Abinadi

The summer before my junior year, my stake hosted a youth conference called "Moroni's Quest." We went to a place in the mountains for three days and reenacted the Book of Mormon. They recorded each actor before and broadcast their lines, we all dressed up like Lamanites and Nephites, they had dancers and singers...This thing was legit. I even had a line! I was Ishmael's wife. When Laman and Lemuel were binding up Nephi, my line was: "Please! Have mercy upon him! Let him go!" Great line, eh? :) I even fell dramatically to my knees and begged during the performance. I'm pretty much a professional actress, let's face the facts.

One part I really remember about Moroni's Quest was the story of Abinadi. Watching them perform this part of the Book of Mormon was particularly powerful.

"29 And again he said unto them: If ye teach the law of Moses why do ye not keep it? Why do ye set your hearts upon riches? Why do ye commit whoredoms and spend your strength with harlots, yea, and cause this people to commit sin, that the Lord has cause to send me to prophesy against this people, yea, even a great evil against this people?

 30 Know ye not that I speak the truth? Yea, ye know that I speak the truth; and you ought to tremble before God."

After Abinadi's sermon, they burned a dummy dressed up like Abinadi. Now every time I read this part of the Book of Mormon, I think back to that weekend during the summer of 2010. If you ever get the opportunity to attend a Moroni's Quest, do it.