In the 1890s, Lucy Jane “Jennie” Brimhall was a student at Brigham Young Academy. You might remember reading an earlier post about how Jennie and her friend Inez Knight were planning a vacation to Europe.
Then Jennie’s bishop made a bold request: would they consider turning their vacation into a mission?
There had been lots of rumors in Europe about how women were “mistreated” in Utah. So the European Mission presidency asked for Latter-day Saint women to come preach the gospel in the area and clear up the rumors.
Inez and Jennie accepted the call. On April 1, 1898, they became the first unmarried, set-apart sister missionaries in this dispensation!
Jennie served as a missionary from April to November, when her poor health forced her to return to home to Utah. In 1899 Jennie married Jesse William Knight—her companion Inez’s brother. They had two sons.
Here are some other amazing things Jennie did:
- Helped found the town of Raymond in Alberta, Canada
- Served as the president of the Young Ladies’ Mutual Improvement Association both in Alberta and in Provo, Utah
- Was matron of Brigham Young University
- Served as First Counselor in the General Relief Society Presidency and went to Washington, D.C., to represent the Relief Society with civic leaders
What an amazing woman! What can we learn from Jennie’s example?