The Best Blood of the Nineteenth Century

Turn back the clock to this day--June 27th--in 1844.  In the late afternoon of a muggy day in Carthage, Illinois, two brothers and two of their friends sat in a cell on the upper floor of the local jail.  They knew their time was short, but they found comfort and solace in the words they read from a Book for which they were about to give their lives.

Thou hast been faithful; wherefore … thou shalt be made strong, even unto the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father.

“And now I, Moroni, bid farewell … until we shall meet before the judgment-seat of Christ."

Minutes later, an armed mob stormed the jail and after a brief struggle, the two brothers lay dead--first the elder brother, and then the younger.  One of their friends who was there, John Taylor, later described the martyrdom of these two men, Joseph Smith Jr.--a modern prophet of God--and his brother Hyrum, in these words:

Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. ... He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord’s anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated! ...henceforward their names will be classed among the martyrs of religion; and the reader in every nation will be reminded that the Book of Mormon...cost the best blood of the nineteenth century...

I too want you to know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet.  Anyone can come to know that for themselves.  All you have to do is read the Book of Mormon and ask God to help you see it's true.  I know God works through prophets today like He did anciently and that your life will be blessed if you listen to His modern prophets.

I pay tribute to Joseph Smith on this anniversary of his death.  The media may mock his life, but I celebrate it.  Have questions about him or what he did?  Just ask.

Much Love,

Elder Spendlove

Want more? Watch this film about the life of the prophet Joseph Smith!

Hold On (#2)

Let me share a story with you from the beginning of my mission--last January.

I had only been a missionary for 6 weeks when I was asked to be the trainer for a new missionary, to show him the ropes and get him acclimated to the new lifestyle.  It was incredibly rainy and I had no idea where I was going as we ventured from Vallejo, CA to Santa Rosa (about a 90 minute drive, give or take).  As my previous companion and I drove up to Santa Rosa, I tried my best to remember where everything was at and how to get back, but I was really unsure and the rain-washed landscape made it even more difficult.

Later that afternoon as I left Santa Rosa, I asked a more experienced missionary if I could follow him most of the way back; he was going to nearby Fairfield and it would be easy to find my way from there.  Or so I thought.  After winding through the back roads of Sonoma for a good hour or two, we found the freeway but missed the exit and had to circle back around until we finally got headed in the right direction just as the rain started really coming down--I mean really coming down, I could hardly see three feet ahead of me!  I was pretty nervous that we were going the wrong way or that we were going to get hit or something, so I said a silent prayer and asked God to help me find my way back to Vallejo.  I remember feeling or hearing or both, as I strained my weary eyes to see the road ahead, the words Hold on.  And I did.  Reassurance replaced my fear and we made it home alright.  Soaking, but alright.

Sometimes in life that's all we can do.  We can't see ahead of us, we aren't exactly sure if we're headed in the right direction or what that "right direction" is... all we can do is hold on.  It's hard to have that kind of faith, that trust in God that it will be OK in the end, but just hold on.  Stick with what you know, follow your heart, and hold on for dear life.  You'll make it! 

Much Love,

Elder Spendlove

Do you have any stories of just holding on?  Let us know below!