Elder Hansen and his Companion's Miraculous Provision
Published October 12, 2026 at 6:09 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
In 1880, while serving as a missionary in Denmark, Elder Jacob Hansen and his companion were without food or lodging and were being rejected by the people. They stopped at a graveyard to pray for help. Shortly after, they were impressed to visit a man who initially threatened to arrest them. When they left the man's home, he unexpectedly gave them money to pay for their lodging. Later, the narrator felt a divine impression to spend that money on food instead and travel to a specific family, Brother and Sister Folkersen, who were in dire need. Upon arrival, they found the family starving, and the food provided by the missionaries saved them from hunger. The event was seen as a clear demonstration of God's providence.
In Their Own Words
“One day late in the season of the year he wanted to go with me, out among strangers, leaving money and everything behind us, and to trust in God alone. So we started early one morning, after leaving our blessings with the Saints. When we had traveled a few miles we entered the houses of the farmers, spoke to them of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, called on them to repent of their sins and turn unto their God. But no one seemed to care to listen to what we had to say. At each house we left a few of our tracts with the people. Night was now approaching, and still we had eaten nothing since morning, nor was there any prospect of our getting either food or lodging. We were already several miles distant from any of the Saints, but had no desire to visit them, as they were mostly poor. Wherefore we trusted in God that He would open up the way for us. We were just at this time passing a small graveyard, which we entered for the purpose of calling on the Lord. I was mouth at the time, and in my prayer I asked the Lord that He would open up the way so that we might get a place of entertainment. ... I felt impressed to call at the house. We knocked at the door, and a gentleman who was dressed very nicely appeared. He invited us to enter... When I took my hat to leave, the gentleman unlocked and opened his writing-desk, taking something out of it. I now bade him good-by; but he extended his hand toward me, saying, Take this and use it for your night's lodging. I was as astonished as he uttered the words as I did at the graveyard when asking our Heavenly Father for what we needed. ... I opened my hand and saw I had been given two crowns, just enough for our nights lodging. ... In the other small village I heard a voice say to me, Do not pay for your night's lodging, but go and buy provisions with the money and then go to the family of Brother Folkersen, for they have nothing to eat, and your bed is already made for you. ... When we came to the house we saw a light within, and through the window we saw our bed ready, as the Spirit had told us it would be. — Millennial Star 58:15”
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 9 April 1896 (Vol. 58, No. 15). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1896-04-09_58_15 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high)
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