Wilfrid Street Rooms PDF      Email to a Friend      Printer Friendly Version

Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, and other early missionaries stayed in rooms in this building Photo courtesy of Alexander L. Baugh

Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde, members of the LDS Church and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, along with five other missionaries, arrived in Preston, England on July 22, 1837. One of the missionaries, Joseph Fielding, had a brother, Reverend James Fielding, who allowed the missionaries to preach to his congregation in the Vauxhall Chapel. It was the missionaries' first public speaking opportunity in England.

The early missionaries took up residence in rooms on Wilfrid Street. They held three successful meetings in Vauxhall Chapel. Several individuals believed their testimonies and petitioned them to be baptized. Reverend Fielding, worried that these missionaries would draw away his congregation, no longer allowed them to preach in his chapel.

Nevertheless, the missionaries decided to hold a baptismal service in the River Ribble on July 30, 1837. Heber C. Kimball described that "by this time the adversary of souls began to rage, and he felt determined to destroy us before we had fully established the kingdom of God in that land, and the next morning I witnessed a scene of satanic power and influence which I shall never forget."¹

The night before the service, the missionaries were attacked by a host of evil spirits. Elder Kimball described them as "men of full stature, possessing every form and feature of men in the flesh, who were angry and desperate; and I shall never forget the vindictive malignity depicted on their countenances as they looked me in the eye; and any attempt to paint the scene which then presented itself, or portray their malice and enmity, would be vain."² After a time, the spirits were rebuked and the baptismal service was conducted as planned later that morning.

After returning from his mission, Heber C. Kimball inquired of the Prophet Joseph Smith as to the reason for the manifestation and if there was anything wrong with him. The Prophet replied that "No, Brother Heber, at that time you were nigh unto the Lord; there was only a veil between you and Him, but you could not see Him. When I heard of it, it gave me great joy, for I then knew that the work of God had taken root in that land. It was this that caused the devil to make a struggle to kill you. The nearer a person approaches the Lord, a greater power will be manifested by the adversary to prevent the accomplishment of His purposes."³

Since that time, the Preston region has remained an area of strength and the Preston England Temple was dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley on June 7, 1998.

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SOURCES

¹ Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball (Salt Lake City: Kimball Family, 1888), 129.

² Ibid, 130-131.

³ Ibid, 131-132.