Molten Gold

He will place in your path packets of spiritual sunlight to brighten your way. They often come after the trial has been the greatest, as evidence of the compassion and love of an all-knowing Father. They point the way to greater happiness, more understanding, and strengthen your determination to accept and be obedient to ... I testify that when the Lord closes one important door in your life He shows His continuing love and compassion by opening many other compensating doors through your exercise of faith.  He will place in your path packets of spiritual sunlight to brighten your way.
Elder Richard Scott

I believe these path packets are even waypoints along the way.  Sister Vilate C. Raile penned these words, regarding the pioneers, which I believe is expressing these packets, its power even for us,  

They cut desire into short lengths,
And fed it to the hungry fires of tribulation.

Long after when the fires had died,
Molten gold gleamed in the ashes.

They gathered it in bruised palms
And handed it to their children, And
their children's children forever.

Chronicles

When you read I & II Chronicles the scriptural literary format is very similar to the Book of Mormon.  Eventhough no autobiographical writer is speaking like "I, Nephi".  The scholars who produced the Chronicle books produce similiarities- like David inquiring of the Lord (Nephi), and David leading out against the Phillistines in war (Captain Moroni, Moroni, Helaman). Or even the idea of casting of lots is identified.

I Chronicles 14: 8-17; 24:31.

Wikpedia suggests the following themes  through these books:

The message which the authors wished to give to his audience was this:

1. God is active in history, and especially the history of Israel. The faithfulness or sins of individual kings are immediately rewarded or punished by God. (This is in contrast to the theology of the Books of Kings, where the faithlessness of kings was punished on later generations through the Babylonian exile).^[11]
2. God calls Israel to a special relationship. The call begins with the genealogies (chapters 1–9 of 1 Chronicles), gradually narrowing the focus from all mankind to a single family, the Israelites, the descendants of Jacob. "True" Israel is those who continue to worship Yahweh at the Temple in Jerusalem, with the result that the history of the historical kingdom of Israel is almost completely ignored.^[12]
3. God chose David and his dynasty as the agents of his will. According to the author of Chronicles, the three great events of David's reign were his bringing the ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, his founding of an eternal royal dynasty, and his preparations for the construction of the Temple.^[12]
4. God chose the Temple in Jerusalem as the place where he should be worshiped. More time and space are spent on the construction of the Temple and its rituals of worship than on any other subject. By stressing the central role of the Temple in pre-exilic Judah, the author also stresses the importance of the newly-rebuilt Persian-era Second Temple to his own readers.
5. God remains active in Israel. The past is used to legitimise the author's present: this is seen most clearly in the detailed attention he gives to the Temple built by Solomon, but also in the genealogy and lineages, which connect his own generation to the distant past and thus make the claim that the present is a continuation of that past.^[13]

Three Ways

The Nephites reacted to the signs being manifested before them in three ways: the people were some ...”most believing”, others...both relying upon their “own wisdom and strength”, and saying things they “may have guessed right”.
Helaman 16:15-16

Who would we be? How would we “reason and contend”, or “imagine up in our hearts”- seeing these signs. v22 & v18

A Sign

Helaman Chapter 2

7 And it came to pass that he met Kishkumen, and he gave unto him a sign; therefore Kishkumen made known unto him the object of his desire, desiring that he would conduct him to the judgment-seat that he might murder Helaman.

8 And when the servant of Helaman had known all the heart of Kishkumen, and how that it was his object to murder, and also that it was the object of all those who belonged to his band to murder, and to rob, and to gain power, (and this was their secret plan, and their combination) the servant of Helaman said unto Kishkumen: Let us go forth unto the judgment-seat.

9 Now this did please Kishkumen exceedingly, for he did suppose that he should accomplish his design; but behold, the servant of Helaman, as they were going forth unto the judgment-seat, did stab Kishkumen even to the heart, that he fell dead without a groan. And he ran and told Helaman all the things which he had seen, and heard, and done.

This sign, the object of a secret plan or heart of Kishkumen's combination for death, evil or damnation; is complete opposite to the sacred purpose of the heart of a saint holding a sign at the temple veil or altar to receive life, righteousness and exaltation.

The Stripling Warriors frightened the Lamanites loinless, Alma 56:52-56; Captain Moroni was inspired with such a marching force of 2000 faithful and fearless Ammonites, “his sons” he called them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKyLYIpZbEY&sns=em

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCvV378s-ig&sns=em

Indexing

Indexing led me to the 1928 Warm Springs Census, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs located in Oregon.  Their website:

The Warm Springs bands who lived along the Columbia’s tributaries spoke Sahaptin. Unlike the Wascoes, the Warm Springs bands moved between winter and summer villages, and depended more on game, roots and berries. However, salmon was also an important staple for the Warm Springs bands and, like the Wascoes, they built elaborate scaffolding over waterfalls which allowed them to harvest fish with long-handled dip nets. Contact between the Warm Springs bands and the Wascoes was frequent, and, although they spoke different languages and observed different customs, they could converse and traded heavily.

Indexing expands your knowledge- I would have never even thought of these people.  I obtained additional information from the Travel Oregon website.  I am seeking from them culinary (expand my taste for salmon), and culture information, that seems so colorful.

A Description

The geographical description from Mormon is quite detailed- given his military background (Alma 22).  I like this view, http://bom.byu.edu/:

I like his descriptive phrases:  regions round about, strip of wilderness, narrow strip, sea east, sea west, borders by the seashore, head of the river Sidon, land on the southward, small neck of land, land southward, land northward, and hemmed in. 

In verse 34, he demonstrates his military mind, “that they might have a country whither they might flee, according to their desires”.  We need to know are personal surroundings, all the details- like a spiritual map, a spiritual plan to navigate through life’s spiritual community, journey, and intense battles. And too (Alma 24:17) bury our personal weaknesses (weapons) “did bury them up deep in the earth”; better prepared.  David A. Bednar said: “it is not merely about temporal tactics but about facing spiritual battles. Learn the intent of the enemy. Study as a disciple of Christ with the focus of coming to battle against Lucifer and his legions”.