Adapted from Leaves from My Journal, by Wilford Woodruff; artwork by Douglas Johnson.

previous episode (links to all previous episodes available at bottom of this post)

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to be concluded …

Text from Leaves from My Journal

… I was invited to hold a meeting at a Baptist meetinghouse, on the 287th of June. On my arrival I met a large congregation; but, on commencing meeting, Parson Browning ordered the meeting to be closed. I told the people I had come ten miles to preach the gospel to them, and was willing to stand in a cart, on a pile of wood, on a fence, or any other place they would appoint, to have that privilege.

One man said he owned the fence and land in front of the meeting house, and we might use both, for he did not believe “Mormonism” would hurt either.

So the congregation crossed the road, took down the fence and made seats of it, and I preached to them one hour and a half. At the close Mr. Randolph Alexander bore testimony to the truth of what had been said. He invited me home with him, bought a Book of Mormon, and was baptized, and I organized a branch in that place.

On the 18th of July, Brother A.O. Smoot and I arrived at the Tennessee River, and, as the ferry-man was not at home, the woman kindly gave us permission to use the ferry-boat. We led our horses on board, and took the oars to cross the river. Brother Smoot had never used an oar, and I had not for some years, so we made awkward work of it. Soon he broke one oar, and I let another fall overboard, which left us only one broken oar to get to shore with. [They spot a steamboat bearing down on them.] …

All previous episodes:  part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12, part 13, part 14, part 15, part 16