1852—Five years after the first company of pioneers, under the direction of President Brigham Young, arrived in the Salt Lake Valley conditions were still those of a primitive frontier and both men and women often worked around the clock to provide shelter and food for their families.
April 6, 1852- In the General Conference, President Brigham Young announced that the next general gathering of members would be held in August to transact some business relating to foreign missionary work.
August 28, 1852-President J. Golden Kimball announced that “We have made a selection of a considerable number of Elders to leave home and go abroad. Go and commit what you have into the hand of God—your wives, your children, your brethren, your property. Let truth and righteousness be your motto and don’t do anything but preach the Gospel; build up the Kingdom of God and gather sheep into the fold.”
Elder Ezra T. Benson also spoke: “When Satan begins to grin and show his teeth, you may know there are sheep not far off.”
George A. Smith told them that their calls were not to be very long ones—“probably from 3-7 years will be as long as any man will be absent from his family.”
Of the 2,500 people in attendance that afternoon, 106 elders were called to serve foreign missions. Three were called to The Cape of Good Hope. They were Jessie Haven, 38 years old, William Holmes Walker, 32 years old, and Leonard Smith.
September 15, the three departed the Salt Lake Valley traveling east and averaging 3-30 miles a day. They gathered berries and other wild food stuffs to sustain themselves, sometimes also killing game for provisions. They walked mostly as their animals were weak and exhausted by the end of the trek. Once at St. Joseph, Missouri they took a steamboat for St. Louis, then to Cincinnati and up the Ohio River to Pittsburg. Then they traveled by railway to Philadelphia and on to New York City. There they boarded the Columbia which sailed from New York to Liverpool, England leaving on Dec. 17. On Christmas the elders were determined to have plum pudding. They managed to find both plums and currents on board for their Christmas pudding.
On December 28th a storm commenced at sunset. The captain said, that he had “been to sea 20 years and this is the greatest storm I have ever witnessed.” Elder Walker said, “the heavy waves of the sea broke open the door and they were in water knee deep three days and nights. Twice the ship was entirely under water. Elder Haven remarked that “it seemed a miracle that we were preserved. I believe if we had not been on the ship it would have gone down to the bottom or been destroyed some other way, we are all safe and feel to bless and praise the Lord.”
The Columbia arrived in Liverpool on Jan. 3, 1853. The elders needed to travel to London to book passage to the Cape of Good Hope for the remaining 8,000-9,000 miles they yet had to sail. On Feb. 11, 1853 the three elders embarked on the Domitia. “In our prayers we dedicated ourselves to the Lord and also the ship, officers and sailors, as far as they were engaged in taking us to our field of labor.”
On April 14th, a severe storm arose and the captain could not get longitude. Through the exercise of faith the wind abated. On April 16th the Cape of Good Hope could be seen, but they could not discover the entrance to the harbor. Another severe storm came up and the elders thought they would be dashed to pieces on the rocks. “We rebuked the wind and it abated and in a short time was almost calm. The captain was very much alarmed.”
They sailed back and forth and just at night discovered the entrance into the bay, but they put out to sea again for the night and on April 18th, 1853 they entered the harbor. Jesse Haven records:”Thinks I to myself, here we are thousands of miles from home—without money—without friends—bearing a message to the people that is hated and despised by this generation: and all who deliver this message are persecuted and their names cast out as evil. Yet, we faltered not—fainted not—feared not; we felt that the Lord had sent us to deliver the message, and by His help we were determined to accomplish what we had been sent to perform.”
They had many trials in their desire to share their message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. More than once they were pelted with rotten eggs and stale vegetables and pursued by mobs. They had little success in Cape Town and so traveled 4-20 miles away where they did have more success. On August 16, 1853 the first branch of the Church was organized in Mowbray.
These three elders continued to share their knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout Africa and had some wonderful spiritual experiences. They planted many seeds which have been harvested by future elders and sisters to Africa. Two elders left their field of labor Nov. 28th, 1855 to travel home. Elder Haven remained alone in Africa writing: “I certainly would like to return home in 1856 yet not my will but the Lords and those who preside over me.” He did arrive in Salt Lake City on December 15, 1856.
Elder Walker and Elder Smith arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on Sept. 1, 1856. Elder Walker stated,” Having rode the same mule 400 miles in eight days. I traveled during that time 30,000 miles by water and 10,000 miles by land.”
What a rich legacy these three missionaries left for us. South Africa alone has 3 different missions. We are so thankful for the sacrifices of these men.
