As a child, stories about my ancestors were a big part of my growing testimony. One memorable account was the conversion experience of my great-great-grandfather, John Grant Bagley.
John was born in Southampton, New Brunswick, in 1836, and came from a family of lumberjacks. At age16, he learned about and accepted the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. The missionary who taught and baptized him, Jesse W. Crosby, had preached in New Brunswick in 1844 with some success. He had suffered serious mob violence, but bravely returned, following the unselfish example of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who, through the influence of the Holy Ghost, was his guiding Light. During his second visit, eight years later, he continued to teach people in that part of the country.
That Which is of God is Light
In John Grant's own words, recorded in a history he wrote in 1894, he recounts an experience he had one night while walking to visit a friend: “Before I got to the house, there was a bright light went before me. It passed by the house and went into an unfinished house about 200 feet from where I stopped. When I went in the house I looked around and saw all the family and the Elder [Jesse Crosby] was there. I was much surprised for I thought some one of the family was out with a lamp. The man of the house asked me what made me look so. I said I had seen a bright light go before me, and I thought someone of the family was out with a light, but I see all are here, and I was thinking what the light could be. The Elder smiled and passed it off”.
John Bagley stayed and listened to the message of the restoration. He then goes on to say, “I was baptized the next morning, then I plainly understood the light I had seen the night before. That light has guided me through many dark moments through life.”
And He That Continueth in God, Receiveth More Light
John Grant Bagley was determined to continue to “follow the Light” and gather to Zion in keeping with the counsel at that time. In 1854, as an 18-year-old, he worked his way across the plains driving oxen and ended up settling in the Salt Lake Valley. His journal contains many accounts of how he ministered to pioneers suffering from cholera and even contracted the dreaded disease himself, but survived! Through his faithful example, his father, Edward Cyrenius Bagley, and some of his siblings, including Edward Alma Bagley, later followed him into the waters of baptism and made their way to Zion. They all had large posterities that helped settle many communities in the Intermountain West.
And That Light Groweth Brighter and Brighter
In December of 2017, my wife, Gayle, and I also followed that same Light as we were called to be Mission President and companion over the Canada Halifax Mission, which included New Brunswick. I was very excited to go back as a missionary to the land where one of my ancestral lines had been introduced to the gospel, as recorded in John Bagley’s history.
One of the first things I wanted to do after we arrived was to visit Southampton, New Brunswick, where my great-great-grandfather had that amazing experience with the light. The village is now just a field, but as we contemplated what had occurred there 166 years prior, my heart was filled with gratitude for the faith and determination of that missionary and the young man who followed the Light. I was even more determined to follow their examples, no matter how hard or dark things might get.
In 2019, the Canada Halifax Mission was merged with the Canada Montreal Mission, and we were transferred to Montreal. While there, during the dark days of the COVID-19 pandemic, we welcomed a new missionary, Elder Zack Bagley, from Thunder Bay, Ontario. He was initially called to the Montana Billings Mission, but was unable to serve there because of border closures caused by the pandemic. He chose to accept a reassignment to our mission. When I saw his last name, I wondered if he was a relative and looked forward to making family connections. 6-
Elder Bagley arrived on February 2, 2021, and I found out that he didn’t know much about his Bagley family history. He thought his Bagley ancestors came from North Carolina. I assumed it was a different family line than mine. Because his stake president lived in the United States (in the Duluth, Minnesota Stake) and could not travel to Thunder Bay to set Elder Bagley apart due to COVID-related border closures, I received authorization to do so. We planned it for the next day, February 3, and arranged for his parents to join via Zoom.
The Perfect Day
Just before I laid my hands on his head, I asked his dad if he knew where his Bagley ancestors came from. To my great joy, he said he was a descendant of Edward Cyrenius Bagley from New Brunswick: the same Edward Cyrenius Bagley who was my ancestor and the father of John Grant Bagley! Elder Bagley descended from John Grant’s brother Edward Alma Bagley.
I was very emotional during the setting apart, as I was deeply touched by this amazing merger of missionary and family history experiences. This led to Elder Bagley and me, as cousins, representing the fruits of the labors of the brave missionaries who served in this mission over 150 years ago! Now, we find ourselves serving together in the same mission, with one of us setting apart the other.
I felt certain that many on the other side of the veil were watching this momentous occasion. I was overcome with joy and filled with gratitude for the powerful impact of missionary work across many generations, and for the privilege of being part of this special family and Church experience.
As difficult as it was to be missionaries during COVID, this time with Elder Bagley was another example of the Lord's tender mercies. He can make us “mighty even unto the power of deliverance” (1 Nephi 1:20). When faced with any challenging situation, as we seek to serve, love, and follow Him, we can find guidance in our Savior, Jesus Christ, the ultimate Light.