Dreams

James Era May's Prophetic Dream of a Missionary Field

Published October 24, 2026 at 3:31 AM

1890s · 1891
Mississippi

Contributed by

Millennial Star Research

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While serving in Mississippi, Elder James Era May dreamed he was traveling with companion Elder John H. Haycock and received a ride from a farmer hauling cotton. They arrived at a vast wheat field where heads of wheat were bent westward. He interpreted this as a divine indication of a future missionary field. Later, he advised Elder Haycock to visit that specific area. Haycock followed the advice, found the place, and baptized fifteen souls, leading to a new branch of the Church.

In Their Own Words

“In 1891-2-3 I labored as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Stale of Mississippi, U. S. A. One night I dreamed that uiy companion, Elder John 11. Haycock, and I were traveling along a country road. We were overtaken by a man with two yoke of oxen hauling a wagon load ot cotton. He invited us to ride with him, a very unusual thing. We accepted his kind invitation. After traveling several miles we came to a wheat field, the largest I had ever seen. The harvest had been gathered, but I noticed, on looking over the field, that stalks of wheat had been left standing here and there. They Avere all of good size and each head was bent in a westerly direction. ... A few weeks later 1 received a letter from him in which he told me that he had acted on my advice; that he and his companion had found the '"field"' of which I had spoken and had seen the fulfillment of my dream—they had baptized fifteen soids, and others Avere earnestly investigating the faith of the saints. — Millennial Star 84:28”

Sources & References

The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), Vol. 84, No. 28 (1922). https://archive.org/details/millennialstar8428eng (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high)

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