Alma Ch31

So those Zoramites have become apostate and Alma wants to visit them to reclaim them. It is interesting to see the practices they have and how they have warped the true church with set prayers and pride. The missionaries that go and visit them are filled with the Spirit as they preach to the people and opportunities are opened up to them after their trials and afflictions.
After Korihor had been killed among the Zoramites, word got to Alma that they were kind of a bad crowd now and they were being lead away from the truth that started because they separated themselves from the Nephites and had a wicked leader (v1-3). When they became a separate people, the possibility that they would start corresponding with the Lamanites, so Alma's solution was to get them back on track and converted to God by going with some missionaries to preach unto them (v4-5). The whole party consisted of Ammon, Aaron, Omner, Himni, Amulek, Zeezrom, Melek, and his two younger sons, Shiblon and Corianton. He left his eldest son, Helaman, behind to guard the castle I guess, it doesn't really tell us why he didn't go (v6-7).
After the Zoramites dissented from the Nephites, they fell into apostasy and stopped following the commandments, performing prayers and supplications to God daily, and all together perverted the ways of the true church by only meeting in big open areas to publically worship once a week (v8-12). In their place of worship each person took their turn reciting a prideful, arrogant, and stupid prayer that praised themselves as elected of God but rejects Christ as their Savior (v13-18). The missionaries were stunned that this was what has been going on because without fail every person that went to 'church' went on the Rameumptom (holy stand) to declare that selfish prayer then went home and didn't mention God again until the next week where they did the same thing (v19-23).
I am astonished that the church could be perverted so completely to where that is a prayer that someone has created, but it's true, someone so vain and wicked was influenced by the devil to make it seem like a good idea to boast about themselves (v24-25). Alma prays to God for help on how he could possibly preach to such a prideful, vain group of people when it pains him so much to see such complete wickedness (v26-31). He finishes his very personal prayer to God by asking for strength amongst his party and success to save the precious souls that have been lead into the grasp of the devil (v32-35).
Alma left each member of the mission with a blessing (that's what the "clapping his hands upon them" means) to have the Holy Spirit to be with them as they separate themselves among the people (v36-37). They went without caring about what they were going to eat for their next meal, nor where they sleep, but they did not hunger because the Lord gave them strength that they didn't suffer, but were strong in their joy of Christ and in preaching his words in faith (v38).