Tale of Two Cities

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Tale of Two Cities

• Limhi and Alma

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President David O. McKay

• Two voices are calling youone 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.

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Tale of Two Cities

• Almas People
• Repent/Baptized
• Left completely
• Attacked by apostates and Lamanites
• Remain humble
• Burden- Light
• Lord reveals escape plan
• Arrive safely in Zarahemla

• Limhis 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

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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

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Water channels leading to the cleansing cisterns
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Essene cisterns for Ritual Cleansings
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220                                              
   
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Actual Photograph Of Nephite Warrior From the
Waters of Mormon- Captain Goodrum-ihah
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Almas First Requirement for Baptism

• Mosiah 188 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

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Question

• How do we bear one anothers burdens and
  not interfere in their opportunities for growth?

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Apostle Pauls Definition

• Galatians 61,2
• 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 anothers sins, and so fulfil the
  law of and focus of Christ)

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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 movedand even then they doubted if
that would be enough time. I called the president
of our elders quorum for help. At 730 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 1100 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.
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• 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."