What should we do in hard times? Preach the gospel

A financial panic swept across the United States in 1837. Banking institutions failed and the country entered a depression that lasted for the next seven years. The Panic of 1837 took its toll in Kirtland, Ohio as well. In their poverty the church built and in 1836 dedicated the first temple in this dispensation. The sacrifice was enormous, but once the Kirtland Temple was completed many families' finances began to edge up. Members and converts were gathering to Kirtland, buildings were being raised, and the city's economy started to improve.In Kirtland, the Prophet and other church leaders pursued the idea of establishing a bank. When their petition to the state legislature was denied they organized a private joint-stock company, the Kirtland Safety Society Anti-Banking Company. This was not unusual in nineteenth-century western America. The society opened in January 1837 with high hopes for the future, but problems quickly arose.As difficulties mounted, the Prophet tried to impose some order but eventually withdrew from leadership in the Safety Society and warned others to do the same. The Society overextended, and its problems were vastly compounded with the 1837 financial panic. In November 1837 it closed its doors but not before many investors lost money and the Prophet lost more than anyone else. The failure of the Kirtland Safety Society, and growing antagonism toward the saints by non-members in the area, led to a crisis in the church. Many blamed the Prophet for the society's failure and their personal financial losses and apostatized from the church.During the spring and summer the Prophet was often away on business and missions and apostates spoke openly against him. Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball staunchly defended the Prophet, often at great risk to their own safety. One group of elders called a meeting in the temple to appoint a new church leader, asserting that Joseph was a fallen prophet. Brigham Young, a man who did not mince words, rose and warned those in attendance, "Joseph (is) a prophet, and I (know) it, and (you) might rail and slander him (but you cannot)...destroy the appointment of the prophet of God,...only destroy...(your) own authority, cut the thread that (binds you) to the prophet and to God, and sink (yourselves) to hell." For his safety Brigham had to be escorted from the gathering. The Prophet himself addressed the saints and, speaking under the influence of the Spirit of God, silenced his opponents for some time. But eventually hostility and animosity renewed. For a short period the Prophet and even Brigham and Heber had to absent themselves from Kirtland, fearing for their lives.It was during these troubled times that the Prophet responded to fierce opposition in what might logically appear to be a most unusual but instructive manner. When beset by myriad troubles the response in many organizations is to "circle the wagons" — in essence to gather the strength of the corporation, or in this instance, the strength of the church, together to unitedly face opponents and set things aright in the church.On Sunday, June 4, 1837, the Prophet approached Heber C. Kimball in the temple and whispered, "Brother Heber, the Spirit of the Lord has whispered to me: 'Let my servant Heber go to England and proclaim my Gospel, and open the door of salvation to that nation.'" Heber was stunned, overwhelmed at his assumed inferiority to carry out such a task. Nevertheless he responded affirmatively because, "I felt that the cause of truth, the Gospel of Christ, outweighed every other consideration." Others were initially called and went as well, among them Orson Hyde, Willard Richards, and Joseph Fielding. Many apostles subsequently followed. The great apostasy between November 1837 and June 1838 continued apace with possibly 200 to 300 members, accounting for 10 to 15 percent of the membership, leaving the church. A number banded with anti-Mormons in the vicinity to persecute and harass faithful members and eventually drive them out of their homes and off their lands into forced expulsion.Within eight months, two thousands individuals in England joined the church, and many more were added in subsequent years. The majority immigrated and joined the saints in their gathering locations, in continued persecution, and in westward expansion. They added greatly to the strength of the kingdom and brought their skills and craftsmanship to bear on the cities and societies the church created. We live in troubled economic times. We can observe increasing distance between those who defend Jesus Christ and his gospel and those who denounce Christianity. Perhaps Joseph Smith — perhaps the Savior — imposed a perfect model for us to follow: continue to live the principles of Jesus Christ, continue to defend his gospel, and remain faithful in your callings. Most importantly, bear testimony far and wide of his church, seek out those seeking the truth, and bring them to the gospel. The persecution was intense in Joseph's day but the work could not be stopped.Persecution and separation between worldly values and the values of the church may increase today, but the work will not be stopped. Our obligation is the same today as in Joseph's day: preach the gospel and follow the prophet.