More than 130 missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints are saying thank-you to the people of Quincy, Illinois, by
filling sandbags to protect the city that once protected their Mormon
ancestors. Wednesday morning,
missionaries from the Peoria, Illinois, and St. Louis, Missouri
missions arrived in Quincy to help prevent potential damage from a key
levee that broke Tuesday night between Quincy and Warsaw, Indiana.
Heavy rain in the Mid-west has left entire towns inundated and
thousands of people homeless in the last week. Dirt is being dumped at the
Civic Center in Quincy where missionaries are spending long hours
preparing the bags which are then taken by truck to the most needed
areas. The relief effort is being organized by local Latter-day Saint
leaders who are working closely with John Springs, the mayor of Quincy.The help given
by these missionaries reflects the kindness extended by the people of
Quincy to early members of the Church escaping religious persecution in
Missouri. After walking close to 200 miles in the winter of 1839, the
Latter-day Saints arrived at the banks of the Mississippi, the same
river that threatens Quincy today, only to see chunks of ice floating
down the river.In the March 1839 edition of the Quincy Whig Newspaper,
the editor wrote that "If they (the Mormons) have been thrown upon our
shores destitute ... common humanity must oblige us to aid and relieve
them all in our power."Quincy took in
more than 5,000 refugees, almost three times its population in 1839.
The citizens organized rescue efforts, provided shelter, created jobs
and gave members of the Church protection from those wishing to harm
them. Shortly afterwards, Joseph Smith, along with other Church
leaders, arrived in Quincy and led the Mormons 40 miles south to
establish the city of Nauvoo.In 2002 the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performed for the people of Quincy as a gesture of gratitude for the kindness extended by their town in 1839.