Joseph Smith Jr.

Joseph Smith, the Prophet and seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. – John Taylor

Appearance:

6 feet, 200 pounds, well built, athletic and active
Light complexion, wavy light auburn hair, prominent nose, blue eyes, light beard

Character:

Faithful. Falsely arrested 39 times, 6 months in jail, 3 times driven from homes
Leader. Josiah Quincy (later mayor of Boston) that he may well be the 19th-century American “who exerted the most powerful influence upon the destinies of his countrymen.”
Speaker. Could convince almost anyone once he got their ear.
Compassionate.  Healed dozens of people and arranged blessings for others.
Courageous.  Underwent leg surgery without anesthetic as a young child
Cheerful & Optimistic. When mobs threatened to “drive the Mormons to hell,”  Joseph replied, “If they do, we’ll turn the devil out and make a heaven of it.”

Accomplishments:

Translator. Translatedand published two books of ancient scripture, the Book of Mormon and the Book of Abraham.  This he did without corrections.
Revelator. Reveived clear answers to the greatest questions of the soul:  What is God like?  What happens after I die?  What is the purpose of this life?
Publisher. Published the revelations as the Doctrine and Covenants and the book of Moses.
Missionary. Traveled over 1300 mies – much on foot – on 14 short term missions.
President of the Church.  Membership grew from 6 to 42,000 in 14 years.
Prophet.  Foretold the Civil War, the destiny of the Church, the future of many individuals, and hundreds of other events, including his martyrdom.
City Planner.  The City of Joseph (Nauvoo) was the model for 350 other cities and towns.
Mayor of Nauvoo. The city of Nauvoo, was larger than Chicago at that time.
Historian:  Compiled 3,000 pages of Church history
Author:  Wrote numerous articles and was editor of the Times and Seasons
Temple Designer.  Designed Kirtland, Nauvoo, and Jackson county temples.
Military Leader.  Asa Lieutenant General in the Illinois State Militia commanded 3,000 troups (even outranked, at the time, General Ulyssyes S Grant.)
S. Presidential Candidate.  His platform was to make prisons “seminaries of learning”; to abolish slavery by making government payments of slave owners, to establish a national system of banks; and to reduce the pay of congressmen.
Educator.  Established several schools and a university
Family Man. Devoted to his wife and family, personally caring for them when sick, and playing with his children and friends.

Who was Joseph Smith?  A translator, revelator, missionary, Church president, Prophet, city planner, mayor, historian, author, temple designer, military leader, educator, missionary, Presidential candidate, and devoted family man – all before his 39th birthday!