Abish, Faith Among the Lamanites

By Brenda Anderson

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 Abish, Faith Among the Lamanites

The story of Abish in the Book of Mormon has always intrigued me. Abish is first mentioned in Alma chapter 19. The part she plays is small and may lead to lots of questions about her. How is it that her father was able to have a vision and teach her? What were the dangers of having a father that believed as the Nephites did? How hard was it for her to accept what her father told her? How did she end up in the King’s household? So many questions and not a lot of answers in the scriptures.

Brenda Anderson portrays a young woman who is taking care of an ill father and their small holding.

“...Abish awoke, frozen into inaction – a sound was missing – a sound harsher yet quieter than the crickets..., closer and scarier than the wind roaring in the nearby trees. Jashon, her father, rested a mere seven steps away, ...The absent sound was his labored breathing....

“She moved across the dirt floor toward her father, biting her lip, fighting the desperate urge to rush forward and the terrifying need to flee, to not know. She edged forward, then back, in halting motions that stretched the seven steps into twenty before she finally knelt beside him.”(pg.1)

Thus begins the journey of Abish and her father, Jashon. After Jashon wakes up from his illness he starts to tell Abish what happened and how it is going to affect them. Abish is extremely uneasy about what her father is telling her. She is afraid that they will be labeled as traitors. As Abish puts her trust in her father, she starts to gain her own faith and testimony.

As the two of them practice their new faith, there is an individual that will use them to bring down his cousin and his family. It isn’t enough that his cousin is not interested in what his inheritance could bring him or that he would willingly give it all up. Tikan will plot and plan the downfall of all that is held dear by his Uncles’ family.

Once Jashon and Abish's secret is out, Jashon tells Abish to flee to the King’s house and hide from Tikan. The journey is long and dangerous. Once there she is taken in and given basic jobs to do. After being busy all her life taking care of the holding and in an effort to fight her grief over her father, Abish starts to do more than is asked of her. This brings her to the notice of the head servant who promotes her to work directly for the Queen.