Miracles along Joseph’s Journey

Adapted from History of the Church, 1:271–72.

Illustrations by Sal Velluto and Eugenio Mattozzi

In the spring of 1832, Joseph and other Church leaders traveled to Missouri to visit and teach the Latter-day Saints living there. After finishing their work, Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Newel K. Whitney boarded a stagecoach to return to Ohio.

It is good to rejoice with the people of God.

While traveling at full speed, the horses pulling the stagecoach got scared. Brother Whitney tried to jump, but his coat got stuck, and he caught his foot in the wheel. He broke his leg and his foot. Joseph jumped out of the coach unhurt.

Brother Rigdon traveled ahead while Joseph stayed with Brother Whitney for four weeks and took care of him while he recovered.

Joseph and Brother Whitney ate and slept at an inn. One day after dinner Joseph started feeling very sick.

He had been poisoned.

Brother Whitney gave Joseph a blessing.

Joseph was healed immediately, even though the poison was very powerful. He knew Heavenly Father had blessed him.

Thanks be to my Heavenly Father.

Though Brother Whitney had not moved from his bed for nearly four weeks, Joseph asked him to start traveling again the next morning. Joseph promised him that the journey would go well.

If you agree to start for home, we will take a wagon to the river, and there will be a ferryboat waiting to take us across.

Then we will find another boat waiting for us, and we will have a prosperous journey home.

I will go.

Joseph and Brother Whitney started on their journey home.

It went exactly as Joseph had promised.