Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Immigrants and Oxen—Not the Best Mix

Image result for oxen and pioneers

Let’s be candid, anytime most people try something for the first time they are not always successful. Most things in life we learn because we have practice and experience. I felt I became an alright teacher of the gospel by the end of my mission, but my first attempt at it on day one was a flop. The discussions we memorized back in those years used the name Mr. Brown any time a question was asked of the investigator. My companion and I were tracting in the small town of Guilford, Maine when we finally were invited into a home. My companion motioned for me to begin the discussion. I accidentally called the lady of the house Mr. Brown not once, but twice. I think I proved my point. Those Saints coming from urban centers in Europe experienced much the same difficulty with the oxen on the trail west.

What did Danish member Mads Christensen state the oxen did not understand?

a.      Earlier starts than the American Saints
b.      No noon breaks
c.       The Danish language
d.      The oatmeal they tried to feed the oxen

Yesterday’s answer:

(C)   Have a snowball fight

 In Missouri, when mob forces oppressed the Saints, we were encamped in Adam-ondi-Ahman, mostly around campfires without tents. One night the snow fell four or five inches. The Prophet, seeing our forlorn condition, called on us to form into two parties—Lyman Wight at the head of one line and he (Joseph) heading the other line—to have a sham battle. The weapons were snowballs. We set to with a will full of glee and fun.

Orton, Chad M. and William W. Slaughter, Joseph Smith’s America (Salt Lake City: Deseret Books, 2005), 136.


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