Once again I have taken my sweet ol' time to write a new post. During that span of time quite a bit has happened. Christ has come and gone to visit other of God's children. The title of 'Lamanite' and 'Nephite' were gone; everyone was equal and all were faithful followers of Christ. Now 300+ years have passed away and not only have the people begun to distinguish themselves once again but they have also become a very wicked and idolatrous people. They have many wars amongst themselves and the Lamanites overcome the Nephites because of their greatness in number and because of the Nephites wickedness. In Mormon 6 we learn of the utter destruction of the people of Nephi. I cannot even comprehend the amount of people killed in this single battle-23 captians all fallen each leading an army of 10,000! After this battle there are literally 24 Nephites left (not including the deserters). TWENTY FOUR!!! That is insane! Especially when previously they could not be numbered because their number was like unto the sands of the sea! Can you imagine being in Morom's place: witnessing the entire destruction of the people you love so much. Though they were wicked just as the Lamanites were at that time, they were still his brothers and sisters and he still loved them despite their hardened hearts.
He says "...I had led them, notwithstanding their wickedness I had led them many times to battle, and had loved them, according to the ^alove of God which was in me, with all my heart; and my soul had been poured out in prayer unto my God all the day long for them;..." (Mormon 3:12). "And my soul was rent with ^aanguish, because of the slain of my people, and I cried: ^aO ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you! Behold, if ye had not done this, ye would not have fallen. But behold, ye are fallen, and I ^amourn your loss. O ye ^afair sons and daughters, ye fathers and mothers, ye husbands and wives, ye fair ones, how is it that ye could have ^bfallen! But behold, ye are gone, and my sorrows cannot bring your return" (Mormon 6:16-20).
I implore you, let us learn from these stories and deny ourselves of pride which is Satan's greatest tool. Let us repent NOW and come unto Christ Now, that we may recieve the many rich and wonderful blessings the Lord has in store for us while we are still here on the earth. Let us now live as we know we should so that those left after us don't look to our deaths and say "O that ye had repented before this great ^adestruction had come upon you. But behold, ye are gone, and the Father, yea, the Eternal Father of heaven, ^bknoweth your state; and he doeth with you according to his ^cjustice and ^dmercy" (Mormon 6:22). "O be ^awise; what can I say more" (Jacob 6:12)?

Here are some very late comments on my studies of the end of Alma! Have I said that I love this book yet?!?! :D
In Alma 59:9 "And now as Moroni had supposed that there ^ashould be men sent to the city of Nephihah, to the assistance of the people to maintain that city, and knowing that it was easier to keep the city from falling into the hands of the Lamanites than to retake it from them, he supposed that they would easily maintain that city" (italics added).  When I read this I thought of how much easier it is to follow the commandments and be obedient than it is to fall and have to repent and work our way back to the top. I don't remember who said it but someone said 'its easier to be 100% obedient than 90% obedient' or something to that effect.
Another chapter I really like was Alma 62:40-41 (vs. 41) "But behold, because of the exceedingly great length of the war between the Nephites and the Lamanites many had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; and many were softened because of their ^aafflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility." How do we take our 'afflictions' do we just kind of roll with the punches? Do we take them with bitterness and become even more bitter after each trial or do we live and learn with a humble heart and positive attitude. I'd like to say I'm always the humble type learning from all of my experiences and being grateful for them but...that is something I could definitely work on. Sometimes I think its hard to stay positive during the trying times and we forget that everything we go through is for our good and learning. I hope we can all strive to learn from our challenges and become better and stronger because of them. Let us be like those who "were softened because of their afflictions" and let us humble ourselves before God. Though I may not appreciate my trials at the time they happened I can now say that I am so grateful for the experiences I have had in my life and for the opportunities Heavenly Father has given me to become a stronger, better disciple, and daughter of God.