The autobiography of Eli Wiggill offers a captivating narrative of one family’s journey from Gloucester, England, to South Africa, and eventually to Salt Lake City during the mid-nineteenth century. Eli and Susannah Wiggill’s conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in South Africa serves as a focal point in their remarkable story. Eli’s retelling vividly portrays their steadfast faith, missionary efforts, and the challenges they faced as pioneers in establishing commu...

Ports to Posts is the result of more than a quarter century of research in Latter-day Saint migration narratives from the nineteenth century. Fred E. Woods takes the reader from early church beginnings in upstate New York to ecclesiastical gathering places in Kirtland, Ohio, and Jackson County, Missouri. The journey then incorporates international European ports to Latter-day Saint gathering locations in Nauvoo, Illinois, and later in the Salt Lake Valley during the peak of this e...

Did you know LDS-sponsored basketball teams were once a major missionary tool? Bounce back in time and discover for yourself how basketball influenced the growth of the Church in Australia. This inspiring book and DVD share the remarkable true stories of early Church basketball stars. Sure to entertain fans of all ages, it's perfect for the whole family!

“They that go down to the sea . . . these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. . . . Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” —Psalm 107:23–24, 31Many pioneers’ journey began long before the trail across the plains. Brigham Young University professor Fred Woods’ quest to learn more of these unheralded “sail before the trail” travels unearthed the little-known story of the Julia Ann, which shipwreck...

Notwithstanding the frigid circumstances, a genuine warmth emanates from the Alaskan Saints. The match that lit this internal flame was the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, first striking the Alaskan borders at the turn of the twentieth century. The Latter-day Saints have subtly shaped Alaskan society, although composing less than five percent of the state’s population. Their influence on Alaskan communities can be seen through their family values, humanitarian service, community projects,...

Bright Lights in the Desert explores the history of how members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Las Vegas have improved the regions’ neighborhoods, inspired educational institutions, brought integrity to the marketplace, and provided wholesome entertainment and cultural refinement. The LDS influence has helped shape the metropolitan city because of its members’ focus on family values and community service.Woods discusses how, through their beliefs and...

Since the coming forth of the Book of Mormon in 1830, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has added millions of people to its global membership. Crucial to its initial growth were converts from Great Britain who emigrated to join with other Latter-day Saints in the United States. Many, however, also stayed in the United Kingdom in order to establish a presence of the Church there.In The Latter-day Saint Image in the British Mind, authors Malcolm Adcock and Fred...

George Darling Watt was the first convert of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints baptized in the British Isles. He emigrated to Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1842. He returned to the British Isles in 1846 as a missionary, accompanied by his wife and young son. He remained there until 1851, when he led a group of emigrant converts to Salt Lake City, Utah. Watt recorded his journey from Liverpool to Chimney Rock in Pitman shorthand. Remarkably, his journal wasn’t discovered until 2001—and...

Tonga has by far the highest percentage of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of any country in the world. How did this come to be? At first, missionary work in Tonga appeared to be a failure. Then, after closing the mission for a decade, the Church returned and began harvesting the fruits from the seeds that had been planted earlier amid tremendous opposition. The truths of the gospel resonated with the Tongan people, who exhibited incredible faith and sacrifice. T...

In the nineteenth century, Hansen's disease, more commonly known as leprosy, spread through the Hawaiian Islands, causing the king of Hawaii to sanction an act that exiled all people afflicted with this disease to Kalaupapa, a peninsula on the island of Moloka'i. Kalaupapa was separated from the rest of the world, with sheer cliffs on one side, the ocean on the other three, and limited contact with anyone, even loved ones. In Kalaupapa, the author delves into the untold history of...

Young Latter-day Saint missionaries, both men and women, dressed in white shirts and dark suits or conservative dresses, have become the public face of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the twenty-first century. On June 25, 2007, just over 175 years since Joseph Smith's brother, Samuel, first set out to proselyte with a knapsack filled with copies of the Book of Mormon, the one millionth Mormon missionary was beginning his two-year service. He joined the other 53,000 full-...

I swung myself up the gangplank amidst the waving handkerchiefs of my school-mates who were bidding me goodbye. I remember standing still, holding on to the railing as the boat glided out into the wide, soft darkness. I stood my ground without a tear until I saw a sweet, tear-stained face come into view. It was my mother. As she squeezed through the crowds, the heat and confusion almost overcame me. I remember whispering through the dark and the stillness, 'Oh God, be with us that we may m...