Boldly, Nobly, and Independent: 1893–1955

Saints #3

by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Also available in ebook and audiobook.

After decades of opposition, the Latter-day Saints have dedicated the Salt Lake Temple, a mighty symbol of their industry and faith. Now, with a new century on the horizon, the Saints are optimistic about the future and ready to spread the Savior’s message of peace across the globe.

But the world is rapidly changing. Advances in transportation and communication allow people and information to cross vast distances in record time. And young people are venturing far from home as never before, seeking educational and professional opportunities their parents and grandparents could hardly imagine.

As the Church begins to take root in Europe, South America, and Asia, the Saints rejoice in the rise of the global Church. Yet many Church members are wary of the challenges the changing world poses to the cause of Zion. For with the bright promise of the new century comes dire economic hardships, brutal global wars, and other unprecedented trials.

Boldly, Nobly, and Independent is the third book in Saints, a new, four-volume narrative history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Fast-paced, meticulously researched, and written under the direction of the First Presidency, Saints recounts true stories of Latter-day Saints across the globe and answers the Lord’s call to write a history “for the good of the church, and for the rising generations” (Doctrine and Covenants 69:8).

Genres: History, Religion, Nonfiction, Lds, Church, Historical, Audiobook

757 pages, Paperback

Published April 22, 2022

Reviews

[Samcwright · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume bridges the pioneer church and the modern church and is the period of church history about which I am least familiar. The church truly becomes global which brings new challenges. The most fascinating part for me was the complexity of leading a global church during war. For example, there are Nazi sympathizers and Nazi resistance within the same wards and branches leading to tragic situations. We also see the beginnings of standardization of programs and of the church structure. There was a lot going on and the church has done a great job of weaving many stories together to provide an expansive view of the church’s development.

[Elizabeth Ricks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started out the book thinking about the things that I didn't like about it. But then I talked to someone who said that he loved it and wished he had written it. That changed my perspective. The things that at first I viewed as weaknesses, I then saw as strengths. These are great stories that I hadn't heard before. It isn't a comprehensive history of the church, but it gives insights into some of the unknown and lesser known Saints.

[David Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This monumental effort in updating the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continues to inspire and impress. It is a herculean task to write a history of any institution let alone one that has millions of adherents and detractors. The detractors will never be satisfied with any effort of the CJCLDS to write it's history. This series is intended for a broad audience and does an outstanding job making the history readable and engaging. For anyone seeking more depth the footnotes and references are extensive.

I'm pretty well informed on the history of the Church, both the traditional narrative and the less flattering warts. This volume does not shy away from those difficult moments, e.g. the 3rd Convention in Mexico, the Helmut Hubner affair in Germany, post-manifesto polygamy, racism in the church, conflict among church authorities, etc. Truth hurts but without it healing and growth will not happen.

I found the individual vignettes relating to the establishment of the church in various areas of the world brought to life many unknown individuals, their personal stores, and sacrifices. Each story was engaging and inspiring. I really enjoyed how many of these stores (e.g. the Hope family in Cincinnati, OH) were woven through various chapters. It was nice to see mention of a young Neal Maxwell as a WWII enlisted man who later was known for his depth in preaching and teaching. His discerptions of his early self-doubt were moving. His assignment as young soldier to write letters to the families of young soldiers killed in WWII, showed his depth, sincerity and glimpses of his future greatness. But at the time he was a common young soldier doing his duty.

The totality of these stories can never be made known to the entire Church in a format like this, but huge kudos to the researchers, writers and editors for the tremendous effort to give voice and nobility to so many of the meek and humble LDS in our history.

[Maren bosley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot get enough of these volumes of church history. And I think I love each successive volume more than the previous! Probably because each one I learn more and more about how the church has grown and expanded in the context of an ever changing world filled with wars, conflict, economic struggles, etc etc. I love that the stories of many every day members of the church are highlighted in these books—I am constantly inspired by their faith and fortitude! The story of president hinckley toward the end about his assignment to make the temple endowment available in other languages was so inspiring. Can’t wait for volume 4!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtful and informative narrative that leaves me wanting more.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this historical record! My husband and I read it together over the span of probably a year, which sometimes was harder to follow since it jumps back and forth between accounts, but what remarkable stories of faith and courage. My great grandparents and grandparents are featured in it as well, which was extra special.

[GRANT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Just when I thought Church History was going to get boring! The first half of the twentieth century delivers! There are so many diverse stories interwoven to make this very compelling. They cite all the sources. And they don't side-step the tough ones, post-manifesto polygamy, the Third Convention in Mexico, political disputes, and difficulties with race relations. The two world wars are addressed with compassion for the participants and victims. Nazism is addressed using the terms "anti-Semitism" and "genocide." Still, there were faithful German Saints along with many throughout Europe who struggled to survive and stay true to the Gospel. Many didn't make it. This is what makes these histories so powerful that they introduce so many ordinary people only some of whom turn out to be someone of significant fame. The leaders, both men and women of the church, do not seem to be the main focus but some of these simple stories of faith and dedication which are still filled with miracles. The challenges of the leadership are also clearly set out. I'm not just gushing because it's any part of my assignment as a part-time service missionary in the Church History Library. It's just a a really good, straightforward human and divine history. It does help to see some friends in the acknowledgements. One of my professional historians, Christine Cox, is listed along with Sylvia Coates, a fellow missionary who leads our database team and did the indexing for this volume. And my friend and historian Ardis Parshall has three articles cited. So, yeah, I'm good with it.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that I really have never heard. My grandparents lived some of it. My parents lived a small portion of it. It was just normal to them. But it was a huge expansion. The church went global during this time period. I loved that this book went beyond the borders of the United States and United Kingdom to Germany, Brazil, Africa, Mexico and Argentina.
I loved listening to a podcast by the Church News on April 26, 2022 that talked with some of the editors of Saints volume 3. It was enjoyable hearing how they found the story of Helga Meiszus from Germany. Who at age 9 was wondering if she should have more to do with the Hitler Youth Movement, or the BeeHive Girls from the church. Finding the stories of the black family, that lived in Cincinnati, Len and Mary Hope that were discriminated against and told not to come to church by some of the members, but still remained active by inviting other members to their home was a fascinating one, and hard to hear that they had to endure such discrimination!
The story of Elder Hinckley taking the temple film to the Switzerland temple was fun too!
The faction that split from the main body of the church in Mexico was something I had never heard about either.
It was a well constructed book that really kept my attention and I am better off from reading it.

[Mark Stephenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This recently-published third volume of the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints follows the pattern of the two earlier volumes i.e telling the story of less-known rank-and-file members in conjunction with the stories of leaders. My first takeaway was a recognition of the importance of government either for good or evil. If government be authoritarian, as in the case of Nazi Germany, members of the Church suffer with everyone else - sometimes martyrdom as in the case of Helmuth Huebener. Where government is restrained by constitutional law and common morality the members have tended to prosper with everyone else. The far-too-slow death of plural marriage as well as the far-too-slow rise of The Word of Wisdom is honestly portrayed. There are many very touching moments as long awaited blessings of temple attendance and sealing become a reality for saints who have sacrificed for the cause. Interesting was the mention of music as a positive factor in the lives of many of the characters portrayed.

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another volume on Church History, this time on perhaps the least written about and perhaps least understood period that saw the first generation completely pass away and the Church take lasting steps toward modernization and globalization. As I have noted in previous reviews, each of these four narrative histories are bookended by temple dedications--here the Salt Lake (Utah) Temple in 1893 and the Bern Switzerland Temple in 1955. In addition to this fascinating transformation from a neo-gothic multi-room, progressive presentation of the temple endowment to a sleek modern exterior and an interior theater room for presenting the temple endowment using film and recorded audio in multiple European languages, this book also is bookended by two major performances of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir: first at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago (1893) and then across Europe to celebrate the dedication of the Swiss Temple (1955). I appreciated how this well-known musical group marked the beginning and end of this volume, with first a nationally prominent performance to an international reach six decades later. The stories in between were lucid and relatively fast-paced. While there were some familiar touchpoints in the larger administrative history of the Church, most stories of everyday Saints from Salt Lake to Cincinnati, Ohio to Mexico, Japan, Germany, and South Africa were novel, yet fairly easy to follow. Europe played an increasingly central role in the narrative of internationalization of the Church, best illustrating the turn from 19th century gathering to the intermountain western United States to encouraging converts to stay in their countries of origin and build up the Church. Other international stories beyond Europe were included to the extent they could be, but Europe seemed to take more center stage than even North America by the midpoint of the book. Not surprisingly, the two world wars included some harrowing and sobering tales of sacrifice: hope amidst loss, love amidst war. This was a transformational time for the entire world and Latter-day Saints were no different. I enjoyed the well-curated story of the Saints as they left polygamy behind and began in renewed earnest to present the unique message of the restored gospel to the world at large that God still speaks through living prophets and invites all to gather in His name, even if that means in modest locations and in small numbers in diverse places across the globe.

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very impressed with these books. I have listened to a couple of podcast interviews with individuals working on these volumes behind the scenes and it is no small task. Like earlier volumes, Saints 3 does not provide a comprehensive history, but given the breadth of what could be covered, it provides a succinct very reader-friendly narrative. Coming from the church means there is an extreme bias toward faith-promoting narratives. This is great, but in a way I feel like this is a disservice to some of the people whose lives are documented. For example, it was great to read about the earliest sister missionaries, but their bravery seems less notable when framed as though their entire community was supportive of women taking on that kind of role. Perhaps the most telling about this period of church history is what wasn't said. A couple of the "miracles" I learned about in Sunday school growing up (e.g. Rain in St. George after paying tithing) have disappeared or been reframed more accurately. That makes me confident the historians behind this project are serious about providing a factual faithful narrative.

[Teri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've really enjoyed reading all three of the Saints volumes, but this one, perhaps, more so than the first two. The first two are filled with information that, for most members of the Church, is repeated often enough that we feel we've hear it all before. Good stuff, to be sure, but still "we've heard it before."

However, this volume is more modern (going in to the 1st half of the 20th century,) and it has great information that we don't normally hear all that much. Somehow we hear a LOT about the pioneers, but less about what I call the "later pioneers" - those who lived at the very end of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. Some fascinating history here! Read it!

[Robyn Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I liked this volume the best of the 3 of this series. It was so interesting to learn so much about the church during the world wars. And I didn't know anything about Elder Maxwell serving in the army! I loved learning about that. And all the prophets and the first temple films in the Swiss temple! I had no idea. I thought that was an American thing rather recent in our church history. I enjoyed listening to the excellent narration. I appreciate all the efforts it took to produce these volumes. :)

[Courtney Hatch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creating an accessible, narrative historical overview is no easy task, and with each book in this series their material just keeps expanding geographically. Yet, they have maintained its readability and stayed committed to using a variety of sources. There were several moments we approached something I knew might be controversial and each time I was impressed by how the text did not shy away from difficult, complex, and even painful moments. It is a credit to the many many people who have worked on these for many many years.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great addition to the previous 2 volumes of the church's history. I particularly enjoyed the WW2 section and learning about how the members of the church took care of each other in such a difficult, turbulent time.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fascinating! I’m excited for volume 4.

[Terrell Baldwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, a good book.

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of this book was interesting but the part that covers events through the World Wars was fascinating. It is amazing that the work was able to progress when technology was so limited and war often prevented connection to church headquarters. The struggles of that time were so incredible but it was inspiring to see faith and perseverance carry the saints across the globe through it all.

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love history books, and this one is awesome because of subject matter is that of my religion. I appreciate the spectrum of sources used, including publications of church critics.

[Shayla Salazar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved all of the stories with an around the world focus showing the growth, faith and diversity of the church worldwide! I can’t wait for the final installment!

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 3: Boldy, Nobly, and Independent, 1893-1955 is a fantastic addition to the Church’s official histories. Picking up after the ending of the previous volume at the dedication of the Salt Lake City Temple, this volume begins with the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893 and wraps up with the dedication of the Bern, Switzerland Temple in 1955. It covers a time of growth and transition for the Church and discusses shifts and decisions at Church headquarters in Utah that are significant in shaping the institution today; expansion in Europe, Central America, South America, and Asia; the development of the welfare programs of the Church during the Great Depression; and the experiences of Church members in the two world wars. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this volume.

The writing style of the book is very readable, continuing the approach of being written in the style of a novel with focus characters throughout. In the early parts of the book, Susa Gates continues to be a central character, along with her daughter Leah Dunford and son-in-law John Widtsoe. Along with these people, other individuals from Church History are used as the ensemble of characters for the book, such as B. H. Roberts, Heber J. Grant, Hirini Whaanga, and others. As time passes, the narrative shifts its focus onto other individuals, including lesser-known Latter-day Saints like Paul Bang in Cincinnati, Ohio; Helga Meiszus in Germany; Evelyn Hodges in Utah; the Cziep family in Austria; and Chiye Terazawa in Hawaii. A few well-known Latter-day Saints like Neal Maxwell and Gordon Hinckley also are given moments to shine later in the book. This provides the opportunity to view the history of the Church through a variety of perspectives throughout–Euro-American, Japanese-American, German, Maori, male and female, Mexican, etc. Using a format where actual quotes from historical documents are placed in the text also allows key quotations from significant sermons and documents to be embedded in the text, something that I have greatly appreciated in both this volume and the previous one. The volume provides a good balance of “greatest hits” in stories from the era and introduction of lesser-known narratives and voices in an accessible way.

One concern I had going in was that as the Church continues to expand, there becomes more and more threads to follow, leading to less focus in the narrative. Overall, they managed to still pull it off very well. The first part of the book focuses on changes at Church headquarters in Utah (and the United States of America more broadly), featuring events like the change in the focus on sealings to ancestors rather than Church leaders in 1894, the 1896 political manifesto, B. H. Roberts’s political controversies, and the Reed Smoot Hearings. While these types of events in Utah continue to hold an important place, Europe really takes center stage after the turn of the Twentieth Century. This makes sense, since the Church began to focus on growth and development there rather than emigration to Utah and because of the massive world wars that shaped the 20th Century. (Along those lines, the section about World War II was, for me, the most dramatic, powerful, and engaging section of the entire series so far.) Hawaii also gets a decent amount of attention, with a particular focus on missionary work among the individuals of Japanese extraction who lived there.

Outside of these, the volume does what seemed more like brief check-ins with the Church elsewhere. For example it hits key moments as the Church established a presence in Argentina and Brazil, covers the three most crucial events in the Church’s history in Mexico during the time period discussed in this volume (the Mexican Revolution, with the evacuation of Saints from the northern colonies and the martyrdom of Rafael Monroy and Vicente Morales; the beginning of the schismatic group known as the Third Convention; and the reunification of the Third Convention with the Church), the beginnings of the Church in Guatemala, and the Church’s ongoing presence in South Africa. These aren’t as sustained as the narratives of the Church elsewhere, representing some of the compromises that had to be made to accommodate a huge breadth of materials that can be included in a discussion of the Church during the era that is covered. Some events, such as the Reed Smoot Hearings, also didn’t have as much depth of coverage as I expected going in. That being said, I felt like what they did cover and how they covered it was sufficient while maintaining a pretty good flow overall.

As with any era of the Church’s history, there are thorny issues that needed to be discussed, and the book did touch on many of these that the Church faced around the turn of the twentieth century, doing the ones it did discuss justice. The main ones I had in mind are the following:

Withdrawal from Political Involvement—This is covered in a decent amount of depth in the 1890s.

Post-Manifesto Polygamy—This is openly talked about as part of the context of the Reed Smoot Hearings and the Second Manifesto. There is virtually no discussion about splinter groups that formed as a result of the manifestos (the Fundamentalist Mormon groups), which I found surprising, given previous discussion about other significant branches of Mormonism like the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ (now Community of Christ) and the Church of Zion (Godbeites).

Reid Smoot Hearings—These were introduced and discussed, even giving a good explanation of Joseph F. Smith’s statement that he never had received any revelations. I would say that they got through the most important aspects of this pivotal event.

Evolution and Higher Criticism Controversies—The effort was made to remain neutral on the Church’s stance on evolution. The “Origin of Man” is discussed and quoted, but so is the updated (and less anti-evolution) version issued in 1925 in response to the Scopes Trial. The disagreement between B. H. Roberts and Joseph Fielding Smith over evolution was discussed in depth, with thoughts from John A. Widtsoe being shared and the conclusion issued by the First Presidency in 1933 that we don’t have a stance on that subject was quoted. Probably in an effort to maintain neutrality, I don’t believe that the suppression of teachers who taught evolution and higher criticism at BYU during the early 20th century was discussed. To be honest, I was very happy with how evolution was handled here.

Studies of the Book of Mormon—Elder B. H. Roberts’s Studies of the Book of Mormon in the 1920s was not even mentioned in Saints 3. Not terribly surprising, given how much other material had to be covered and the fact that it’s more of a narrative history than a literary history of the Church, etc.

Mormon History Developments—Again, the focus of the book was on narratives from the lives of Saints, so historiography was not mentioned.

Race—The priesthood and temple ban for individuals of Black African ancestry was discussed multiple times throughout the book, giving examples of faithful Black saints who were pained by the restriction and, at times, exclusion from branches of the Church because of their race, but who remained faithful to the Church (both in the United States and South Africa). David O. McKay’s adjustment of the policy to allow men in South Africa to be ordained unless proven to have black ancestry (rather than having to prove that they didn’t have black ancestry before ordination, as had been the case before) was also discussed. Race and cultural representation in leadership as an issue involved in the creation of the Third Convention in Mexico is mentioned and the viewpoint character is portrayed as thinking that they were right in their desire for indigenous leadership, but were not approaching the issue through the proper channels. George Albert Smith is portrayed as a champion of some marginalized groups, including Native Americans, though the lives of those Native Americans aren’t discussed and the Indian Placement Program that resulted from President Smith’s advocacy wasn’t mentioned at all (either for good or for bad).

Anti-Communist Focus—This is briefly mentioned and contextualized when discussing David O. McKay as president of the Church, but it was mostly in passing. The lives and hardships of Latter-day Saints in Czechoslovakia and Eastern Germany under communist rule are featured, though, which was very interesting to see.

I loved this volume of Saints. If I had my way, every member of the Church would familiarize themselves with this series. They provide important historical information that illuminates why the Church is the way it is today, but (more importantly) they also provide spiritual nourishment. I found that my belief in God and His influence in guiding people through the Holy Spirit was strengthened, as was my love of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by reading Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 3: Boldy, Nobly, and Independent, 1893-1955. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

[Gordon Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this history, and I think the third volume is my favorite so far. When I hear the term “church history” I think of the history of my pioneer ancestors who emigrated to the United States and crossed the continent to settle the west, but this was my first exposure to the remarkable stories of people who joined my faith in Europe and South America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and stayed in those countries to build the church. Truly inspirational stories of German, Japanese and French saints during and after WWII, those in communist Czechoslovakia, those in Guatemala in the 1950’s, and many more. I hadn’t previously known that the Swiss and London temples were built in part to help encourage European members stay and build their congregations rather than emigrate to the U.S. and Canada as so many before them had.

Very well done.

[Lowell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wager this period of church history is the one to suffer most from minimal public awareness. The format is similar to the prior two volumes, and it remains remarkably readable and easy to digest.

Personally, this volume feels as though it faces an editorial issue not present in the earlier two. As the church grows, there are more stories to tell across the globe, so casting a wider net risks diluting narrative potency. Volumes 1 and 2 had an easier time with this, as their histories were concentrated in fewer geographic areas. The jumps are so borderline jarring and frequent here that I often forgot which story we're going back to.

Also, I see the reappearance of a standard frequently present in most church biographies: after World Ward 1, we no longer have public sharing of difference of opinion between church leaders and administrative difficulties, whereas before World War 1 there is a plethora of stories we're comfortable sharing that show the "human factor" in church leadership (I feel like 30% of the first two volumes fall under this criteria). Perhaps I'm in the minority believing that would be useful and just as faith promoting to see in post WW1 history. The most immediate example that comes to mind is J. Reuben Clark's re-assignment to 2nd Counselor under David O. McKay. Not only was church membership surprised by that change, but also some apostles as well (see Spencer W. Kimball's biography). I confess having been excited to see this touched upon in this volume, and surprised it was not mentioned.

I have no doubt the historians and editors who created this volume went to bat for a variety of stories and important moments that are not included here, and can't fault them for what they chose to include. Maybe I would be more satisfied if this were a 5-volume history instead of 4-volumes.

4.0 stars.

[MykeWeber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed volume three of this series even more than the previous two. I think because it was a portion of Church History that I knew least about, and because it begins about the time of the birth of my Grandparents and ends five years after I was born. It was such a delight to observe the history and experience of my familiar progenitors in the context of what was happening in their Church. The Church was such a huge part of their lives and culture and this volume really helped me understand not only the Church but my own loved ones better.

The project has taken on a nearly impossible task of making the story seem personal and intimate, while covering the history of so many whose varied experiences can’t possibly be addressed. Even, so, it is personal, moving and believable as those intimate moments that were chosen are so widely common to the whole of the Church.

I find the books, all three to be compelling, honest and masterfully assembled. I’m so grateful for them and the sense of understanding, belonging, commitment and determination they inspire, without making anyone seem superhuman or beyond my capacity to emulate.

Thank You!

[Lisa Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third volume of the historical series "Saints", which chronicles the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through individual stories of members of the church in different parts of the world. This volume begins at the end of the 19th century and takes us through two world wars, a depression and the beginnings of a Cold War. It also shows the changes and development of policies that have shaped the way the church is run today, and more exciting, the building of temples outside of Utah and outside of the USA.

I found this book fascinating because of the things that I discovered - the why behind the beginning of certain policies and traditions - even why we have gymnasiums in most of out church buildings. I was especially fascinated by the development of the church welfare system and how it came about. I look forward to the next installment of the series :).

[Annique Mcgregor · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's enjoyable to read about church history which overlaps with lives of the people you know and the places you've visited. It was fun to read about my father in law's mission president and people from his mission. We opened his life history book and found pictures of people mentioned in the book!

I DO NOT like the formatting of the book. It is hard to follow 10+ stories at a time. I often had to go back to pick up each thread of the story when it starts and stops. It bothered me too that some stories were just dropped. I pencilled in pages to skip to in order to keep each story contiguous. If I re-read, I may just skip ahead to keep the story flowing.

[Michael Davenport · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars: above average.

The aspect that I like about this series is learning more about the history of my religion. I didn't know that the church used Disney Fantasia scenes for the temple videos, or what was going on with the saints in Germany during World War II. I find this series being very informative. I see myself rereading this series.

Tags: religious, historical.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and wasn't certain whether to give it four or five stars. I picked four only because its more fragmented than the first two books and there are so many characters it gets a little confusing at times. I loved reading of many events and people I knew or was aware of during my growing up years as well as some my parents spoke of.

[Andy Horton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an interesting book! I loved the first two and this one is nothing less. This one was so interesting simply because of everything going on in the world during the early and mid 1900’s. It was interesting to hear how the world wars effected us as members and how the church adjusted accordingly. So interesting!

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure this would be an interesting read but I was wrong. It is incredible to me to read of the sacrifice of members and the hardships members have had to endure. Yet they Church has grown and blossomed.