William Wood's recovery from an ankle accident
Published October 5, 2026 at 5:46 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
Elder William Wood experienced a providential situation where he was forced to spend fourteen weeks among his relatives due to an accident involving his ankle. During this time, he was able to bear testimony to his relatives, leading to the baptism of a young lady and a complete change in their feelings toward the Saints.
Fuller account of this event (the complete account as preserved in The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 43, No. 18 (2 May 1881), p. 283):
Elder William Wood, writing from Lowestoft, says: 'I have been laid up for fourteen weeks with a bad ankle, which has been a very providential thing for me, as it has given me an opportunity of bearing my testimony to my relatives, and the result is that one young lady has been baptized, and there is a complete change in their feelings towards the Saints.'
In Their Own Words
“Concerning his visit to London, he says, “ I can say my labors among my relatives have resulted in good, as I had the pleasure of baptizing one young lady on the 17th, as well as leaving a good feeling among my brothers and sisters towards us as a people. So much is this the case that the elders have liberty to call at any time. Although in years past they were prejudiced against the Saints, lately, through hearing the truth concerning them, their feelings have entirely changed. I feel perfectly satisfied that I have borne a faithful testimony to them. and however it may result they are left without excuse. I found brother Grant well and busy. He has appointed me to watch over the interests of the work here, so I will have something to do while my ankle has an opportunity to completely recover. It is now fourteen weeks since the accident occurred which threw me among my relatives, with the results stated. — Millennial Star 43:18”
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 2 May 1881 (Vol. 43, No. 18). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1881-05-02_43_18 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Complete account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 43, No. 18 (2 May 1881), p. 283 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1881-05-02_43_18
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