Whether you struggle with mental illness or want to help someone who does, you can find hope by understanding it more thoroughly. “She’s gotten so crazy!” “He had so much potential.” “Snap out of it!” We often say things like this when we don’t understand how to help friends or… Continue reading
In a letter to his wife, Emma, the Prophet Joseph Smith shows his willingness to humbly submit to the will of the Lord. In 1832, Joseph Smith and other Church leaders traveled from Ohio to Missouri and back. They were delayed in Indiana for one month on their journey home because Newel… Continue reading
Joseph Smith’s 1832 account of the First Vision preserves personal and intimate details that are not recorded elsewhere. The only known account in Joseph Smith’s own handwriting of his early spiritual experiences—including the First Vision—are included in his 1832 personal history. This unique history can be read on The Joseph… Continue reading
Discover how the Relief Society was founded, how the organization’s name was decided, and how the early Church’s women became sisters. Within the large collection of documents called the Joseph Smith Papers, there is a precious treasure that is particularly significant to women of the Church: the Nauvoo Relief Society… Continue reading
Discover the original document containing an account of the First Vision, the Standard of Truth, and the Articles of Faith. In 1842, John Wentworth, editor and owner of a newspaper, Chicago Democrat, asked Joseph Smith to write a summary and history of the early Church. Joseph took this opportunity to… Continue reading
Joseph Smith’s Nauvoo journals include brief references to the revelation about plural marriage that tried his faith and the faith of the Saints. How can we make sense of plural marriage or explain it to others? One place to begin is the introduction to Joseph Smith’s Nauvoo journals found on… Continue reading
How can we find the road to happiness in our turbulent world? Happiness comes from righteousness, selflessness, service, and inner peace. In our constant search for happiness, we experience life’s endless ups and downs. While serving as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder James E. Faust (1920–2007)… Continue reading
Lesser-known accounts of Joseph Smith’s First Vision provide greater insight into the event and can strengthen your testimony. When Joseph Smith was 14 years old, God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him in a grove of trees. Following this event, Joseph recorded his experience four times during his lifetime—each… Continue reading
Preserved through years of toil, travel, and persecution, The Joseph Smith Papers provide answers to questions about early Church history. Joseph Smith once told a congregation, “You don’t know me—and you never will.” Joseph’s life may remain a mystery to some, but The Joseph Smith Papers —a vast collection of revelations,… Continue reading
Like many of us, Joseph Smith struggled to keep a consistent journal. But what he wrote in his 1832–1834 journal can tell us much about him. Church leaders often counsel us to keep a faithful record of our lives. President Spencer W. Kimball instructed the youth to keep a journal,… Continue reading
