Voices Crying from the Dust
Achoma, Peru
Recently I had a long flight in the middle of the night and as predicted, I was unable to sleep. I wondered if I could read some scriptures to help pass the time, but it seemed too ambitious due to my fatigue. Despite this, I turned to the week’s assigned ‘Come Follow Me’ and started reading Moroni 10 as suggested. As soon as I began to read, Moroni’s urgent written words spoke to me as if he were present. I’ve read this chapter hundreds of times, but this time, I felt his reality as a human and I recognized the sacrifices he made to communicate his heartfelt testimony of the Savior and the gospel to me personally. His words were inscribed on ancient plates and literally buried in the ground nearly 2000 years ago, but that night they seemed very pertinent and relevant to my life as I considered the pending year of 2025. Having seen our modern world in a vision (Mormon 8:35), Moroni could clearly see the painful resemblance to the social disintegration of his own society. The Holy Spirit bore witness to me that in his solitude as the last remaining Nephite alive, Moroni sincerely wanted to help us navigate our modern and troubling times. His final testimony is notably similar to Nephi’s final testimony as recorded in 2 Nephi 33:13. Their words literally ‘cry from the dust’ with the hope that we will listen and learn from their experiences so long ago.
Scriptures:
Mormon 8:35 (35-41)
Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing.
2 Nephi 33:13 (10 -15)
And now, my beloved brethren, all those who are of the house of Israel, and all ye ends of the earth, I speak unto you as the voice of one crying from the dust: Farewell until that great day shall come.
2 Nephi 3:20
And they shall cry from the dust; yea, even repentance unto their brethren, even after many generations have gone by them. And it shall come to pass that their cry shall go, even according to the simpleness of their words.
Achoma, Peru
