John stopped for a couple of months near Indianapolis, Indiana, so that Leonora could have their baby, a second son. John worked during that time, building furniture and making a carriage for the family. By the time they arrived in Missouri, violent mobs harassed the Saints daily. The Prophet Joseph was captured and sent to Liberty Jail. The Prophet knew John was a gifted writer and asked John to help compose a statement about the persecution of the Mormons. John did so. But when it was given to President Van Buren, he did nothing. Governor Boggs of the State of Missouri paid no heed to the message either. At Joseph’s request, John was ordained an apostle by Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball on December 19, 1838, while Joseph was still in jail. Of his calling, John said, “I felt my own weakness and littleness; but I felt determined, the Lord being my helper, to endeavor to magnify it.” Mobs continued to persecute the Saints so Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball led 11,000 Mormons back across the Mississippi River to Illinois and safety.