[LeRoi Clarence Snow]
[After news of Woodruff's death, Lorenzo Snow] put on his holy temple robes and repaired to the Second Annointing room [i.e., Holy of Holies], knelt at the altar, offered up the sacred signs of the Priesthood and poured out his heart to the Lord. ... I have not sought this responsibility but if it is Thy will, I now present myself before Thee for Thy guidance and instruction. ... After he had finished, he expected some special manifestation from the Lord; but there was none, and he left the altar and the room in disappointment. Passing thru the Celestial room and as he entered the large hall-way leading from the room a most remarkable manifestation was given President Snow which I relate in the words of his grand-daughter, included in a testimony which I bore during the M.I.A. conference, in the special session Sunday morning, in the Assembly Hall, June 7th, 1919, at 8:30 A.M. ... Allie Young Pond, the wife of one of the presidency of the Pocatello [Idaho] Stake, is a granddaughter of President Brigham Young and of President Lorenzo Snow, and here is an incident which occurred in her life: 'One evening while I was visiting grand-pa Snow in his room in the Salt Lake Temple, I remained until the door keepers had gone, so grand-pa had to take me to the main front entrance and let me out that way. On the way, after we left his room and while we were still in the large corridor leading to the celestial room, grand-pa stopped and said: `Wait a moment, Allie, I want to tell you something. It was right here that the Savior Jesus Christ appeared to me. He stood about three feet above floor (here grand-pa put his hand out to show about the height) and it looked as though he stood on a piece of solid gold and I talked with him as one man talks with another. It was at that time that He told me not to wait or delay until the regular conference of the Church, but to go ahead, call a special conference and complete the organization of the Church, and that I was to succeed President Wilford Woodruff as president.' He then placed one hand upon my head and said: `Now, grand-daughter I want you to remember that this is your grand-father's testimony and that he told you with his own lips that he actually saw the Savior and talked with him face to face as one man talks with another.'' Amen.
President Heber J. Grant immediately arose and said: '... After the funeral of President Wilford Woodruff, the Apostles met in the office of the First Presidency and brother Francis M. Lyman said: `I feel impressed, although one of the younger members of the quorum, to say that I believe it would be pleasing in the sight of the Lord if the First Presidency of the church was reorganized right now. ...' President Snow said that he would be pleased to hear from all the brethren upon this question, and each and all of us expressed ourselves as believing it would be pleasing to the Lord and that it would be the proper thing to have the Presidency organized at once. When we had finished, then and not till then, did brother Snow tell us that he was instructed of the Lord in the Temple the night President Woodruff died, to organize the presidency of the Church at once. President Anthon H. Lund and myself are the only men now living who were present at that meeting. ... ' A few days after the M.I.A. conference, in an interview with President Lund in his office, he retold the incident to me as given by President Grant regarding the meeting in the office of the First Presidency on Tuesday morning, September 13th, 1898 at which Lorenzo Snow was chosen president of the Church. President Lund also told me that President Snow had related the manifestation to him, of the Savior's appearance to him after dressing in his temple robes and offering up the signs of the holy Priesthood.
[LeRoi Clarence Snow, 'The Appearance of the Saviour to Pres. Lorenzo Snow', as quoted in Minutes of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1835-1951, Electronic Edition, 2015]
No comments:
Post a Comment