A Short Drive With "Saints"

The first volume of "Saints" was released this month. I thought I knew a lot of church history, but I've already learned new things in just the first 8 chapters. Did you know, for example, that Moroni told Joseph that he needed to bring Emma when he went to fetch the plates (see chap. 4)? Did you know that Moroni appeared to Mary Whitmer as an old man and showed her the plates--even before the 3 and 8 witnesses saw the plates (see chap. 7)? I've heard about Thomas Marsh's issue with the milk strippings, but it was cool to read the story of his conversion (see chap. 8 ). 

https://history.lds.org/saints

You can read it or listen to it free with the Gospel Library app.

The goal of the history was to make it accessible to the majority of Latter-day Saints today without feeling stuffy or academic. It reads like a story. On a drive home from a rock-hounding trip with the kids yesterday, I decided to turn on the audio of the book. My 13-year-old daughter (among the 5 kids in the car) was very taken by it. She grew impatient each time we reached the end of a chapter and we had to wait for the next chapter to download before we could hear it. 

We heard this part in chapter 4. 

The angel also told him to bring someone with him next time. It was the same request he had made at the end of Joseph’s first visit to the hill. But since Alvin was dead, Joseph was confused. 

“Who is the right person?” he asked. 

“You will know,” Moroni said. 

Joseph sought the Lord’s direction through his seer stone. The right person, he learned, was Emma.

As soon as the narrator said "Emma," my 8-year-old daughter said, "Called it!"

I look forward to reading the rest of the book and the next three volumes to be released in subsequent years.