Things like this are why Heber C. Kimball was known for the Gift of Prophesy in a big way

[kirtland r.m.]

The following from the Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt


It was now April; I had retired to rest one evening at an early hour, and was pondering my future course, when there came a knock at the door. I arose and opened it, when Elder Heber C. Kimball and others entered my house, and being filled with the spirit of prophecy, they blessed me and my wife, and prophesied as follows:

“Brother Parley, thy wife shall be healed from this hour, and shall bear a son, and his name shall be Parley; and he shall be a chosen instrument in the hands of the Lord to inherit the priesthood and to walk in the steps of his father. He shall do a great work in the earth in ministering the Word and teaching the children of men. Arise, therefore, and go forth in the ministry, nothing doubting. Take no thoughts for your debts, nor the necessaries of life, for the Lord will supply you with abundant means for all things.

“You shalt go to Upper Canada, even to the city of Toronto, the capital, and there thou shalt find a people prepared for the fulness of the gospel, and they shall receive thee, and thou shalt organize the Church among them, and it shall spread thence into the regions round about, and many shall be brought to the knowledge of the truth and shall be filled with joy; and from the things growing out of this mission, shall the fulness of the gospel spread into England, and cause a great work to be done in that land. . . .”

. . . Parley and Thankful had been married for nearly nine years and had not been able to have any children due primarily to Thankful’s poor health and tuberculosis. Parley P. Pratt Jr. was born less than a year after this prophecy on March 25, 1837. In December 1873, he [Parley Jr.] published his martyred father’s [Parley P. Pratt] autobiography—a work that has touched the lives of thousands of Saints throughout the world.

The fulfillment of this prophecy is almost incalculable in its effect upon the history of the Church. Parley’s mission to Upper Canada yielded key contacts that opened missionary work in Preston, England, and then throughout the entire British Isles. From this contact, scores of thousands of converts came into the fold of Christ.

Parley continues with his narrative explaining his sharing the gospel to the group of individuals that John Taylor associated himself with in Canada: In the third evening I related the visions, manifestations and many of the details of the organization and movements of the Church of the Saints.

The truth was now plainly before this people, who had been in so wonderful a manner prepared for its reception, as predicated by Brother Kimball on my head before leaving home. The man of the house now rejected me, and the meeting of seekers after truth left his house, and came and were baptized, and held their meeting at the house of the widow Walton, who had received me, and who was now baptized with all her household, who were of sufficient age to receive the gospel.

John Taylor and his wife, whose house I first entered in Toronto, were also baptized. He soon became an assistant in the ministry. This is that same John Taylor who is now one of the Twelve Apostles.

The work soon spread into the country and enlarged its operations in all that region; many were gathered into the Church, and were filled with faith and love, and with the Holy Spirit, and the Lord confirmed the Word with signs following. My first visit to the country was about nine miles from Toronto, among a settlement of farmers, by one of whom I had sent an appointment beforehand. John Taylor accompanied me—this was before he was baptized—we rode on horseback. We called at a Mr. Joseph Fielding’s, an acquaintance and friend of Mr. Taylor’s. This man had two sisters, young ladies, who seeing us coming ran from their house to one of the neighboring houses, lest they should give welcome, or give countenance to “Mormonism.” Mr. Fielding stayed, and as we entered the house he said he was sorry we had come, he had opposed our holding meeting in the neighborhood; and, so great was the prejudice, that the Methodist meeting house was closed against us, and the minister refused, on Sunday, to give out the appointment sent by the farmer.

“Ah!” said I, “why do they oppose Mormonism?” “I don’t know,” said he, “but the name has such a contemptible sound; and, another thing, we do not want a new revelation, or a new religion contrary to the Bible.” “Oh!” said I, “if that is all we shall soon remove your prejudices. Come, call home your sisters, and let’s have some supper. Did you say the appointment was not given out?” “I said, sir, that it was not given out in the meeting house, nor by the minister; but the farmer by whom you sent it agreed to have it at his house.” “Come then, send for your sisters, we will take supper with you, and all go over to meeting together. If you and your sisters will agree to this, I will agree to preach the old Bible gospel, and leave out all new revelations which are opposed to it.”

The honest man consented. The young ladies came home, got us a good supper, and all went to meeting. The house was crowded; I preached, and the people wished to hear more. The meeting house was opened for further meetings, and in a few days we baptized brother Joseph Fielding and his two amiable and intelligent sisters [One of these sisters was Mary Fielding, wife to Hyrum Smith and mother of future Church President, Joseph F. Smith. The other sister, Mercy Rachel Fielding married Robert B. Thompson, personal secretary to the Prophet Joseph Smith. Their older brother, James, still in England at the time, played a key role in opening that country to the gospel, though he never joined the Church.], for such they proved to be in an eminent degree. We also baptized many others in that neighborhood, and organized a branch of the Church, for the people there drank in truth as water, and loved it as they loved life.

After ministering in and about Toronto for about two months I found it necessary to return home, as some of my debts were pressing, and we needed a supply of our printed works to circulate among the people. I accordingly gave out word, in a meeting in Toronto one Sunday evening, that I should take boat for home next morning. Now all this time I had asked no man for money, nor had I explained my circumstances. However, on shaking hands at the close of the next meeting, several bankbills were secretly shaken into my hands, amounting in all to several hundred dollars—including subscriptions for books, periodicals, etc. I thanked the Lord God of Israel for the fulfillment of the first installment of brother Kimball’s prophecy, and went on my way rejoicing. On my arrival in Kirtland I was enabled to meet my most urgent debts, and to get time on the remainder.

I found my wife had been healed of her seven years’ illness from the time brother Kimball had ministered unto her, and I began to realize more fully that every word of his blessing and prophecy upon my head would surely come to pass. After a pleasant visit with the Saints, I took my wife with me and returned again to Toronto, in June, 1836.

Concerning Parley’s mission in 1836 to the people of Upper Canada, Heber C. Kimball had predicted that “from the things growing out of this mission, shall the fullness of the gospel spread into England, and cause a great work to be done in that land.” Just a few years after this prophecy was made, the work was growing in England at a phenomenal rate. The work there started with contact being made through one of Parley’s converts, Joseph Fielding, whose brother, James Fielding, was a preacher in Preston. Nearly all of James Fielding’s congregation joined the Church, and from there the work spread to England.

Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, pg. 164-165, 170, 188-191, 196, 383.

It was tough times early in 1849 in Great Salt Lake City. Mercantile goods were scarce and what was available was not cheap, having to be freighted from the East. For the early citizen of the Provisional State of Deseret, money was in short supply, crickets and grasshoppers had done considerable damage, crops were meager and nothing to rave about, and their Indian neighbors were becoming testy.
All things considered, morale was a mite low and the community, such as it was, was in need of some encouragement. At a Sunday meeting in April, one of the speakers was Heber C. Kimball, a member of the First Presidency of the Church and who was, next to Brigham Young, the most powerful man in the valley. No one ever dozed when Kimball spoke; he was well known for saying things to capture an audience’s attention, for he minced no words in speaking his mind.
Kimball in ’49 had not yet reached full stride as a pulpit-pounder, but he had a knack for making a point. Some said he was coarse and listened to him tight-lipped, but on this Sabbath he was moved to inspire those around him, to lift their spirits. They were down, they were hungry, and they barely had clothes on their backs. Matter-of-fact, almost every man in the congregation was clad in animal skins of one sort or another.
Kimball stood, and after a few opening words came to the point: “Never mind, in less than a year there will be plenty of clothes and everything that we shall want will be sold here at less than St. Louis prices.”
Charles C. Rich, a fellow apostle sitting nearby, was astonished at the remark: “I don’t believe a word of it,” Rich said, in what may have been a crowd consensus. George A. Smith, also an apostle, looked up and said, “Brother Kimball, you have burst your boiler this time sure.” Kimball was somewhat startled himself. As he sat down, he muttered he was “afraid he had missed it some.”
When the first gold seekers strode from Emigration Canyon that June morning, Heber C. Kimball’s extravagant prediction began coming true—in spades. The Mormons were about to reap a most welcome and completely unexpected harvest. Every mule in the valley suddenly increased tenfold in value. A light Yankee wagon could be traded for three or four heavy Murphy models with a yoke of oxen to boot. The Argonauts were consumed with a desire for speed. Common domestic muslin, which sold for five to ten cents a yard in St. Louis, was offered by the bolt at the same price to Mormons in trade for green vegetables. The finest in spades and shovels went for fifty cents each as the ‘49ers trimmed their baggage.
Full chests of joiner’s tools, priced at $150 in the East, traded for $25. Smaller merchants, hoping to deal in the goldfields, switched from wagons to pack horses in Great Salt Lake City, and found it expedient to leave whatever could not easily be rolled into a bundle or tied safely onto a pack animal. . . .
. . . . Benjamin Johnson was in his field when he saw a company of Argonauts roll from Emigration Canyon. “Almost their first inquiry was for pack saddles and fresh animals in place of their jaded ones.” Johnson recalled. “I traded them a jack and a jenny and began the making of pack saddles, rigging them with rawhide. And Oh! What a change! I could get flour, bacon, sugar, rice, soap, tea power, lead, tobacco, soap, the finest clothing, with wagons and harness, in exchange for pack outfits, which I could supply in quantity.”
Chapman Duncan started bargaining with one yoke of oxen, and by autumn had two yoke of oxen, two colts, two mules, and one horse. Gorge Morris found that after some haggling he would take two large footsore oxen, a third ox and $10 in trade for his smaller team of two oxen. Then he turned his newly acquired livestock to run loose in marshy grass for a few weeks salving their sore feet. Thus refreshed, the animals attracted other travelers who offered two yoke of oxen, $15, and a $110 wagon for Morris’ three oxen. By the end of the tourist season, Morris owned five yoke of oxen, a wagon, four cows, plus clothing, boots, shoes, bread, and groceries enough to make this family more comfortable “than we had ever been before.”
Zadok Judd parlayed two horses and a proper reluctance into trades that brought him three yoke of cattle, a good wagon, a cook stove, a dozen shirts, a silver watch, some tools, and a half-barrel of pork.
One gold seeker went to Benjamin Johnson’s home late on a Saturday night, insisting he could not wait until Monday, for his party was leaving at sunup. Johnson labored the night through until time for church to make up the order. The immigrant gave Johnson three sets of harness and a new wagon “with more camp outfit, clothing and goods in it than a fair price to pay four-fold for my work. When they got what they wanted, the gold seekers cared for nothing they had to leave.”

Chronicles of Courage, Lesson Committee (Salt Lake City: Talon Printing, 1996) Vol. 7, 69-71, 72.

[I AM]

I don't know if the same gift was passed on to his son - J. Golden Kimball
but he sure liked to cuss, and had a great sense of humor.


viewtopic.php?f=14&t=38389&p=600055&hil ... ll#p600055

"The Occasional Cuss Word"

As most of you know, J. Golden Kimball was known as the "Swearing Apostle". Every time I read a story about him I laugh, he was witty with a great sense of humor.

“What can God do for a liar who refuses to repent? Can the Lord save him? He can’t claim salvation. Baptizing him in water will not settle the trouble, unless you keep him under.”
― J. Golden Kimball
(click on ldsfreedomforum link to continue reading)

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4 Surprising Facts About the "Swearing Apostle" J. Golden Kimball

He humorously attributed his calling to his father, saying, “Some people say a person receives a position in this church through revelation, and others say they get it through inspiration, but I say they get it through relation. If I hadn’t been related to Heber C. Kimball, I wouldn’t have been a damn thing in this church”

http://www.ldsliving.com/4-Things-You-M ... ll/s/85516

[inho]

It was now April; I had retired to rest one evening at an early hour, and was pondering my future course, when there came a knock at the door. I arose and opened it, when Elder Heber C. Kimball and others entered my house, and being filled with the spirit of prophecy, they blessed me and my wife, and prophesied as follows:

“Brother Parley, thy wife shall be healed from this hour, and shall bear a son, and his name shall be Parley; and he shall be a chosen instrument in the hands of the Lord to inherit the priesthood and to walk in the steps of his father.

I often think of this when we discuss the bounds of revelation in the church. We are taught that everyone can receive revelation for themselves, parents for their family, bishop to his ward etc.
Why did Heber receive revelation to Pratts? And it has to do about such a personal matter too. He even gave a name to the future child!

[kirtland r.m.]

I just ran across to quote from Brigham Young, in which he also mentioned friends as to those who may be prayed for especially, or seek for a blessing or guidance to help. It’s on the Brigham Young quote thread if anybody wants to take a look at it. Brigham and Heber C. Kimball were very close. Heber C Kimball may have had some kind of priesthood responsibility such as home teacher for Brigham as well.