Of All Things

Be Fearless

“You can be a leader. You must be a leader, as a member of this Church, in those causes for which this Church stands. Do not let fear overcome your efforts, for as Paul wrote to Timothy: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind’ (2 Tim. 1:7). Fear comes not from God but from the evil one. The adversary of all truth would put into your heart a reluctance to make an effort. Cast that fear aside and be valiant in the cause of truth and righteousness and faith. If you now decide that this will become the pattern of your life, you will not have to make that decision again. You will put on the ‘armour of God’ and raise your voice in defense of truth, whatever the circumstances now and in all the years that lie ahead (see Eph. 6:11).”
—President Gordon B. Hinckley, “Be a Leader in Honorable Causes,” Ensign, Jan. 1998, 72.

Baptisms of Latter-day Prophets

Did you know that President Gordon B. Hinckley was the first latter-day prophet to be baptized in a baptismal font in a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse? It’s true. He was baptized on 28 April 1919 in the First Ward chapel, Salt Lake Liberty Stake. Here are some facts about the baptisms of the other 14 Church Presidents.

Prophet	Baptism Date	Baptism Location
Joseph Smith	15 May 1829	Susquehanna River, near Harmony, Pennsylvania
Brigham Young	14 April 1832	A millpond near Mendon, New York
John Taylor	9 May 1836	A stream near Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Wilford Woodruff	31 December 1833	An icy stream near Richland, New York
Lorenzo Snow	3 June 1836	Chagrin River, near Kirtland, Ohio
Joseph F. Smith	21 May 1852	City Creek, Salt Lake City, Utah
Heber J. Grant	2 June 1864	A wagon box near City Creek, Salt Lake City, Utah
George Albert Smith	6 June 1878	City Creek, Salt Lake City, Utah
David O. McKay	8 September 1881	Spring Creek, near Huntsville, Utah
Joseph Fielding Smith	19 July 1884	Probably in City Creek, Salt Lake City, Utah
Harold B. Lee	9 June 1907	Bybee Pond, near Clifton, Idaho
Spencer W. Kimball	28 March 1903 5 October 1907	Hog-scalding tub, Thatcher, Arizona Union Canal, Thatcher, Arizona (rebaptized because of concerns about the appropriateness of the tub baptism)
Ezra Taft Benson	4 August 1907	Logan River Canal, Whitney, Idaho
Howard W. Hunter	4 April 1920	An indoor swimming pool, Boise, Idaho

(Information on baptisms courtesy of Michael D. Taylor, “The Baptisms of Latter-day Prophets,” Religious Educator, vol. 3, no. 3, 2002.)

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