We live in a time when the Church of Jesus Christ has been well established, and we are used to

talking in terms of large numbers, general conferences translated into scores of languages simultaneously,

missionaries serving in diverse countries all over the world, and the kingdom of God on

the earth organized unlike any worldly entity.

We are used to thinking in terms of the first presidency, the quorum of the Twelve Apostles,

church headquarters, the conference center, Temple Square.

But in the era we are talking about today, the early part of 1831, none of these things

were yet a reality.

When Joseph and Emma arrived in Curtland, Ohio, in February 1831, the successful missionary

efforts of Parley P. Pratt and his companions had just doubled the entire membership of the church to

about 250 people.

Welcome to Meridian Magazine's Come Follow Me podcast. We are Scott and Maureen Proctor, and we are so

delighted to be with you again this week. Today we'll be talking about Doctrine and Covenants,

Sections 41 through 44, with a lesson entitled My Law to Govern My Church.

Maureen, I have studied the history of the church my entire life. I grew up in Missouri

in the heart of it. I used to joke that I was just six days

walk from Jackson County. I spent lots of time in Navu back in the day when very little was there.

I remember the early excavations of the Navu Temple site in the 60s when young people from Utah

came to help. I remember going to Adamondioman in 1971, and it was

just brambles, thorny honey locust trees, and a sign hanging sideways from one nail that indicated

where we were. That was 50 years ago. I have to see and understand the history of the church in context.

One thing I've learned is that the Kirtland period is pivotal to understanding the entire history of the church.

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