Chapter 15: Establishing a Church

All week long, Abish heard of many comings and goings in the palace. Hundreds were taught the gospel. One of the Lamoni’s pools in the courtyard was designated as a baptismal font. Many were baptized. Ammon appointed a few others who could do this work also, otherwise he would have spent most of the day dripping wet. Lamoni had been the first baptism.

Abish sighed as she looked out the window to the back of the palace; she would have liked to have been second, but it wasn’t possible. After her initial burst of spiritual energy, the queen had become very ill. Her milk all but dried up and she was too weak to even hold the baby. She was bleeding badly and Abish feared that even if she did survive she would never have another child. Lamoni, when he wasn’t preaching, was at her side. Ammon blessed her and kept vigil too. Abish fasted and prayed. She knew that she would never be able to look back on the joyful events of this week with anything but sadness if the queen passed.

Finally, after nearly a week of being on the verge of death, the queen took a turn for the better. Her fever broke, and although she was weak, she was very hungry. In her deep relief, Abish slept soundly for her first night in many days.

The next morning she awoke slowly feeling well and rested. The queen had also slept well and Abish left her in the hands of a healer. She wanted to explore the changes taking place in the palace and in the city. The first thing she noted was that the slaves were gone. The cook in the kitchen explained that they had all been freed—either allowed to go home or kept on as paid servants. Within the palace walls, several private huts were being built for those who wanted to stay. One of these residences was being fashioned near the queen’s room, so that Ham might stay with his wife for the many months that she would be Sariah’s nurse. Abish walked through the courtyard, marveling at the changes and well-pleased with the general feeling of happiness she felt from people and saw in their faces.

She was strolling casually when Ammon found her in the garden. She smiled and waved when he saw her. “Hello, Abish.” He said simply as he fell into step beside her.

“You and Lamoni have been busy.”

Ammon smiled and shrugged, “You never know what the Lord is going to do.”

“I thought I almost ruined it. My big mouth nearly got you killed that day.”

Ammon continued smiling, “But my life is in the Lord’s hands. I will not die until it is my time to do so. There is still much work for me here. Besides, the people you gathered witnessed some remarkable miracles. Many have told Lamoni and I that they have become believers in part because of what they were witness to that day.”

“Really?”

“Yes. But more important than any additional preaching today, my priority is to get you baptized. That is what you want isn’t it?” He said slyly as he gave her a sideways glance. She smiled in reply, knowing that he already knew the answer. “You have also been very busy, Abish.”

She nodded, the fatigue and worry from the last days momentarily clouding her face, “I think all will be well now.”

“Good. Lamoni has nearly eaten himself up with anxiety over her.”

“He is a good man.”

“The best. He is like a brother to me.”

“The two of you will do many great works in this land, for these people.”

“You will be a part of that work too, Abish.”

She smiled and nodded, “I hope so. It is as if a great weight has been lifted from my heart. To no longer hide my belief is the most freeing feeling I could ever imagine.” They walked through the garden in companionable silence for several more minutes. Abish finally said, “I’ve had a question in my mind for a few days now.”

“Go ahead.”

“How many of those sheep-stealers did you really kill?”

Ammon laughed right out loud at her question. He too had heard the rumors of his superhuman strength. “Seven.”

“So not the reports of thirty that some have said, but not the two or three I actually suspected.”

“I am not sure if that is meant to compliment or humble me?” he said with a question in his voice, but she knew he was definitely teasing now.

“Maybe a little of both. Let’s see about that baptism, huh?”


As she rose out of the water that day she had never felt happier. Her heart was light and free and for a moment she believed that nothing in her life would ever be wrong again. Ammon helped her out of the water, and she immediately began drying off, though such a thing was hardly necessary. It had been another hot day, as it nearly always was. The difference was that today some clouds were actually gathering. There hadn’t been a proper and lengthy rainy season in the land for so many years that it was hard to even remember the last time there was a good, cooling downpour.

Abish nodded happily as Ammon explained that her confirmation would be done later. It was taking longer to get through the confirmations because he was the only one, for now, with authority to do them. He also explained to her about the Holy Ghost and what that would mean to her when she was confirmed. He then made a statement that seemed out of place, “Lemhah tells me you read and write.”

“Yes.”

“Very well?”

“I haven’t had a lot of practice, but I think I have a knack for it.”

“Do you think you could record the names of the baptisms and confirmations? In Nephite lands we keep records of such things so that members of the church might be fellowshipped and helped.”

“I think it is a great idea. Have you kept track so far?”

“Pretty well. Lemhah has been a great help, but he is also busy with other duties in the palace.”

Suddenly there was a loud noise from the sky, like a thousand people clapping together at once. Abish screamed and looked up, the sky had grown dark in just the few minutes they had been in the courtyard, “What was that?”

Ammon laughed good-naturedly at her reaction. “Thunder. You know, like before a big rainstorm. It looks like we are in for a huge one today.”

“Thunder? It has been so many years since I’ve heard it.”

Suddenly, a breeze picked up and there was the most wonderful smell in the air. “Uh-oh.” Ammon said.

“What?”

“That smell means the rain is nearly here. We’d better make a run for it or you’ll be baptized twice today.”

They ran headlong for the palace but didn’t quite make it before the skies opened up. They were both laughing when the reached the portico, though Abish had to admit she was also a little bit startled. “Well,” Ammon said, “I guess you will always remember your baptism day.”

Indeed, Abish thought, the first day of the rest of her life.


As the church grew, Lamoni and Ammon became serious about organizing it. Small congregations were organized and visited often by Ammon himself to ensure that the preaching remained pure. Abish often followed Ammon to places where he preached and copied down the words he said. People remembered her from the day many of them became believers and her notoriety as a midwife expanded and she became very busy that way as well. She chuckled sometimes thinking that her reputation was stronger than her actual skills—not unlike Ammon and his sheep.

One afternoon some months after Ammon had come, when Abish was not particularly busy, she was in the queen’s chamber, spending the afternoon with her. Little Sariah was adorable; her features were just like the queen’s but she had Lamoni’s dark eyes, hair and skin. She was rolling around the ground to get to where she wanted to go and Abish was sitting on the ground with her as she explored her environment with giggles and coos. She idly wondered what it would be like to be a wife with a baby. In some ways it would probably be quite wonderful, but then, in other ways she greatly enjoyed her newfound independence as well.

The queen sensed her mood, “And what will be next for you Abish?”

She smiled. “I’m not sure. I’m quite content.”

“And you are still young; barely 17.”

Abish sat up, crossing her legs. “I think my sister had a baby or two by the time she was my age.”

“Perhaps you will look for your family now.”

“I have thought about that, many times. I’m not even sure where I would begin. Truthfully, I’m not sure how close I feel to them, even my mother. Besides, it is difficult to say how well the rest of the Lamanites are going to take all of these believers in their midst.” The queen nodded. Abish knew that such a thing had been a frequent topic of conversation between Ammon and Lamoni. In fact, the week after Ammon came, Lamoni was supposed to have gone to a feast day to celebrate his father’s 25th anniversary as ruler of the Lamanites. All of his sons, as well as the other Lamanite nation kings had been invited. Between teaching the gospel and the queen’s unexpected illness, Lamoni had stayed behind. The queen had tried to encourage him to go, fearful of Lamoni angering his father, but he reasoned that her health and God’s work were more important. He sent word that he wouldn’t attend, but Abish wasn’t sure how much he had explained. Now, all these months later, he was considering taking Ammon to meet his father to try and convince him to allow the preaching to spread to other parts. Ammon spoke often of finding his brothers to find out what their success had been. Only when large numbers of the Lamanites were converted could those in the Land of Ishmael be assured of any real safety.

There was silence for a few moments; perhaps the queen was thinking the same things. Then she said, “I was thinking that you might like to move outside the palace.” Abish sat up, momentarily startled. “Don’t look so shocked, darling. Most of those who were once slaves have done so. If you would like to stay there is plenty of room for you, but you might like the independence that it would afford you.”

She tugged at her hair that was growing painfully slow. Still it nearly covered her earlobe and with the practice of slavery being banned, the notch in her ear meant very little. At least in the Land of Ishmael, “Perhaps.”

The queen nodded too. “It was just a suggestion; I love having you here.”

Abish leaned back down on her elbow and held a delicately carved rattle for the baby who followed it very carefully with her eyes and made clumsy, grabbing motions for it. “I love being here; especially now.”

There was another long pause and the queen cleared her throat and said mildly, “Dinner conversation has certainly been livelier since a certain young man joined our household.”

Abish’s cheeks burned hotly, but she kept silent, trying to pretend ignorance, but it was nearly impossible to ignore Ammon’s natural charm and magnetism. Sometimes it seemed that Ammon often sought her out for things that could have just as easily been done or answered by someone else. There were others who could do the scribe work that he pretended she was so wonderful at. And more than one woman in travail in recent weeks had received a blessing from Ammon himself as he accompanied Abish to their homes, particularly if it was late at night.

She continued to flush under the queen’s direct gaze, unable to reply until the queen said softly, “You admitted to me yourself once that he was handsome. Would such an alliance be so terrible?”

“I think that Ammon has become a very good friend recently. I do not want to read more into it than is really there.” As the words came out, they sounded so level-headed, but Abish could not ignore the way her heart seemed to thump in her chest when she thought of marrying Ammon. “Besides, Ammon is a prince.”

The queen shrugged, “And you are a daughter of God. This makes you a princess in your own right.”

Abish shifted uncomfortably, “I feel like I’ve spent my whole life trying to be invisible. It is still difficult to imagine a different kind of life.”

“I am sure that will change in time. You know, my friend, even before the gospel came to us, there was something about you. I’ve never known a woman to carry such a light in her eyes or such capability in her hands. A man like Ammon would be just the kind to recognize such powerful gifts.” Abish looked away, feeling her cheeks burn anew with the compliments she was not used to hearing. The queen gently prodded, “Maybe it is time to be on your own—to discover who you really are and what you might be capable of.”

“Maybe you are right.” She smiled at the queen, enjoying the way friendship felt after so many years without it.

Just then a servant came to announce that Ammon wished to see her. The queen nodded and Ammon entered. He was unusually pale and obviously distraught. “Have you seen Lamoni?” He came right to the point, uncharacteristically forgetting his manners or his charm when it came to the queen. Something definitely was wrong.

The queen sensed it too. “Not for several hours; whatever can be the matter?”

“I’ve just received some news I need to speak with your husband about; if you see him, please tell him that I’m looking for him.”

The queen smiled gently, “I certainly will, but is there any way that Abish and I might help you?” For the first time since entering the room Ammon looked sideways at Abish, startled to see her sitting on the floor. He really hadn’t seen her. He still didn’t seem to see her and just answered, “No my lady; I am sorry to have bothered you.”

“It is no bother, Ammon.” Abish said and then repeated the queen’s request, “Are you sure there is nothing we can do?”

“I’m sure. I’ll leave you now.” He was out the door before anything else could be said. The queen shrugged as Abish looked at her, puzzled.

The queen said, “I suppose time will tell if it is something we need know.”

Abish agreed and added, “He was certainly agitated.”

“Yes, I’ve never seen him like that before.” The subject was quickly dropped, as nothing more could be said. Abish spent the rest of the afternoon entertaining the babies. Sasha’s boy was toddling everywhere on his short, chubby legs. Nothing was safe from his prying hands, but there was something utterly adorable about him too. Home and family or independence? In her heart she hoped that she wouldn’t have to choose one over the other.


That afternoon was the last restful time she had for several days as she helped five mothers give birth. Four boys named Ammon and a little girl name Shammon. She bit her tongue to hold back the laughter after the last boy was born. It had been happening a lot lately. When all these children grew up they would have to be numbered to keep them straight. Two of the births had been difficult and she’d spent an entire three days away from the palace. She was anxious for a good night’s rest and a bath.

Despite her late night deliveries, Ammon had not sought her out to join her as he often did and she wondered if the source of his anxiety would be revealed when she went back to the palace. She chided herself for how much she missed his company. She knocked quietly on the door, unsure if the queen would actually still be awake. Zaria answered with a very distressed look in her eye and exclaimed, “Oh Abish, come in; we have just learned the most awful thing.”