As part of the 3 week training, the missionaries have an afternoon to see the historic sites in Preston and the surrounding areas. Weds. was the day, and what a day it was.
We recounted the day that Heber C Kimball and his 6 companions arrived in Preston Market Square on July 22, 1837. There was a general election in progress and as they alighted from the coach a large banner was being unfurled with the slogan Truth Will Prevail, to which the brethren responded, "Amen and Amen". That was the beginning of what would be 1000,s of converts that joined the church and went to America.
We spent our day going from site to site beginning in the Market Sq. known for the Obelisk which stands on the square. It was common in the early days to stand on a little box and preach in the square. This was of particular interest to me as it was on this square the GBH (Gordon B. Hinckley) delivered his first street meeting. As a young, green missionary in 1933, he stepped off the train in Preston and was met by his companion. I quote from his biography:
Elder Bramwell had no intention of breaking his new companion in gradually, and as they walked home he announced that they were set to hold a street meeting that night at the marketplace in the public square. The thought of preaching to uninterested passersby was daunting, and Elder Hinckley responded immediately, You've got the wrong man to go with you!
But Elder Bramwell was undeterred, and a few hours later the two missionaries walked to the market and began to sing. Gradually a crowd gathered, and both missionaries taught and bore testimony. I was terrified, he later admitted. I stepped up onto that little stand, looked at that crowd of people, and wondered what I was doing there!
For me this was the first of many riviting moments that day. I could well imagine his fright as he stood in that square and began to sing...........
During the rest of the afternoon we visited the cockpit which was the site of Temperance Hall. The Temperance Movement was started by a group of people who wanted to obliterate drinking and so they gathered together to preach their own version of the W of W. The early missionaries used this hall for preaching the doctrine of the church, including the W of W. As a result, many joined the church and several men were ordained to priesthood offices and given leadership in various branches. For Richard, this was a tender moment as it was in the Temperance Hall where his great great Grandfather Summerhayes met the Mormons and later and later joined the church. There was a personal moment of spiritual confirmation for him and his tears were not hidden.
The River Ribble is the site of the first baptisms in the British Isles. It is bordered by a large park, Avenham, where thousands gathered, were taught and baptized.
From there we went to 15 Wadham Road. A few of the missionaries had heard of this site and knew that it was where GBH had first lived as a missionary. Again I quote from his biography,
In England the grass pollinates and turns to seed in late June and early July, which is exactly when I arrived in Preston. The day I arrived there I started crying -- tears of hay fever, not homesickness. That combined with the anti-Mormon sentiment put him at an all-time low. After he had taken as much as he felt he could, he wrote his father that he wasn't getting anywhere with missionary work, and that he couldn't see the point in wasting his time and his father's money. Responding as both father and stake president, his father sent a reply that was brief and to the point: "Dear Gordon, I have your recent letter. I have only one suggestion: "forget yourself and go to work."
With the letter in hand, he went into his upstairs bedroom at 15 Wadham Road and got on his knees. As he poured out his heart to the Lord, he promised that he would try. That July day in 1933 was my day of decision. Everything good that has happened to me since then I can trace back to the decision I made that day in Preston.
Recounting that experience to the missionaries some 68 years later, stirred my soul. And I think it stirred theirs. It was a beautiful moment.
We traveled on to the little towns of Chatburn and Downham. These sights are of great significance in terms of the early days of the Church. Heber C. Kimball served as a missionary there with such success that when it was time for him to leave the hearts of the people appeared to be broken. While the missionaries walked down that road, doors were crowded and villagers lined the streets, weeping as they said their farewells. Heber said, "I was followed by a great number...a considerable distance from the villages who could hardly separate themselves from me. I thought my head was a fountain of tears, for I wept for several miles after I bid them adieu.
Today the little village of Downham is completely owned by the Lord and Lady Clitheroe. There are 120 residents who all rent their homes from the Clitheroes. The village remains exactly as it was in the time of the early missionaries. As we wandered around we happened to meet Lady Clitheroe. She said this village has been owned by her husband's family for 400 years. She was a delightful woman, has been to SLC and knows much about the Mormons. When we parted she said in her most charming English accent, "Well, I must get back to my cooking!"
We finished our day at the baptismal place in the small river that runs through Chatburn. (See the photo above) This area has just recently been indentified by a professor at BYU, a member of Church History and Doctrine. It was unknown to the locals here until we arrived with information regarding it. Heber C. Kimball said of this place, I have had to go into the water to administer the ordinance of baptism six or seven times a day, and frequently after having come out of the water and changed my clothes, I have had to turn back to the water before I reached my lodgings; this, too, when the weather was extremely cold, the ice being from twelve to fourteen inches thick.
By this time our toes were numb but the spirit warmed us and we stood together on the banks of this historic site and let them bear their testimonies. It was one of those moments that we hope will be long remembered.
We concluded our little meeting by giving them each a bookmark that said, FORGET YOURSELF AND GO TO WORK!
As I said in the beginning.......I wish you could have been there!
We recounted the day that Heber C Kimball and his 6 companions arrived in Preston Market Square on July 22, 1837. There was a general election in progress and as they alighted from the coach a large banner was being unfurled with the slogan Truth Will Prevail, to which the brethren responded, "Amen and Amen". That was the beginning of what would be 1000,s of converts that joined the church and went to America.
We spent our day going from site to site beginning in the Market Sq. known for the Obelisk which stands on the square. It was common in the early days to stand on a little box and preach in the square. This was of particular interest to me as it was on this square the GBH (Gordon B. Hinckley) delivered his first street meeting. As a young, green missionary in 1933, he stepped off the train in Preston and was met by his companion. I quote from his biography:
Elder Bramwell had no intention of breaking his new companion in gradually, and as they walked home he announced that they were set to hold a street meeting that night at the marketplace in the public square. The thought of preaching to uninterested passersby was daunting, and Elder Hinckley responded immediately, You've got the wrong man to go with you!
But Elder Bramwell was undeterred, and a few hours later the two missionaries walked to the market and began to sing. Gradually a crowd gathered, and both missionaries taught and bore testimony. I was terrified, he later admitted. I stepped up onto that little stand, looked at that crowd of people, and wondered what I was doing there!
For me this was the first of many riviting moments that day. I could well imagine his fright as he stood in that square and began to sing...........
During the rest of the afternoon we visited the cockpit which was the site of Temperance Hall. The Temperance Movement was started by a group of people who wanted to obliterate drinking and so they gathered together to preach their own version of the W of W. The early missionaries used this hall for preaching the doctrine of the church, including the W of W. As a result, many joined the church and several men were ordained to priesthood offices and given leadership in various branches. For Richard, this was a tender moment as it was in the Temperance Hall where his great great Grandfather Summerhayes met the Mormons and later and later joined the church. There was a personal moment of spiritual confirmation for him and his tears were not hidden.
The River Ribble is the site of the first baptisms in the British Isles. It is bordered by a large park, Avenham, where thousands gathered, were taught and baptized.
From there we went to 15 Wadham Road. A few of the missionaries had heard of this site and knew that it was where GBH had first lived as a missionary. Again I quote from his biography,
In England the grass pollinates and turns to seed in late June and early July, which is exactly when I arrived in Preston. The day I arrived there I started crying -- tears of hay fever, not homesickness. That combined with the anti-Mormon sentiment put him at an all-time low. After he had taken as much as he felt he could, he wrote his father that he wasn't getting anywhere with missionary work, and that he couldn't see the point in wasting his time and his father's money. Responding as both father and stake president, his father sent a reply that was brief and to the point: "Dear Gordon, I have your recent letter. I have only one suggestion: "forget yourself and go to work."
With the letter in hand, he went into his upstairs bedroom at 15 Wadham Road and got on his knees. As he poured out his heart to the Lord, he promised that he would try. That July day in 1933 was my day of decision. Everything good that has happened to me since then I can trace back to the decision I made that day in Preston.
Recounting that experience to the missionaries some 68 years later, stirred my soul. And I think it stirred theirs. It was a beautiful moment.
We traveled on to the little towns of Chatburn and Downham. These sights are of great significance in terms of the early days of the Church. Heber C. Kimball served as a missionary there with such success that when it was time for him to leave the hearts of the people appeared to be broken. While the missionaries walked down that road, doors were crowded and villagers lined the streets, weeping as they said their farewells. Heber said, "I was followed by a great number...a considerable distance from the villages who could hardly separate themselves from me. I thought my head was a fountain of tears, for I wept for several miles after I bid them adieu.
Today the little village of Downham is completely owned by the Lord and Lady Clitheroe. There are 120 residents who all rent their homes from the Clitheroes. The village remains exactly as it was in the time of the early missionaries. As we wandered around we happened to meet Lady Clitheroe. She said this village has been owned by her husband's family for 400 years. She was a delightful woman, has been to SLC and knows much about the Mormons. When we parted she said in her most charming English accent, "Well, I must get back to my cooking!"
We finished our day at the baptismal place in the small river that runs through Chatburn. (See the photo above) This area has just recently been indentified by a professor at BYU, a member of Church History and Doctrine. It was unknown to the locals here until we arrived with information regarding it. Heber C. Kimball said of this place, I have had to go into the water to administer the ordinance of baptism six or seven times a day, and frequently after having come out of the water and changed my clothes, I have had to turn back to the water before I reached my lodgings; this, too, when the weather was extremely cold, the ice being from twelve to fourteen inches thick.
By this time our toes were numb but the spirit warmed us and we stood together on the banks of this historic site and let them bear their testimonies. It was one of those moments that we hope will be long remembered.
We concluded our little meeting by giving them each a bookmark that said, FORGET YOURSELF AND GO TO WORK!
As I said in the beginning.......I wish you could have been there!
What a wonderful experience. I wish I could have been there too.
ReplyDeleteOh, how I wish I could be one of "your" missionaries for the next two years. Glad to hear you made it and things have begun! Miss you.
ReplyDelete