Early Missions

Missionaries were called by the early Church leaders to go forth without purse and preach the gospel. I have often wondered how the Church could request that, when they left behind their families as they preached. Certainly that is not permitted now. But have we lost faith?

Today while researching a little of one elder who was disciplined by the Lord, I stumbled on President Young's instruction that the elders go forth only after they have cared for their families. He states:

It is wisdom for the elders to leave their families in this place, when they have any thing to leave with them; and let not the elders go on their mission, until they have provided for their families. No man need say again "I have a call to travel and preach," while he has not a comfortable house for his family-a lot fenced, and one year's provisions in store, or sufficient to last his family during his mission.

So an elder should not leave for a mission unless his family is provided for. We can't claim that we have a call to preach if we haven't stored up enough food to last our family while we are on our mission.

And President Young taught that a faithful man will dream about the work that he is engaged in. So if we are righteously working on the temple, we will dream about that. And if we are righteously pursuing the interests of families that we have been assigned to teach, we will dream of those families. But what we won't do is dream about going off and preaching while we are working on the temple. That is not of God, and leaving your family to starve while serving God is NOT the way of the Lord.

When sisters would approach President Young in the winter, saying that they had nothing to eat, President Young would inquire as to the whereabouts of the husband. He is off preaching, they would respond. Well, then who sent him, for it was not the Lord, and the Lord would never send a man to preach and leave his starving family behind.

President Young differentiates that from the calling of the Twelve, in which the Lord promised that their families would be cared for in their absence. President Young states:

When the twelve went to England, they went on a special mission, and by special commandment; and they left their families sick and destitute, God having promised that they should be provided for; but God does not require the same thing of the elders now, neither does he promise to provide for their families when they leave them contrary to counsel. The elders must provide for their families.

Vol. IV. No. 10.] CITY OF NAUVOO, ILL. APRIL 1, 1843 [Whole No. 70., p157