Not One Stone Touched Her

The Bold Baptism of Hannah Cornaby

Hannah’s friends had turned against her. The town hated her. Nevertheless, Hannah was determined to be baptized as member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She knew in her heart that this was the church she had been searching for her whole life. 

Finally, Hannah was able to set an appointment to become baptized. She left her baby girl, Edith, with a trusted nurse.  When she arrived at the member’s house, I’m sure she was glad she had left Edith at home. There was already a huge mob waiting fort them outside. Hannah and her husband Samuel pushed through the mob and made it inside to safety. They decided to wait out the mob. Surely they would get bored and go home. 

Unfortunately, time did nothing to weaken the mob. In fact, they seemed to grow in numbers… and in rage.

The Cornaby’s waited for hours. Finally, they had enough. The owner of the house concocted a plan. He dressed Samuel up in his son’s fishing clothes. Then asked the mob if he would please let his son pass through as he was a fisherman and needed to be on the boat. The mob obliged and Hannah slipped through behind Samuel. The night cloaking her in near invisibility. But, before they had even reached the water, someone caught on. Yells and taunts filled the Cornaby’s ears, but Hannah would not stop. She was getting baptized.

Now. 

She had waited long enough. They pushed forward to the water. All the while the mob shouted “Duck them, duck them,” (which I take to mean “drown them!”). The angry mob hurled stones at them, but they kept going. 

At last Hannah was baptized.

Her joy must have quickly shifted to unease at the sight of the still-angry mob. Hannah and Samuel quickly exited the water. The mob was so thick, there was no way back to their host’s home, so they walked home. The mob followed and kept throwing stones at them.

But just like Samuel the Lamanite, not one stone touched them. 

Can you imagine? I find it hard to say the word “no” for fear people will be mad at me.

And Hannah had a whole bunch of people mad at her, yelling at her and even trying to hurt and/or kill her. But she did the right thing anyway. 

And rather than this experience hurting her testimony, it only caused it to grow. In her autobiography, Hannah claims this experience made her even more determined to follow the gospel and do what the Lord asked.  

Hannah inspires me to be a better disciple of Christ. To do what the Lord asks of me, no matter the cost.

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