Alma Ch17

These next chapters are really cool because they are the mission stories of the sons of Mosiah who went to the Lamanites to preach. Alma meets back up with them when going home and gets to hear about all the suffering, deliverance, daring escapes, and awesome conversions. The first story we hear about is from Ammon and his work in the land of Ishmael. He starts as a servant to the king and saves the king's flocks because he is a smart and brave kind of guy.
So after Alma finished preaching in Gideon and was going to Zarahemla, he chances across the sons of Mosiah, and if you remember they were converted to the gospel at the same time as Alma with that angel experience (v1-2). Alma was ecstatic to see that they were still strong in the gospel and have learned through prayer and fasting the spirit of prophecy while teaching the Lamanites and bringing them the truths of God (v3). Their mission had been a successful 4 years laboring in the spirit and suffering trials all starting when they refused the kingdom from their father and left Zarahemla (v4-6).
Here we go! They packed up like any missionary would nowadays except for the weapons....but only to provide food for themselves in their group (v7-8). Now it's my understanding that their group consisted of Ammon, Aaron, Omner, Himni (who have been previously mentioned as the sons of Mosiah in the conversion story in Mosiah 27:34), and then in Alma ch20:2 we also know that Muloki and Ammah was in their group. So at least 6, and they traveled far to get to the Lamanites and as they traveled they prepared to teach them by fasting and praying to the Lord to grant them His spirit (v9).
They mostly desired to give them the truth to correct the traditions of their fathers and give them the opportunity to accept the knowledge. The Lord blesses them and tells them that they should be examples of good first and bare the sufferings that will happen because He will use them as instruments to bring many to salvation (v10-11). This promise should and mostly likely is extended to all who serve a mission in Christ's name, and knowing this, your heart should be comforted just like the mission group in this chapter (v12). Being comforted, they were able to separate and cover more ground across the Lamanite lands because their work was that of God's, which is great (v13-14).
The Lamanites at this time were just awful because they started off pretty bad with Laman and Lemuel then just kept getting worse becoming lazy, murdmurous, greedy, and theives (v15). Ammon was the leader of the group because of he was the oldest and blessed his companions before they separated to preach the plan of redemption to this wicked people who had never learned of it (v16-18). We first hear about Ammon's mission in Ishmael where he was immediately captured, bound, and brought before the king of that land, King Lamoni (v19-20). This was routine for all Nephites who came into Lamnanite territory so the king starts asking him why he had come (v21-22).
Ammon answers by saying what most Nephites who were wicked and deserted their home said, 'I want to try living here instead' (v23). I don't know exactly what he said but Lamoni seemed to like him so he offers one of his daughters as a wife without knowing him for a day (v24)! Ammon, being a missionary, refuses and asks to be Lamoni's servant and begins to work as a royal servant taking care of the animals, and we hear mostly about the sheep (v25-26). The first job he does is taking the sheep to water to drink, and there are some bandits that come and scatter the sheep and try to steal them (v27). Most the servants immediately think they will be punished with death for this and Ammon (as the natural leader I see him as) takes charge and wins over the hearts of his fellow servants by devising a plan to not die (v28-30).
His plan was pretty simply, 'go get the sheep we can find and continue to do our job,' which they did and when the bandits came back, Ammon stood before them to fight (v31-34) Ammon is probably one of my favorite people to imagine fake details about his life because he is a prince and was probably trained to fight, and he was also converted to the gospel awesomely so he is a good example so yeah...good stuff. So anyway, back to the story, Ammon stood to fight against this group of bandits that were definitely not scared of him knowing that they out numbered him, but we know that he is going to be protected because Mosiah was promised that (v34-35).
He starts by throwing stones in a deadly manner slaying 7 of the guards (ch18v16), but the rest of them just got angry and charged him with clubs which were no help either because Ammon had a sword to defend himself with (v36-37). Ammon cut off the arms of any who came at him and killed the leader of the criminals and protected the flocks so they could be returned to the king safely (v38-39). Then the other servants kept the arms of the Lamanite bandits as proof of what had happened (honestly I might have too because I doubt anyone would believe that) and carried them to the king.