Lorenzo Snow

By Kellene Ricks

When Lorenzo Snow was finishing his studies at Oberlin College in Ohio, his sister, Eliza R. Snow, invited him to come to Kirtland to study Hebrew under a famous professor. Lorenzo eagerly accepted.

Eliza wanted her brother to join the Church as she had. After studying the gospel, Lorenzo prayed to Heavenly Father. His prayers were answered, and he was baptized in June 1836.

Several weeks after his baptism, Lorenzo still had some unanswered questions about the gospel. He believed that it was true, but he wanted to know it. One night while he was studying, he felt depressed.

Deep in thought, Lorenzo left his books and went walking through the fields around his house. A feeling of darkness and confusion overcame him. He had made a habit of praying every night in a nearby grove, but that night he did not feel like praying.

Still, Lorenzo knew that he should pray, so he went to the grove and knelt down. As soon as he began praying, he felt the Spirit stronger than he had ever felt it before. He knew that the gospel was true and that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ lived and loved him.

Lorenzo later became the fifth President of the Church, and he often told the story of the night that he gained his testimony. The memory of that night stayed with him and strengthened him throughout his life.

Illustrated by Paul Mann