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TODAY'S THEME
I believe that the Lord often allows His children here on earth to suffer adversity to allow them to grow in character. I believe such was the case with Joseph Smith, Jr.
Being exposed to a Typhus fever epidemic which raged throughout that part of New Hampshire where his parents' family was living when Joseph, Jr. was seven, Joseph suffered a severe case of osteomylites.
The usual procedure for that medical problem at that time in New England where he and his family were living, was amputation.
Had it not been for the fact that one of the early medical geniuses of this country was located at Dartmouth University, a relatively short horseback ride to Joseph Smith's parents' home, surely Joseph Smith, Jr. would have become an amputee.
It is very doubtful that Joseph Smith, Jr., with one leg amputated, could have ever met the heavy demands that were to be made on him during his lifetime as a prophet of the Lord, or could even have knelt in the grove of trees located not far from their future home in the State of New York where he would seek to ask the Lord which church was true.
It is well documented history that Dr. Nathan Smith, who often extended himself to help those in need of his medical expertise, rode to the Joseph Smith, Sr. home to treat Joseph Smith, Jr. with ten medical students coming along to learn from and to assist the respected doctor and medical school instructor.
At that time Dr. N. Smith was the only doctor in the United States or perhaps anywhere in the world who had developed a procedure for Joseph's kind of case, which could eliminate the need for an amputation.
Dr. Smith's procedure consisted of breaking off the most infected pieces of a patient's infected limb, which in Joseph's case was his left leg, which action allowed replacement growth.
Joseph Smith, Jr., in his history, mentioned that his left leg was weaker than his right leg, but he actually was quite athletic thanks to the remarkable coincidence of the doctor who invented this technique, being located nearby and being willing to help.
I shouldn't have called that a coincidence, I must call it divine intervention. The Lord allows adversity to come into our lives, including the lives of His faithful saints that lived in ancient America and ancient Israel as recorded in the Book of Mormon and in the Holy Bible. When His intervention is needed, as it was in the case of His future prophet, The Lord does amply provide.
It was not only from Joseph's history but also from his mother, Lucy Mack Smith's very accurate history that we have such a detailed record of what happened to young Joseph through the involvement of Dr. Nathan Smith.
It is my personal opinion, perhaps based on my own experience with my TB of the left knee (as explained in my Post 14, that such adversity can actually strengthen a person's will to accomplish challenging things despite adversity or tribulation.
Even in the case of his eventual successful surgery at the hands of the great Dr. Nathan Smith, young Joseph faced very challenging conditions during that surgery which surely was a character strengthening factor he needed. Without Joseph realizing it then, perhaps this experience helped him to begin preparing himself to face the exceedingly great challenges he would face in serving as the Lord's true and authorized representative in restoring His true Gospel to the earth.
I will now briefly describe the great challenge seven year old Joseph had to endure during that surgery. In that day there were no anaesthetics. Perhaps it was Dr. Smith, who suggested that Joseph use alcohol to lessen the effects of the pain, but young Joseph refused. He only wanted his dear father to hold him to prevent him from twisting violently in the extreme agony he was to experience while Dr. Smith chipped pieces of infected bone from his leg.
Thank God for the great Doctor Nathan Smith who not only had rare skills but also cared much for the welfare of his patients.
I want each of you readers of this blog post to know that by the gift of the Holy Ghost which I have received as a baptized, worthy member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I came to know beyond any shadow of a doubt that Joseph Smith became the Lord's prophet through whom He restored His true Church and that it is the only church that our Savior, Jesus Christ acknowledges as His.
I also know that the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, is a true book. I promise you that your Heavenly Father will tell you personally of the truthfulness of all that which I just told you that He told me, if you will ask Him in faith.
Credit is given to the Larry H. Miller Organization for the information regarding the medical assistance given young Joseph Smith Jr. This was provided on the radio program: The Joseph Smith Papers, Sunday evenings beginning at 8:00 p.m. during July 2008 on KJZZ Television, Channel 14 in Salt Lake City, UT.
Now in this post you will have the opportunity of learning how Joseph Smith was led by the Lord to become the prophet of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how he was prepared to translate, by the gift of God, the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
You will also learn that Joseph was led by the Lord to organize the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 6, 1830. Please click on the arrow at the bottom left side of the image box you see below this paragraph. You can adjust loudness as needed. It might help to view this in a well lighted room because of the relatively small image.
You can order a free copy of a DVD on which is the same video you have just viewed, however it has a larger and therefore, a clearer image. Click here to order the DVD.
I have added these photos and paintings below to allow you to see some of the things referred to in the video you have just seen. You can print each of them by right clicking on the picture. Click on print after having your printer turned on.
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| Seeking Wisdom From the Bible |
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| The Sacred Grove |
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| Joseph's Prayer Was Answered |
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| The Smith's Family's Log House in Palmyra, New York |
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| The Angel Moroni Appears to Joseph Smith |
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| The Hill Cumorah |
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| The Golden Plates |
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| Joseph Smith Receives the Golden Plates from Moroni |
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TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire To Access), When You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Click on the Following: Joseph Smith Was Being Prepared For His Calling. . . Post 16. After The Picture of Our Savior Jesus Christ Sitting Next to a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).
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"Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est. 2008 Neil Birch
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I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.
If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.
I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog.
Neil Birch
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