How Serving My Mission In Sharon Vermont Shaped my testimony of Joseph Smith

How Serving My Mission In Sharon Vermont
Shaped my testimony of Joseph Smith

 

“Elder Goff will receive Elder Walker as his trainer and will serve in South Royalton (Sharon) Vermont” I could not believe my ears. But it was true, I was going to be serving in Sharon Vermont, the birthplace of Joseph Smith!

Like all new missionaries, I had quickly realized that my “rock solid” testimony was not quite what I thought it was. I was asked by my Zone Leader on the second week of my mission when I first prayed about and gained a testimony of Joseph Smith being the Prophet of the Restoration. I was scared to death, I had prayed about the Book of Mormon when I was 12, I did not get my answer till I was 15. I had been going off that answer… I had never prayed about Joseph Smith specifically, and doing so now, and the thought of not getting my answer scared me. If I had a “pending” answer how could do missionary work?

But I thought to myself, how could I share the Gospel without this answer, so that night I knelt in prayer. I pleaded with my Father, that I needed to know that not just the Book of Mormon was true, but that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I needed to know this, and I needed to know it fast.

That next week we had Zone Conference at the South Rolayton chapel, located right next to the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial. The topic was the relationship between the Father and the Son. To start off the Zone Conference Elder Connor Craig sang hymn #26. “Joseph Smith’s First Prayer.” It hit me, the Spirit was so strong as He testified that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. My prayer had been answered, but as a missionary that is not the end of my journey, once I knew, my job was to share it.

Serving in Sharon Vermont was interesting, almost everyone we talked to had heard about Joseph Smith, but most people knew very little about him. In the case of one lady we were teaching she said. “If Joseph Smith were a true Vermonter why didn’t he come back here to die!?!” We knew we had a lot of work to dispel the myths and teach the truth.

We lived in Sharon Vermont, we had church history all around us! There were buildings and signs everywhere declaring the history of the area, from the signs that read “Birthplace of Hyrum Smith” to the members explaining “That store is where Joseph Smith Sr proposed to his wife Lucy Mack” or “Here is the where the marriage was recorded” And last but not least the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial.

At the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial, we had a special home field advantage, it was dedicated as the second holiest birthplace on earth (obviously behind Bethlehem), a place where people could feel the Spirit testify of the life and mission of Joseph Smith. So our goal was to get as many less actives, and investigators to visit the memorial, and to take a tour of the grounds. We did this often, sometimes going to the memorial 5-6 times a week. And we saw successes, from the 1 baptism in the prior 18 months, to the next 18 months holding 7 of our investigators enter the waters of baptism! Including Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, Congregationalist’s, and even a member of a break off LDS group.

One  Catholic lady we were teaching refused and protested the topic. “I will never believe in Joseph Smith” After taking her to the memorial, we held our lesson on benches next to the visitor center. Later that week she committed to baptism! She has received her endowments, and even drove one of her friends to the MTC!

The Spirit was strong, and by the time I left Sharon Vermont headed for the next area 7.5 months later, I had learned so much about the Prophet Joseph, and his history. Fun fact, did you know that it was the eruption of Mount Tambora that finally caused the smith family to move to upstate New York? God can, and will literally move mountains!

After spending so much time in the land of Joseph I can firmly declare. “I know that Joseph Smith was the Prophet of the Restoration, I know that God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him.” Not only can I firmly say it, I can not deny it. And I will gladly share it with all I come in contact with. I echo Joseph Smiths final testimony.

And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—
~Joseph Smith (D&C 76:22-23)

If you don’t know if Joseph is a prophet, seek knowledge, study his words, and ask in faith, God will provide an answer. Also watching this video has helped countless come to a testimony that he is indeed a Prophet of God.

 

 

This past summer I was blessed to revisit Sharon, enjoy some pictures!

The Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial the morning I left for home!

 

The Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial during the Super Blood Moon Eclipse