Well you'd think I really never wanted this series of posts to end, maybe that's why it has taken me so long to post this last day. Either that or I just got lazy. That and the power kept coming and going in my "office" - turns out I had a bad plug that was SPARKING. Pretty glad my house didn't go up in flames, that would have been....well, not great.
Preston was the place that the church was officially established on British soil in 1837.
This is the market square where the first preaching took place. It is also where President Hinckley did his first preaching when he in Preston on his mission.
Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde, members of the LDS Church and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, along with five other missionaries, arrived in Preston, England on July 22, 1837. One of the missionaries, Joseph Fielding, had a brother, Reverend James Fielding, who allowed the missionaries to preach to his congregation in the Vauxhall Chapel. It was the missionaries' first public speaking opportunity in England.
The early missionaries took up residence in rooms on Wilfrid Street. They held three successful meetings in Vauxhall Chapel. Several individuals believed their testimonies and petitioned them to be baptized. Reverend Fielding, worried that these missionaries would draw away his congregation, no longer allowed them to preach in his chapel.
Nevertheless, the missionaries decided to hold a baptismal service in the River Ribble on July 30, 1837. Heber C. Kimball described that "by this time the adversary of souls began to rage, and he felt determined to destroy us before we had fully established the kingdom of God in that land, and the next morning I witnessed a scene of satanic power and influence which I shall never forget."
The night before the service, the missionaries were attacked by a host of evil spirits. Elder Kimball described them as "men of full stature, possessing every form and feature of men in the flesh, who were angry and desperate; and I shall never forget the vindictive malignity depicted on their countenances as they looked me in the eye; and any attempt to paint the scene which then presented itself, or portray their malice and enmity, would be vain." After a time, the spirits were rebuked and the baptismal service was conducted as planned later that morning.
After returning from his mission, Heber C. Kimball inquired of the Prophet Joseph Smith as to the reason for the manifestation and if there was anything wrong with him. The Prophet replied that "No, Brother Heber, at that time you were nigh unto the Lord; there was only a veil between you and Him, but you could not see Him. When I heard of it, it gave me great joy, for I then knew that the work of God had taken root in that land. It was this that caused the devil to make a struggle to kill you. The nearer a person approaches the Lord, a greater power will be manifested by the adversary to prevent the accomplishment of His purposes."
Since that time, the Preston region has remained an area of strength and the Preston England Temple was dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley on June 7, 1998.
This is the apartment the missionaries lived in - where they were living when the evil spirits came and tried to kill Heber C. Kimball.
This is the market square where the first preaching took place. It is also where President Hinckley did his first preaching when he in Preston on his mission.
Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde, members of the LDS Church and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, along with five other missionaries, arrived in Preston, England on July 22, 1837. One of the missionaries, Joseph Fielding, had a brother, Reverend James Fielding, who allowed the missionaries to preach to his congregation in the Vauxhall Chapel. It was the missionaries' first public speaking opportunity in England.
The early missionaries took up residence in rooms on Wilfrid Street. They held three successful meetings in Vauxhall Chapel. Several individuals believed their testimonies and petitioned them to be baptized. Reverend Fielding, worried that these missionaries would draw away his congregation, no longer allowed them to preach in his chapel.
Nevertheless, the missionaries decided to hold a baptismal service in the River Ribble on July 30, 1837. Heber C. Kimball described that "by this time the adversary of souls began to rage, and he felt determined to destroy us before we had fully established the kingdom of God in that land, and the next morning I witnessed a scene of satanic power and influence which I shall never forget."
The night before the service, the missionaries were attacked by a host of evil spirits. Elder Kimball described them as "men of full stature, possessing every form and feature of men in the flesh, who were angry and desperate; and I shall never forget the vindictive malignity depicted on their countenances as they looked me in the eye; and any attempt to paint the scene which then presented itself, or portray their malice and enmity, would be vain." After a time, the spirits were rebuked and the baptismal service was conducted as planned later that morning.
After returning from his mission, Heber C. Kimball inquired of the Prophet Joseph Smith as to the reason for the manifestation and if there was anything wrong with him. The Prophet replied that "No, Brother Heber, at that time you were nigh unto the Lord; there was only a veil between you and Him, but you could not see Him. When I heard of it, it gave me great joy, for I then knew that the work of God had taken root in that land. It was this that caused the devil to make a struggle to kill you. The nearer a person approaches the Lord, a greater power will be manifested by the adversary to prevent the accomplishment of His purposes."
Since that time, the Preston region has remained an area of strength and the Preston England Temple was dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley on June 7, 1998.
This is the apartment the missionaries lived in - where they were living when the evil spirits came and tried to kill Heber C. Kimball.
This is the River Ribble
The guys were racing...but I can't remember why.
It was just fun to see a bunch of old men running!
And this is the spot in the River Ribble where the first baptisms took place.
On July 30, 1837 (Sunday), in the River Ribble, nine souls were initiated into the kingdom of God. They were the first fruits of the Gospel in a foreign land.
Ok, fastforward with me now 96 years to 1933...
As a new missionary serving in Preston, England, Elder Gordon B. Hinckley was facing a major trial in his life. He was sick when he arrived in the mission field, and he quickly became discouraged because of the opposition to the missionary work. At a time of deep frustration, Elder Hinckley wrote in a letter to his father that he felt he was wasting his time and his father’s money. A little while later, Elder Hinckley received a reply from his dad. It said, “Dear Gordon, I have your recent letter. I have only one suggestion: forget yourself and go to work.”
Earlier that morning during scripture study, Elder Hinckley had read in the Bible, “Whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it”
“With my father’s letter in hand, I went into our bedroom in the house at 15 Wadham Road, where we lived, and got on my knees and made a pledge with the Lord. I covenanted that I would try to forget myself and lose myself in His service.” - Ensign, July 1987, pg 7
This is the house at 15 Wadham Road. Neat, right??
Last stop of the day was the Preston Temple. I tagged along with the group while they did a session. I'm glad I went, the temple is beautiful and the grounds were seriously amazing! They have the temple, the distribution center, a stake center and the MTC all together and it is all so beautiful! I'm glad I got to go, even if it was just to hang around outside.
After the temple, we went back to the hotel and actually had dinner from the gas station next door. Fancy, I know. The next day we were out of the hotel at 6:30 a.m. (SICK) and to the airport. We then spent the whole next day flying home. - from Manchester to London, London to Dallas and Dallas to SLC.
I am seriously so so so grateful I was able to go on this trip. Everywhere was so beautiful, it was so neat to experience the different cultures. And then to see so many early church history sites and learn of the sacrifices that so many made to get to where we are today, I am in awe. I will be forever grateful for the faith and strength of those people and my ancestors that I get to receive the blessings of the gospel because of them!
Oh and I must thank "Google" and www.mormonhistoricsitesfoundation.org, and any other site that provided me with the info I used. Ticey commented that I had a good memory...yeah, well I don't. I could kindof remember what happened at each place, but definitely not well enough to put it in words, so thanks to the internet for making me sound smart!!
1 comments:
Hey I still think your super smart! Looks like you guys had a way fun time on your trip! Thanks for sharing it with us, I enjoyed reading about it!!
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