Brigham Young said, ‘I
cannot talk all my feelings, I cannot tell you what I feel and what I see in
the Spirit.’ This inability to articulate concerns not only the grand and
sacred things but also the simple joys of faith: ‘I
cannot say the smallest part which I feel’ (Alma 26:16). Thus it is not
only that our eyes and ears have not yet experienced what lies ahead; even if
they had, the tongue could not fully express our feelings in the face of such
sublime and reassuring things! President Brigham Young's words remind us of
Jacob's: ‘If I could take away the vail, and let you see how things really
are, you would then know just as well as I know, and I know them just as
well as any man on the face of the earth need to.’” (That Ye May Believe,
p. 200)
Neal A. Maxwell
“’We
know more than we can tell . . . we know a person's face, and can recognize it
among a thousand, indeed among a million. Yet we usually cannot tell how we
recognize a face we know. . . . this knowledge cannot be put into words.’
(Michael Polyani, The Tacit Dimension, Doubleday Anchor, 1967, pp. 4, 6.)
“We
do ‘know more than we can tell,’ but a disciple has an obligation to increase
his communication skills in a way that is consistent with the majesty of the
message. Since so much of our time is spent communicating—writing, speaking,
listening—we naturally assume it is done well. But our performance level is
usually poor, and this can reflect a lack of caring about the quality of our
communication skills. Paul urges disciples to be ‘willing to communicate’ as an
extra responsibility clearly incumbent on those who are committed.”(A Time
To Choose, pp. 73-74)
Alma 26:21 what natural man is there that knoweth these things?
Paul’s words on this subject
are the most sublime, the natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolisness unto him: neither can
he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor 2:14). See
also commentary for Mosiah 3:19.
Joseph Smith
“There
are but a very few beings in the world who understand rightly the character of
God. The great majority of mankind do not comprehend anything, either that
which is past, or that which is to come, as it respects their relationship to
God. They do not know, neither do they understand the nature of that
relationship; and consequently they know but little above the brute beast, or
more than to eat, drink and sleep. This is all man knows about God or his
existence, unless it is given by the inspiration of the Almighty.
“If
a man learns nothing more than to eat, drink and sleep, and does not comprehend
any of the designs of God, the beast comprehends the same things. It eats,
drinks, sleeps, and knows nothing more about God; yet it knows as much as we,
unless we are able to comprehend by the inspiration of Almighty God. If men do
not comprehend the character of God, they do not comprehend themselves.” (Teachings
of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 343)
Alma 26:22 he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth
good words, and prayeth continually
Harold B. Lee
“Frequently
the question is asked by those in and out of the Church: How do we develop the
spiritual quality in our natures in order to serve our earthly missions more
completely and thus become attuned with that infinite power of which the
Prophet Ammon speaks?
Ammon
answered that question in part: ‘Yea, he that
repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth
continually without ceasing -- unto such it is given to know the mysteries of
God. . . .’ (Al. 26:22.)
“For
a few moments today, I would have you hear the testimonies as found in sacred scriptures
of a few of the great leaders who learned how to tap the sources of divine
power and became spiritual giants among the people of their day.
“David,
the psalmist, learned even as a young man the source of spiritual power. The
spirit whispered, ‘Be still, and know that I am God…
the God of Jacob is our refuge.’ (Ps. 46:10-11.)
“Prophets
of old learned, as all must know, how to communicate with the Lord by prayer,
to talk with and then receive answers in the Lord's own way. To know God and Jesus
Christ whom he has sent (John 17:3), as the Master told his disciples, is to
begin on the sure course that leads to eternal life in the presence of these
glorified beings...” (Conference Report, Oct. 1966, p. 115)
Alma 26:27 Now when our hearts were depressed…the Lord comforted us
It is only after their
14-year journey, that we learn from Ammon how downtrodden they were prior to
beginning their mission. Alone, out in the wilderness, away from home and
family, they might have wondered if they were wasting their time. The words of
their detractors may have come rushing back into their minds. Certainly, they
had reason to think they were going to fail. They even had thought of turning
back.
Interestingly, the Lord
often allows us to sink pretty low before he comforts us. So it was with the
Prophet in Liberty Jail (DC 121), so it was with Ammon and company, and so it
is with us in our trials. Yet, the Lord is always there to pick us up when we
cannot go any further. The author had an experience which demonstrates the
Lord’s great mercy for his depressed and downtrodden servants.
As a missionary in the
Orient, I was serving in a recently opened rural community. In this town,
things shut down quite early. Late on a cold January night, it was too late to
knock on doors, so we walked the streets without anywhere to go, without anyone
to teach. My companion was a greenie, and it was my intent to set an example to
him that every hour of proselyting time should be used wisely. But I was too
tired to go on. The work had been slow and the strain on me mentally,
physically, and spiritually had been all I could endure. Just as my strength
was beginning to fail, the Spirit whispered, “the Father knows how to give good
gifts to his children (Matt 7:11).” At that instant, I looked to my left where
I saw an old investigator working behind the counter in his store. He invited
us into his store, where he and a friend had been talking. We began discussing
religion with his friend and were able to give him a Book of Mormon. I was so
relieved that we had a place to go and that the Lord had not forgotten us. This
may seem to have been a small blessing, but it wasn’t to me. It was a gift from
God! I have ever been grateful for the warmth and comfort that filled my heart
on that cold January night.
Ezra Taft Benson
“There
are times when you simply have to righteously hang on and outlast the devil
until his depressive spirit leaves you. As the Lord told the Prophet Joseph
Smith: ‘thine adversity and thine afflictions shall
be but a small moment; And then, if you endure it well, God shall exalt thee on
high’ (DC 121:7-8). To press on in noble endeavors, even while
surrounded by a cloud of depression, will eventually bring you out on top into
the sunshine.” (Ensign, Nov. 1974 as taken from Latter-day Commentary
on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 290)
Jeffrey R. Holland
“[An experience of Gordon B.
Hinckley on his mission to England] “Elder Hinckley found some of that
discouragement common to missionaries facing new circumstances in a new land.
He was not well physically, and as he went to his first street meeting…he
recalls: ‘I was terrified. I stepped up on that little stand and looked at that
crowd of people that had gathered… They looked rather menacing and mean, but I
somehow stumbled through whatever I had to say.’ Down in spirit and facing no
success in missionary endeavors, Gordon wrote a letter to his father, saying:
‘I am wasting my time and your money. I don’t see any point in my staying
here.’ In due course a gentle but terse reply came from his father. That letter
read: ‘Dear Gordon. I have your letter [of such and such a date]. I have only
one suggestion. Forget yourself and go to work, With love, Your Father.’
President Hinckley says of that moment, ‘I pondered his response and then the
next morning in our scripture class we read that great statement of the Lord:
‘For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his
life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it’ (Mark 8:35). That
simple statement, that promise, touched me. I got on my knees and made a
covenant with the Lord that I would try to forget myself and go to work.’” (Ensign,
June 1995, p. 8 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the Book of
Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 290-1)
Alma 26:29-30 we have been cast out, and mocked, and spit upon
F. Burton Howard
“I
cannot remember a time when I did not know that the Book of Mormon was true…one
day in preparing to teach a lesson my testimony of the Book of Mormon was
fortified and the Holy Spirit touched my heart in a way that causes me to
remember the moment even now after many years.
“I
was reading again the twenty-sixth chapter of Alma and the story of Ammon’s
mission. I read out loud, as I sometimes do, trying to put myself in the
position of the characters in the book, imagining that I was saying or hearing
the words, that I was there. Once more I went over the report, and, with a
clarity which cannot be described and which would be difficult to comprehend by
one who has not experienced it, the Spirit spoke to my soul, saying, Did you
notice? Everything that happened to Ammon happened to you.
“It
was a totally unexpected sentiment. It was startling in its scope; it was a thought
that had never occurred to me before. I quickly reread the story. Yes, there
were times when my heart had been depressed and I had thought about going home.
I too had gone to a foreign land to teach the gospel to the Lamanites. I had
gone forth among them, had suffered hardships, had slept on the floor, endured
the cold, gone without eating. I too had traveled from house to house, knocking
on doors for months at a time without being invited in, relying on the mercies
of God.
“There
had been other times when we had entered houses and talked to people. We had
taught them on their streets and on their hills. We had even preached in other
churches. I remembered the time I had been spit upon. I remembered the time
when I, as a young district leader assigned by the mission president to open up
a new town, had entered, with three other elders, the main square of a city
that had never had missionaries before. We went into the park, sang a hymn, and
a crowd gathered.
“Then
the lot fell upon me, as district leader, to preach. I stood upon a stone bench
and spoke to the people. I told the story of the restoration of the gospel, of
the boy Joseph going into the grove and the appearance of the Father and the
Son to him. I remembered well a group of teenage boys, in the evening shadows,
throwing rocks at us. I remembered the concern about being hit or injured by
those who did not want to hear the message.
“I
remembered spending time in jail while my legal right to be a missionary in a
certain country was decided by the police authorities. I didn’t spend enough
time in prison to compare myself to Ammon, but I still remember the feeling I
had when the door was closed and I was far away from home, alone, with only the
mercies of the Lord to rely on for deliverance. I remembered enduring these
things with the hope that ‘we might be the means of
saving some soul’ (Alma 26:30).
“And
then on that day as I read, the Spirit testified to me again, and the words
remain with me even today: No one but a missionary could have written this
story. Joseph Smith could never have known what it was like to be a missionary
to the Lamanites, for no one he knew had ever done such a thing before.
“And
so Ammon is one of my heroes, and part of my testimony of the Book of Mormon is
based on the fact that I have had experiences similar to his own, and I know
them to be true.” (Heroes From the Book of Mormon, pp. 124-5)
Alma 26:30-31 we supposed that our joy
would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some
The Spirit is the same
yesterday, today, and forever. So it should not surprise us that the doctrine
of the joy of missionary work was given to Ammon long before it was revealed to
Joseph Smith. The missionary work of the sons of Mosiah may demonstrate the
quintessential practical example of the following scripture:
‘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!’ (DC 18:15-16)
Alma 26:36 a branch of the tree of Israel…wanderers in a strange land
Hugh Nibley
“The
Nephites never ceased to think of themselves in those melancholy terms. Five
hundred years after Jacob, Alma could write that his people were both blessed
and sorrowful in their wandering state. Because of their isolation, he says,
God gives them special revelation, and glad tidings ‘are
made known to us in plain terms, that we may understand, that we cannot err;
and this because of our being wanderers in a strange land; therefore, we are
thus highly favored’ (Alma 13:23). God, he says, has been mindful of
this people, who are a branch of the tree of Israel, and has been lost from its
body in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been
mindful of us, wanderers in a strange land (Alma 26:36).” (An Approach to
the Book of Mormon, p. 142)
Alma 26:37 God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may
be in
False conclusions can be
drawn from Old Testament events which suggest that the Lord had a favorite
people—that there was something exclusive about being from the House of Israel,
irrespective of personal righteousness. The Savior had to put this
ethno-centrism into perspective with the comment, think
not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say
unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham (Matt
3:9).
The message of the Book of
Mormon and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that the gospel
is for everyone, without regard to race, color, or creed. Nephi tells us just how
mindful the Lord has been of every people—that the Lord has been speaking to
nations other than just the Nephites and Jews, For I
command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the
south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I
speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the
world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written (2
Ne 29:11).
Hugh Nibley
“It
is convenient to imagine all the righteous in one camp and the wicked in
another, and this has been the usual and comfortable interpretation of the Book
of Mormon—it is the good guys versus the bad guys. But this is exactly what the
Book of Mormon tells us to avoid. God plays no favorites. Nephi rebukes his
brothers for believing that because they are Jews they are righteous; God does
not judge by party, he tells them; a good man is good and a bad one is bad,
according to his own behavior: ‘Behold, the Lord
esteemeth all flesh in one; he that is righteous is favored of God’ (1
Nephi 17:35). Family and race and nationality account for nothing; ‘God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may
be in; yea, he numbereth his people’ (Alma 26:37). He numbers them as
his own, not as being on one side or the other of a boundary; ‘the Lord doth grant unto all nations . . . to teach his
word . . . all that he seeth fit that they should have’ (Alma 29:8)” (The
Prophetic Book of Mormon, p. 506)