Chapter XIII: My Fourth Mission

On October 11, 1886, I left Logan for another mission to Scandinavia. Upon my arrival in Copenhagen I was assigned to labor in Norway. I acted first as a traveling elder, and in that capacity visited nearly the whole of Norway. Later I presided, again, at Christiania. My mission was filled with active labors, and I believe much good was accomplished.

In the year, 1888, while I presided over the Christiania Conference, many were baptized into the Church. Among them was Brother Koldstad who afterwards became superintendent of the Christiania Sunday school. His wife seemed to be against the gospel, but the Lord, who knows the hearts of the children of men, made manifest to her when she humbled herself in prayer, that "Mormonism" is a saving message sent by God from the heavens. It came about in this manner.

[Image captioned "INTERIOR SIXTH WARD MEETINGHOUSE, LOGAN."]

My mission was nearly ended. I had been away more than three years, and had been released to return home. I spent the last days before leaving Christiania in bidding goodbye to the Saints. One evening I took the train from the little village of Lien, where I had been visiting. That evening there was to be an important council meeting in Christiania, at which I was to transfer the presidency of the conference to Elder O. H. Berg, of Provo, now bishop of the Provo Fourth ward. While the cars were rapidly moving towards Christiania, I sat in one of the compartments thinking of the business of the evening. Suddenly a voice came to me, telling me to go out to Granlund, where Brother Koldstad resided, for a woman there had fasted and prayed to the Lord that Elder Skanchy might visit her, and she desired to accept the gospel in which she had faith. In my simplicity, I believed the voice to be an imagination of my soul, and for about five minutes tried to convince myself that such was the case. I had very little time, because I had to be in Christiania before our council meeting began, in order to get things in order to deliver into new hands, and the place the voice told me to go was in an opposite direction from the meetinghouse. I felt that the Lord knew that my service was in his cause, and that the council meeting was in his service. Soon, however, the message came again, this time in a tremendous voice, that I must go to Koldstad's home, for a woman there had fasted and prayed to the Lord that I might come. The voice was so commanding that I arose to my feet, in the car, and I threw my right arm into the air, and said, "Yes, Lord, I will go." As soon as I reached the Christiania station, I proceeded there. With Brother Koldstad I found Sister Koldstad. I told her that I had received a message to meet there. I felt greatly touched by the Spirit. She told me that she had fasted and prayed that I would come to her home before I went away. She told me further that she believed all that I had taught, and if I thought her worthy, she would like to be baptized before I left Christiania. She was determined that I should baptize her the day following. Thus the Lord dictates in his own way to his children. This revelation from our heavenly Father was a very great testimony to me, and may be pleasing to all who believe in spiritual manifestations. Many years after, when we were all in Zion, I called on Sister Anna C. Widtsoe and her sister Lina Gaarden, and we visited Sister Koldstad in her home, Salt Lake City, during one of the annual conferences. Sister Koldstad, then and there, explained to them the manner of her conversion, and that I had come to her in answer to prayer.