Ficitional Story: Ether 15:34

Moroni looked up from his abridgment of the Jaredite record. The land was empty and barren around him, much as the land must have looked to Ether as he followed the Lord's command, slipping from his hiding place to view the bodies scattered everywhere, the complete destruction of his people. Moroni closed his eyes, seeing within his mind, his own scene of destruction--the men under his command, all slain, most of the other chief captains and their men, dead, his own father, lying wounded among them.
"Twenty-four." he whispered. "Twenty-four survivors, and of them, only I remain." He felt a great weight of loneliness settle over him, and he slumped forward with sadness. "My father," he sighed, "how you loved and served our people, trying with all your power to bring them back to the Lord. And for naught--the Nephites are no more."
Looking back at the plates on his knees, Moroni realized he now sat in shadows. He shifted positions to catch the last lingering rays of daylight so he could finish his work. As the sun sets on the day, so does the Lord to the wicked. He sighed again and began reading the last few lines of Ether's record. As he read, Moroni was filled with warmth, as if the sun had risen again, but this time within his soul. He recognized the Spirit of the Lord as it burned inside of him, bringing with it comfort, dispelling his loneliness. He let his eyes drift shut, savoring the glorious feeling. Although I am alone, through Ether's words, the Lord has reminded me that He is always with me. To complete his abridgment, Moroni added Ether's final words to the plates: "Whether the Lord will that I be translated, or that I suffer the will of the Lord in the flesh, it mattereth not, if it so be that I am saved in the kingdom of God. Amen."
Moroni set the plates carefully in between to large boulders within his hiding place, so they would not easily be found. He spread out his blankets and knelt upon them, thanking the Lord for his gift of comfort and the inspiration He had provided to help Moroni know what to include in his record. Now others who feel alone can also draw comfort as I did from Ether's words and know that they are never truly alone.

Scripture Squiggle: Ether 15:34

"Now the last words which are written by Ether are these: Whether the Lord will that I be translated, or that I suffer the will of the Lord in the flesh, it mattereth not, if is so be that I am saved in the kingdom of God. Amen."

This is Moroni speaking. After bidding farewell at the end of his father's record, Moroni decided to abridge the Jaredite record. Moroni was alone at this time, without family or friends, hunted by the Lamanites. How these words of Ether's must of comforted his soul! He knew that he was not the only person who had wandered alone. Did he thrill to know that the Lord was aware of him and had guided him to these words of comfort? This scripture is only one verse, but it yields so much about Moroni, about his feelings and testimony. Study it--what do you find?

What is a Scipture Squiggle?

In fifth grade, my teacher used "squiggle stories" to promote creativity and enhance our writing skills. Each week she handed out papers with a few squiggly lines on them for us to turn into a picture and then write a story about the picture. This activity is what sparked my desire to be a writer. In my first novel, "Abish: Faith Among the Lamanites," I drew from four verses found in Alma 19 to create a fictional story designed to uplift and inspire--these four verses were my scripture squiggle, the basis for my story.