1839 some members of the Quorum of the Twelve left for missions in England under very trying circumstances:" 'Wilford Woodruff and John Taylor were the first to start out. Wilford, in Montrose, had been suffering for days from chills and fever. His infant daughter, Sarah Emma, also seriously ill, was being cared for by friends with more suitable accommodations. On August 8 he finally bade [his wife] Phoebe a tender farewell and walked to the banks of the Mississippi. Brigham Young paddled him across the river in a canoe. When Joseph Smith found him resting by the post office, Wilford told the Prophet that he felt and looked more like a subject for the dissecting room than a missionary. . . .
" 'It took Elders Woodruff and Taylor, traveling together, the rest of the month to make it as far as Germantown, Indiana. . . .
" 'By the time they arrived in Germantown John Taylor was so desperately ill that it was impossible for him to continue. . . .
" '[He] remained ill, sometimes near death, for about three weeks. His optimism was tenacious, however, as suggested in a tender letter to [his wife] Leonora, dated September 19 [1839]:" ' "You may ask me how I am going to prosecute my journey. . . .
I do not know but one thing, I do know, that there is a being who clothes the lilies of the valley & feeds the ravens & he has given me to understand that all these things shall be added & that is all I want to know. He laid me on a bed of sickness & I was satisfied, he has raised me from it again & I am thankful. He stopped me on my road & I am content. . . .
If he took me I felt that it would be well. He has spared me, & it is better" '
(James
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