Nay, but I will be thy servant.

Alma 17

In this chapter the sons of King Mosiah separate and go to teach the gospel to the Lamanites. Ammon is captured and is taken to King Lamoni. Ammon tells him that he wants to live among his people and King Lamoni likes him so he offers to Ammon to marry one of his daughters. Ammon politely rejects the king's offer and suggests that he might be a servant instead.

Alma 17:25
But Ammon said unto him: Nay, but I will be thy servant. Therefore Ammon became a servant to king Lamoni.

I thought this was interesting because in the scriptures it says that if you want to learn to love someone you should serve them.

Mosiah 4:15
But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another.

I'm sure that he didn't feel right marrying one of the king's daughters, but perhaps he also had a plan to help him love the Lamanites more and to help the Lamanites love him so that they would listen to his words.

Ammon was a great missionary and I think this was one of the keys to his work. He didn't just come in and say I am going to convert all of you. He became acquainted with them and offered to serve them and when he had their trust and love he began to teach them about the gospel.

We can all be a missionary and we need to use this example when we want to influence someone in our life. We need to love them, be a good example, serve them, and then when they are ready to hear the gospel message it will come. Either by us, or a missionary, or someone else.