7 Super Great Legends of 3 Nephite Visits (One’s a First Hand Video!)

I am going to make a bold statement. Ahem. Everyone has a 3 Nephite story.

I’m going to take back that statement and replace it with this one – a whole bunch of multi-generation LDS families have a 3 Nephite story hanging from one of the branches in the family tree. My grandmother had a story. She thought one mysteriously stepped in to help when her husband was out of town and she was perusing orphanages with open enrollment for her six kids.

All the orphanages were full, FYI. At least that’s what they claimed after the third day of the trial run.

Really though, there are loads of 3 Nephite stories. Loads of them! Just like seer stone stories, angel visitation stories or LDS raising the dead stories – there are 3 Nephite stories a-plenty! Below find just a few. For a ton of them you should check here. This list is comprised of pretty old stories – they happened a long time ago. The last one on the list is a first hand account. You can hear it straight from the lips of the witness. And it's not even my grandmother!

For starters – sometimes, rarely, you can request a visit. These first two stories are about requested visits:

1) Benjamin Brown (A Requested Visit)

“...as I found it stated that the three Nephites had power to show themselves to any persons they might wish, Jews or Gentiles, I asked the Lord to allow me to see them for a witness and testimony of the truth of the Book of Mormon, and I covenanted with him, if he complied with my request, that I would preach it even at the expense of my life, should it be necessary. The Lord heard my prayer, and, about five days after, two of the three visited me in my bedroom. I did not see them come, but I found them there. One spoke to me for some time, and reproved me sharply on account of my behavior at the time when I first attended the meeting of the Saints, and treated so lightly the gift of tongues. He told me never, as long as I lived, to do so again, for I had grieved the Spirit of the Lord, by whose power that gift had been given. This personage spoke in the Nephite language, but I understood, by the Spirit which accompanied him, every word as plainly as if he had spoken in English. I recognized the language to be the same as that in which I had heard Father Fisher speak at the meeting. Such a rebuke, with such power, I never had in my life before or since, and never wish to have again. I was dumb before my rebuker, for I knew that what he said was right, and I felt deserving of it. How these men went, I do not know, but directly they were gone, the Spirit of the Lord said to me, "Now, you know for yourself! You have seen and heard! If you now fall away, there is no forgiveness for you." Did I not know then, that the Book of Mormon was true, and that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of the Lord?” (https://books.google.com/books?id=WjMEAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA36&lpg=PA36&dq=%22as+I+found+it+stated+that+the+three+Nephites+had+power+to+show+themselves%22&source=bl&ots=z_KqorN1mZ&sig=bfPtpcyckwL-dFzaUD1Rk2bxadM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwje7Oa__YjaAhURy2MKHYBMCWEQ6AEIMDAC#v=onepage&q&f=false)

2) Joseph Wood (Another Requested Visit)

“I prayed for six years that I might have the privilege of a visit with one of those men (i.e., one of the Three Nephites), if not more. That's a long time, isn't it? We usually get pretty tired and give up before then. But my faith was that strong that that was possible.

“On one winter evening just forty­nine years ago this winter (i.e., 1890), I was chopping wood out in the snow­snow about eighteen or twenty inches deep­and I saw that man coming up the street, and the impression come to me that that's one of the Three Nephites, so I watched him all up the street­­kept on chopping but kept watching him. He come on up and come up to me and said, "Young man, I've come to have a talk with you. Come on in the house. I've got something to show you, and to have a talk with you." I didn't invite him in at all­­he come right in my own home and opened the door for me. The house has been torn down, but that's a picture of it. (He showed us a picture of the house, and pointed out the room where he sat with the Nephite.)

“I mustn't tell you all he told me; it would hit you too hard. I had around half an hour's conversation with that man. He talked about our temples. He talked about the disturbances that've come up in the Church, and he give me to understand that fact that the Almighty God, the Eternal Father, would never give us anything any more that surpassed or excelled that Book of Mormon. That was the greatest thing ever to come to the people of this dispensation for our guide.

“I pressed him hard to know what his name was. I didn't know then that prediction in the Book of Mormon that their names would never be known. (III Nephi 28:25) so when I asked him what his name was so I'd know which one he was, he didn't tell me.” (http://ogdenkraut.com/?page_id=209)

This next one is pretty great. Great because it shows one of the Nephites doing exactly what Moroni had already been reported as doing!Exactly!

3) Anonymous (Food, Direction) 

“At the time of the first settlement of Payson, Utah, a man . . . was sent on a mission to Germany, while the wife was left in Payson to manage their rather isolated farm land. One winter morning . . . a tall elderly gentleman knocked at her door. Not a little surprised at seeing a stranger in this sparsely populated region, she invited him in. He told her he had traveled far and was very hungry. Food was never plentiful in that household, and the fact that it was midwinter caused a greater scarcity than ever. However, the good woman, wrapping part of a loaf of bread in an old bit of peculiarly patterned cloth, offered it to the stranger. The old man thanked her and went his way. The woman followed him to the door and found he had disappeared without leaving a single track in the snow. This incident took place one day before Christmas, and that fact, together with the strangeness of the whole proceeding, caused the young woman to remember the date.

Several years later, the day after her husband's return, she was helping him to unpack his belongings when she found, carefully folded in a corner of his trunk, the same odd piece of cloth in which she had wrapped the stranger's bread. Her husband related to her this story:

“"It was on the day before Christmas. . . . The money which was to pay my expenses was many days overdue, and I was alone and penniless in a strange city. I had not eaten for two days. . . . Upon looking up I perceived a tall, elderly gentleman walking toward me. I turned aside to allow him to pass, but he took me by the arm, and removing a package from his pocket, wrapped in this piece of cloth, placed it in my hand. He then said, `Go to the post office. Even now your money awaits you there.' Without another word he turned and disappeared around a nearby corner. . . . I opened the package and found it contained a half loaf of fresh bread. Later I went to the post office and found the money, just as he had said."” (http://ogdenkraut.com/?page_id=209)

In an awful lot of the stories, the Nephites heal. Sometimes it’s a small thing like this one:

4) Mary Wells Whitney (Healing)

“Hearing the doorbell ring, I went to the door, opened it, and there stood an elderly man, with white hair and beard, neatly dressed, straight as an arrow, and altogether respectable in appearance and respectful in manner. He asked me if I could help him. I told him I had no money, but if he needed food I would gladly give him some. He answered: `I would be very grateful.'

“"The unusual answer somewhat surprised me, but being very much occupied at the time, I paid but little attention. I showed him down into the kitchen, on the basement floor, spread what I had before him, and left him sitting at the table. The little boys were playing there at the time, and I told them to stay with the stranger and wait on him, while I returned to my work on the floor above.

“"After awhile I heard the clatter of feet running up the stairs; and here came the boys, all breathless and excited, the oldest exclaiming: `Mama, I bet that was one of the Three Nephites!' `What makes you think so?' I inquired. Here spoke up the second boy, who had had the toothache when the visitor arrived: `I was holding my hand to my face, and he said, Son, what is troubling you? I said, I've got the toothache, and then he said, It will ache no more. And it stopped aching right then, and hasn't ached since.' The boys also told me that when the stranger departed, he said: `Peace be unto you and your house.' They likewise related how they rushed out after him, and looked up and down the street, and through the backyard, but could not see him anywhere. My youngest son said: `Mama, I even looked into the furnace room, and he wasn't there.'” (http://woodyoubelieveit.blogspot.com/2010/11/ogden-kraut-three-nephites.html)

And sometimes the healing is bigger (and more rhymy), like this:

5) Celia and Alice Millard (Healing)

"One Sunday, nineteen-year-old Alice stayed home from church to care for Celia. Because of a recent storm, fresh snow covered the ground. The two girls heard a knock at the door. Upon opening the door, they were greeted by an old man with a long, white beard. He was dressed in a homespun gray suit. He said to Cecelia, “My young sister, you are not going to die. I have a blessing for you.” He asked for a pen, ink and paper. There was no paper in the house, but Alice gave him a slate and pencil. Using the letters from Cecelia’s name, he quickly wrote fourteen lines:

"Cecelia I say be of good cheer

Ere long you’ll be restored don’t fear

Comfort your self God is your friend

Eternity’l heal you depend

Long you will live upon the earth

Indeed you’l be of mighty worth

Angels will guard you from all harm

Sure you’l be true you’re heart is warm

Make ready Jesus you will see

In Jackson County you will bee

Look forward to a happy life

And you will be a lovely wife

Rejoice you’ll have great wisdom given

Depend you’ll have a place in heaven.

"Before the stranger departed, he told Cecelia to guard the slate and to copy off the words as soon as possible. As he left, he closed the door to the house. When the girls opened the door to see where he had gone, there was no trace of him, not even footprints in the snow. Cecelia and Alice were amazed. They knew all the residents in town, but they did not know this man, nor did any of their neighbors when they later made inquiries. Cecelia and her family became convinced that the stranger was one of the Three Nephites who had come to heal her of this dread disease from which she fully recovered. Interestingly, no blessing was given to Alice, 41 whose life was to be very short."

(http://bsmarkham.com/julie/Biography%20of%20James%20Radford%20Millard%20and%20his%20wife%20Catherine%20Richards%20by%20Julie%20C%20Markham.pdf)

The 3 Nephites haven’t forgotten missionary work. This story is really pretty great. It tells of one of the three planting for mortal missionary to reap:

6) Elder John Morgan (Prophetic Dream/Preaching)

“As he came out of the woods, there spread before him, was a beautiful valley clothed in autumn finery. He felt he had never beheld a scene more lovely. No longer did he fret over not having gone to Rome for his meeting. He took it all as a providential part of this [83] experience. He was tingling with anticipation, and felt that something very important was about to happen–that the promise given him in his dream was about to be fulfilled. He quickened his pace. At a turn in the road he met a man from whom he made some inquiries. He found that Haywood Valley had some twenty-five families of thrifty farmers. He felt a deep urge to stop at the first home he came to. The lady of the house answered. When he had explained his mission he was invited in and made welcome. It was late afternoon. The head of the house had just returned from the fields. Supper was prepared and Elder Morgan was invited to join in the family meal. After supper and evening chores the family gathered in the front room where, by invitation, Gospel subjects were discussed. He was blessed with great freedom of expression as he made plain the truths of the Bible, the first principles, and the plan of salvation prepared by God for the redemption of his children. Before they knew it the midnight hour arrived.

“Elder Morgan was invited to spend the night but before concluding the evening’s religious feast, the father brought out the family Bible and opened it to the scriptures Elder Morgan had been reading and explaining. Every reference and quotation he had used in his evening’s presentation of the Gospel plan was underscored in red in this old family Bible.

“As the father proceeded to point to passage after passage marked in red, he had difficulty in suppressing the excitement he felt as he went on to relate that a stranger had visited them about ten days before. They did not know from whence he came. They did not know his name or where he went upon leaving them. They did know that he was neatly dressed and possessed of a most pleasant personality. This stranger spent some time with them and marked numerous [84] passages of scripture in the Bible. Then, strangest of all, he had told them that within a few days another man would visit them to explain in detail and with great clearness the meaning of the marked scriptures and the purpose of this life and eternal life.” (http://ogdenkraut.com/?page_id=352)

 Up until now, we’ve only had the written word. The stories have been told in whatever voice we’ve assigned in out heads. But here – you can hear it in the actual voice of the woman who experienced it. Complete with a heavenly glow so bright the facial features were masked by light:

             7) Joan Ahlberg (Healing x2)