Before Ammon and his brethren went among the Lamanites to preach the gospel, a servant of a queen of the Lamanites named Abish had already been converted unto the Lord many years prior. In all of the time leading up to Ammon’s arrival among her people, Abish had never attempted to share her vision. We don't know for sure why this might be, but perhaps the Lord answered her heartfelt prayers to share the knowledge and truth that she had received with a firm “not yet.” We know that she was sincere and earnest in her desires to share the gospel because the moment that she was given leave she told everyone in the whole city to come witness the power of God made manifest. At first, she might have questioned this final and long hoped for permission to spread the light of Christ as things almost immediately took a turn for the worst. But she did not back down in her trust and faith in the Lord and she brought the fallen queen back to consciousness, who then revived her husband and from there all of the servants who had also fallen to the earth. Abish may have questioned long and hard why she had been blessed with the knowledge of the Lord and yet was unable to share it, but she was able to see how the Lord prepared her for the perfect moment. If she had not acted when she had, Ammon might have been slain. He would not then have been able to go with King Lamoni to free Aaron and his brethren. Aaron would not have been able to convert the king of all the Lamanites. The group known as the Anti-Nephi-Lehi would not then have been established nor Helaman’s 2060 stripling warriors raised up as a great defense of the Nephites and the church of God. With her commitment to holding onto her way and trusting the Lord's timing and sharing the gospel in the moment that she was permitted and remaining faithful even when things looked bleak, Abish, in a very real way, may have preserved the Nephites and the church of Christ for generations. If we ever feel like the Lord is holding us back, maybe it's for a very good reason. We don't know that by remaining faithful even when it seems like it's not doing ourselves or anyone else any good at all, we nevertheless may end up serving just as pivotal a role as Abish.
