The story of the Restoration is overcoming

A wildly contagious flu with no vaccine in sight. Missionaries called home. Temples closed. General conference altered. Members asked to practice social distancing and preventive hygiene. A government edict to shut down all meetings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The year was 1918.
“You look at the Spanish flu and what it does to the church at that time and it’s the closest analog to the present situation,” said Richard Turley, former assistant church historian and author of the new book “Joseph Smith: Teenage Prophet.”
In some ways, it was worse.
Death notices of Latter-day Saint soldiers filled several pages of the Improvement Era every month that fall. The church magazine also carried vivid stories of World War I.
Those features soon were joined by the first list of missionaries killed by the Spanish flu in November and December, published in the January 1919 issue. More followed in the next month’s edition.
Turley and other historians say church history brims with parallels to the COVID-19 pandemic. …
Read the rest of my story here.

What I’m Reading ...

I promise some fun links below — and I’ve saved the very best for last — but I don’t want to ignore the COVID-19 crisis. I’ve been writing extensively about it on my Facebook page. You can follow me if you want to see more, but I’ll give you a taste of some of what I’m sharing:
My friend Sara Israelsen-Hartley wrote an extremely important piece of explanatory. journalism on the importance of flattening the curve, what it means and the need for ventilators for those who face the most serious symptoms.
Her story illustrates that you need more information from your government and media outlets than how many people in your area have tested positive or have died. You need to demand three important numbers:
1. How many ventilators your state (or province) has. 2. How many people with COVID-19 are being hospitalized and how many hospital beds there are. 3. How many people with COVID-19 are being admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and how many ICU beds there are.
Fortunately, the Deseret News is meeting this need in Utah.
For those of you living elsewhere here are a couple of helpful links:
The Financial Times has a strong graphic with updated perspective every day.
I record “60 Minutes” each week but don’t watch every episode. The past two weeks, they have broadcast indispensable segments on the coronavirus. Here’s the link to last Sunday’s segment. If you’re in a hot spot, you’re living this. If you’re not, you want to see what might be coming your way. (By the way, if you love Brené Brown, this segment also aired Sunday.)
The most riveting piece on the virus I’ve read is this one from the Los Angeles Times about a church choir practice attended by 60 people in Washington state. Soon after, 45 tested positive for COVID-19, three were hospitalized and two died.
Another fascinating look at an event that spread the virus is this story that shows how COVID-19 explosions in both Italy and Spain were traced back to a pro soccer match.

Behind the Scenes