Holy Ghost / Guidance and Direction

Elder Nephi Trueman and Elder Charles Long's Inspiration to Visit the Miller Family

Published October 19, 2026 at 9:32 PM

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Millennial Star Research

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While serving as missionaries in a region suffering from war, Elders Nephi Trueman and Charles Long felt a prompt to go visiting on a stormy Christmas Eve. Despite the harsh weather and the late hour, Elder Long felt the 'Spirit of the Lord' urging him to leave their lodgings. After praying for guidance, they felt certain, set out, and were led to a home they had previously been turned away from with insults—the home of John and Mrs. Miller, who were in deep grief over the death of their son, Tom, in the war. The elders' visit, motivated by this spiritual impression, resulted in the Millers accepting the Gospel and being baptized.

In Their Own Words

“"What is the matter, Charlie?" he asked. "I hardly know," was the reply. "Something prompts me to go visiting." "Wliat! In this weather?" "That's just it. If it were a fine evening with soft, caressing moon-light, I might mistake the impulse for a whim; but under the circumstances, I am convinced that it is the Spirit of the Lord whispering in my lieart." ... This was agreed upon, and the two asked their heavenly Father for guidawce and light. The prayer was heard. Light came. The last word of the prayer had hardly been uttered when Charlie rose and, with firm determination, said, "I am going." ... They struggled on bravely, each busy with his own thoughts, until, after perhai)s an hour's walk, they found themselves in a street they had recently tracted. They had stopped, quite accidentally they thought, at a door from which they had been turned with invectives as bitter as gall. Was that the place to which the Spirit had led them? — Millennial Star 77:51”

Sources & References

The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), Vol. 77, No. 51 (1915). https://archive.org/details/millennialstar7751eng (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high)

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