"I think it was in the month of March that I was at work in the woods about nine o'clock in the morning when there appeared to be a mighty rattling of wagons at the south. I suppose it must be as much as a dozen wagons rattling on pebble stones. It continued to draw nearer till I discovered it to be in the air, and as it drew near I heard the sound of a steamboat puff. It passed immediately over our heads and went on about one mile to the Kirtland temple. There it appeared in the form of a steamboat loaded with passengers. Old Elder Beamen, who was the president of the Elders, had anointed them a few months before, but had been dead a short time, he was in the bow of the boat. He was singing and swinging his hat till it came in front of the temple. It then divided in two parts, the one was black and the other white. The white went west and the black went north. The explanation of the phenomenon we saw with much clearness. When within a few months from that time there was a division of the authorities of the church. A number of the twelve and first presidents of seventies descended (or apostatized) and led many after them, but the pure in heart went west.
We observed while we were atttending to our prayers in the temple from time to time there was a curious circumstace transpire. A Methodist meeting house stood a few rods from the temple which took fire one night. There was a brand of fire thrown into the temple at a window, but it went out. Most of the people being very hostile, the mob laid the charge of burning the house to the council of seventies. There was no doubt but that they fired it themselves hoping by that means to get a pretext for our destruction, but we knew we were innocent and trusted in God. We continued our course steadily along and paid no attention to them. There was a universal determination that we should never leave that place in a company and they knew as well as we that the poor could not go out alone. Therefore, they had a deep plot laid for our destruction.
But we knew where our hope was grounded and kept our steady course preparing to go out in a company well organized. But as I related to the burning of that house, they raged to a great extent because most of them supposed that we had actually done it. But as the Lord dictated, the great leader of that mob, who had once been a Mormon and well calculated to carry out his devilish designs, was held by the power of God so that he had a vision and saw those that fired the house. He seemed to be greatly astonished for a while and then met with the mob and informed them that it was not the council that burned the house and knew who it was. But he dared not tell on account of the law because he could prove it only by vision, which they would not believe and still swore vengeance on us. But he swore by all the Gods that lived that he would have revenge on them if they lost a hair of our heads. He had a large store of goods and could swear and get drunk. He had some influence with them so that we were preserved by the hand of God.
We obtained money and clothing for the company and the fourth day of July this man that had led the mob invited me to take all our teams and company and camp in a clover field which was about one foot high. I thanked him and embraced the officer. The next day we all went out all in order as we said we would in the beginning with about sixty-five teams and seventy cows. Nothing transpired for some weeks until we got to Dutton and got out of money. The people would take nothing of us but money for our expenses, and at a high price too. We went into council and prayed to God for money and provisions. Accordingly the Lord sent a turn-pike jobber after us to get us to do a job for him. We therefore agreed with him for a job of twelve hundred dollars which we did in good order with his acceptance. He then wanted us to do another job.
It was then very dry and the wells were so low that it was difficult to get water for our animals in the dry part of the country if we should go on. But we inquired of the Lord for what was best and we were impressed to go on, not knowing what we should do for drink. The day following there fell such a flood of water that the low places in the country were filled and we got along very well."
I love Zerah's words, "but we knew where our hope was grounded" as it is such a powerful example to each of us as to know where our own hope is grounded. We can do nothing of ourselves. We must rely on the Lord to guide and direct our paths and put our complete faith and trust in Him. He will send the "floods of water" down on our own parched lives and souls and we will be filled and "get along very well." It may not transpire according to our calendar or time clock but it WILL transpire. I bear testimony of that to each of you.
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