Benjamin Brown's Dream of Preaching Fulfilled After Joining the Church

“Some time after this, I had a dream, which made a deep impression on my mind. I dreamed that I was in a school-house, and that I was preaching to a large congregation. I felt the Spirit of the Lord resting upon me in a powerful manner, and I spoke with great freedom and plainness. I felt that I was declaring the truth, and that the people were listening with great attention. When I awoke, the impression remained with me, and I felt a strong conviction that I should, at some future time, be called to preach the Gospel. I did not know how or when this would be brought about, but the impression was so strong that I could not shake it off. Years passed away, and I had almost forgotten the dream, until I heard the fulness of the Gospel preached by the Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When I heard them, the Spirit of the Lord bore witness to my heart that it was the truth. I embraced it, and was baptized. Soon after, I was ordained to the office of an Elder, and sent out to preach. I well remember the first time I stood up to speak in a school-house, after I had been ordained. As I looked around upon the congregation, the scene of my dream rushed upon my mind with such force, that I knew at once that the time had come for its fulfillment. I felt the same Spirit, and the same power of the Lord resting upon me, that I had felt in my dream, and I spoke with the same freedom and plainness that I had then experienced. It was a testimony to me that the Lord had known the end from the beginning, and that He had been preparing me for the work in which I was engaged.”

— Benjamin Brown, Testimonies for the Truth