Elder Wm. Willes's miraculous health and vitality in missionary service
Published October 5, 2026 at 9:44 PM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
Elder Wm. Willes, serving as president of the East Indian Mission in Rangoon, British Burmah, reports in 1884 that despite being seventy years old, he has been able to perform his demanding missionary duties with the energy and health of a man forty years younger. He attributes this sustained physical strength to divine favor. Records clarify that Willes was born in 1814, confirming he was indeed in his seventieth year during his 1884 service.
Fuller account of this event (the complete account as preserved in The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 46, No. 45, 10 November 1884, page 715):
I am now in my 70th year, and I feel as well and as energetic as I did 40 years ago, which I attribute to the blessing of the Lord upon me in my missionary labors.
In Their Own Words
“I feel well and am enabled to perform my duties with the energy of a man forty years ago. When the people enquire as to my age, and get for answer that three score years and ten have passed by, they look upon me with skepticism, yet this is fact, and I give God the glory. — Millennial Star 46:45”
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 10 November 1884 (Vol. 46, No. 45). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1884-11-10_46_45 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Additional sources (periodical research): Church History Biographical Database, William Willes (1814–1890), https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/chd/individual/william-willes-1814?lang=eng Complete account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 46, No. 45, 10 November 1884, page 715 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1884-11-10_46_45
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