Missionary Courage

As John Taylor stood on the bow of the ship, sailing from Liverpool to America, waves crashed all around him. Lightening flashed across the sky. The boat rocked sideways. Salt spray spewed his face.  He shivered under the cold wetness.  Licking the salt from his lips, he declared: “I feel as calm as though I were sitting in the parlor at home.” He knew he would reach America.

Early Saints and Temple Work

Temple work meant so much to the early Saints. I love to read their journals and quotes because it helps me remember to keep sacred covenants foremost in my mind and never take the blessings of the temple for granted.

Escape from the French Police

John spoke in many churches in France and debated with ministers as he’d done in England. Some people joined to the Church, but most of the French citizens were too worried about political unrest to think of religion. Napoleon’s nephew, Louis Napoleon, was elected president. He then took over the army, suppressed the newspapers, and had the senate make him the Emperor – a revolution was in the making.

John worked hard for two years in France and Germany. When he knew the time for his mission was drawing to a close, he wanted to meet with the Saints in Paris to say farewell. He loved them and wanted to bear his testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel to them one last time.

The authorities had forbidden John to preach in Paris, but that didn’t stop him. He called for a conference of the members. Brother Bolton told him it was too dangerous.

John decided to hold the meeting on the day Louis Napoleon was to become president. The soldiers in Paris were busy with the election so no one noticed the Mormons. About four hundred Saints attended the conference. John organized a presidency for the area so that the work could go on without him. He planned to leave for England the following day.

            By the next morning, the authorities had heard about the conference and came to arrest John. His train was to leave in the afternoon, but the Spirit told him to get away as soon as he could. He said good-bye to his landlord and slipped out the back door to catch a cab. Just a few minutes later, the police knocked at the door looking for John. He learned later in a letter that his landlord had invited the officers in and the landlord’s sister-in-law served tea. The landlord and his sister charmed the officers, but soon the police realized what had happened. By then John was on his way to England and safety.⁵

Wouldn't it be nice if God did our work for us?

Wouldn’t it be nice if God did our work for us?

As Brigham Young and the first pioneer company prepared to cross the Platte River, he could see that the water was running high. 

The Enabling Power of the Atonement

The enabling power of the Atonement strengthens us to do good and serve beyond our own natural capacity. David A. Bednar.

As I read this quote the other day, I thought of Brigham Young. He lived his boyhood in upstate New York. He had a pair of shoes for Sunday, but that’s all. He cleared the heavily vegetated land, barefoot, one bush at a time.

A Missionary in France

The ocean voyage to France seemed to last forever, but it was uneventful. During the trip John practiced his French so when he got to Boulogne-sur-Mer he was able to greet the mayor in halting, but understandable French. The mayor was charmed that John spoke to him in his native tongue and replied in broken English. He gave John permission to preach in the city. That night John and Elders Bolton and Pack walked along the sea shore and thanked the Lord for preserving them, dedicating themselves to His service.⁴

            While John was in France, he organized several branches of the Church, including one in Paris, oversaw the translation of the Book of Mormon into French, and established a Mormon newspaper, The Star of Deseret. Next john traveled to Germans where he spent time organizing the translation of the Book of Mormon into German and started a newspaper called Zion’s Banner.

r horse- � r w @n �[o ws and cocked their rifles as if to shoot. With a prayer in their hearts and faith in the Lord, the missionaries stood firm.

            Soon the chief urged his horse forward. He handed the missionaries a letter saying the Indians were peaceful members of the Cheyenne tribe. John shifted in his saddle, wiping the sweat from his forehead and offering a silent prayer of gratitude for safety.

The missionaries invited the Indians to feast with them on dried meat and crackers. That evening John and a few of the others visited the Indians’ camp. The tribe seemed friendly but a little embarrassed because their plan to frighten the group hadn’t worked.²

War Paint

When the brethren crossed the Platte River, they rested their horses. Distant thunder shook the ground, and alarm crept into their hearts. Riders on horseback galloped over the horizon. The only sound that could be heard was the drumming of hooves on the hard ground, dusting the earth behind them. As they rushed closer, John could see they were Indians dressed in war paint and feathers – their bows and rifles in hand.

            With the river in back of them, the missionaries had no place to hide or time to escape. They couldn’t outrun the Indians. John knew he and the other travelers were in the hands of the Lord. He prayed.

The missionaries froze in place, knowing they could die at any moment. They waited. The Indians thundered closer. Were they on the war-path or friendly? They weren’t yelling any war whoops.

When the Indians got within a few feet of the missionaries, they reined in their horses, drew their bows and cocked their rifles as if to shoot. With a prayer in their hearts and faith in the Lord, the missionaries stood firm.

            Soon the chief urged his horse forward. He handed the missionaries a letter saying the Indians were peaceful members of the Cheyenne tribe. John shifted in his saddle, wiping the sweat from his forehead and offering a silent prayer of gratitude for safety.

The missionaries invited the Indians to feast with them on dried meat and crackers. That evening John and a few of the others visited the Indians’ camp. The tribe seemed friendly but a little embarrassed because their plan to frighten the group hadn’t worked.