Oct 14, 2023

“I have developed an appreciation for not only being ‘faithful’ and having a testimony, but also for simply doing the work despite how difficult the challenges may be,” says Craig Lindquist, volunteer for the Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation. “By just about any measure, Wilford had a hard life, but the hard parts did not turn him from the spiritual parts.”

Craig works with the Public Relations team and shares what he learns in the Papers through articles. He starts by seeking divine guidance through prayer, then researches a topic and begins to write. He explains, “As I am searching through the writings and stories about Wilford Woodruff I learn so much more than I can possibly write about in a short article, but my testimony of him as one of the Lord’s anointed prophets grows in leaps and bounds.”

Craig first became interested in Wilford when painter Michael Bedard approached Craig in Nauvoo, Illinois, and asked him to model for a painting he was creating of the eminent men and women for whom Wilford Woodruff initiated proxy ordinances in the St. George Utah Temple.¹

Hope of the World by Michael Bedard

Years later, Craig heard about the Wilford Woodruff Papers Project. He found it interesting that Wilford’s writings were being compiled and published online, so he began to follow the progress. Craig says of Wilford, “He was an extraordinary writer! Having been a journal keeper for most of my adult life, I know something of the dedication it takes to record life’s events on a regular basis. It isn’t easy. There would have been days when he was simply tired and would have preferred to let things go for another day, yet still he wrote.”

Craig invites everyone to be a part of this great work. He shares, “To those who may be looking for an avenue to use their talents, develop new talents, or just be of service to another, it has been my experience that as you participate in projects such as the Wilford Woodruff Papers Project, your testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ and His prophets will grow.”

To learn more about how you can contribute to the Wilford Woodruff Papers Project, please visit https://wilfordwoodruffpapers.org/get-involved.