Yesterday afternoon a fellow classmate and I did a pretty cool service project. We made an audio recording of a chapter from a book of compiled articles for the recent Sperry Symposium. Our article was titled: "Zion's Camp: A Study in Obedience, Then and Now," by David F. Boone.

What we got to do was pretty fun slash cool (shout-out to Elisabeth)--McKay simply clipped onto his shirt a small microphone that was connected to an mp3 recording device, and we were set.

My job was to follow along and make sure we got everything right. The article was over 20 pages long, and it took us about 1 1/2 hours to record. Someone's going to go through later and edit out our mistakes. I guess BYU does this sort of thing regularly. The recordings are intended for blind or visually impaired individuals.

Here are some things I learned from the article:

Zion's Camp was "a force of Saints organized militarily but for the most part without formal experience," which became necessary in 1833 after mob violence erupted against early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who had settled in Jackson County, Missouri.

The plan was for Church leaders and members to come from Kirtland, Ohio to Missouri to help defend the Saints once Missouri Governor Daniel Dunklin had used the states' militia to restore Jackson County Saints to their homes.

"Governor Dunklin, who in November 1833 had suggested such a military organization on the part of the Church, waffled because of public outcry. Dunklin ultimately withdrew his support for involving any state military force.

"Meanwhile, the Saints’ preparations continued, and Mormon recruits departed from Kirtland in the main body of Zion’s Camp on May 5, 1834. The leaders of Zion’s Camp did not learn that Governor Dunklin had reversed his position until the expedition was underway" (Boone).

After an extremely difficult march of 800 to 1,000 miles between Kirtland and Clay County, in which members of the camp suffered from hunger, disease, and extremely difficult circumstances, the camp was disbanded on June 25, 1834.

"Because Zion’s Camp was dissolved before achieving its expressed objectives, the whole mission has been labeled a failure by many authors from 1834 to the present. Nonetheless, the expedition made numerous lasting contributions to the Church" (Boone).

The main body of the article was spent discussing those contributions, which include a great deal of doctrines and teachings; lessons on obedience, sacrifice, and the sanctity of life; and missionary opportunities. By studying the experiences of Zion's Camp, we also gain greater insight into Joseph Smith's prophetic role; we see miracles, warnings, prophecies, healings, visions, prophetic insights, and the example the Prophet Joseph set with his actions.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell has said:

"God is more concerned with growth than with geography. Thus, those who marched in Zion's Camp were not exploring the Missori countryside but their own possibilities."

Boone pointed out that:

"The participants in Zion’s Camp were being tried, stretched, refined, tutored, and tested like Abraham of old to determine their obedience to the Lord in all things."

This very much reminds of something Andy shared with me last night. He and his roommate came up with this, meant to be said with the intonations of the Transformers slogan:

Afflictions: Blessings in disguise

("A-fflic-tions--Ble-ssings in dis-guise!")

Boone, David F., “Zion’s Camp: A Study in Obedience, Then and Now ” in Sperry Symposium Classics: The Doctrine and Covenants, ed. Craig K. Manscill (Provo and Salt Lake City: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, and Deseret Book 2004), 248-274.