George Halliday and John Chislett served as early missionaries in England. On one occasion they were laboring in a city called Penzance, in Cornwall (the extreme southwest corner of England). They had almost no success, and were existing on very meager rations of soup and bread. They prayed earnestly for a way to awaken interest among the people.
In a last effort, Elder Halliday pawned a watch to get money. They rented a hall and printed some flyers announcing a series of public lectures. A few people came to hear them the first night, and they were encouraged.
As the meeting proceeded, they noticed a well-dressed couple paying close attention; the woman was weeping through the entire meeting. At the end of the service, she came forward and invited the missionaries to come to visit them at a town called St. Just, about six miles away, and set an appointment for the following Wednesday.
The missionaries were thrilled to finally get an invitation, but disappointed to have to wait; they endured several more days in Penzance, "hungry and penniless," and with no other response to their message.
The appointed day finally came, and the Elders awoke to "a drenching rain storm." But they were not to be dissuaded from the opportunity, and proceeded to walk the six miles. Nearing St. Just, they crossed a muddy field, their boots growing so heavy they could barely walk. At the point when their discouragement could have been greatest, Elder Halliday was inspired to know that the woman they were about to visit had been given a vision in which she had seen the Elders, that she would allow them to hold meetings in one of several houses she owned, and most surprising, that she would be baptized that same night.
They arrived at their destination, soaked to the skin. The woman was eagerly awaiting them, and helped them dry off and dress in warm clothes, and fed them their first good meal in weeks. She grew impatient, though, saying she was very eager to talk with the Elders.
At this point, Elder Halliday told her not to worry - that he knew all about her; and he shared with her that she had received a vision of the missionaries, and was eager to learn their message and to assist them.
She responded to her husband in surprise:
"'There, now, is that not just as it occurred? How could he have learned that? for you know I have not talked with anyone but you about it!' She then admitted that the week previous, while lying awake in bed, she saw a bright light in the room and awoke her husband and pointed it out to him. He also saw it, and it passed around the room in the direction of Penzance, to which place it led her in her mind, and there she saw two men trying to raise a standard, in which labor the people who looked on seemed unwilling to lend a helping hand. She reproached them for their lack of interest, and took hold herself to assist. This vision was so plain that she afterwards related the whole of it to her husband and even described the appearance of the men. Then she could not rest until she had, in company with her husband, visited Penzance and attended the lecture she there saw announced. As soon as she entered the hall and saw the two Elders she recognized them and could not refrain from crying. As to the other part of what had been revealed to him, she said it was true that she was the owner of a row of houses, which she pointed out to the Elders, and that the last one was a school-house in which her husband taught school, and which they were welcome to use as a meeting house as long as they wanted to free of charge."
At that point, Elder Halliday shared the rest of his inspiration, but with some apprehension - that she would be baptized that same evening. He was relieved to hear her accept the invitation with eagerness. Her husband, however, said there was no pond or stream in the area that would be deep enough for a baptism. The Elders insisted that he go out and look for a place; he soon returned with the news that the heavy rains had filled all the ditches and left many pools in depressions that would be satisfactory.
Within two hours of the time the missionaries arrived, the good woman had been baptized. For years, the missionaries were blessed to hold meetings in her schoolhouse, and she remained a faithful and committed Saint. Her husband, unfortunately, never accepted the message of the restoration, though he was friendly and supportive.
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