Narrator 1:  When Oliver Cowdery came down to Harmony, Pennsylvania with Samuel Smith to look into this Joseph Smith, they stopped one night at the home of his friend David Whitmer – another school teacher.  David Whitmer asked Oliver, David Whitmer:  Hey, if this man Joseph Smith is telling the truth and really is translating an ancient record, write me and tell me about him.

Narrator 1:  When Joseph met Oliver, Joseph knew Oliver was the scribe the Lord had promised him.  Also Oliver had a spiritual awakening upon meeting Joseph.  With in days, Oliver was permitted to help in translating.  Oliver wrote back to his friend David Whitmer assuring him that Joseph Smith was in deed the real thing – a man called of God, doing God's work by translating a new book of scripture.  Immediately the Whitmer family members were all interested in helping this young man who had a divine mission.  Persecution was mounting in Harmony.  The Whitmer's offered to let Joseph Smith and Oliver to come stay at their home in Fayette New York.  However the father only had two good horses and had to finish his spring plowing.  He thought it would take two or three days!

Peter Whitmer Sr.:  Oh what a rough day today was, but a miracle happened -- I was able to plow in one day, what would normally take me three days to do.  So now David can sow plaster in the field to enrich the soil starting tomorrow.  That will probably take two days.

David Whitmer:  Well I'd better get the plastering done this morning before I can take the horses down to get Joseph Smith.    (Walks out to his fields and with great surprise exclaims!)  What's this?  The field's already been plastered. Maybe my sister knows something about this. (Seeing his sister, he walks over to her?)  Who did this plastering of our fields? 

Sister Whitmer:  Last night there were three men working here at dusk doing the work.  I just assumed they were three hired men that you had contracted with to do the work.  Who were they?  

David Whitmer:  Gosh!  I never hired anyone!  This is a miracle.  I can go today in our wagon and get Joseph Smith to come here away from the angry neighbors down in Pennsylvania.  This is unbelievable! The Lord really must want him out of Pennsylvania and here where it's safer!

Narrator 1: The prophet Joseph Smith recorded in his journal:

Joseph Smith:  David Whitmer came to the place where we were residing and brought with him a two-horse wagon, for the purpose of having us accompany him to his father's place, and there remain until we should finish the work.  It was arranged that we should have our board free of charge, and the assistance of one of his brothers to write for me, and also his own assistance, when convenient.  Having much need of such timely aid in an undertaking so arduous…we accepted the invitation and accompanied Mr. Whitmer to his father's house.  We resided there until the translation was finished and the copyright secured.

Narrator 2:  Several hundred pages were translated at the Peter Whitmer home.  Here David and John Whitmer assisted much in writing down the translations.  The work moved quickly.  Joseph wrote:

Joseph:  David, John and Peter Whitmer, Jun. have become zealous friends and assistants in the work; and being anxious to know their respective duties, and having desired with much earnestness that I should inquire of the Lord concerning them, I did so inquire of the Lord through the Urim and Thummin and obtained the following revelations:  D&C 14 for David Whitmer;  D&C 15 for John Whitmer; D&C 16 for Peter Whitmer, Jr.

Entire class:  Quick discussion/reading of D&C 14-16.

Narrator 2: Joseph Smith had been told by the Lord that three witnesses would come forth.  Martin Harris was promised that he would be one, if he humbled himself before the Lord.   Finally in Section D&C 17 the Lord revealed who the three witnesses should be:  Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer.  Joseph Smith describes their divine mission as following:

Joseph Smith:  Not many days after the above commandment was given, we four, Martin Harris, David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery and myself agreed to retire into the woods and try to obtain, by fervent and humble prayer, the fulfillment of the promises given in revelation D&C 17 that they should have a view of the plates.  We accordingly made choice of a piece of woods convenient to Mr. Whitmer's house, to which we retired, and having knelt down, we began to pray in much faith to Almighty God to bestow upon us a realization of these promises…I commenced by vocal prayer to our Heavenly Father and was followed by each of the others in succession.  We did not at the first trial, however, obtain any answer or manifestation of divine favor in our behalf.

Narrator 2:  So the men moved to a different spot in the woods and again each took a turn in praying to God, but without any result. After the second attempt:  Martin Harris stood up and stated: Martin Harris:  Oh, I think I am the cause of our unanswered prayers.  I will leave you all for a little while. 

Narrator 2:  So Martin Harris withdrew from the others and then the three prayed again.  Joseph wrote:

Joseph Smith: We knelt down again, and had not been many minutes engaged in prayer, when presently we beheld a light above us in the air, of exceeding brightness; and behold, an angel stood before us. In his hands he held the plates which we had been praying for these to have a view of.  The angle turned over the leaves one by one, so that we could see them, and discern the engravings thereon distinctly. The angel then said to David Whitmer:

Angel Moroni: "David, blessed is the Lord, and he that keeps His commandments!

David & Oliver: (Talking together)  Then immediately afterwards, we heard a voice from out of the bright light above us, saying.  "These plates have been revealed by the power of God, and they have been translated by the power of God.  The translation of them which you have seen is correct, and I command you to bear record of what you now see and hear.!"

Narrator 2:  Then Joseph Smith left David Whitmer & Oliver Cowdery and went and found Martin Harris who had withdrawn himself. 

Joseph Smith:  I found him at a considerable distance from us engaged fervently in prayer.

Martin Harris: (Kneeling) (Looks up finding Joseph Smith with him). Oh Joseph please join me in prayer that I might see the plates.

Joseph Smith: We accordingly joined together in prayer, and ultimately obtained our desires, for before we had yet finished, the same vision was opened to our view...and I once more beheld and heard the same things, whilst at the same moment, Martin Harris cried out, apparently in an ecstasy of joy:

Martin Harris:   Tis enough!  Tis enough!; mine eyes have beheld, mine eyes have beheld; (Then he jumps up and shouts)  Hosanna, blessed be God!

Narrator 2:  He definitely rejoiced exceedingly.  Joseph Smith later recounted this entire story in JSH 1: 34 – 35.

Narrator 3:  Well, Joseph Smith was now so relieved that others had witnessed what burden he'd been declaring for years.  Joseph Smith's mother Lucy records in her journal his relief! Lucy Mack Smith: When Joseph returned to our home sometime between three and four o'clock p.m. where Mrs. Whitmer, Mr. Smith and myself were sitting in a bedroom, Joseph came in and threw himself down beside me and exclaimed:

Joseph Smith:  (Throwing himself into a chair) Father, mother, you do not know how happy I am;  the Lord has now caused the plates to be shown to three more besides myself.  They have seen an angel, who has testified to them what I have said, for now they know for themselves, that I do not go about to deceive the people, and I feel as if I was relieved of a burden which was almost too heavy for me to bear, and it rejoices my soul, that I am not any longer to be entirely alone in the world!"

Narrator 3:  It truly was a burden lifted for the young prophet.  The testimony of the Three Witnesses is given in the preface to the Book of Mormon.  Later the testimony of the eight was added.  Yet the three witnesses who saw and heard an angel -- Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris never faltered in bearing testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.  Now they did falter in other areas of the Church,  David Whitmer left the Church and never came back.  Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris both left the Church but were eventually rebaptized and died in full fellowship.  However even when they were out of the church, all three continued to bear solemn witness of the reality of their experience on that day. 

Narrator 4:  Let's drop in and witness all three as they faced death to enter heaven's door:  In the year 1878 Francis W. Kirkham recounted Oliver Cowdery's death bed scene to Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith saying "Oliver died the happiest man I ever saw.  After shaking hands with all his family, kissing his wife and daughter, he rose up and said:

Oliver Cowdery:  (Laying in bed, sits up) Now I lay me down for the last time; I am going to my Savior"  (lays down with a big smile on his face/eyes closed forever)

Narrator 4:  He died immediately with a smile on his face.   Now let's look in on David Whitmer who never did rejoin the church.  It was on a Sunday evening at 5:30 pm on January 22, 1888 and Mr. Whitmer called his family and some friends to his bedside and addressing himself to the attending physician said:

David Whitmer: Doctor Buchanan, I want you to say whether or not I am in my right mind, before I give my dying testimony.

Narrator 4:  The doctor answered that "Yes, you are in your right mind, for I have just had a conversation with you."  Then David Whitmer spoke to all around his bedside in these words:

David Whitmer:  Now you must all be faithful in Christ.  I want to say to you all, the Bible and the record of the Nephites (Book of Mormon) is true, so you can say that you have heard me bear my testimony on my death-bed. All be faithful in Christ, and your reward will be according to your works.  God bless you all.  My trust is in Christ forever, world without end, Amen.

Narrator 4:  Then he just peacefully died.  Our last witness Martin Harris' death was recorded by Elder William Harrison Homer who wrote:  It was July 10, 1875 in the evening.  It was milking time, and Martin Harris, Jr. had been unconscious for a number of days.  My mother Eliza Williamson Homer and myself entered the room thinking Martin was sleeping.  He soon woke up and asked for a drink of water.  I put my arm under the old gentleman and raised him and my mother held the glass to his lips.  He drank freely, then he looked up at me and recognized me, as he had taken and shown me around Kirtland. Then Martin said:

Martin Harris:  Yes, I did see the plates on which I did hear the voice of God; and I do know that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God, holding the keys of the Holy Priesthood.

Narrator 4:  Elder Homer then added: This was the end.  Martin Harris, divinely  chosen witness of the work of God relaxed, gave up my hand.  He lay back on his pillow and just as the sun went down behind the Clarkston Mountains, the soul of Martin Harris passed on. What great men these three witnesses were:  They lifted the spiritual burden of testifying for Joseph Smith and bore testimony of the truth on their death beds.  We too can gain a testimony:  As it says over and over in the Doctrine & Covenants, "Therefore, if you will ask of me you shall receive;  if you will knock it shall be opened unto you…keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God." (D&C 14:5, 7)  Inquire of the Lord as Moroni speaks to you when reading the Book of Mormon:

Angel Moroni: "And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you by the Power of the Holy Ghost.  And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."  (Moroni 10:4-5)

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