1834, Anson Vasco Call was born.
1846, Moroni Call, Anson Vasco’s brother, died
1866, Charlotte Call, Anson Vasco’s wife, died.
1950, Cynthia Call, mother of Derrick Clements, was born.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Anson Call Obedient and Resourceful, Elder Oaks Says
“Anson Call was in the initial exodus from Nauvoo. He and his family crossed Iowa in the spring of 1846 and reached Council Bluffs, Iowa, that summer. There Brigham Young was organizing wagon companies. He appointed Anson Call captain of the first 10 wagons. The Twelve ordered his wagon train to move west. It left the Missouri River for the West on July 22, 1846. Organized by priesthood authority, they were directed toward the Rocky Mountains, and they went westward with great energy.
“After traveling more than 130 miles through what is now Nebraska, this first wagon train was overtaken by new instructions directing them not to proceed further that season. They found a place to winter and then, in the spring of 1847, returned east and rejoined the main body of the Church on the Iowa side of the Missouri. There Anson Call and his family remained for a year, making further preparations and helping others prepare for the trip west. It was two years after their initial start westward in 1846 that Anson Call and his family finally journeyed to the valleys of the mountains. There the obedient and resourceful Anson Call was frequently used by Brigham Young to begin new settlements in the Intermountain West.
“What is the meaning of this pioneer experience? It is not enough that we are under call, or even that we are going in the right direction. The timing must be right, and if the time is not right, our actions should be adjusted to the Lord’s timetable as revealed by His servants.”
We Have Challenges Also Today
“Although our journeys today are less demanding physically than the trek of our pioneers 150 years ago, they are no less challenging. Certainly it was hard to walk across a continent to establish a new home in a dry western desert. But who can say if that was any more difficult than is the task of living faithful, righteous lives in today’s confusingly sinful world. … But our reward will be the same as that which awaits worthy pioneers of all ages who live faithfully the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, make right choices, and give their all to build the kingdom of God on earth.”
Source: Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “You Have Nothing to Fear from the Journey,” Ensign, May 1997, 61.
Conversion and Courage
“By the time Anson was in his early 20s he had become dissatisfied with all denominations, and he considered the preaching of Latter-day Saint missionaries an annoyance. His father, however, believed the missionaries and was baptized.
“The missionaries returned often to Madison to preach the gospel, and they frequently stopped at Anson’s house to talk to him. Among those who stopped were missionaries Brigham Young, John P. Greene, and Almon Babbitt. Anson wrote of their visits in his record: ‘In discussing with them upon the principles of the gospel … I came to the conclusion … I did not understand the Bible and the Book of Mormon. I resolved to prepare myself … by investigating the two books.’
“So Anson engaged in a thorough study of the Book of Mormon, comparing it with the Bible to better prove to the missionaries that the Church was wrong. After six months of diligent praying and searching, he finished the two books. He found, however, that the more he had studied, the more he became convinced that the missionaries were right. Instead of disproving the Book of Mormon, Anson became a firm believer in it. He wrote: ‘I was then taught by the Spirit to obey the principles of the gospel.’
“During his conversion, Anson struggled intensely over what it would be like to be classified as a ‘Mormon.’ He thought at times that he would become ‘insane’ with the inner wrestling of his soul. ‘My feelings were not known by any but my wife,’ he wrote. ‘I was proud and haughty, and to obey the gospel was worse than death. … To be called a Mormon, I thought, was more than I could endure. … I at last covenanted before the Lord that if He would give me confidence to face the world in Mormonism I would be baptized.’”
Rashness
Anson Call (Anson Vasco's father had trouble maintaining good relationships with his several wives. One day he found a note either to or from wife Mariah and a man who worked on the property. He assumed an affair had taken place, and he immediately divorced her without giving her a chance to defend herself. He forced her kids away to be raised by Mary and sent her away on a horse. Mariah told Mary that she never had an affair, and Mary believed her.
Source: Anson Call and the Rocky Mountain Prophesy, p. 322-323.
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