Mary Isabella Hales Feels the Holy Ghost Thrill Through Her Entire Body Upon Shaking Hands with Joseph Smith

In the latter part of the summer of 1837, Mary Isabella Hales had the long-desired opportunity to meet the Prophet Joseph Smith, who came to Canada along with Sidney Rigdon and Thomas B. Marsh. She recorded the sacred moment in her journal:

'I said to myself, "O Lord, I thank thee for granting the desire of my girlish heart, in permitting me to associate with prophets and apostles." On shaking hands with Joseph Smith, I received the Holy Spirit in such great abundance that I felt it thrill my whole system, from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet. I thought I had never beheld so lovely a countenance. Nobility and goodness were in every feature.'

This powerful, physical manifestation of the Holy Ghost — felt instantly and throughout her entire body upon contact with the Prophet — is a classic witness account of the divine calling and spiritual endowment of Joseph Smith.