14. The Plan

CHAPTER 14

THE PLAN

“Yes!  That’s it.  I am as a matter of fact.  I’m going!  I’m so glad you asked because I didn’t want to surprise you too much by what I need to tell you now.”

The older Nephi was noticeably excited.  He nervously bounced on his seat.  He acted as if there was some big secret he had to share, and if he wouldn’t be able to share it, he would burst.  Now it was the son’s turn to notice the animated look on the father’s face, as if the father were the one in the sacred record vault for the very first time.

“I’m glad that you think I’m still young enough, Neffy.  That’s nice.  I wish I were your age for this mission.  All I can do is trust that the Lord will be able to make up the difference for my age now, and for the strength and the energy that I presently lack.”

“This mission?  What are you telling me?  Are you just saying that you are going on another mission?  So what?  You’ve already been on several missions.  Why show me all these records now?”

“This mission is different,” declared Nephi’s father.

“What’s so special about this mission compared to all the others?  Who are you going to teach this time?”

“Well, that’s not exactly an easy question for me to answer.  Maybe, eventually, I’ll teach Heli'·ves and many others like him who have fallen into disbelief and lost their faith in Christ.”

“But Heli'·ves lives right here in Zarahemla!  That means you won’t have to go anywhere.  You’ll be able to stay right here at home this time.”

“No!  Just the opposite!  I’m actually going to a far distant land.  I will be gone for a very long time before I would hope to return---if ever I do find a way back.”

“You’d better come back!  How will going away to a far distant land help Heli'·ves?  That doesn’t make any sense at all.”

“Yes, it does!  I might return from that far distant land with the proof that Heli'·ves seems to be wanting.”

“I doubt that returning with anything would be sufficient proof for Heli'·ves anymore.  He says that only by seeing Christ can one really know that the traditions are true.  And only a fool would want to believe in myths which cannot be verified because only theoretical evidence would exist in a place that is impossible to see.”

“Then I am a fool and a believer in myths!” asserted father Nephi without hesitation.  He slammed his fist down on the table with a loud crack.  “I cannot make Heli'·ves believe, that is true.  He has his agency.  But if he would still choose to not believe after I return with my personal testimony, then woe, woe, woe unto him.  He would then be held accountable for my witness and my testimony of the truth of it.”

Both the father and the son had raised their voices before they realized they were unintentionally arguing with each other.  They stopped a moment to clear the air and calm their voices before going on.

“So, father, what is this far distant land where you will be gone for a very long time?  Are you going back to the land of Nephi in the south again?  Or, is it that you are going back in the other direction to the land northward again?”

“Well, yes, I am going back!  But not to anyplace I have ever been before.”  He smiled at his son with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

“Come on, father.  Don’t play riddles with me!  You know I have no clue what you are talking about.”

“I’m sorry, Neffy.  Let me explain.  The plan is to go back to the land of Nephi.  Not the land of Nephi inhabited by the Lamanites, but the land of Nephi from where our people come.  I’ve been studying a map I want to show you.  This map will help me explain what I am talking about.”

Nephi dragged the plates of Lehi across the table so that his son could get a closer look at the open book, and especially a highly detailed figure, or illustration, or work of art that had meticulously been inscribed on the top plate.

“These are the plates of our first father Lehi, Neffy.  I would like to study this record with you from the beginning.  But for now, this figure is the main thing I want to show you.  It’s amazing!  At first, I didn’t know what it was.  I didn’t know what to make of it.  Then, I realized what little writing there is on the figure are names of places.  It’s a map!  The most detailed I’ve been able to find in all his record.”

The excitement in Nephi’s voice increased as he pointed to the map and described its features to his son.  Something about that particular map in the plates of Lehi animated him.  He began to explain the significance of the map for his son.  The explanation sounded like it had been rehearsed many, many times before.

“Some plates on this table, specifically these plates of Lehi, and the plates of Nephi with an account of the people of Zarahemla who are the descendants of Mulek, and the twenty and four plates found by the people of Limhi, all have something in common.  Do you realize what?

“Oh, father.  Here you go again with another riddle.  I don’t know.”

“Just play along this time.  It will help me explain the importance of the map.”

“All right, sure.  They’re the oldest here.”

“No!”

“They’re the most sacred?”

“No, again!”

“They testify of Christ!”

“No!  … I mean yes.  Of course they do.  You’re correct about that.  But that isn’t what I was getting at.”  The elder Nephi seemed as excited as the boy discovering hidden treasure.

“Here’s the answer to what they share in common.  All these plates describe a journey from the land of our forefathers to this promised land.  They all made it!  Don’t you see the connection?  Different people at different times, but they all made it!  Our first fathers Lehi and Nephi made it!  Mulek made it!  The people of Jared made it!  Isn’t that something?

“After studying these plates of Lehi, and especially finding this map made by our first father Lehi, I know what mission the Lord is calling me to this time!”

“I am not following you, father.  How does an ancient map made by our first father Lehi many years ago tell you what mission the Lord is calling you to today?”

“Because this map convinces me that it is possible!

“You see, Neffy, our first father Lehi was quite the traveler and a successful merchant.  Before leaving the land of Jerusalem for the last time with his family, his record contains a history of other travels and experiences he had as a merchant.  There are details in his record that I have been studying.  In addition to his prophecies, our first father Lehi wrote about his travels along what he called a trade route to the east.

“Our first father Lehi tells about the lands through which he traveled.  From the study I have done in his record, I have been able to get clues about the places he has been, the distances he would have traveled, the time it would take, and the geographies of the places relative to the land of Jerusalem.

“Just look at the detail in this map!  Here is the land of Jerusalem!  See it?  And over here is the land of Bountiful.  This is information I’ve been hoping to find all my life!  At last I know that our first father Lehi’s final journey can be reversed.  And I am going to do it!”

“Oh, father!  Why would you want to reverse the journey of our first father Lehi?  Isn’t this still our promised land?  I wanted to avoid confessing this to you.  But, I was tempted this morning to repeat some of the history of our first fathers too!  When Arumor was fallen to the ground before me, I suddenly remembered that in the history for our people, our first father Nephi cut off the head of Laban.  And there I was with Arumor helpless before, only it was as if he were Laban all over again!

“Arumor’s sword was there too.  I don’t think anybody else was watching.  I could have done it.  I prayed until the voice of the Lord spoke to me that it was not right.  Are you sure this isn’t just a similar temptation?  Are you also being tempted to repeat history?”

“Yes!  Reverse history actually.  And this is the opposite of a sinful temptation.  This mission has been confirmed by the Spirit of the Lord.  I am not exactly sure why He wants me to go, but like you, I have prayed until the voice of the Lord has spoken to me that it is right.  The Lord has commanded me to go.  Therefore, I must obey.  I must find my way back to Jerusalem.”  

“But…but.  This makes no sense!  You would just leave us here alone!?  What if I don’t want you to go?!”

          “I understand what you’re feeling, son, I really do.”  Nephi expressed as much love and understanding as he possibly could.  “In fact, I would be upset if you didn’t want me to stay.  But I must go.  I feel that the Lord has a special purpose and reason in mind for me to go, even if I don’t now fully understand it myself.”

          “We’ll be separated forever!  You can’t really know that such a long journey is even possible!  And besides, our first fathers Lehi and Nephi had their whole family to help them.  Even Laman and Lemuel helped occasionally when they weren’t rebelling!  You cannot possibly be able to do something this ambitious on your own.  Where would you get a ship?  Or do you plan on building your own ship too!?”

          “Neffy, Neffy.  I know you have many questions for me right now.  But I am not changing my mind.  Or rather, the Lord does not change His mind.  Don’t worry.  You’ll see.  It’s all going to work out.  I’ll help you to understand.  And besides, like our first father Lehi, I will not be entirely on my own.”

Nephi’s father realized that his voice had again risen higher than he intended it to be.  So he lowered his voice to more of a whisper and asserted, “Because God will be with me.”

          “Oh, I know that God will be with you.  God is always with you, father.  Still, without additional…”

          “And, your Uncle Lehi is also going with me!”

          “What!?”

          “Yes!  Your Uncle Lehi and I have actually talked about this for a long time.  We’ve even sort of joked about it together.  You know, since it was our first fathers Lehi and Nephi who came to this land 600 years ago.  And so how appropriate, it’s us again, Lehi and Nephi, who will make the return.  The circle will be complete and we have been given the right names to retrace their footsteps.”

          “But Uncle Lehi is still in the land northward because he did not return to Zarahemla with you.  When did you tell him about this new mission?”

          “We have exchanged letters.  And besides, this is not really a recent decision.  This is a life-long ambition.  Neffy, from the time your Uncle Lehi and I were born, we were told to remember our first parents who came from the land of Jerusalem.  Our entire lives have been spent thinking about them, learning about them, trying to be like them!  Don’t you think I feel some intimate connection with them!?  I feel a burning inside me to get even closer to them.  I want to know more about where they came from, see where they traveled, do what they did, and everything about them.  I believe that part of my purpose on earth is to return to where they came from!”

          “So, … so you dream of another land and connecting to our ancestors.  But what about us?  What about me?  Don’t you also connect to me, to your posterity?”

          “Yes, yes.  Of course I do.  That is what makes this so terribly hard.  If it weren’t for you and the rest of the family, this would be much, much easier.  There are probably plenty of good reasons to stay, and my love for you and the family is foremost on the list.  But your mother is dead now, and you are now a strong young adult.  You can do fine without me.  You are called to care for these records and you must provide leadership for the church during my absence.”

          “I … I wonder if you might wait and think about this some more.  When were you thinking you might be going on this mission, father?”

          “Well, I have actually considered that question with a great amount of prayer, along with extensive study and thought.  It’s probably been the biggest thing on my mind for some time.  In fact, I’m somewhat worried that I’ve delayed going before now.

          “You see, according to the prophecies, now is the time of Christ’s birth in the land of Jerusalem, the land of our forefathers.  I must go now if I expect to have any chance of being there in order to see Him for myself and worship Him while in the flesh.

“Then I could eventually return as a personal witness to Heli'·ves and the rest of the unbelievers that the prophecies by all the holy prophets are indeed true.

“This is now the time the prophets have told us Christ would come.  And the place he is to come is in the land of Jerusalem.  Both the time and the place are set for when and where He is to come into the world.  These things are fixed.  The time is now, and the place is Jerusalem, in the land of our forefathers!”

          “Father, if you really are going, do you really think there is any hope that you could return again like you said?  It has never been done before.  Who knows if that is even possible?  Do you think that I will ever see you again?”

          “Just because it hasn’t been done before is no reason to think that it can’t be done.  Don’t forget to put your trust in the Lord, or forget to believe in miracles.  I am a believer in miracles.  I am also a believer in the Lord.

“By the way, Neffy, remember I told you this morning at the judgment-seat that I have instructed Ammaron to give you my ring and other properties when the time comes?  That is because I do expect to see you again.  I’d say a wait of approximately ten years would be the meaning of ‘when the time comes.’  You see, I’m basing my estimate of ten years on the accounts in these records.

“Here’s how I calculate it.  Our first father Lehi left Jerusalem with his family.  It took them a number of years before reaching the land they called Bountiful.  However, our first father Lehi could have reached Bountiful much more quickly than that if he had been traveling by himself.  It took much longer for the whole family to travel together.

“As you already know, our first father Lehi sent his sons back to Jerusalem a couple of times.  First, they went back for these plates of brass.  Then, they went back to bring the family of Ishmael.  It may have been some time before they married the daughters of Ishmael.  Jacob and Joseph were born.  I suppose others were then having babies.  Travel is always harder and slower with children.  All this would have taken considerable time.  And, in addition, it must have taken our first father Nephi considerable time to build a ship.

“My point is, despite all this, it appears that our first father Lehi and his family arrived in the promised land about ten or eleven years after departing from the land of Jerusalem.  If they can do all that in ten or eleven years, your Uncle Lehi and I can get there and back in the same amount of time or less.

“But if not, at least the record to prove your inheritance was completed at the judgment-seat this morning.  If I am not back in ten years, Neffy, you have the responsibility as oldest son to manage the inheritance.  And if I’m back before that, well, then you’ll just have to wait a little longer before you receive your inheritance.”

          “Oh, I see.  Very clever.  But what about a ship?  That could still take some time to prepare.”

          “And we already have a ship!”

          “You do!?  Where?  What kind?  What makes you think you and uncle Lehi could sail it?  Even if you could sail it, how will you know which direction to go?”

          “All good questions, son, good questions.  They must be answered, ---- but let’s do it later.  We should return back to Zarahemla now.  The night has come and gone already.  The sun is rising in the east.  We need to return home and rest.  We do have more to talk about, but later.  Come on, let’s go.  You’ll get your answers, I promise.”

Nephi’s father carefully pushed the plates of Lehi back to the same place they had been before.  He left the plates open where the map of Lehi was clearly seen.

Nephi stood up, and held the arm of his son to help him stand.  They supported each other with arms around their waists while they steadily walked out from the sacred record vault.  The doorway in the rocks closed itself behind them when they reached the mountainside.

“Get the Liahona,” Nephi’s father instructed.

Nephi retrieved the ball from off the ground where he realized they had left it after the rocks had opened up.  He carefully replaced it in his bag and tied it closed.  He put the bag in the fold of his robe.  Then he made sure the bag was securely tied to the rope around his waist.

The sky in the east was aglow in shades of pink with the light of the rising sun.  Young Nephi was astounded to realize that daybreak had already arrived.  The interview with his father must have occupied the whole of that night.  It had been as if it were a night without darkness.  The light and colors of the sunrise reminded him of the splendid sunset the previous evening.

Since the way back home was mostly downhill, the physical effort for the return hike was normally easy for Nephi.  Not today.  Today he felt weak.  Suddenly, he felt very tired.  The weight of things on his mind felt as if he was carrying the mountain itself down the canyon.

Nephi’s father stopped twice to ask if anything was wrong.  Each time, Nephi said no, that he was fine.  So they continued on.

Nephi’s father also had things on his mind.  Now that he had finally shared his life-long mission plan with his son, he felt relief.  But he had mixed emotions of both happiness and sadness.  He was glad that the time for his departure had come and that he knew his son would be able to take over for him.  Yet, he mourned in silence because he wondered if he would ever see his son and other beloved family members again.  It might require a miracle.