The Saints in Missouri

Adapted from Doctrine and Covenants Stories (PBIC037A)

(See D&C 55, D&C 57–59.)

1 The Prophet Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Edward Partridge, and other Church members went partway to Missouri by boat. When they got there, Joseph traveled the land by foot to better see the sacred country. They walked three hundred miles to Jackson County, where they met the missionaries from Kirtland.

2 A few days later the New York Saints arrived in Jackson County. The Prophet and Bishop Partridge told the people to buy land in Missouri. Oliver Cowdery and William W. Phelps were to start schools and to prepare books that little children could read.

3 Joseph wanted to know where the city of Zion was to be built. He prayed to Heavenly Father and was told that it should be built near Independence, Missouri. Later, when the Saints had overcome many troubles through their faith, a temple would be built in Zion.

4 The Lord told Joseph that the Saints should obey His commandments and the laws of Missouri. They should do many good things without being told; and if they truly repented, the Lord would forget their sins. When the Saints said that they would do what the Lord asked of them and that they were thankful for the land, Sidney Rigdon prayed and dedicated the land of Zion.

5 The next day Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, and others met at a certain place in Independence. They read scriptures and prayed. Then Joseph dedicated the place where the temple would one day be built. Shortly afterward a conference was held, during which many of the Saints were filled with the Holy Ghost. Joseph told them that God would bless them if they kept the commandments.

6 In another revelation a few days later, the Lord told Joseph that Sunday is a day to remember Jesus. Work is not to be done on Sunday. Members are to repent, go to church, and take the sacrament. They are to be thankful for their blessings, to obey God’s commandments, and to visit the sick on the Sabbath. Those who do these things will prosper and have peace and happiness and all that they need.

7 Kirtland, Ohio, and some historic places in Missouri.