At one point, the prophet was traveling with a group of the church's leaders and they came across a man on the road who claimed to be sick and asked for a ride. Joseph says they were "checked by the Spirit" and so refused. Soon they learned this man was part of a mob and others were waiting to ambush them when they stopped to help him.
A lot happened during Zion's Camp. At one point Joseph said he was feeling depressed in spirit and said there had been a lot of bloodshed in the place they were. He said a righteous man will always feel this way where there has been a lot of bloodshed. Forty rods later they came across a large mound containing human bones, confirming what Joseph had said. Also, throughout that journey, Joseph gave some excellent teachings. Some included the sanctity of animal life. Joseph refused any animal to be killed for no reason. If it was killed, it was to be eaten.
Later, after the Twelve Apostles were called, Joseph charged them to write all their revelations and proceedings of their meetings, teaching that much valuable information had already been lost because many in the Church were negligent to take notes at meetings.
One of the greatest treats was reading a blessing the prophet bestowed on Newel K. Whitney. I loved reading this because I have married into his family and now my daughter Symphony takes part in the blessings where Joseph promised his seed "all good things of the earth" and that "Angels will guard the lives of his posterity."
This volume contained the dedication of the Kirtland temple, and it was powerful to see how anxious Joseph was to prepare the people to receive their endowment. He placed the highest priority on getting them ready and helping them understand the importance of it.
Joseph also gives a lot of insight into his personal life. He frequently talks about the fine weather for sleighing, and also how much he enjoyed spending time with his family. He talks about attending to his "domestic concerns." I enjoyed that.
Finally, I was really surprised when I read about the Church's stance on abolition. I guess I always just assumed that the Church was in favor of abolition. But apparently at this time period, abolitionists were seen as extremists and disturbers of the peace. While against slavery, the Church did not declare itself to be aligned with the abolitionists. Joseph actually wrote a letter to express his views on the matter. What he did not support was the rebellion of slaves, leading them to kill their masters. Joseph recommended that it was those in the South who needed to recognize the evil of slavery, because they would be able to best offer the remedy. This really intrigued me. I already knew that slavery was such a tender issue at this time, but Joseph's letter really shows that.
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