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the Lord will take care of you in times of danger, if you will give him the opportunity (George Albert Smith)

On one occasion J. Golden Kimball and George Albert Smith were traveling together and had been invited to spend the night in a small log home. George Albert Smith later recalled:
“About midnight we were awakened with a terrible shouting and yelling from the outside. Foul language greeted our ears as we sat up in bed to acquaint ourselves with the circumstances. It was a bright moonlit night and we could see many people on the outside. President Kimball jumped up and started to dress. The men pounded on the door and used filthy language ordering the Mormons to come out, that they were going to shoot them. President Kimball asked me if I wasn’t going to get up and dress and I told him no, I was going to stay in bed, that I was sure the Lord would take care of us. In just a few seconds the room was filled with shots. Apparently the mob had divided itself into four groups and were shooting into the corners of the house. Splinters were flying over our heads in every direction. There were a few moments of quiet, then another volley of shots was fired and more splinters flew. I felt absolutely no terror. I was very calm as I lay there, experiencing one of the most horrible events of my life, but I was sure … that the Lord would protect me, and he did.
“Apparently the mob became discouraged and left. The next morning when we opened the door, there was a huge bundle of heavy hickory sticks such as the mob used to beat the missionaries in the South.”13
Years later George Albert Smith shared this experience with his grandchildren to teach them to trust the Lord. “I want to impress on you,” he said, “that the Lord will take care of you in times of danger, if you will give him the opportunity.”
“How My Life Was Preserved,” George Albert Smith Family Papers, University of Utah, box 121, scrapbook 1, pages 43–44.

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