I Knew It

To my daughter,

               Today I want to bear testimony of the mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I have loved learning about the Prophet Joseph Smith since I was young and I have always admired his courage and unwavering determination to do the will of the Lord. As you know, he faced incredible persecution throughout his life as he sought to do the will of the Lord to bring forth the Book of Mormon and establish the Church in these latter days. One of my favorite verses from his history is this declaration about his thoughts when others tried to convince him that he had not really had the vision he said he had: “I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true; and while they were persecuting me, reviling me, and speaking all manner of evil against me falsely for so saying, I was led to say in my heart: Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation” (JSH 1:25). He could not be dissuaded by the world but stayed true to the vision he had and ultimately gave his life for it. I remember one day when I was about 19 years old and preparing to leave my family for two years to serve a mission in France, I asked myself why I was going. Why was I going to drop everything and leave for two years? The answer hit me with great force and it was this: I am going because I know that Joseph did in reality see God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ in that grove of trees. My testimony of him as the Prophet of the Restoration only increased as I spent two years bearing witness of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope that you know that I have a testimony that he was indeed a prophet of God.

               I want to encourage you to learn more about the life of Brother Joseph and gain your own testimony of the divinity of his calling from the Lord. One of the first places to start is to read his own account of his history that we have in the Pearl of Great Price. Another great reference is the first Saints book that gives many details about his life and work. One of the most powerful stories to me is what he did during his final hours when in Carthage Jail. As he and Hyrum were imprisoned there, the night before they were both killed by a mob, “Hyrum read aloud from the Book of Mormon and Joseph bore powerful witness of its divine authenticity to the guards on duty. He testified that the gospel of Jesus Christ had been restored, that angels still ministered to humanity, and that the kingdom of God was once more on the earth.” There he was, unjustly imprisoned and taken once again from his family and friends, and on the brink of having his life taken, and yet he still stayed true to his mission and bore testimony of the gospel and the Restoration to the guards there in the prison. To do that shows just how deeply committed he was to work the Lord had given him and it stands to me as a powerful testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. That same night he also gave his final known prophecy and told Dan Jones, one of our direct ancestors, that he would live and yet serve a mission to Wales. He did, and thousands were converted to the gospel because of his missionary labors. Joseph stayed true to his mission until the end and his life is a powerful example for all disciples of Christ. I pray that you and I and our whole family can likewise stay true to the gospel until the end.

 

Love,

Dad