Sunday, March 26, 2017 – Sacrament Meeting, “Flat Stanley” at the Temple & Pendleton Log School

This morning’s sacrament meeting’s theme was “Come Listen to a Prophet’s Voice” in preparation for next week’s world –wide General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All of this morning’s  talks were excellent. I wish there were some way here I could revisit all of the messages given by our speakers because they were all that good.

I must retell one story given by Elder Mark Wilson in his talk. I liked it because it relates so well to our Nauvoo experience here and how important it is to “listen to the Prophet’s Voice” and obey.

The Story is about Israel Barlow who was assisting in the building of the Nauvoo Temple and how he drove a team of high-spirited horses. “One day while backing his wagon in at the Tempe limestone quarry, the Prophet Joseph came over to him and said ‘Israel, on your next trip, stop and buy yourself a buggy whip,’ without questioning why or putting it off, on his next trip through town he bought a buggy whip and returned for another load of stone. Backing the team in this time, he attempted to stop them as usual by saying, ‘Whoa,’ to which they paid no attention, but kept backing until Israel, in excitement, was compelled to use the whip which the Prophet had told him to buy. The horses jumped forward and the wagon stopped right at the edge of the quarry, beyond which they would have plunged to their death below.”

“Israel Barlow frequently told this story as an illustration of what obedience meant and how it saved his life. Israel Barlow accepted everything the Prophet Joseph Smith told him and never questioned ‘why?’ Israel Barlow knew full well the divine calling of the Prophet Joseph and bore that testimony to the day of his death.”

To help our grandson Alex Johnson with his school assignment, after church Sis. Johnson and I took the opportunity to take “Flat Stanley” to several Nauvoo historic landmarks, including the Nauvoo Temple and to have our picture taken with him. By the end of the week we hope to have shown “Flat Stanley” many places and sites of historic Nauvoo, then put him in the mail to go back to our grandson in Mesa AZ. Alex will have a marvelous time telling all of “Flat Stanley’s” adventures with us.

This afternoon Sis. Johnson and I were assigned to give tours in the “Pendleton Log School.” It was the first time we’ve given tours there and we enjoyed the opportunity and blessing. Sis. Johnson and I learned a lot as several families came through and took our tour.