Dedicated to "The Promised Land' Series

Who is Baruch? How about Ebed? And how in the world do they tie in with the Book of Mormon? What is Rosh Hashannah or Ha-Zikkaron? And what do they have to do with Lehi and his family? What does the date September 22nd have to do with anything we learn while we read our scriptures? What were Laman and Lemuel really like before leaving Jerusalem, to behave the way that they did in the scriptures? Where was the family located when Nephi had the same vision as his father?

Those of us who read the Book of Mormon, know all the same answers. We know what it was that lead the family into the wilderness. We know that they dwelt in a tent. We know that we don't really like Laman and Lemuel for the way they treated their family. We know that Lehi had a dream and that later Nephi had the same dream. We know that they were wealthy before they left Jerusalem.

But like most of you, that is where my thinking stops. I read what I read and I sometimes consider deeper things, but I don't really ponder on certain questions. Much like the ones that I asked in the first paragraph. And these are all questions that I found the answers to while reading the book "Day of Remembrance". Author David G. Woolley helped me to expand my imagination through his ideas and his research. I was able to see these people in my mind and really understand what they must have gone through in order to bring about the will of the Lord. I learned that there were far more historical people involved that I had never even thought about. Baruch was an actual scribe for the prophet Jeremiah. Ebed-Melech was an Ethiopian sailor and a jailer in the palace. Call me crazy, but when there is a list of names in the front of the book, I don't usually take the time to look at them. I ususally just delve right into the book and get caught up in the story. Well, that is what I did. I was surprised to learn later on that they were mentioned in the scriptures for all the world to see. But it took Mr. Woolley's talent and imagination to allow me to open my mind to that and see what was right there for me to see.

One of the ideas that I loved, was that maybe, just maybe, Lehi took others with him into the wilderness. I suppose that we will never really know what took place way back then, but it is really quite fun to ponder on what could have happened back then. One of the most intriguing to me was the idea that Hagoth went with Lehi into the wilderness. Hagoth is mentioned in the Book of Mormon as a shipbuilder. Well, in this story, he went with Lehi into the wilderness. Now, this may not have happened. No mention of this exists in the Book of Mormon. But it is fun to ponder on the idea and think of what may have happened.

Another point that I really liked was the way that Mr. Woolley connected the family of Lehi to Joseph Smith and his family and to others in Jerusalem at the time of Joseph Smith. The Lord works in ways that are mysterious to many of us. But when we really stop to think things through, we might realize that there is a connection between the 22nd of September when Joseph got the plates and the celebrations in the Jewish traditions of Rosh Hashanna and Ha-Zikkaron. Maybe I am just reading too much into what has been written thus far and when the new book comes out, I will see that I didn't understand a thing that he had written. (it's happened before) But I love that Mr. Woolley is making connections through his research that I never could have made just by reading my Book of Mormon every night.

I have never really liked Laman and Lemuel. I have always thought that they were just a little stupid. To see and angel and still complain seems pretty dumb to me. But once again, the author allowed me to see them a little differently. Don't get me wrong, I still don't like them, but I have more compassion for them. We are all like Laman and Lemuel. I think that if we had been raised the way they had been raised, we may have acted the same way. We can probably imagine that they were given whatever they wanted. They had money and lots of it. They lived very comfortably and never wanted for anything. Laman and Lemuel were so attached to their material items that they found it really hard to accept the fact that they had to leave it all behind and follow their father into the wilderness. And while I can be compassionate towards them, I do believe that from the beginning they were selfish. They wanted only what was good for them, not the family as a whole. They were not willing to live the way that the Lord asked them. And through the story that Mr. Woolley has created, it was easy for me to imagine what kind of hearts they really had.

Mr. Woolley has created a story that allows reality to mix with imagination in a way that gives permission to all who read it to see the Book of Mormon in a different light. It allows us to think outside the box. I have enjoyed reading these books and really delving into the ideas that have been presented. I love knowing that this is a story based on historical events and studying further to know which events are historical and which are not. I recommend this book to all who love the Book of Mormon. I recommend it to all who sometimes find the Boook of Mormon a tad boring, because it will open your eyes to a new world full of ideas. David Woolley has really done a marvelous job at showing us what we are missing when we read the Book of Mormon.