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There have been many influential and significant members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (which church is often misnamed the Mormon Church). Here we have collected some information about a variety of members of the LDS Church. Many of the Church’s leaders and members have led amazing lives and sacrificed a great deal to be so involved in the building up of the kingdom of God on the Earth.
Read these inspiring stories to gain a better understanding of the men and women who have been influential in the history of the “Mormon Church” and who have had incredible faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
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During the period of the extreme and unrelenting prosecutions under the anti-polygamy acts of Congress, President Wilford Woodruff spent much of his time among the churches in Arizona and southern Utah. On January 26, 1880, having retired for some days in the mountains, fasting and praying, he obtained important revelations from the Lord concerning the work of the Twelve Apostles and events which would happen affecting both the Church and the nation. These were submitted to President John Taylor and the Council of the Apostles and were accepted by them as profitable for doctrine, for comfort, for light as to the future, and for encouragement in the work of the ministry. Following is President Woodruff’s account of receiving revelation.
Wilford Woodruff Mormon Prophet
During the month of January, 1880, I was at Sunset, Arizona, with Brother Lot Smith and the brethren with him who were trying to establish a Branch of the United Order at that place.... Read the rest of this article »
The Helmuth Hübener Group has become somewhat famous in Mormon culture as a group of teenage boys who took it upon themselves to resist the Nazi regime. While they did do this, a personal account from the last-surviving member of the group, Karl-Heinz Schnibbe, brings to light the heroism as well as the innocence and naivety of these boys as well as the price each of them paid.
Helmuth Huebener
Schnibbe recalls how the rise of the Nazi regime was viewed by most as a good thing in the beginning. Though not everyone liked them, they did vastly improve the economy and morale of the country. Growing up in Hamburg, Schnibbe was aware of the intense, of later hidden, dislike of the new regime. However, along with this, Schnibbe remembers how the regime went after the youth immediately, filling them with propaganda and having them do military drills, though the children did not all realize at the time what was going on.
Karl-Heinz credits his father’s... Read the rest of this article »
In adulthood, Hyrum Smith was described as being five feet, eleven inches tall and as weighing about 190 pounds. He and Joseph were of similar builds and very much resembled each other physically. They were also completely devoted to each other in the gospel. John Taylor, the third president of the Church, described Hyrum in the following way:
Hyrum Smith
“[He] is a man of sterling integrity, deep penetration and brilliant talents. He is well versed in politics and [is] as unchangeable as the everlasting hills. He is a man of probity and virtue, and an unwavering patriot.” After Hyrum’s death, Taylor said of him, “If ever there was an exemplary, honest and virtuous man, the embodiment of all that is noble in the human form, hyrum Smith was the representative” (Hyrum Smith: A Life of Integrity, Jeffrey S. O’Driscoll, 251).
Being the brother of Joseph Smith, Hyrum often does not receive quite as much recognition now... Read the rest of this article »
A Peacemaker
Hyrum’s mild manner and impeachable character allowed him to serve as a peacemaker even in his own family. At a time when his younger brother William became very upset with Joseph after being rebuked by him, Hyrum tried to bring William around. Joseph recorded that Hyrum “was perfectly satisfied with the course I had taken in rebuking William in his wickedness, but he is wounded to the very soul, because of the conduct of William; and although he experiences the tender feelings of a brother towards him, yet he can but look upon his conduct as an abomination in the sight of God” (Hyrum Smith: A Life of Integrity, Jeffrey S. O’Driscoll, 142). Though it took some time and more hard words from William, the brothers and family as a whole became reconciled. Having kept a cool head, Hyrum was able to bring peace back to the relationship after William acknowledged his faults and returned to the family. In situations regarding... Read the rest of this article »
Neil Linden Andersen is a a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often misnamed the “Mormon Church”). Previous to his calling as an Apostle on April 4, 2009, he had been a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy since 1993 and a member of the Presidency of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 2005.
Brother Andersen was born in Logan, Utah, on 9 August 1951, and was raised in Pocatello, Idaho. As a young man, he served a mission in France. After his mission, he graduated from Brigham Young University and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Brother Andersen then moved to Tampa, Florida, with his family. He lived and worked in Tampa, Florida, where he was the vice president of the Mortan Plant Health System. As far as church service, Andersen was member of a high council, counselor in a stake presidency, and a stake president in Tampa.
Between... Read the rest of this article »
Parley Parker Pratt was born on April 12, 1807, to Jared and Charity Pratt in Burlington, New York. He married Thankful Halsey on September 9, 1827, and they settled in Cleveland, Ohio. Pratt was a very religious man, and he soon joined a local congregation, where a man named Sidney Rigdon was preacher.
A few years later Pratt was travelling in New York and came across a copy of a religious book that intrigued him so much that he read nearly the entire book in one night. It was the Book of Mormon. Parley recounts his first experience with the Book of Mormon, saying, “I read all day; eating was a burden, I had no desire for food; sleep was a burden when the night came, for I preferred reading to sleep. As I read, the spirit of the Lord was upon me, and I knew and comprehended that the book was true, as plainly and manifestly as a man comprehends and knows that he exists. My joy was now full, as it were, and I rejoiced sufficiently to more than pay... Read the rest of this article »
David Todd Christofferson is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church”). Elder Christofferson (who goes by Todd) was born on January 24, 1945, in Spanish Fork, Utah, while his father was away serving as a serviceman in China. Elder Christofferson and his mother lived with his grandparents until his father returned home. He describes his childhood as a happy one, with plenty of time for free play, unlike today’s highly structured childhoods. His parents taught him to live the gospel and he, in turn, set a good example for his younger brothers.
When Elder Christofferson was thirteen years old, his mother developed cancer. Elder Christofferson gathered his brothers for a family prayer on her behalf. Because she was unable to continue many of her regular responsibilities, including making the family bread, he learned how to make bread and... Read the rest of this article »
Robert Dean Hales is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was born on August 24, 1932, in New York City. He grew up on Long Island, but spent summers in Utah, giving him a unique understanding of both eastern and western culture. In addition to a broad understanding of his nation’s culture, he also gained an appreciation for world culture, because the United Nations was included in the boundaries of his school. The exposure to students from all over the world made a huge impression on him, and he vowed to have an international experience in his life. This goal would be fulfilled beyond what he could have imagined at that time.
While home during the summer of his sophomore year of college, he met Mary Crandall. Both were college students in Utah, but at different schools. They spent the summer doing things together and then returned to school. The following summer, they were married.... Read the rest of this article »
Richard Gordon Scott is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church”).
Unlike many Mormon apostles, Elder Scott didn’t grow up in a strong Mormon family. His father was not a member of the church, and although his mother was, she didn’t attend. Elder Scott did attend church, at the urging of caring leaders, but not always enthusiastically. This half-hearted attention to religion left him feeling something was missing in every corner of his life.
He was born in Pocatello, Idaho, but grew up in Washington, D.C. His father was an assistant Secretary of Agriculture under Ezra Taft Benson, who later became a Mormon prophet. Eventually, President Benson would play an important role in his father’s conversion, through his personal example.
Elder Scott wanted to earn his own way to college and spent summers working hard, working on an... Read the rest of this article »
