Wilford Woodruff's Spirit-Directed Escape from a Whirlwind

In 1848, while traveling through Indiana after his return to Winter Quarters from the pioneer journey, Wilford Woodruff was accompanied by his wife, four children, and Dominicus Carter. During the journey, Woodruff parked his carriage in the yard of a fellow Latter-day Saint, with Orson Hyde’s wagon parked nearby, less than two feet away. Woodruff, his wife, and one child slept in the carriage, while the rest of his family and companions stayed in the house. Shortly after retiring, Woodruff heard a voice—the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost—instructing him to get up and move his carriage. Despite his wife's inquiry, he acted on the impression and moved the carriage several rods to the side of the house. As he returned to bed, the Spirit prompted him again to move his mules, which were tied to an oak tree about one hundred yards north of where his carriage had originally been parked. He relocated the animals to a young hickory grove and went to bed. Within thirty minutes, a whirlwind struck the area, snapping the oak tree at the base, carrying it one hundred yards, and destroying two fences. The tree fell exactly where his carriage had been stationed; the top limbs brushed against the carriage in its new location. In the morning, Woodruff measured the fallen oak tree and found it to be five feet in circumference. The tree fell within one foot of Orson Hyde’s wagon but did not strike it. By following the promptings of the Spirit, Woodruff recorded that he had preserved the lives of his family and animals.