The Army of Helaman:
How Can “My Gospel Standards” Help Me Keep My Baptismal Covenant?

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments (1 Jn. 2:3).

The sons of Mosiah, great Book of Mormon missionaries, converted many Lamanites to the gospel of Jesus Christ. This group of Lamanites had been a wicked, murderous people, and now they wanted to show Heavenly Father that they were sorry for their past sins. So they made a covenant with Him that they would never again shed the blood of another man, and they buried their weapons.

A group of wicked Lamanites wanted to start a war with these converts. Because the righteous, who now called themselves Anti-Nephi-Lehies, had promised not to fight anymore, the Nephites who were defending them were being killed. The Anti-Nephi-Lehies wanted to help the Nephites but were persuaded to not break their covenant. Their sons, however, had been too young to make the covenant. Under the leadership of Helaman, these two thousand sons went to battle against the wicked Lamanites.

These young warriors are described as “exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.

“Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him.” (Alma 53:20–21.)

Because of the righteousness and integrity that the two thousand young men displayed, the Lord watched over them and kept them safe. They were able to fight for the liberty of their people, and not one of them was killed.

Just as those young warriors were rewarded for being righteous, we will also be blessed for being honest in all our dealings and remaining pure.

Although seven-year-old Caylen Craven of Pawhuska, Oklahoma, has not ever had to go to war, he is a “stripling warrior” because he has learned how to be honest, too. One day while walking through the airport with his family, he saw a man in front of him accidently drop some money. Even though he is normally very shy around strangers, Caylen ran to pick up the money and return it to its owner.

Caylen’s mother wrote, “We were thankful that his first reaction was to do the right and honest thing, that he didn’t even think about keeping the dollar.”

Color the flannel-board figures, then mount them on heavy paper. Cut them out and use them to retell the story “The Army of Helaman.”

Illustrated by Beth W. Whittaker

Book of Mormon painting by Jerry Thompson