“Stand in Holy Places”

by Lyndie Jackson

Come, Follow Me

As the year comes to a close, I have been reflecting on my resolve this year to avoid focusing on the things of this world, symbolically portrayed in some cases as ancient Babylon.

Speaking of Babylon, John gave us this counsel: “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4). Coming out of Babylon has been described in modern times as being in the world but not of the world.

"Good Tidings of Great Joy"

by Rob Swanson

Come, Follow Me

On Christmas Day, 1865, Wilford Woodruff noted the following in his journal: “25 Christmass I spent the day at home & took supper then went to the Theater in the Evening."

This small and plain entry is very similar to other Christmas day entries throughout the 1860s. When first reading entries such as the one above, I was confused by how a man who loved and served Christ with all his heart could write so little on one of the holiest of days in the Christian calendar. Yet, as I read and reread the simple entries throughout the 1860s, a thought struck me. This simple entry, as well as its fellows scattered throughout Wilford Woodruff’s journals, contains a simple sermon that is profound and beautiful. His small entry reminded me of the importance of family during the Christmas season.

Volunteer Spotlight: Brad Sawyer

by Maddie Christensen

Volunteer Spotlights

“As I’ve studied and read some of the things that the Project is involved in, I’ve come to realize that Wilford Woodruff is not only a great American historian, but also has kept wonderful journals about Church history, temple endowment development, and his relationship with the prophet Joseph,” shares Brad Sawyer, Development Committee Chair on the Board of Directors of the Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation.

“The Blood of the Lamb”

by Craig Lindquist

Come, Follow Me

Sitting on my bunk as a young marine, I decided to take a look at the Book of Mormon my mother had sent me. I honestly gave it my best, but try as I might, I could hardly understand a word of what I was reading. I soon gave up and set the book aside, not to touch it again for a number of years. When I did, I continued to read for days, looking for what I had been unable to understand before. Yet all of it now flowed so easily into my soul. The difference was the Spirit and my own readiness.

“I Did Not Feel the Cold”

by Maddie Christensen

“On the 31st of Dec I with my Brother Azmon Woodruff . . . went forward in baptism.”1

Sam Day, professional artist and illustrator, was commissioned to create a work of art detailing Wilford Woodruff’s baptism for the Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation Conference, “Building Latter-day Faith.” Having been an artist for over forty-five years, Sam has extensive experience in painting spiritual topics and portraits.

Before this commission, the only known painting of Wilford Woodruff’s baptism was of a beautiful spring day. However, Wilford was baptized on December 31, 1833, in upstate New York, where over three feet of snow blanketed the ground at the time—unlike the scenario depicted in the earlier spring painting.

A Foundation: Love of God and Fellow Man

by Rob Swanson

Come, Follow Me

On October 6, 1887, Wilford Woodruff helped pen an epistle to the Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Association (YMMIA). Unable to attend the YMMIA’s conference, President Woodruff and fellow Apostles Joseph F. Smith and Moses Thatcher sent an epistle encouraging the young men of the Church and providing counsel and direction. They offered the young men this counsel for how to leave the conference:

The Rocks in Your Cairn

by Shauna Horne

Come, Follow Me

I love to hike. Whenever I have a chance, I hit the trail. I have lists of places that I want to hike and mountains I want to summit.

As I read in 1 Peter this week, I thought of cairns. A cairn is a manmade pile of rocks that is assembled to be a marker or a memorial. Often people make these cairns to mark a trail that could be difficult to find or as a guidepost to reassure hikers that they are on the right path. Cairns are also often built as memorials. For instance, they may be built at the top of an especially difficult mountain summit to memorialize the sacrifice and accomplishment of finishing the hike.