First Mission of the Twelve to the Sandwich Islands: Dedicatory Prayer and Manifestations
Published October 5, 2026 at 6:00 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
On December 12, 1850, ten pioneering missionaries—Hiram Clark (mission president), Henry William Bigler, George Q. Cannon, John Dixon, William Farrer, James Hawkins, James Keeler, Thomas Morris, Thomas Whittle, and Hiram H. Blackwell—arrived in Honolulu, Oahu, marking the first visit of Latter-day Saints to the Hawaiian Islands. Lacking formal instruction, they sought the direction of the Holy Ghost for their work. Shortly after their arrival, they ascended the Nuuanu Valley to a hill overlooking Honolulu, currently known as Pacific Heights. Along the way, each missionary gathered a stone to construct a small altar, roughly three feet high and three feet around, in a secluded spot about 1,000 feet above sea level. Before completing the hike, they bathed in Kapena Falls (then known as King's Falls), which was their first real bath in a month. At the altar, the missionaries sang hymns and bore their testimonies to one another. President Hiram Clark then offered a dedicatory prayer for the islands, petitioning the Lord to open the way for the Gospel, provide His Spirit for guidance, protect them from adversaries and evil, and help them gather the honest in heart. During this prayer, the Spirit of the Lord rested powerfully upon them; one Elder spoke in tongues, another provided the interpretation, and they were filled with profound joy. This event established the precedents of dedicating lands for missionary work and setting apart missionaries. Following the prayer, the elders descended the hill with a sense of exuberance and optimism for their forthcoming labors.
In Their Own Words
“On the 23rd of December, 1850, we ascended a high mountain back of Honolulu, and in a secluded spot, about 1,000 feet above the level of the sea, we formed a small altar of stones, about three feet high and three feet in diameter. We then sang a hymn, and each one, in his turn, expressed his desires. The oldest, who was also the President, was selected to be mouth in prayer. He embodied our desires in his petition. They were that the Lord would make a speedy work on those islands, open an effectual door for the reaching of the Gospel, confound opposers, help us to gather out the honest in heart, and spare our lives to return home in safety. One of the Elders spoke in tongues and uttered many comforting promises, and another interpreted. The Spirit of the Lord rested powerfully upon us, and we were filled with exceeding great joy. I had the satisfaction afterwards of witnessing the fulfillment of the promises made on that occasion.”
— George Q. Cannon, as quoted in the Millennial Star, Vol. 44, No. 11
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 13 March 1882 (Vol. 44, No. 11). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1882-03-13_44_11 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Additional sources (periodical research): Mary Jane Woodger, "The Ten Pioneering Missionaries of the Sandwich Islands, 1850–54," in Go Ye into All the World: The Growth and Development of Mormon Missionary Work, ed. Reid L. Neilson and Fred E. Woods (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, 2012), 217–40. https://rsc.byu.edu/go-ye-all-world/ten-pioneering-missionaries-sandwich-islands-1850-54 Full first-person account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 44, No. 11 (March 13, 1882), p. 166 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1882-03-13_44_11
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