"Let us look at the
Prophet Joseph Smith. The Lord needed a strong, vigorous
young man who would be teachable. He needed someone he could
mold into the leader who could bring forth the restoration
of the gospel. The one foreordained for this great
assignment was Joseph Smith. Out of weak things of the
earth, the Lord created one with power and strength. Few
prophets have come from more humble beginnings. . . . He was
the fifth child in a family of 11 children. The rugged,
rocky soil of New England had not been good to his family.
During Joseph Smith's earliest years, the family moved
frequently, trying to find fertile soil or a suitable
livelihood, in Vermont, New Hampshire, Vermont again, then
Palmyra, Ontario County, New York. Again we see the hand of
the Lord guiding them to the proper destination. It was in
this place where the family settled that the miraculous
events of the Restoration occurred. Out of this hard,
difficult, early beginning, Joseph Smith developed a great
reliance on the Lord, trusting in him and gaining
exceptional spiritual strength so he could use the gifts the
Lord would give to him to organize the Church."
