Will Lewis is stuck. the class system in England in the 1840s seems destined to keep him in his place as a poor tenant farmer who cannot improve his lot and will never be able to marry the woman he loves. But the “new religion” that is sweeping through congregations of the United Brethren, Will’s church, may hold the key to the better life he longs for. As he listens to the preaching of Wilford Woodruff, he almost dares to hope for the Zion the young Apostle describes.
Will’s struggles to believe and to face the rigors of immigrating to an unknown land are paralleled by the modern-day story of Jeff and Abby, a young married couple facing challenges of their own. When Jeff begins digging into his family history, he finds himself particularly drawn to “Grandpa Lewis,” an ancestor whose life was more like his than he would have imagined.
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Title: Come the Zion: The Winds and the Waves
Author: Dean Hughes
Publisher: Deseret Book
Release Date: May 29, 2012
ISBN: X
Size: 444 pages, 6×9, hardcover
Genre: Historical
This book is WONDERFUL!
I LOVE how the author takes one character and then parallels that story with the story of the descendant of that same character… a fun way to portray not only a story, but a family history.
Life has struggles no matter what generation you live in and as you understand your past family history, it helps you with your future determination.
Will is a tenant farmer in 1840 and feels trapped by the economy and social status.
Will’s descendant, Jeff, feels trapped by the economy of modern-day and the loss of his job.
Will sets out to find a better life.
Jeff sets out to find a better life.
Will joins the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and set out for the land of Zion.
Jeff finds himself working on a house in Nauvoo, Illinois and finds out it is right across the street from the land Will owned.
Watch as these two try to make the best of life even if they are thrown into “the winds and the waves.”
Three quotes I really liked from the book…
“If this life doesn’t turn out so well, we have eternity to be with God and feel His happiness.”
“Prayer wasn’t a good-luck charm,…it was a means of discovering God’s will.”
“You have to remember what Zion is all about: we’re going to raise each other up by working together–not by climbing over one another, the way it’s done most of the time in this world.”
It is fun to see Jeff display some of his great-grandfathers tendencies!
Also included is some very interesting and inspiring Church history!
An AMAZING read!
I just started listening to the audio book of this story and I’m hooked already! Can’t wait to find out what happens to both these young men and how their stories are connected.