The Source of the Power

Obviously, the power of baptism is not really in the water, nor in the white clothing, nor even in the space in which it is conducted. The ritual itself has meaning, and when done properly, its enactor has permission from God to help someone pass through it; from that, baptism derives its power. So important is the proper authority to perform this ritual that Jesus Himself walked about many miles out of His way to meet John the Baptist for it.

A baptism. Courtesy of LDS Media Library.

Consider, too, the fact that according to the Book of Mormon, Jesus Christ appeared to people in the Americas after His ascension. One of the first things that He did was to teach them the proper way to perform baptisms. Having been spared natural disasters because of their faith and repentance, they were ready for that step, and they rejoiced in it.

To begin, Christ called Nephi forth from the gathered crowd and specifically gave him the power to baptize. He then did the same for an unspecified number of others. He taught them the exact motions to use and the perfect words to say, after which he commanded them not to fight about it, for there was only one way. Disputations over doctrine and rituals were largely the reason why the priesthood was lost after the Ascension, so it makes sense that the Lord would try to warn His people against it, despite knowing the inevitability of the Great Apostasy.

Clearly, then, the true Aaronic priesthood, held by a worthy individual who was granted it by God, is nothing less than essential.

And He Healed Them All Every One © Gary Kapp, Courtesy of LDS Media Library

A God of Order

On my mission, one of my companions and I were teaching an investigator about the concept of baptism, hoping to convince her to set a date to make those covenants herself. She felt that her baptism as a child was valid because her priest was a good man who was well-versed in the Bible. Having recently reviewed the Plan of Salvation with her—everything from our premortal life to entering one of three kingdoms—I asked her if she felt that it was the truth. She answered in the affirmative. Then I reminded her that the church in which she grew up did not share such convictions, and I asked her why God would give His authority to someone who would not use it to support His precise plan.

My companion then chimed in with the aforementioned story about Christ’s appearance to the American people, reading aloud the baptism ritual as described in 3^rd Nephi 11. After that, she asked our investigator whether her baptism had been anything like that. She admitted that it had not. We urged her to consider the fact that if the Book of Mormon is true, then there is a certain manner that the Lord wants baptisms to be conducted, and to follow Him, she must be willing to make sacred covenants the way that He instructed.

Shortly after this lesson, my companion and I were transferred to a new area. Unfortunately, we lost touch with that investigator and never found out whether she accepted the invitation to be baptized. Still, the Spirit testified potently of the truth of our words. To avoid confusion and maintain order, the Lord instituted the Aaronic priesthood and charged its worthy holders with the task of performing baptisms, the outward demonstration of an inner promise. There is only one way to do it, and someone with permission to act in His name—permission which is granted not just because of the content of the individual’s heart, but because of his commitment to use it to promote God’s true plan—must perform it.

Hence, the restoration of this priesthood is truly one of the greatest blessings of our dispensation.

Ashley Morales

Frequently whimsical and overly optimistic about how much time it will take to do things, Ashley Morales is deeply passionate about the gospel and all kinds of creativity. Her hobbies include philosophically analyzing nearly every book, play, video game, and movie that she consumes, writing music and short stories, promising herself that she will finish writing her novels, going to sleep too late, eating foods she’s never tried, putting off cleaning her house, browsing Zillow, spending as much quality time as possible with her wonderful husband, trying to be a good mother to her fantastic children, and never finding the balance between saying too much and too little. One day, she hopes to leave a positive mark on the world and visit every continent (except Antarctica) with her family.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often inadvertently called the Mormon Church, recently packed its Church History website, www.history.lds.org, with even more features and information.

Matthew McBride, the Church History Department’s web content manager, told LDS Church News

In the age of the Internet, e from a variety of sources, some of which are very trustworthy and some of which are not. We’d like to be very proactive about being a consistent, faithful voice in the conversation about Church history on the web.

Latter-day Saint, (or “Mormon”) history is fascinating! Mormonism’s history is the story of the Lord restoring His Church again upon the earth and is intertwined with amazing stories of ordinary individuals who experienced angelic visitations, miracles, revelations, and persecutions.

Eager to explore the new content, I visited history.lds.org for the very first time.

Explore: Women of Conviction

Inez Knight

Immediately drawn to Women of Conviction, I read the story of Inez Knight who was the first female missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Day Saints. She was called to Great Britain in 1898. She labored in Bristol in 1899, where, laboring against strong anti-Mormon sentiment, Inez found herself mobbed, spat upon, and stoned, even under police protection. I served a mission in Scotland, and while I did have a woman spit in my face, I endured nothing like what Inez encountered.

Her story captivated me, and her faith and courage inspired me! Following is a small portion of Inez Knight’s missionary experience found on www.history.lds.org. Inez wrote of the persecution she encountered in Bristol but assured her friends in Utah that:

Many have been led to investigate the truth, through the opposition we received. … We meet all kinds of answers, but each day’s round finds sunshine and shower, and without one we might not appreciate the other.

She continued:

The Lord is abundantly blessing us in our labors, and although we do not always have clear sailing and have even been forced to seek protection from mob violence in a police station, receiving the slurs of the mob and even spat upon by the enemy, together with rocks and sticks from their hands, yet we rejoice in the work. We do not find it hard to say, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do,” for truly it is the ignorant who persecute us most. The Lord has said we must love Him with all our might, mind, and strength and to do this, means to be willing to sacrifice all things, and work faithfully for the upbuilding of His kingdom (from a letter to the Young Woman’s Journal printed in April 1899).

Explore: Revelations in Context -Historical Background for Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants

Revelations in Context drew my attention next. I clicked on the link referencing the section containing, what is to me, two of the most joyful, jubilant, beautiful, motivating verses in scripture, Doctrine and Covenants 128:22–23:

[S]hall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.

Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning stars sing together, and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and immortality, and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!

The Doctrine and Covenants is a collection of revelations to the Prophet Joseph Smith and other leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ. Mormons consider it to be scripture. Revelations in the book are called Sections. As I read the words of the Doctrine and Covenants, I hear the word of the Lord to me in my particular circumstances. I know it is the word of God.

Section 128 of the Doctrine and Covenants discusses the importance and orderly manner of performing baptisms for the dead. (See 1 Corinthians 15:29.) Mormons believe that to enter the kingdom of God all people must be baptized. However, many people who lived on the earth never even heard of Jesus Christ, let alone were able to be baptized by property authority in His name! God’s merciful plan of salvation enables people to be baptized on behalf of their ancestors who have died. Those ancestors, whose spirits live in the Spirit World, have the opportunity to choose to accept that baptism or not. God’s gift of moral agency to each of His children enable them to choose to accept the Gospel, whether in this life or the next.

From this section of the website, I learned that after Joseph Smith received the glorious revelation on God’s kingdoms of glory in 1836, (Doctrine and Covenants 76), many Latter-day Saints realized that they did not have all of the answers on how God’s plan applied to those who died without hearing the Gospel. This blurb from the historical background on this section described the understanding leading up to this revelation.

Joseph’s vision affirmed God’s mercy, but it was not entirely clear whether the scriptural requirement of baptism would be waived for Alvin [Joseph’s brother, who died before saving ordinances were restored] and others like him, or whether it would be fulfilled in some other way. Some Latter-day Saints recognized this gap in their knowledge. Joseph Fielding, for example, “thought much on the subject of the redemption of those who died under the broken covenant” and speculated that “perhaps those who receive the priesthood in these last days would baptize them at the coming of the Savior.”

But at the funeral of Seymour Brunson on August 15, 1840, Joseph Smith taught the principle that men and women on earth could act for their deceased kin and fulfill the requirement of baptism on their behalf. The Saints joyfully embraced this opportunity and began almost immediately to be baptized for departed loved ones in rivers and streams near Nauvoo.

Doctrine and Covenants 127 and 128 helped to clarify how ordinances of the dead should be performed.

Aside from knowing the historical background, the message for me as I read this was that each of us gains knowledge about the truths of God line upon line and precept upon precept, “[b]y kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:42). Our Father in Heaven is so merciful to each of us and wants for us to learn of Him and ultimately KNOW Him!! “And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come” (Doctrine and Covenants 130:19).

I invite all who are interested in the Latter-day Saints’ history, whether Mormon or a friend of another faith, to peruse www.history.lds.org if even for a few moments! “Shall we not go on in so great a cause? … On, on to the victory!”

dwhite

Doris White is a native of Oregon and graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English and a minor in Editing. She loves to talk with others about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

When most people think of Latter-day Saint or Mormon pioneers, they think of settlers from the Eastern United States or immigrants from Europe.  However, other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often inadvertently called the Mormon Church) left their homelands to follow the Lord and His prophet as well. Polynesians responded to the prophet’s call to gather to Zion in the late 1800’s.

Mormon Missionary Serving in Hawaii

Brigham Young, then president of the Church, called my great, great uncle John Anderson West to leave Parowan, Utah, to preach the gospel in the Hawaiian islands in the late 1850’s and again 14 years later.  In his journal, John recorded his initial difficulty in communicating with the islanders.  With divine help, he slowly learned Hawaiian.  He loved the humble, hospitable people. During his first mission, missionary work progressed slowly.  When he returned again in 1870, many locals converted to Mormonism.

One convert gave John a horse to use while he traversed the vast Big Island. John recorded how a recent volcanic eruption had totally wiped out villages where he had once taught the gospel and he mourned the loss of friends who perished. The converts were faithful and endured great hardship as they converted to Christianity.

Pacific Islander Emigration to Utah

Converts left the Pacific Islands and emigrated to Utah. The leaders of the Church found a place in Utah’s Skull Valley, about 75 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, for the Pacific Islanders to settle. They named the settlement Iosepa (Yo-see-pa) honoring President Joseph F. Smith who was one of the first missionaries to the Hawaiian Islands, and the Prophet Joseph Smith. Though many parts of the Pacific Island’s leeward shores are desert-like, the Islanders had never experienced jarring winters which compromised the settlers’ health. Outbreaks of smallpox, diphtheria, pneumonia, and leprosy took a heavy toll. The emigrants creatively tried to adapt their traditional food to Utah food options, even substituting flour and cornstarch for poi. They tried to grow seaweed, as well as other more traditional mainland crops. However, crop failures forced many men to seek work as gold and silver miners. They created Kanaka Lake, a small reservoir, for swimming and recreational activities. Iosepa’s grid pattern streets were lined with yellow roses.

Richard Poulsens’ A History of Iosepa, Utah, reminisced that

The Polynesians were especially proud of their luaus, where they dressed in traditional costumes and performed the songs and dances of the islands along with their Gosh Ute Indian neighbors from the adjoining Reservation. On these occasions large feasts were prepared consisting of pigs and sheep cooked in an imu (underground oven), along with the making of laulau by wrapping carp (raised in their reservoir) inside corn husks. The traditional island poi was replaced with a substitute concoction that used cornstarch and flour.

In 1911, Utah historian J. Cecil Alter wrote,

Iosepa is perhaps the most successful individual colonization proposition that has been attempted by the Mormon people in the United States… There are 1,120 acres practically all in use and half as much more is being brought under the magic wand of the Hawaiian irrigator.

The Salt Lake Tribune reported, “As many as 200 [residents] lived [in Iosepa] from 1889 until 1917. Many then returned to their homeland, drawn by the LDS temple going up in Laie, Hawaii.”  Iosepa was deserted in 1917.

Remembering Iosepa’s Polynesian Mormon Pioneers

Vermin Hawes, a descendant of Iosepa settlers, coordinated a Memorial Day event in 1980 at Iosepa to repair and beautify the area. Polynesians now gather annually on Memorial Day at Iosepa for a three-day festival celebrating the pioneers’ history with memorial services, games, and a luau.

Late LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated a bronze bust Polynesian warrior monument to the memory of the settlers of Iosepa on August, 28, 1989.

Visitors continue to pay tribute to the Polynesian converts’ memories in Iosepa. Celebrating Utah’s 2013 Pioneer Day at Iosepa, Jacob Fitisemanu from Taylorsville, Utah, imagined being part of the original settlement and reflected,

There is a spiritual connection whenever we come here. We try to be reverent when we come here. We understand it.

They made it work. They were very spiritual people who managed to survive. They brought water to town from the top of the mountain four or five miles away for an irrigation system. They were an industrial people.

The converts of Iosepa settled their portion of Utah’s barren wilderness to be closer to the Salt Lake City Temple so they could participate in sacred Mormon temple rituals. The courage born of their faith enabled them to overcome the challenges of bitter winters and unusual food and culture. When a temple was built in the Hawaiian Islands, they returned to worship and build up the Church in Hawaii.

Having lived in Hawaii, I know that the Polynesians’ incredible faith in Jesus Christ and His Church continues today. They diligently spread the Savior’s love and aloha to others through food, friendship, and a constant invitation to learn of and worship the Savior in His holy temples throughout the Pacific Islands.

dwhite

Doris White is a native of Oregon and graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English and a minor in Editing. She loves to talk with others about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Mary became acquainted with Joseph Smith through introduction by her son David Whitmer. Joseph experienced strong persecution while translating the Book of Mormon, and the Whitmer family boarded Joseph, his wife Emma, and his scribe Oliver Cowdery.  Caring for the boarders as well as her large family became quite a burden for Mary.

During this time frame, Joseph, Oliver, and Mary’s sons discussed being shown the Gold Plates. Five of Mary’s sons became official witnesses of the Book of Mormon. They saw the actual golden plates.

The following account by Mary’s grandson John C. Whitmer in 1878 is Mary’s account to her sons and grandchildren about an experience she had one day, while the work of the translation was commencing.

I have heard my grandmother (Mary Musselman Whitmer) say on several occasions that she was shown the plates of the Book of Mormon by a holy angel, whom she always called Brother Nephi. (She undoubtedly refers to Moroni, the angel who had the plates in charge.)

It was at the time, she said, when the translation was going on at the house of the elder Peter Whitmer, her husband. Joseph Smith with his wife and Oliver Cowdery, whom David Whitmer a short time previous had brought up from Harmony, Pennsylvania, were all boarding with the Whitmers, and my grandmother in having so many extra persons to care for, besides her own large household, was often overloaded with work to such an extent that she felt it to be quite a burden.

One evening, when (after having done her usual day’s work in the house) she went to the barn to milk the cows, she met a stranger carrying something on his back that looked like a knapsack. At first she was a little afraid of him, but when he spoke to her in a kind, friendly tone and began to explain to her the nature of the work which was going on in her house, she was filled with inexpressible joy and satisfaction. He then untied his knapsack and showed her a bundle of plates, which in size and appearance corresponded with the description subsequently given by the witnesses to the Book of Mormon. This strange person turned the leaves of the book of plates over, leaf after leaf, and also showed her the engravings upon them; after which he told her to be patient and faithful in bearing her burden a little longer, promising that if she would do so, she should be blessed; and her reward would be sure, if she proved faithful to the end. The personage then suddenly vanished with the plates, and where he went, she could not tell.

From that moment my grandmother was enabled to perform her household duties with comparative ease, and she felt no more inclination to murmur because her lot was hard. I knew my grandmother to be a good, noble and truthful woman, and I have not the least doubt of her statement in regard to seeing the plates being strictly true. She was a strong believer in the Book of Mormon until the day of her death.

References:

Historical Record,” Vol. 7, p. 621

LDS Biographical Encyclopedia, Andrew Jenson, Vol. 1, p.283

B. H. Roberts, New Witnesses for God, Vol.2, p.125

Deseret News, 27 Nov. 1878, p. 674.

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.

Missionary Work – Taking the Gospel to the World

At the close of His earthly ministry, before ascending to the Father, the Lord commanded His disciples:

Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover (Mark 15:15-18).

David O. McKay, the 9th President and Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently referred to as the Mormon Church by the media and others), taught, “True Christianity is love in action. There is no better way to manifest love for God than to show an unselfish love for your fellow men. This is the spirit of missionary work” (David O. McKay, Gospel Ideals [1954], 129.)

Concerning the importance of missionary work, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (the second highest governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ) taught:

Missionary work isn’t the only thing we need to do in this big, wide, wonderful Church. But almost everything else we need to do depends on people first hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ and coming into the faith. … With all that there is to do along the path to eternal life, we need a lot more missionaries opening that gate and helping people through it (Jeffrey R. Holland, We Are All Enlisted, Ensign, November 2011, 46–47.)

Today, in response to the Lord’s Great Commission, there are thousands of Mormon missionaries throughout the world, who like the fisherman on the Sea of Galilee, have left their boats and their nets – their educational aspirations, professions, and career goals – and as a result of their willingness and obedience to follow the Master and to do His will, He has made them literal “fishers of men”, filling their nets with precious souls that are waiting to hear and to accept the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel to be preached in Season and Out of Season

Modern-day revelation, as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 58:64, teaches that “the sound must go forth from this place into all the world, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth—the gospel must be preached unto every creature, with signs following them that believe.” However, despite the humble efforts of those who are willing to take “the sound” of the glorious message of the gospel to the uttermost parts of the world, the message is not always readily received in all areas. As in all things, there are oppositions. These oppositions attempt to hinder the spreading of the Good News. Such is the case with preaching the gospel in countries such as Italy.

Since the early years of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Italy has drawn the attention of Church leaders as a “field [which] is white already to harvest” (see Doctrine and Covenants 4:4). In 1850, Lorenzo Snow, the 5^th President and Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ, dedicated the land of Italy to the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thus, Italy became one of the first non-English-speaking countries opened to missionary work by the Church. Over the course of time, the Church of Jesus Christ has faced many challenges in trying to move the work forward, but in spite of the opposition, the Church has maintained a solid presence.

The challenges and oppositions that The Church of Jesus Christ have faced over the years ring true to the teachings of the Apostle Paul to his young son in the faith, Timothy, when he exhorted him:

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry (2 Timothy 4:2-5).

Laboring in the Father’s Vineyard in Italy – The Beginning

Early Church leaders had a keen interest in the country of Italy because of its notable role in religious and cultural history, and because of its strategic geographical location in the Mediterranean world. The first missionaries were called to preach the gospel on the continent of Europe by Brigham Young, the President of The Church of Jesus Christ at that time, during the October 1849 General Conference. Lorenzo Snow, then serving as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and Joseph Toronto, an Italian convert, were assigned to begin the missionary work in Italy. While en route to Italy from England, Elder Snow called Elder Thomas B.H. Stenhouse, a recent British convert, and Elder Jabez Woodard to serve as missionaries in the new mission. Elder Snow arrived in Italy on Sunday, 23 June 1850.

Upon his arrival in Genoa, Italy on 25 June 1850, Elder Snow carefully surveyed the conditions of the area, as well as the possible prospects, and made the decision to begin proselyting among the people (known as Waldenses) of a small Protestant community in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy, located at the base of the Alps in the Luzerne Valley. Soon after his arrival he wrote:

With a heart full of gratitude, I find an opening is presented in the valleys of Piedmont, when all other parts of Italy are closed against our efforts. I believe that the Lord has there hidden up a people amid the Alpine mountains, and it is the voice of the Spirit that I shall commence something of importance. [1]

The Italian Mission was officially organized on Thursday, 19 September 1850, when Elder Snow, accompanied by Elders Stenhouse and Woodard, atop a prominent mountain peak near the city of La Tour, Italy (today known as Torre Pellice), offered a prayer dedicating the land of Italy to the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. By this time, Elder Stenhouse had departed to teach his family in Sicily.

The work had begun, and the missionaries were busy about the Father’s business, teaching the gospel to all who would listen. Elder Snow had written and published a missionary tract titled The Voice of Joseph which circulated throughout northern Italy. They received the first fruits of their labors on Sunday, 27 October 1850, when Elder Snow baptized Jean Bose, the first convert. He also supervised the translation of the Book of Mormon (Libro di Mormon) into the Italian language, and the first edition was published in London in 1852.

During the next 15 years, missionary work was hindered by opposition from ministers, anti-Mormon literature, deeply rooted religious and political traditions, and the poverty of the people. By the time the mission closed in 1867, about 180 persons had been baptized: approximately 70 of these immigrated to Utah, and the remainder either apostatized or were excommunicated. Many prominent Latter-day Saint families – Beus, Cardon, Malan, Bertoch, Pons, and Chatelain – are descendants of these original Waldensian converts. [2]

World War II and Beyond

Through the reading of Latter-day Saint publications, some Italians were converted prior to World War II. Among those converts was Vincenzo di Francesca. His conversion story was told in a 1987 Church film titled How Rare a Possession (you can view the video in Italian by going here). During World War II, Latter-day Saint servicemen’s branches were established in several locations in Italy, but there were no proselyting efforts made during that time.

The first member conferences were held in April 1963 in Vicenza, Italy, and in March 1964 a new edition of the Italian translation of the Book of Mormon was published. In November 1964 Elder Ezra Taft Benson met with Italian government officials in Rome, Italy to discuss the reopening of missionary work in Italy. Later that month he organized the Italian District of the Swiss Mission. By February 1965, 22 elders from the Swiss mission were called to preach the gospel in seven cities in Italy.

On 2 August 1966 Elder Benson reestablished the Italian Mission in Florence with John Duns Jr. as president, and in November 1966 he rededicated Italy for the preaching of the gospel at Torre Pellice, near the site of Elder Snow’s 1850 dedicatory prayer. The Italian Church periodical La Stella (The Star) commenced circulation in June 1967 and was thus published until its title, along with those of all other Church international magazines, was changed to Liahona in January 2000. By June 1971 Church growth necessitated the formation of two missions, and by 1977 four missions had been organized: Italy Rome, Italy Catania, Italy Milan, and Italy Padova. A major historical event was the first visit of a Church president to Italy – President Spencer W. Kimball arrived in August 1977. After years of groundwork, a milestone was achieved on 22 February 1993 when Italian president Oscar Luigi Scalfaro signed papers granting formal legal status to the Church. A total of three stakes exist in Italy: the first was established in Milan (June 1981), the second in Venice (September 1985), and the third in Puglia (March 1997). The Church Educational System, which has operated in Italy since 1975, includes five full-time supervisors, 220 teachers, and about 1,500 students enrolled in seminary and institute classes. [2]

A Little Child Shall Lead Them

Marie Madeleine Cardon was born in 1834 to Waldensian parents. She was just 5 or 6 years of age, living near Torino, Italy in the Alps, when in 1840 she received a witness of “a marvelous work about to come forth among the children of men” (see Doctrine and Covenants 4:1) on the other side of the world. She would later state that it was an event that would change “the career of my whole life.” [3] She recounted the dream in which three messengers bearing the restored gospel of Jesus Christ came to Italy:

I was upstairs in bed. A strange feeling came over me. It appeared that I was a young woman instead of a mere child. I thought I was in a small strip of meadow, close to our vineyard, keeping my father’s milk cows from the vineyard. It seemed that I was sitting in the grass reading a Sunday school book. I looked up and saw three strangers in front of me. As I looked into their faces I dropped my eyes instantly, being very much frightened. Suddenly the thought came to me that I must look at them that I might remember them in the future. I raised my eyes and looked them straight in the face. One of them, seeing that I was afraid said: “Fear not, for we are the servants of God and have come from afar to preach unto the world the everlasting gospel, which has been restored to the earth in these last days, for the redemption of mankind.” They told me that God had spoken from the heavens and had revealed his everlasting gospel, to the young boy Joseph Smith. That it would never more be taken from the earth, but that His kingdom would be set up and that all the honest in heart would be gathered together. They told me that I would be the means of bringing my parents and family into this great gathering. Moreover, the day was not far off when we would leave our homes and cross the great ocean. We would travel across the wilderness and go to Zion where we could serve God according to the dictates of our conscience. When they had finished their message to me they said they would return soon and visit us. They took some small books from their pockets and gave them to me, saying, “Read these and learn.” Then they disappeared instantly. [3]

She straightaway told her father, Phillipe Cardon, about the dream she had. Approximately 10 years later, after a royal decree granted from to the Waldensians, the family moved to Piedmont, Italy. It was there that Phillipe heard of three men preaching the same message that his young daughter had related to him from her dream.  He “became so excited and so intensely interested that he could not proceed with his work.” Instead, he went home, changed into his Sunday clothes, and went off in search of the three strangers. [3]

Marie recalls:

He traveled over mountains and through valleys and arrived on Sunday morning just in time to hear Elder Lorenzo Snow preach. My dear father was most happy to hear the pure truth so well and so earnestly explained. His heart was full of joy. After the meeting my father approached these servants of God, shook hands and kindly invited them to come to our home where he desired them to make their headquarters. They kindly and willingly accepted his hospitality. [3]

Marie and most of her family soon came to accept the restored gospel of Jesus Christ in its entirety, and became members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She also did member missionary work by accompanying the missionaries and translating their messages as they preached to her neighbors in the mountains. In 1854, the family immigrated to Utah. In Utah, she married John A. Guild and together they had eleven children, and eventually settled in Piedmont, Wyoming. Marie died in 1914, but she left a legacy for her children in the form of an autobiography in which she bore her testimony of the faith and the gospel that had changed the course of her life.

 My dear children, I cannot doubt the faith and the principals which I have embraced. My whole soul is filled with joy and thankfulness to God for his regard for me and for you in His manifesting to me the divinity of his great work in so remarkable a manner. How sincere is my prayer that you my children may realize how wonderful and yet how real and true is this, my life’s testimony to you. [3]

The Work Rolls Forth

Current statistical reports of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints indicate that there are 24.970 members of the Church; 2 missions; 100 congregations; and 49 Family History Centers throughout Italy, with a Mormon temple complex under construction near Rome.

The work continues to roll forth as faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ continue to answer the call of the Master, “Andate dunque, e ammaestrate tutte le nazioni, battezzandole nel nome del Padre, e del Figlio, e dello Spirito Santo” (Matteo 28:19) [Translation: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19)]. As they are willing and obedient to “launch out into the deep, and let down [their] nets for a draught” (see Luke 5:4), the Savior has promised to make them “pescatori di uomini” (“fishers of men”).

Keith L. Brown

Keith L. Brown is a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having been born and raised Baptist. He was studying to be a Baptist minister at the time of his conversion to the LDS faith. He was baptized on 10 March 1998 in Reykjavik, Iceland while serving on active duty in the United States Navy in Keflavic, Iceland. He currently serves as the First Assistant to the High Priest Group for the Annapolis, Maryland Ward. He is a 30-year honorably retired United States Navy Veteran.

of-common-sense.site123.me/

The following is an account of the Haun’s Mill Massacre as told by Austin’s widow and their son John.

A Mob Attacks

In the fall of 1838, mobs in the area were threatening to burn down the mill because it ground corn for members of The Church of Jesus Christ. “All the mills in that part of the country refused to grind for them as they were owned by the mob parties, hoping to starve them out.” Because of the threats, a few of the brethren volunteered to guard the mill. This they did for several days and nights as the mob kept repeatedly threatening violence. Finally the mob leaders agreed to meet with some of the Mormons to see if they could work out a compromise. On the day appointed, a fixed number of brethren were at the mill, hoping to work out a settlement and anxious to restore peace.

The mob party, however, did not make their appearance, but as the day was drawing to a close, a company of some two or three hundred strong partly sheltered from observation by the heavy timber near by; our brethren immediately hoisted a white flag. When the mob saw the flag they knew they had been discovered, they rode rapidly on lead by Baregard and Comstock. On their arrival at the mill one of them, without saying a word to our men gave orders for the men to fire, which order was obeyed. Their leaders then said, “All who desire to save their lives and make peace run into the blacksmith shop,” which was immediately surrounded by the infernal assailants who commenced firing between the logs as there was no chinking between them. They also fired through an opening made by sawing out a log for light. Several were killed in the shop, my father being one of them.

Several bullets were shot into his body, breaking both thigh bones. Some of the brethren thus shot down were dragged out into the yard that their murderers might have a better chance and more room to st[r]ip them of their clothing. All who had boots and coats were rifted of the articles. My father had on a new pair of boots that fit him tightly and in an effort to get them off he was dragged in his mangled condition. This cruel treatment must have caused him excruciating pain.

The brethren seeing that the mob party was so numerous and blood thirsty were useless to make any defence [sic]. Their only safety was to make their escape as best they could, which they did by fleeing into the woods or brush or where ever they could conceal themselves. When the mob had murdered all they found and robbed them of their clothing they retreated.

After darkness had come on the brethren who were hiding began to make search of those who had been killed and wounded. My father was found and carried into Haun’s house, where he died about twelve o’clock that night. During the night they kept up the search as best they could for in the darkness the wounded were found only by their groans. All that were found were taken into Haun’s house as soon as possible to protect them from hogs, which the woods were full of.

Blood Red Mist Arises

 While the men had gone to meet with mob leaders, Nancy Elston Hammer was home, anxious about what was happening.

At the time of this occurrence I was in my ninth year of age. I wish here to relate a circumstance which occurred at the time of this bloody deed was being enacted. I stood in the yard with my mother and Aunt York, my cousin, Isiah York and some of the smaller children of our two families. Our anxiety, of course, was great [as] to the fate of the brethren at the mill, knowing that Father and Uncle John had gone to assist in its protection, and to help those of our friends who lived there.

Looking eagerly in the direction of the mill, a crimson colored vapor like mist, or thin cloud ascended up into the sky, apparently as high as our eyes could see. Precisely from the place where we knew the mill to be. This angular Phenomenon like a transparent pillar of blood remained there for a long time, just how long I am unable to state, but it was to be seen by us far into the night. At that hour we had not heard of what had happened at the mill.

As quickly as Mother & Aunt York saw this blood-like token they commenced to wrong their hands and moan, declaring that they knew their husbands had been killed. Our uneasiness through that night was too great to describe. When daylight came my cousin rode to the mill to find out the facts of what had happened. On arriving he learned concerning the massacre and brought back word as quickly as possible. The following morning my cousin and myself went to the mill and found that the dead had been buried in the well. We found the hat of Uncle York with bullet holes in both sides showing he had been shot in the head.

Faith Endures Through Tragedy

Mob persecution continued after this tragic day. Eventually, the members of The Church of Jesus Christ were forced to leave the area—with only ten days’ notice. The family had one wagon and a blind horse to move them to Illinois. Most of the Church members were barefoot or wrapped their feet in rags to protect them from the frozen ground. John writes:

There was scarcely a day while we were on the road, that it did not either snow or rain. The nights and mornings were very cold for our unsheltered and exposed condition. It is a marvel to me to this day how we endured such fatigue without being disabled by sickness, if not death. But that merciful being who sheltered us, and gave us courage took us to our destination.

My mother seemed to be endowed with fortitude and resolution and appeared to be inspired to devise ways and means whereby she could administer comfort to her suffering children, and keep them in good spirits. Her faith and confidence had ever been great in the Lord, but now when all this weight and responsibility had fallen upon her, with no husband to lean upon, she felt indeed that God was her greatest and best friend. She realized that He, and He alone must be the deliverer of herself and her family. …

During the last years of her life her mind was much occupied in reviewing her long and useful life. In conversation with her children and friends, she expressed much satisfaction that she had acted her part so well and that the Lord had been merciful in giving her the light of His Holy Spirit, which had been a lamp at her feet, to direct her course safely through the dark perils of life.

Lisa M.

I am a wife and mother of 4 beautiful children in a small town in the mountains of Idaho. We ski as a family in the winter and camp, fish, and go to the beach in the summer. I’m a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I am grateful for the Savior and the blessings of the gospel in my life.

Less well known is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s visit to Utah more than thirty years after writing a book set among “sinister” and “nefarious” Mormons in Salt Lake City. He admitted that he had been misled before his visit by the writings of the time, and he apologized for his inaccurate portrayal. He wrote that he had “great respect for the Mormons.”2

But a visit to the Mormons by prominent educator, author, orator, and presidential advisor, Booker T. Washington and what he thought about them is almost completely forgotten. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Washington’s visit to Utah and The Deseret News recently published an article describing what brought him to Utah.

Booker T. Washington was the most prominent African-American of his generation. In late March 1913 he traveled to Utah to “‘get right into the midst of the Mormons to see what kind of people they are, what they look like, what they are doing, and in what respect they are succeeding.’”

After his two-day visit, he wrote a 2,000-word account for the New York Age, which was one of the most influential African-American newspapers at that time.

“‘They have certainly made the desert blossom as a rose,’” he wrote. “‘I have never been among a more intelligent, healthy, clean, progressive, moral set of people than these people are.’”

During his visit he met with African-Americans and “local leaders, attended receptions in his honor and spoke to educators.” He also spoke to a large assembly of University of Utah students, where he was “‘greeted by vociferous applause.’”

Washington said of Utah students: “‘It has been my privilege to address schools and universities in nearly every part of America, and I saw without hesitation that I have never addressed a college anywhere where the students were more alert, more responsive, more intelligent than is true of the students in these Mormon colleges.’”

According to Max Mueller, who is writing a forthcoming paper titled “Booker T. Washington’s March 1913,” the superintendent of Salt Lake City schools visited Tuskegee Institute—the teachers college that Washington founded—and invited him to come and speak.

Washington’s visit was evidently in response to an invitation, a curiosity about the Mormons, and possibly a quest to obtain funding for his college.

Mueller said that Washington hoped to “‘create an independent, self-sufficient, respected community of industrious, conservative people’” and thought the Latter-day Saints were a model of that type of community. “‘The saints and African Americans actually have a shared history of exclusion from the mainstream, of persecution. So they had that in common.’”

Washington wrote:

“‘First  . . . the Mormons were most inhumanly persecuted almost from the first organization of their church. This was especially true in Missouri and Illinois. Hundreds of their followers were put to death. The courts gave them little protection. The mob that either killed or wounded the Mormons was seldom, if ever, punished. . . . but out of this inhuman and unjust treatment grew the strength of these people . . .

‘The second parallel between the Mormon and the Negro is this. These people, I am sure, have been misrepresented before the world. . . . The Negro is suffering today just as the Mormons are suffering and have suffered, because people from the outside have advertised the worst in connection with Mormon life and they seldom called attention to the best in connection with the life of the Mormons.’”

Washington’s observations are also interesting because “at that time The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints did not allow its members of African descent to be ordained to the priesthood.” (All worthy males are ordained to the priesthood now.) And because of racially discriminatory policies of the time, Washington wasn’t allowed to stay in the prestigious Hotel Utah.

But Mormons recognized their similarities with African-Americans and often “spoke out about extralegal violence against African-Americans.”

Booker T. Washington visited Utah to “see what kind of people” the Mormons were because he knew the value of getting “right into the midst” of them:

“‘I have learned by experience and observation that it is never safe to pass final judgment upon a people until one has had an opportunity to get into the real life of these people.’”

Notes:

1. The Voyage of the Amazon: A Close View of One Immigrant Company

2. 100 years since Booker T. Washington’s historic visit to the Mormons

This article was written by Paula Hicken, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Paula Hicken was an editor with the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship from 2000 to 2013. She earned her BA degree in English from Brigham Young University. She edited Insights, the Maxwell Institute newsletter, and was the production editor for Faith, Philosophy, Scripture, Hebrew Law in Biblical Times (2nd ed.), Third Nephi: An Incomparable Scripture, and was one of the copy editors for Analysis of the Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon. She also helped manage the Maxwell Institute intellectual property and oversaw rights and permissions. She has published in the Ensign, the Liahona, the LDS Church News, and the FARMS Review.

Additional Resources:

Black Mormons in Utah

A Mormon Declaration

paulah

Paula Hicken was an editor with the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship from 2000 to 2013. She earned her BA degree in English from Brigham Young University. She edited Insights, the Maxwell Institute newsletter, and was the production editor for Faith, Philosophy, Scripture, Hebrew Law in Biblical Times (2nd ed.), Third Nephi: An Incomparable Scripture, and was one of the copy editors for Analysis of the Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon. She also helped manage the Maxwell Institute intellectual property and oversaw rights and permissions. She has published in the Ensign, the Liahona, the LDS Church News, and the FARMS Review.

We walked by the Smith Family Home and back into the trees to take advantage of the fact that we were alone. As we quietly walked through the grove of beautiful trees, I thought to myself, “Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared here!” Just that thought filled me with a sense of awe and reverence. I have been in holy places before, but this was a wonderful and unique experience.

I was born to parents who are both faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and, I was raised in the teachings of the Church. I have heard the story of the First Vision all my life, but being in the place where it actually occurred strengthened my personal witness of its veracity.

Joseph Smith, as a young man of 14, struggled with the turmoil that surrounded him in upstate New York in 1820. He was a religious boy who took spiritual matters very seriously, and he was confused by the bickering among different Christian denominations, each claiming to be the only church that had the truth. He wanted to make sure he joined the right church. After studying James 1:5 of the King James Version of the Bible, he was prompted to ask God, in prayer, to help him to know which church was right. Joseph had faith that if he asked God in faith, then he would be given an answer.

On a spring day in 1820, Joseph got up very early and took a walk to be by himself. He walked into the grove of trees behind his family’s home and eventually knelt to pray. The experience he had there was far beyond his imaginings and started a chain of events that is still in motion and cannot be stopped. In answer to a young boy’s prayer, God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared in that grove of trees and spoke to Joseph Smith face to face. They told Joseph that none of the churches on the earth at that time contained the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, so he should not join any of them.

Some marvelous truths were restored to the earth just by that visit: God the Father and Jesus Christ were separate beings with tangible bodies; they knew Joseph personally and cared about him, just as they do each one of us; and the fulness of the gospel had been lost from the earth. It was three more years before Joseph received another heavenly visitor who brought instructions from God and Jesus Christ. For several more years, Joseph was taught and prepared to fulfill his calling of restoring the truths that had been lost from the earth.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church on the earth today. This does not mean that no other church has worth or truth. There are many good people and churches who are devoted to bringing people closer to Jesus Christ. However, Jesus Christ Himself has restored the fulness of His gospel and has declared to the world that it is contained in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I know that I am literally a child of a loving Heavenly Father who knows and loves me. I know that Jesus Christ is His only begotten Son in the flesh and that the power of His Atonement gives me and all men and women the ability to repent and be cleansed from sin so that I may someday return to God and remain in His presence forever.

These truths were restored in a beautiful grove of trees in New York nearly 200 years ago. I have felt the influence of these truths in my life, and I felt a peaceful witness in that grove of trees that Joseph saw there what he said he saw. He knew it, he knew that God knew it, and I know that is true.

This article was written by Doris White, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

dwhite

Doris White is a native of Oregon and graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English and a minor in Editing. She loves to talk with others about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

By June 14, 1828, Joseph and Martin’s work had produced 116 pages of manuscript, and Martin asked Joseph for permission to show the pages to his wife and some of his acquaintances, convinced that if they could see the outcome of the work, they would be convinced of the truth of the work and of Joseph’s calling from God to be a prophet. Not only had Martin Harris devoted a great deal of time to helping Joseph, he had also given Joseph a great deal of money to help him pay off past debts, giving him more free time to work on the translation. Martin was also willing to pay for the publication of the Book of Mormon, which Joseph simply did not have the funds to do himself. Martin Harris was several years Joseph Smith’s senior. It is not difficult to imagine the gratitude Joseph felt for Martin’s help and the obligation he must have felt for all Martin had done for him.

Joseph went to the Lord to seek permission to give the pages to Martin. The Lord told him no. Under considerable pressure, Joseph asked again for permission. Again the answer was no. Joseph was under a great deal of strain when Martin would not accept the answer. Joseph asked of the Lord a third time for permission and was finally told that Martin could take the pages under a condition: he could only show the manuscript to his wife, his brother, his father and mother, and his sister-in-law. Martin agreed to the condition and took the only copy of the manuscript.

Two weeks passed without word from Martin. Joseph finally went after him. Martin, in despair, confessed to Joseph that he had broken the condition the Lord gave him and showed the manuscript to other people. Though he had searched high and low for the pages, they were gone. The anguish Joseph felt is clear from the record of their meeting:

Joseph said, “Martin, have you lost that manuscript? Have you broken your oath, and brought down condemnation upon my head as well as your own?”

“Yes; it is gone,” replied Martin, “and I know not where.”

“All is lost! all is lost! What shall I do? I have sinned—it is I who tempted the wrath of God. I should have been satisfied with the first answer which I received from the Lord; for he told me that it was not safe to let the writing go out of my possession” (Church History in the Fulness of Times, p48).

The Lord told Joseph that evil men had stolen the pages with the design of proving Joseph a false prophet. If he re-translated the record those 116 pages came from, those men planned to make changes to the original manuscript, “proving” that Joseph was not what he claimed to be. Thus, that record was never re-translated.

After returning home, the angel Moroni again appeared to Joseph and told him he must take the plates and tools of translation away from him for awhile, but that he could receive them again if he repented. During this period, Joseph received the revelation that is now Section 3 of the Doctrine and Covenants. The things which the Lord shares with Joseph in this section, when the history of events is understood, bring a good deal of understanding to those who read them.
First, the Lord assures Joseph that “The works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught” (D&C 3:1). If I had been in Joseph’s place at this time, I would have found a great deal of comfort in these words, knowing that, even though I had made a huge mistake, ultimately, no one can defeat the will of God.

The Lord goes on to chastise Joseph even further than he had already been chastised:

Behold, you have been entrusted with these things, but how strict were your commandments; and remember also the promises which were made to you, if you did not transgress them.

And behold, how oft you have transgressed the commandments and the laws of God, and have gone on in the persuasions of men.

For, behold, you should not have feared man more than God (D&C 3:5–7).

Though Joseph must have felt at an all-time low after receiving these words, he is also promised that, if he repents and remains faithful, the Lord will support him against “all the fiery darts of the adversary” (D&C 3:8).

Reading these words, I am filled with a great deal of humility and comfort. I know the Lord has a work for me to do. Surely it is not as great as the work that Joseph Smith was called to do, but in its own way, our works hold the same amount of responsibility for us individually as Joseph’s did for him. Knowing that Joseph was able to repent of such a huge mistake and press forward in the work God had for him gives me hope and peace that I can also overcome my own obstacles and weaknesses.

I am grateful to know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God. The truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ which were restored through Joseph Smith by the hand of God bring all of the necessary ordinances back to the earth which are necessary for the salvation of men. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the restored church of Jesus Christ and is led by a living prophet today. What a blessing that God still speaks to His children now, when they need more than ever to hear His voice.

This article was written by Doris White, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDYJ5Ql-Qhc&feature=youtu.be

http://youtu.be/nSN7kMG1Fvc

dwhite

Doris White is a native of Oregon and graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English and a minor in Editing. She loves to talk with others about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

John M. Pontius was a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in South Africa from 1971–73. He describes the yearning for Afrikaans-speakers for a translation of the Book of Mormon

I attended the special conference in Johannesburg on May 14, 1972 when the new translation of the Book of Mormon into Afrikaans (Die Boek van Mormon) was presented. It was an electric moment. People wept. Some had waited all of their lifetimes to read the Book of Mormon in Afrikaans. Many people had learned English for the sole purpose of reading this scripture. The Spirit was strong among us as we rejoiced. [3]

But this was not the only remarkable aspect of this conference. John Pontius and a fellow missionary were present on several occasions when the translator, Professor Felix Mynhardt, talked about the translation process. In his blogpost, Pontius recounts their collective recollections, including what Mynhardt said at the conference itself.

Prof. Mynhardt was not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ. Pontius recalls, “He said that he was fluent in over 60 languages. He was presently employed at Pretoria University as a language professor. He said he had been praying that the Lord would give him some task, some divinely important task, that would justify his having this gift of language from God.” He had been approached in 1970 by the Mission President, Harlan Clark and others to translate the Book of Mormon in Afrikaans. Pontius recalls:

He said that he knew of the Book of Mormon from his religion studies, and his initial reaction was that he did not want to be involved in translating it. However, that evening, as he prayed upon his knees, as was his habit, he said the Spirit of the Lord convinced him. The message was something on the order of, “You asked me for a great, divinely inspired task of translation, I sent it to you in the form of translating the Book of Mormon, and you declined.” Professor Mynardt said he could not sleep through the night because he knew that translating the Book of Mormon would get him into trouble with his university, which was owned and operated by the Dutch Reformed Church. When morning came he agreed to begin the translation immediately.

Once Mynhardt began translating, it was obvious that the Book of Mormon had not been written in English. Joseph Smith had therefore translated, not composed it. “It became immediately apparent that what I was reading was a translation into English from some other language. The sentence structure was wrong for native English. The word choices were wrong, as were many phrases.” Working on that assumption, Mynhardt knew he would have to find the original language to be able to make as accurate a translation into Afrikaans as possible. Pontius narrates,

He listed a half-dozen languages he tried, all of which did not accommodate the strange sentence structure found in the Book of Mormon. He said he finally tried Egyptian, and to his complete surprise, he found that the Book of Mormon translated flawlessly into . . . ancient Egyptian. He found that some nouns were missing from Egyptian, so he used Hebrew nouns where Egyptian did not provide the word or phrase. He chose Hebrew because both languages existed in the same place anciently.

Mynhardt had begun translating—illogically—in the middle of the book, so when he turned to the beginning to commence that translation,

Imagine my utter astonishment when . . . [I] came to verse two, where Nephi describes that he was writing in the language of the Egyptians, with the learning of the Jews! . . . I knew by the second verse, that this was no ordinary book, that it was not the writings of Joseph Smith, but that it was of ancient origin. I could have saved myself months of work if I had just begun at the beginning. Nobody but God, working through a prophet of God, in this case Nephi, would have included a statement of the language he was writing in. Consider, how many documents written in English, include the phrase, “I am writing in English!” It is unthinkable and absolute proof of the inspired origins of this book.

Mynhardt said that he was perhaps the only person at that time in South Africa who had the language skills necessary to make the Afrikaans translation, using as he did, ancient Egyptian, Hebrew, Afrikaans, and English. He had this to say about Joseph Smith:

I do not know what Joseph Smith was before he translated this book, and I do not know what he was afterward, but while he translated this book, he was a prophet of God! I know he was a prophet! I testify to you that he was a prophet while he brought forth this book! He could have been nothing else! No person in 1827 could have done what he did. [4] The science did not exist. The knowledge of ancient Egyptian did not exist. The knowledge of these ancient times and ancient Peoples did not exist. The Book of Mormon is scripture. I hope you realize this. . . . I declare that the Book of Mormon is of ancient origin, and is scripture of the same caliber as the Old Testament, or for that matter, the New Testament.

Pontius concludes his meaningful account by describing the effect on him of this testimony of the ancient origins of the Book of Mormon from someone who was not a member of the Church, “I know my memory of his exact words is wanting, but my memory of what I felt and what I knew and how potent it was to hear his testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon is one of those things that I will never forget.”

From a personal standpoint, some time ago I had to edit a piece in English written by a German speaker that was very difficult to understand. The only way I could edit it successfully was by translating it back into German to see the idioms used, and then re-translating it into English. Unless you are a native speaker of both languages, in most cases it is extremely difficult to render an accurate translation. The unique skills that Prof. Mynhardt employed in translating the Book of Mormon into Afrikaans (the translation is still in use today), were in my opinion divine gifts bestowed on him for this particular purpose.

This article was written by Alison Coutts, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

References:

1. Book of Mormon Reaches 150 Million Copies

2. Afrikaanns

3. Unless otherwise noted, information and quotes come from John Pontius’s blogpost

4. As far as is known, the translation process began in 1828.

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