40 Let my servant Orson Hyde journey with my servant Orson Pratt, whithersoever my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., shall counsel them, in obtaining the fulfilment of these commandments which I have given unto you, and leave the residue in my hands. Even so. Amen.

[ Historical Material Pertaining to Doctrine & Covenants 103 Excerpt from Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt After making our escape into the county of Clay [Missouri] being reduced to the lowest poverty I made a living by day labor, jobbing, building, or wood cutting, till some time in the winter of 1834, when a general conference was held at my house, in which it was decided that two of the Elders should be sent to Ohio, in order to counsel with President [Joseph] Smith and the Church at Kirtland, and take some measures for the relief or restoration of the people thus plundered and driven from their homes. The question was put to the Conference: “Who would volunteer to perform so great a journey?” The poverty of all, and the inclement season of the year made all hesitate. At length Lyman Wight and myself offered our services, which were readily accepted. I was at this time entirely destitute of proper clothing for the journey; and I had neither horse, saddle, bridle, money nor provisions to take with me; or to leave with my wife, who lay sick and helpless most of the time. Under these circumstances I knew not what to do. Nearly all had been robbed and plundered, and all were poor. As we had to start without delay, I almost trembled at the undertaking; it seemed to be all but an impossibility; but “to him that believeth all things are possible....” [Mark 9:23.] We were soon ready, and on the first of February we mounted our horses, and started in good cheer to ride one thousand or fifteen hundred miles through a wilderness country. We had not one cent of money in our pockets on starting. We traveled every day, whether through storm or sunshine, mud, rain, or snow; except when our public duties called us to tarry. We arrived in Kirtland early in the spring, all safe and sound; we had lacked for nothing on the road, and now had plenty of funds in hand. President Joseph Smith and the Church in Kirtland received us with hospitality and joy unknown except among the Saints; and much interest was felt there, as well as elsewhere, on the subject of our persecution. The President inquired of the Lord concerning the matter, and a further mission was appointed to us. (Parley P. Pratt, Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt, pages 107-109) Excerpt from Doctrine and Covenants Commentary In a previous Revelation (Section 101:55-60), it was made known to the Prophet that he would be required, at some future time, to lead “the strength of mine house” to the land of Zion, in order to “redeem” it. The Revelation in this Section was received four months and twelve days afterwards, directing him to begin to gather up the strength of the Church for a relief expedition. Elders Lyman Wight and Parley P. Pratt had just arrived in Kirtland, from Missouri, with a message from the Saints. A meeting of the High Council was called. The messengers from Zion told the Council that the scattered Saints had obtained food and clothing in exchange for labor, and that they were quite comfortable for the time being; but they were grief-stricken because they had been driven from their homes in Zion, and they earnestly desired to know, if possible, how and by what means Zion was to be redeemed. This Revelation, given before the meeting of the Council was held, is an answer to that very question. When the messengers had stated the case, the Prophet had the answer ready. He had prepared to announce that he was going to Zion and that he would call for volunteers to accompany him. The Council endorsed this, and between thirty and forty men volunteered to go, whereupon the Prophet Joseph was elected Commander-in-Chief of the expedition. (Hyrum M. Smith and Janne M. Sjodahl, Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, page 659) Excerpt from Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith On 1 January 1834, Church leaders in Clay County, Missouri, voted that Lyman Wight and Parley P. Pratt “be sent as special messengers, to represent the situation of the scattered brethren in Missouri, to the Presidency and Church in Kirtland, and ask their advice.” Wight and Pratt left Clay County for Ohio on 12 January and arrived in Kirtland on Saturday, 22 February 1834. After hearing a recital of the meager conditions and sufferings of the Saints in Missouri, the Prophet received section 103, which, alluding to the parable in section 101, directed Joseph Smith to organize a body of men to journey to Missouri and “redeem the land.” Eight men, named in the revelation, were to enlist volunteers to make the trip to Missouri. An entry from Heber C. Kimball’s journal captures the historical setting: Brother Joseph received a revelation concerning the redemption of Zion, part of which remains yet to be fulfilled. He sent Messengers to the East and to the North, to the West and to the south to gather up the Elders and, He gathered together as many of the brethren as he conveniently could, with what means they could spare to go up to Zion to render all the assistance that we could to our afflicted brethren. We gathered clothing and other necessaries to carry up to our brethren and sisters who had been plundered; and putting our horses to the wagons and taking our firelocks and ammunition, we started on our journey; leaving only Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon and a few aged workmen who were engaged at the Temple; so that there were very few men left in Kirtland. This body, known as Zion’s Camp, grew to approximately 205 members. The plan of this armed body of men was to return the Missouri Saints to their homes in Jackson County in cooperation with state authorities and under state protection. The advance guard left Kirtland on 5 May 1834. (Lyndon W. Cook, Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, page 209) Excerpt from Journal of Discourses We were driven from Jackson County, in the State of Missouri, in the Fall of the year 1833, and three or four months after that event the revelation was given from which I have read this extract, promising that, after much tribulation, we and our children after us should be restored to the lands of our inheritances. Have we had much tribulation? Yes. Look at the many times we have been driven since that revelation was given. We were driven out of Clay County, then out of Kirtland, in Geauga County, now called Lake County, Ohio; and after that we were driven from Caldwell County, from Daviess County, Ray County, and several other surrounding counties in the State of Missouri, and finally expelled from the State, leaving a great many thousand acres of land for which we hold the deeds to the present day. After that we settled in the State of Illinois, in Nauvoo. We were there but a few years when the Prophet, his brother and several others were killed, and again we were driven.... What were the crimes of which we were accused in the various places from which we were expelled? If any of our people had been guilty of breaking the laws it was in the power of our enemies to bring us before their courts of justice, for in all these places they held all the civil offices in their own hands. But they very well knew that, so far as the laws of the country were concerned, they could not reach this people. Why? Because we were not guilty of the transgression of any of their laws. When we were driven from Nauvoo there were some unable to leave poor, feeble, and sick; Nauvoo was a kind of a sickly place and a great many people were sick there, and many of the sick, infirm and poor had to be left behind, being unable to leave with the main body of the Saints. We walked over the Mississippi river on the ice and wandered and wallowed about in the snowdrifts of Iowa with our teams and wagons, but these poor people could not get away in time. The mob were very anxious to come in possession of our property, and hence after the main body got out one or two hundred miles from Nauvoo, where there were no inhabitants, cut off from all resources, and unable to obtain any information from our poor brethren, the mob was so anxious to get the property of which they had forcibly deprived us, that they attacked the city with cannon and musketry, and finally drove these poor people out and compelled them to cross the river, where a great many of them perished. Were not these tribulations? Yes, and they were all foretold years before they came to pass. (Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, volume 17, pages 293-294, February 7, 1875) ]