A Happy Birthday for Emma Smith

This Sunday, July 10th, is Emma Smith’s, the wife of the prophet Joseph Smith, 207th birthday. Since she is one of the only women mentioned in the scriptures whose birthday we know I thought that it would be nice to have a birthday celebration for her the next few days on my blog. Before and after her birthday I will be hosting posts about her life. Her life is so often the center of confusion and controversy and I hope that the posts this week will give you a better perspective on the life and mission of this amazing woman.

In addition, I really want to give Emma a birthday present– it has been a long time since she had one– and as I thought about what she might most appreciate the thought came powerfully to me that what she would want for her birthday is to hear people, 200 years after she was gone, bear testimony of the Book of Mormon. Emma literally sacrificed everything she had, her family, her home, her children, her physical comfort, her health and even her husband, to help bring forth the Book of Mormon and the restored Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints. I can’t imagine that anything would bring her more joy than to know that her sacrifices weren’t in vain and that the Book of Mormon has been one of the most powerful forces on the earth for bringing millions of people to their Savior Jesus Christ.

So next Sunday, July 10th, I invite everyone to give Emma Smith a birthday present by bearing their testimony of the Book of Mormon on Facebook, Twitter, or on your blog. It would be incredible if we could flood the internet that day with testimonies for her.

If you’d like to spread the word about this gift then please join the Facebook event and share it with your friends and family. Also, if you join the Facebook event I will also send you a reminder about when to post, but if you aren’t able to do it on Sunday please feel free to do it later. I know she will still appreciate the gift.