Brigham was first introduced to the Book of Mormon while in Mendon in the spring of 1830. Samuel Smith, brother to the Prophet Joseph, tracted through the area with a knapsack of the newly printed scripture. Two of these copies made their way into the hands of Brigham’s siblings and began to circulate through the family. The first copy was presented to his brother Phinehas at the Tomlinson Inn in Mendon. Samuel entered the tavern, where hotel guests and stagecoach travelers were dining, and approached Phinehas, who had stopped there for supper. While holding out a copy of the Book of Mormon, Samuel simply said, “There’s a book, sir, I wish you to read.” He described its contents and said, “I know the book is a revelation from God, translated by the power of the Holy Ghost, and that my brother, Joseph Smith, Jr., is a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator

That single, quiet conversation initiated a chain reaction of events leading to the conversion of several future leaders of the church. The Youngs had heard rumors about Joseph Smith’s golden Bible and knew something about it but this was the first time any of them had actually seen the book. Phinehas said, “I commenced and read every word in the book the same week. The week following I did the same, but to my surprise, I could not find the errors I anticipated, but felt a conviction that the book was true. Phinehas loaned the book to his father and to his sister Fanny. She declared the book to be “a revelation.” After father Young read the book, he said it was “the greatest work . . . he had ever seen, the Bible not excepted.” Apparently, Brigham also read from the book but wanted more time to study the matter.

A few months later, in June 1830, Samuel Smith returned to the Mendon area and loaned a second copy of the Book of Mormon to Brigham’s brother-in-law John P. Greene, a Methodist preacher. This second copy also circulated among family members.

In August 1830 Phinehas and his brother Joseph were on their way to preach Reformed Methodism in Canada. At one point in their journey, they were entertained in the home of Solomon Chamberlain, a former Reformed Methodist who had been baptized a Latter-day Saint in Seneca Lake by the Prophet Joseph Smith in April. Solomon preached to Joseph and Phinehas from the Book of Mormon for almost two hours. Overwhelmed by Solomon’s enthusiasm for the book, Phinehas protested, saying it was “not good to give a colt a bushel of oats at a time,” but Solomon did not desist. Phinehas was moved by Solomon’s sincere declaration that “everyone must believe in the Book of Mormon or be lost.” He later wrote: “This was the first I had heard of the necessity of another church, or of the importance of re-baptism; but after hearing the old gentleman’s arguments, . . . I began to inquire seriously into the matter, and soon became convinced that such an order of things was necessary for the salvation of the world.” Naturally, Brigham heard reports of his brothers’ experience. He remarked to Phinehas that he was convinced there was something to Mormonism. Phinehas replied that he “had long been satisfied of that.

Brigham later accompanied Phinehas to a conference of the Reformed Methodists at Manlius Center in Onondaga County, New York. There they listened to Solomon Chamberlain preach about the Book of Mormon. Although Solomon’s message was not well received by those at the conference, Brigham’s soul was stirred. Yet he proceeded cautiously. “When the Book of Mormon was first printed, it came to my hands in two or three weeks afterwards. Did I believe, on the first intimation of it? . . . ‘Hold on,’ says I. . . . ‘Wait a little while; what is the doctrine of the book, and of the revelations the Lord has given? Let me apply my heart to them. . . . I considered it to be my right to know for myself, as much as any man on earth. I examined the matter studiously for two years before I made up my mind to receive that book. . . . I wished time sufficient to prove all things for myself.” He later recalled: “I was not baptized on hearing the first sermon, nor the second, nor during the first year of my acquaintance with this work.”

Besides studying the Book of Mormon, Brigham wanted to learn the character of those who professed to believe in it: “I watched to see whether good common sense was manifest; and if they had that, I wanted them to present it in accordance with the Scriptures. . . . [W]hen I had ripened everything in my mind, I drank it in, and not till then.” For the next 18 months he pondered the Book of Mormon and its message. In the fall of 1831, Elders Alpheus Gifford and Eleazer Miller, along with other missionaries, came from Pennsylvania through Mendon to preach the Book of Mormon. When Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball heard them, they were, in Heber’s words, “constrained by the Spirit to bear testimony of the truth which we had heard, and when we did this, the power of God rested upon us and we had a testimony that the work was true.” Brigham simply noted that they were taught “the everlasting Gospel as revealed to Joseph Smith,” which gospel, he said, “I heard and believed.”

The missionaries returned to the area in 1832, and Brigham’s extended family made two visits to hear them at the Columbia Branch in Pennsylvania. Brigham described the impact of Elder Miller’s humble manner and firm testimony of the Book of Mormon: “If all the talent, tact, wisdom, and refinement of the world had been sent to me with the Book of Mormon, and had declared, in the most exalted of earthly eloquence, the truth of it, undertaking to prove it by learning and worldly wisdom, they would have been to me like the smoke which arises only to vanish away. But when I saw a man without eloquence, or talents for public speaking, who could only say, ‘I know, by the power of the Holy Ghost, that the Book of Mormon is true, that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of the Lord,’ the Holy Ghost proceeding from that individual illuminated my understanding, and light, glory, and immortality were before me. I was encircled by them, filled with them, and I knew for myself that the testimony of the man was true. . . . My own judgment, natural endowments, and education bowed to this simple, but mighty testimony.”

On Sunday, 15 April 1832, after two years of intensive investigation, Brigham was baptized in his own millstream at Mendon and confirmed at the water’s edge by Elder Eleazar Miller. All of his immediate family—father, brothers, and sisters—were also baptized. “It is a remarkable fact,” historian Leonard J. Arrington noted, “that . . . all [of the Young family members baptized that day] remained loyal, practicing Mormons throughout their lives.”

Brigham said that on that occasion he felt a humble, childlike spirit witness to him that his sins were forgiven. He was filled with enthusiasm and a sincere desire to share what he now possessed. In the week following his baptism, he delivered his first sermon. He later said, “I wanted to thunder and roar out the Gospel to the nations. It burned in my bones like fire pent up, so I [commenced] to preach. . . . Nothing would satisfy me but to cry abroad in the world, what the Lord was doing in the latter days.” Although he would be driven from five homes because of his testimony (homes in which he barely had time to settle before being forced to leave —losing “everything [he] had” each time), he spent the remainder of his life declaring what he knew to be true.

Conversion and Testimony of Bob Hilke Jr.

By admin

On March 14, 2009

In Book of Mormon

Robert R. Hilke, Jr., “Conversion and Testimony of Bob Hilke” Excerpt from bobhilke.com

Until 1985 I had never known of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I only knew of the Mormons what was in my school history books. I certainly had never understood that there was a book known as “The Book of Mormon”. At the end of December 1984, I was visiting my parents for the holidays. Just as I was preparing to leave to return to Minneapolis, I remember telling my parents that I would likely select a church to belong to within the month. I had been attending a number of different churches and had been narrowing down my selection to several. I had been raised in the United Church of Christ, which is a merger of Methodist and Congregational. On many occasions I had attended Mennonite, Baptist, Evangelical Covenant, Catholic, Lutheran, Assembly of God, and Presbyterian Church services. Because I play violin, I was frequently invited to play at various churches in my hometown. I have belonged to choirs in the United Church of Christ, Methodist, and Presbyterian denominations. When I attended college, I associated mostly with the Presbyterian Church. Having the opportunity to attend these various churches, I had learned of their many different approaches to the gospel, and some of the many different doctrines taught in each church. It was time for me to decide where I belonged, and during the year of 1984, I had made quite an effort to attend various churches in an attempt to find the one that was right for me.

On January 8, 1985, at about 10:00 p.m., I received a phone call from Bob Holker. He told me that something special had happened and he needed to speak with me. He asked if I would come to his home to see him. So we arranged to meet that Saturday. On Saturday, Bob told me about this very large planet far off in the universe called Kolob. Then he challenged the theory about the native Americans coming across the Bearing Strait and told me he believed that they actually came by boat, and that they had prophets on this hemisphere. He told me of a couple of their prophets, and then presented me with The Book of Mormon. He asked me to read the book. I told him I would, but I did not have time to ask many questions about it since I had another appointment for a performance at the Ordway Theater, which is in St. Paul, and I had to leave. Driving to the Ordway, many questions and thoughts crossed my mind, including the following:

I kept wondering why Bob had called me out of the blue to give me this book. He had only met me once before, several months prior to this.
Bob had achieved great success in life, and it appeared to me that The Book of Mormon was something that he had read which had given him a lot of direction in his life and perhaps contributed in some way to his success and happiness.
At this time I did not realize that there was a specific church associated with the book. I thought that perhaps the book was something that people of any faith might find to be important to them within the context of their own religion.
I thought that Bob must review a list of people he meets and spend his weekends inviting them out to his house to give them each one of these books.

By the time I had finished the performance at the Ordway Theater, my curiosity regarding this book was very great. When I got to my car, I picked up the book, and before I started looking through it for the very first time I remember saying a prayer something like: “Dear Lord, please help me to know what to think of this book.” Then I opened it and began to look through it. As I held it in my hands and began to page through it, I began to tremble and a great exhilarating feeling came over me. I was sitting in my car, parked in downtown St. Paul, all by myself, holding this book and trembling. What an experience! I thought, “Wow, this is awesome!” I had never before felt such a compelling and exhilarating feeling about any book, or anything else for that matter.

I drove home and brought the book into my apartment. I proceeded to look through the book some more and to read the several pamphlets which Bob had sent with me. Again, as I sat on my sofa and looked through the book I trembled and had the same exhilarating experience as I had in my car! I resolved at that moment that I must read the entire book and find out for myself exactly what it is. Over the next week, I spent four days reading The Book of Mormon, from cover to cover – I even took a day off work just so I could stay home and read. I could not set the book down! I also read the pamphlets, which included the Joseph Smith Testimony, What of the Mormons, and a larger booklet called Man’s Search for Happiness. By the time I finished reading The Book of Mormon, I had a testimony that it is true. By reading the pamphlets, I also had begun to realize that there was going to be some change in my religious affiliations if I adopted this book as true.

I called Bob Holker back later that week to tell him I had read the book, and that I desired to learn more about it. He seemed to be impressed that I had read the whole book. He asked me to come to his home again, and he introduced me to the missionaries, Elder Shane Sorenson and Elder Dean Wessendorf. I readily embraced the principles they taught, and I was baptized three weeks later on February 9, 1985, just one month before my 25th birthday.

About the time of my baptism, Bob told me of some other circumstances leading up to his invitation for me to come to his home. Bob’s Bishop, Robert Gerlach, had suggested to Bob that he should do some missionary work. Bob could not think of any of his friends who might be receptive to receive The Book of Mormon, so he made it a matter of prayer to inquire of the Lord who he should share The Book of Mormon with. On the night of January 3, 1985, he stayed up until about 4:00 a.m. praying to know who he could share The Book of Mormon with. The very next night, he was reading “Gifts of the Spirit” by Duane S. Crowther. On page 17 there is a section entitled: “Pray in ‘mighty prayer’”. It reads: “The prayer which brings results is offered when the individual is ‘praying in the Holy Ghost,’ and when a continued effort, involving one’s complete energy, is exerted…” This is of course just what Bob had done the night before, and as he was reading this section, he felt there was someone in the room with him, so he looked to his side and he saw my face right there beside him just within arms reach. He immediately knew that this was the answer to his prayer and that I was the person he should share The Book of Mormon with! He wrote in the margin of the book this message: “REC. A DIRECT IMPRESSION OF THE FACE OF A YOUNG MAN BOB ________? HE IS READY FOR DISCUSSIONS. (1-4-85) FRI. EVE. 8:47 P.M.” At this point he did not know my last name, but recognized my face from a business meeting several months prior to this where Bob had spoken and where I had sat in the front row. He knew his secretary had introduced us, and he remembered my first name as we had been introduced after that meeting. Since it was Fast and Testimony week, Bob stood in Sacrament meeting that Sunday and told the congregation what had happened, and that he was sure I would be baptized within two months. He still did not know my last name! It was the following week that he called me.

I have often reflected on this experience, and marveled at the wonderful way in which the Lord had orchestrated this series of events leading up to my conversion. He did not take away anyone’s free agency, but He certainly did set the stage to give me a very favorable opportunity to learn of and accept the Restored Gospel. I believe this is at least in part because of my sincerity in seeking which church to join, and also my life-long desires and efforts to seek and do the Lord’s will. On many occasions since my youth I had made it a matter of prayer to know the will of the Lord, and to be able to share the gospel with others some day. My baptism was precisely one year and one month before my 26th birthday, allowing me a one-month window of opportunity in which to embark upon a full-time mission as a single Elder. My farewell for leaving to the England Leeds Mission was on my 26th birthday. Certainly, the experiences leading up to my baptism illustrate the following principles:

Prayer – the Lord answered Bob Holker’s prayer in finding someone ready to learn of the church, and He answered my prayers in seeking which church to join.
Faith – Bob Holker exerted great faith praying and in trusting the Spirit enough to receive such a great manifestation as a vision and had the faith to follow through with what he had learned. I exerted faith enough to trust the Lord in leading me to know which church to join, and in following the promptings of the Spirit which I received as a witness of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.
Modern revelation – Bob Holker received a vision as an answer to his prayer to know who to share The Book of Mormon with, and I received revelation in the form of confirmation from the Holy Ghost that The Book of Mormon is true.

I am indeed very grateful that the Lord allowed this modern day miracle to occur so I could find and be baptized into the LDS Church. I am also very grateful for Brother Holker – that he was living his life in such a way as to receive the inspiration that led to his sharing The Book of Mormon with me, and that he followed through with the direction which the Spirit gave him. There has never been any question in my mind since my initial reading of The Book of Mormon as to the truthfulness of this great book. Nor has there been any question in my mind regarding the divine nature of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since I learned of it. My conviction in this matter has only been strengthened as I continue again and again to receive confirmation from the Holy Ghost. I consider it my humble privilege to know of and to be a part of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is no doubt in my mind regarding the divinity of Jesus Christ. I know with all my heart that He is the Son of God, the Redeemer of mankind, the Savior of the world, and He is my personal Lord and Savior. With as much certainty, I know that there is a God in Heaven who is Father of us all. We are His spirit children, and I believe we each have the potential, by following Jesus Christ in the Plan that Heavenly Father has prepared for us, to return to His presence. With as much certainty, I believe that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to young Joseph Smith in answer to his humble prayer – once again the Lord opened the heavens by revealing Himself to mankind through a modern-day prophet. Through the prophet Joseph Smith, The Book of Mormon was translated, the Priesthood was restored, and many other great and marvelous revelations and works have been brought forth on the earth in preparation for the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is my testimony, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

– Robert R. Hilke, Jr.