Class Member Study Guide: Lesson 26
Doctrine & Covenants 112
Our Heritage: Missions of Early Ohio Converts: Pages 30-32
Mission of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: Pages 30-32
Mission to England: Pages 32-33
Exodus from Kirtland: Page 36
SACRIFICE, COURAGE, AND FAITH
While the Saints were living in Kirtland, many missionaries were called to preach the gospel far from home, most of them at great personal sacrifice. Missionaries were sent to a number of American states, to parts of Canada, and across the Atlantic to England. Through these missionary efforts, many people received a witness of the truth of the gospel. They became valiant members who brought great strength to the young Church.
A number of revelations recorded in Kirtland included commandments to members to preach the gospel to the world.
The Lord declared, “Ye shall go forth in the power of my Spirit, preaching my gospel, two by two, in my name, lifting up your voices as with the sound of a trump, declaring my word like unto angels of God” (D&C 42:6).
In the following year the Lord commanded, “It becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor” (D&C 88:81).
Zera Pulsipher and Elijah Cheney were two who answered this call. Zera Pulsipher joined the church in 1832 and recorded that shortly afterward, he "was ordained to the office of an elder and went to preaching with considerable success."
In Richland, New York Zera Pulsipher converted a young farmer named Wilford Woodruff, who would one day become one of the most successful missionaries in the history of the church and the fourth president to the church.
Zera Pulsipher and his wife.
Zera Pulsipher's License to be an Elder. Notice the location--Kirtland, Ohio.
Missionary Work Required Sacrifice
Answering the call to warn their neighbors, missionaries came from all walks of life.
Answering the call to warn their neighbors, missionaries came from all walks of life.
Many of them were married and had family responsibilities. They departed in the midst of harvests and during the dead of
winter, during periods of personal prosperity and at times of economic
depression.
A number of the elders were
almost destitute when they entered the mission field. Stories from George A Smith, Eratus Snow and John E Page witness to the devotion of these men.
British Converts Fortify the Church
In the latter part of the Kirtland period, a crisis arose within the Church. Some members, including some leaders, apostatized because they could not bear trials and persecutions and because they began to find fault with the Prophet Joseph and other Church leader. The Lord revealed to Joseph Smith that something new must be done for the salvation of his church. That something was an infusion of converts into the Church from England.
On Sunday, 4 June 1827, the Prophet approached Elder Heber C. Kimball in the Kirtland Temple and said to him,
Relecting on this great harvest of souls, Heber recalled that the Prophet hand his Counselors
British Converts Fortify the Church
In the latter part of the Kirtland period, a crisis arose within the Church. Some members, including some leaders, apostatized because they could not bear trials and persecutions and because they began to find fault with the Prophet Joseph and other Church leader. The Lord revealed to Joseph Smith that something new must be done for the salvation of his church. That something was an infusion of converts into the Church from England.
Heber C. Kimball
On Sunday, 4 June 1827, the Prophet approached Elder Heber C. Kimball in the Kirtland Temple and said to him,
"Brother Heber, the Spirit of the Lord has whispered to me: 'Let my servant Heber go to England and proclaim my Gospel, and open the door of salvation to that nation.."
Relecting on this great harvest of souls, Heber recalled that the Prophet hand his Counselors
"laid their hand on me and . . . that God would make me mighty in that nation in winning souls unto Him: angels should accompany me and bear me up, that my feet should never slip: that I should be mightily blessed and prove a source of salvation to thousands."
