I am awestruck by the missionary commitment of the saints in
the early days of the restoration. There are many recorded occasions when missionary calls were announced from the
pulpit during meetings and conferences. Elders thus called were expected, and
willing, to depart on very short notice, often leaving large families behind to
care and provide for themselves.
Many of these saints were refuges or recent immigrants who had very little money and
the fledgling church did not have funds to provide for their travel or sustenance, so the
elders departed “without purse or scrip”. This is a scriptural term from the
words of the Savior. Early in His ministry, the Savior called disciples to
go forth and preach. These men were undoubtedly worried about providing for themselves and their
families as they left their professions and followed the Savior.
Calming their fears Jesus said:
- “Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses… for the workman is worthy of his meat.” Matthew 10:9-10
Near the end of his life, the Savior reminded
them:
- “When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye anything? And they said, Nothing.” Luke 22:35
In the church’s infancy no language training was available
for missionaries sent to non-English speaking lands. In short, the faith required for
service was immense both for the elders and their families who shared the
burden of the call.
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| John Darwin Chase |
The missionary service of my Great, Great, Great Uncle John Darwin
Chase and his companions is a good example of the commitment required by the early saints.
Immediately
after speaking in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on April 21, 1861, John Darwin Chase, Parley P.
Pratt Jr. (son of the apostle) and Jacob Bigler
were called and set apart as missionaries to serve
in England.
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| Jacob Bigler |
John would leave his wife Almira with nine children in her
care, the oldest being 14-year-old Amos.
Venturing forth on faith, John did not have a
penny in his pocket and only the clothes he was wearing. He caught a church train
headed for Winter Quarters. It is unknown how he traveled from Winter Quarters
to the Atlantic port during those early days of the Civil War.
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| Parley P. Pratt, Jr. |
When he arrived at
the port, he had no money to pay the 15 pound fare. A stranger stepped
forward and pressed just enough money into his hand for passage. With
gratitude, he boarded the ship and began the journey to England where he would
serve three years preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
From England he wrote:
"I have joy in my labors and I
know my Heavenly Father has blessed me since I have been on this mission. I
would not, though it were possible to exchange this experience for any amount
of silver or gold."
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| Monarch of the Sea |
Three years later, on April 26, 1864, John boarded the Monarch
of the Sea, and sailed home with Parley P. Pratt, Jr. again as his companion.
The rickety old ship had been pronounced unseaworthy two years earlier, but
still sailed carrying 973 passengers. Arriving safely in America was somewhat
miraculous; the ship sunk on its return voyage to Liverpool, thankfully only loaded
with cargo.
After his mission, John stated:
- "I received not as much as a postage stamp the three years I served, yet I never went hungry or without a place to sleep, and was never hindered in my labor for want or means to help me along."
Today, missionary calls and service are very different than in John's day. Potential missionaries plan and prepare, sometimes
for years in advance. They meet with their bishop, fill out mission applications
online, and are asked about preferences in location, language, and type of
service.
They await a call, which comes privately in a sealed envelope, and
then have additional months of preparation time before leaving. Husbands and
wives serve missions together after the children are raised on their own.
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| Fort Lauderdale Mission Office |
The contrast between missions then and now has been very
vividly portrayed in my life this week as Dean and I traveled to Florida where
we met with the Mission President of the Fort Lauderdale Florida Mission who
has requested that we serve there in the mission office.
We flew to Florida, checked out the
mission home in a beautifully manicured neighborhood and then visited the
mission office which is housed in a modern office building.
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| Senior Missionary Apartments |
Our next stop was the
apartment complex where the senior missionary couples live. The two bedroom
apartments are completely furnished and stocked with kitchen supplies and
linens.
We loved the area and everything we saw and now have about a year
before we must make the final decision about serving there. We’ll turn in our
papers and request this assignment with the Mission President requesting us as
well.
If we receive this mission call, we’ll have two or three more months to
prepare, pack up our things and drive to Florida. Before we go, there will be
two weeks training in Provo.
It is nearly impossible to imagine the sacrifices made by my ancestors which helped begin this marvelous work. The world is a different place now. Perhaps they view current challenges and similarly shudder with thankfulness they were sent to earth when they were.
I'm so grateful for their testimonies and example and hope that I can make them proud of me as well.
