Inside front cover: Proselyting the Indians, by Winfred R. Geisler, 24″ by 30″, oil on canvas, 1984. Courtesy of Stephen and Christine Ralston.
In 1885, missionaries went to the Wind River Shoshone Indians carrying a Book of Mormon and a letter of friendship from Brigham Young. Chief Washakie accepted the gifts, telling his subchiefs that their “Father above the clouds” told Brigham Young to send the missionaries. This was the beginning of a long friendship between Washakie and the Latter-day Saints.
Inside back cover: Gift of the Holy Ghost, by Del Parson, 18″ by 24″, oil on canvas, 1979;
“We believe … (in) the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost,” wrote the Prophet Joseph Smith. After baptism, members of the Church may receive the gift of the Holy Ghost—the blessing of guidance, light, and truth from the Spirit. This painting depicts a nineteenth-century convert receiving this ordinance.
Eternal Marriage, by Del Parson, 24″ by 24″, oil on canvas, 1979.
Eternal marriage, a holy priesthood ordinance, represents one of the blessings given to mankind through the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ through the Prophet Joseph Smith. This painting depicts a nineteenth-century couple shortly after leaving the temple where their eternal marriage was performed.