Sarah
The story of my mother
By Sarah Gibb Fisher
She must have been very young when her mother died, For all that Sarah could remember about her was a single incident. One bright sunny day, it must have been early spring for the leaves were budding on the trees. Sarah's mother took her for a walk out in the fields of the little Welch village.
When they had gone a long way, or it seemed like a long way to Sarah, her mother sat her down on a rock and took her little girl in her arms. They talked of many things, the thing that Sarah remembered best was her mother saying; "I am going to give you a little key and I want you take care of it, but use it every morning and night and when you need help. This key is prayer." It grew late before they reached home, Sarah remembered that as they walked to the house that her mother shivered, as the air had grown chilly.
This was the last time she ever saw her mother alive as she died within one week. Sarah was left with only a tiny baby sister that she could claim as a relation, since her father had never been known to her. After her mother's death she lived with her stepfather and went to school.
Sarah must have been a very bright little girl for she only went to school for a few years yet she was never asked to spell a word that she missed and she was hard to compete with in reading.
As soon as she could work, she had to leave school and was put out in 'service' taking care of rich people's babies. Then as she grew older she helped with the house work.
On a visit to her home, she met the elders of the Mormon Church who preached the Gospel to her. She became converted and was baptized a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
From the first, she loved to study the Gospel and she walked ten miles every Sunday to attend the church service.
She had little time to read except at night. While reading the book of Mormon with the lamp on a little table by her bed, she fell asleep; leaving the light burning. Her mistress passed by the door, and noticed a light and went into the room. When she saw what Sarah was reading she told her that she would not have a little Mormon girl around her children.
Sarah was without work for some time. One Sunday morning as she was walking home from Sunday school She stepped aside into a hedge that grew along the side of the lane and knelt in prayer. She prayed that she would get work as her shoes were almost worn out and she had no way of providing for herself.
As she continued her walk, she heard a buggy coming behind her. She looked back and saw a lady driving a horse. As she drove up, she asked Sarah to ride. Sarah got in and as they rode along the lady asked Sarah a number of questions and finally hired her to work for her.
Sarah grew but not very tall; she weighed only one hundred pounds. She had brown curls, dark blue eyes and pink and white complexion so it was no wonder that one day, as she was standing in church singing, a young man thought she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen and asked her (after the meeting) if he could walk home with her. Though he was not a member of the church he came every Sunday to walk home with her, but when he found that nothing could induce her to marry a man that was not of her faith he stopped going to their meetings.
One day he was going home from work. He saw a crowd of people on the corner and a man preaching. He stopped and listened, the simple testimony of the Elder sank deep into the heart of the young and he decided to try out the challenge that was given him; "That anyone reading the Book of Mormon with a sincere desire to know, having a prayer in his heart should know for himself if it were true".
The young man read the Book of Mormon and believed in it. He was baptized, and then went back to the church that Sarah attended and again asked her if he might walk home with her. Not long after this, they were married. After they had two lovely children, Sarah's greatest wish was to go to Zion.
Her husband's father hearing that his son had become a Mormon, turned him out of the house and his business. The young couple found work in Ireland and soon, by the strictest saving, had enough money to take them to Utah.
In Zion, Sarah's faith was often tried by the way the people acted but when she prayed, something whispered that it was not the fault of the church that the people didn't do right. They went to a little town, grubbed the brush out, built them a comfortable home and raised and educated a large family. Sarah said her wish was to send her children to BYU and she did until they came to Canada
.
An Answer to prayer
By Ada Dyer (Another Daughter)
one time Sarah was working for a lady who was very particular about how her servants looked. She insisted on a neat appearance, clean clothes, well-brushed hair, well mended shoes. Shoes were particularly a problem-- they were difficult to get and worn ones always looked shoddy. Sarah finally saved enough to buy a much needed pair. She carried the money with her to church on Sunday. As she walked along she thought of one of the principles of the church that was to mean so much to her-- the principle of tithing, the payment of a tenth of one's earnings to the lord. The money she so carefully had saved for shoes was just enough to pay her tithing. So instead of waiting to buy shoes, she paid her tithing. Then went home and spent an evening of mingled feelings. She had feelings of gratitude to a church that was giving her the richness of life that meant so much to her. Perhaps in answer to her prayers, and because of her payment of tithes, the heart of her mistress on that morning was touched with goodness. And Sarah was given money to buy a new pair of shoes. This memory always stayed with Sarah as a testimony of the rewards that come to one from living of the principles of the church.
At
The following became a favorite poem of all the Gibb Children as it was recited by their mother.
I saw a little lamb today
It was not very old
Close by it's mother's side it lay
So soft within the fold.
Dear little lamb you cannot know,
What blessings I have lost
Were you like me,
What would you do?
Amid the wintry frost
I had a mother once, like you
To keep me by her side.
To cherish me and love me too
But soon alas she died.
Now sorrowful and full of care
I'm alone and weary every where
Sometimes I wish I could depart
And find a peaceful grave.
Twas thus a little orphan sang
Her lonely heart to cheer,
Before she wandered long
She found her Savior dear
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