Sunday, February 19, 2017 – Stake Conference, John Taylor Home, Crocus, District Meeting

Sunday morning’s session of Stake Conference was another great meeting. We heard four Presidents speak as well as the visiting General Authority, Elder Joseph W. Sitati.  The four presidents were Pres. Garth V. Hall: Illinois Nauvoo Mission, Pres. Richard A. Irion: Nauvoo Temple President, Briant C. Badger: Iowa Des Moines Mission, Chris V. Church: Nauvoo Stake President.

As I listened to each talk in conference and took notes, I said to myself, “Wow, this is a great talk, it can’t get any better than this!” Then the next president got up and I continued to scribble notes as fast as I could. As I listened to all five men speak I was completely blown away by the counsel, the wisdom, the stories and the spirit. They were all great talks, it was a great meeting!

Once again Sis. Johnson and I were privileged to be site tour guides this afternoon. This time we were assigned to the home of one of the most important men in church history, John Taylor, the third President of the Church in this dispensation.

John Taylor was with Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum in Carthage Jail when they were martyred. During the attack by the mob John Taylor was shot four times and still survived his wounds to give an eye witness account of the brutal murder of the Prophet Joseph Smith. John wrote, “I felt that the Lord had preserved me by a special act of mercy; that my time had not yet come, and that I had still a work to perform upon the earth.”

After the martyrdom of the Prophet, Elder Taylor was instrumental in the exodus of the saints by preparing his family and other Latter-day Saints to leave Nauvoo. John wrote an editorial in the Nauvoo Neighbor on Wednesday, October 29, 1845 telling of the forthcoming exodus: “As we are making all the preparation in our power to leave the United States next spring . . . We will suffer wrong rather than do wrong . . . The power that made Nauvoo; that gathered thousands from various climes and kingdoms; that reared the Temple; and that whispers to us now, ‘peace be still and see the salvation of God,’ can guide us to bring forth a better city.”

This evening Sis. Johnson and I attended our monthly District meeting. Of course these meetings are a good excuse to get together with our friends and have a wonderful Sunday dinner. The meeting was good, the dinner was better and the friends were the best. I’m already looking forward to next month’s meeting.