From the Lives of the Church Presidents

(Adapted from The Lord Needed a Prophet, by Susan Arrington Madsen, page 27, The Illustrated Story of President Brigham Young, by Della Mae Rasmussen, pages 26–31; and Church History in the Fulness of Times, Church Educational System manual, page 174.)

Brigham Young Leads Bravely

Illustrated by Mike Eagle

In all of the years Brigham Young was a boy, he owned just one pair of shoes. They were his Sunday pair, and he wore them only at church.

Brigham had ten brothers and sisters, and their father saw that each child learned to work hard. His mother was extremely ill, and she died when Brigham was still a young boy. Because the family was very poor, the Young children often did not have enough to eat.

Lorenzo: Brigham, I’m so hungry my stomach aches.

Brigham: I know, Lorenzo. But we have to finish this stack of wood, or we’ll be cold as well as hungry.

Brigham also learned to be brave. Years later, after his conversion and baptism, his bravery kept the Church strong.

Man: Joseph is a fallen [now false] prophet. David Whitmer should take his place.

Brigham: Joseph is a true prophet, and I know it. You cannot destroy the authority of a prophet of God.

After an angry mob killed Joseph, Brigham Young bravely led the Church in Nauvoo.

President Young: Faithful Saints, we must finish the temple. We need to receive of its blessings before we depart for the West.

Later, as the Saints struggled through cold, mud, and hunger on the way to the Salt Lake Valley, President Brigham Young raised their spirits.

President Young: Let us hear the brass band and the fiddle. We’ll have a dance!

Boyhood trials had taught President Young to endure.

Man: Great idea, Brother Brigham!

If you’d like to learn more about President Brigham Young, do the “President Brigham Young Crossword” on page 23.