Today I took the Sister Missionaries to Zions. One of our sisters leaves soon and so we wanted her to make it to that beautiful place before she leaves the state! Despite some last minute changes, we had a great day. We live in a beautiful place! It is amazing that such beauty is only an hour from our home!
Fifteen-year-old Joseph F. Smith was called on a mission to the Sandwich Islands, now Hawaii. After he arrived he became ill, but he used this time to learn the language so he could talk to the natives. He learned the language in one hundred days. He also learned to love the people and even their food. Some of the other missionaries gave up and went home. Some felt that only the Americans and Europeans, not the natives, should be converted, but Joseph knew that the Lord, through President Brigham Young, had sent him to bring the light of the gospel to these loving, generous people—the natives of the Islands.
Three years later, and still younger than today’s young men who are called to go on missions, he was released to return home. On the return trip, just as on the way to the Islands, it was necessary for the elders to stop and find jobs in the harvest fields or elsewhere to pay for clothes and food and to help them return to Salt Lake City. When they got as far as San Bernardino, Joseph was hired as a teamster to drive a team across the desert to Salt Lake.
At this time there were strong anti-Mormon feelings. Brigham Young and the Mormon people were blamed for the terrible Mountain Meadow Massacre where some non-Mormon immigrants traveling through Utah to California were killed in 1857. Also, the U.S. Army was on its way to Utah because of false charges made by government officials from Utah who were antagonistic toward the Latter-day Saints. “There were many men scattered abroad who had murder in their hearts” who boasted that they would kill any Mormons they found (Smith, Life of Joseph F. Smith, p. 188). Because of this, Church members traveled in little companies for safety.
Joseph F. and his company had stopped to camp one afternoon when a band “of drunken men rode into the camp … , cursing and swearing and threatening to kill any ‘Mormons’ that came within their path. … Some of the brethren when they heard them coming had cautiously gone into the brush down the creek, out of sight. Joseph F. was … gathering wood for the fire. [He walked up to the campfire to deposit his wood. One drunken ruffian with a pistol in his hand said] that it was his duty to [kill] every ‘Mormon’ he should meet. … In a loud, angry voice [he demanded from Joseph], ‘Are you a … Mormon?’ [Joseph ignored the gun aimed at him,] and looking the ruffian in the eye … boldly answered, ‘Yes siree; dyed in the wool, true blue, through and through.’
“This [surprised] the man; and … he grasped [Elder Smith’s] hand and said,
“ ‘Well, you are the … pleasantest man I ever met! Shake, young fellow, I am glad to see a man that stands up for his convictions’ ” (Smith, Life of Joseph F. Smith, p. 189). The man seemed to be the leader of the group, for when he rode off the rest followed him. President Smith said he fully expected to be shot when he admitted being a Mormon, but he did it anyway.
And this one (linked here):
Some time in the spring of 1844 . . . , two young men, Robert Scott and Dennison L. Harris, were invited to attend a secret meeting of . . . conspirators [against the Prophet Joseph Smith]. Dennison L. Harris was the son of Emer Harris, brother of Martin Harris. . . . Robert Scott at the time of this incident was living at the home of William Law. It was on this account that he and his companion were invited to attend the secret meeting. . . . Young Harris was also asked to invite his father, Emer Harris.These boys considered well this invitation and then consulted with Emer Harris, who concluded to take the matter to the Prophet Joseph Smith.After hearing the story Joseph Smith instructed the father to stay away, but said he thought it would be well for the two boys to attend, but before going they were to receive some advice from him and follow his instructions carefully. Following the Prophet's instructions they attended the first two meetings, and each time made their report to the Prophet. The conspirators gave the time to abuse and falsehood concerning President Joseph Smith, and the discussion of their future plans. When the young men reported the second time their attendance the Prophet seemed to be in doubt as to the wisdom of the young men attending further meetings. He asked them to visit him again before the third meeting to which they were invited, which, like the others, was held on a Sunday. When the time came for the meeting these youths called for the Prophet's instruction. He had made it a matter of prayer and he said to them, "This will be the last time that they will admit you into their councils. They will come to some determination, but be sure that you make no covenant, nor enter into any obligations whatever with them." When they arrived at the place of meeting the young men were astonished to see it guarded by men with muskets, and after due scrutiny they were admitted. In the meeting the Prophet and his brother Hyrum and others were accused of the most wicked acts. They said that President Joseph Smith was a fallen prophet and his death was necessary to save the Church. An oath had been prepared which each of those present was asked to take. The candidates in turn would step up to the table where Francis M. Higbee, a justice of the peace, was stationed, and he would ask: "Are you ready?" Receiving from each a favorable reply he administered the following oath:"You solemnly swear, before God and all holy angels, and these your brethren by whom you are surrounded that you will give your life, your liberty, your influence, your all, for the destruction of Joseph Smith and his party, so help you God!"The person taking this oath would then say, "I do," after which he would lay down the Bible on which the oath was taken, and sign his name to a written copy of the oath in a book, which would then be acknowledged by the justice of the peace.No doubt the amazed boys were frightened, and wondered how these men, formerly faithful members in the councils of the Church who had pledged their faith and their loyalty to the Prophet only a few months before, could stoop so low as they found them at these secret meetings. Like members of the Gadianton secret band these conspirators had lost all sense of honor. This oath was administered to each of those present, among them three women who were heavily veiled.At the last the turn came for the two boys to take the pledge, but this they resolutely and manfully refused to do, stating that Joseph Smith had done them no harm and they were too young to understand these things. The anger of the leaders of this secret band was aroused. They first coaxed and then argued and when this failed, they threatened them with death. "Come, boys," they said, "do as we have done. You are young, and will not have anything to do in the affair, but we want you should keep it a secret, and act with us; that is all." "No," they replied, "we cannot take an oath like that against any man who has never done us any injury." They tried to pass out of the place, but were stopped by one of the guards who said, "No! not by a _____ _____! You know all our plans and arrangements, and we don't propose that you should leave in that style. You've got to take the oath, or you'll never leave here alive. They were then surrounded by these fiends of the bottomless pit, who with drawn swords and knives were determined to take their lives. The leaders finally concluded that the deed of blood could not be committed there, as the house was too near the street. So the young men were taken to the cellar and preparations were made for the execution. At this point someone called attention to the fact that the parents of the boys evidently knew where they were, and if they did not return a search would be put on foot that might prove to be very dangerous for the plotters. After some more arguing and consultation the conspirators reluctantly released the boys with a threat if they ever divulged the actions of these secret meetings, they would be killed. Under a guard they were escorted from the place. Wisely they took their departure leaving the impression that they would hold their tongues. Theyimmediately took their course towards the river in the opposite direction from their homes, conveying the impression to their enemies by word and act, that they would keep their secret. On the river bank they met the Prophet and an elder brother of Robert Scott, who were waiting for them. To the Prophet these two boys told their harrowing story.(Jack M. Lyon, Linda Ririe Gundry, Jay A. Parry, Best-Loved Stories of the LDS People, Vol. 1, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1997].)
Elder Marion D. Hanks
“Courage is not the absence of fear; true courage is manifest in bravely doing what has to be done in spite of fears or foes or the foolishness of the crowd or the taunts of the group. True courage is doing the right thing in spite of the odds or opposition or apprehension” (in Vital Quotations, comp. Emerson Roy West [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1968], p. 74).
We watched and discussed these two videos from the beautiful LDS Bible Videos website.
Loyalty is hard! It is not easy. Part of our test here in mortality is to see if we will be loyal to that which matters most!
Martin Luther King Day is coming next week, this quote ties in and comes from this interesting article on Loyalty..
Education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction. The function of education, therefore, is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. But education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society. The most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason, but with no morals. . . . We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.
For FHE activity we played the paper bag game. It was fun. We declared it a tie between J and S! Wow! They were picking up literally a sliver of a paper off the ground while standing on one leg without hands! It was impressive! J taught us about focusing and not being distracted. We want to be that loyal that we can accomplish amazing things because we are focused and committed to doing our best! They were totally amazing! Here is a glimpse:
Yes they BOTH got that tiny sliver of paper off the ground without touching while balancing on one foot! Wow! We couldn't cut it any smaller! They know how to set their mind to something that seems impossible and do it! I am so grateful to spend time with these amazing people! xoxoxoxo