Hank Smith: 00:02 Hello, and welcome to followHIM Favorites. This is where John and I share a single story to go with each week’s lesson. John, we’re in the first half of the war chapters this week, Alma 43 through 52. Lot of chapters. I thought of a story that I would share as I was reading Alma chapter 46. Prepare yourself, I want to hear your thoughts.

  00:20 In Alma chapter 46, captain Moroni makes the Title of Liberty, waves it around, and then calls the people to him, and he gives them this speech. It made me think of a story I read many years ago. The year was 1859. Not when I read the story, but when the story takes place, 1859. At Niagara Falls, there’s a man named Jean Gravelot. He’s from France. He’s a daredevil. He is there with his friend, Harry Concord. And this is 1859, John, this is before color.

John Bytheway: 00:53 I was born just a few years after that.

Hank Smith: 00:55 Were you? Okay, you might’ve been there. You maybe have met Jean. They’re looking out over Horseshoe Falls. You’ve been there. Jean Gravelot, his stage name, because he’s a daredevil, is The Great Blondin. And I guess he had this poofy blonde hair. He says to Harry, who is his friend and manager, he says, “I’m going to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope.” They decide they’re going to get to work.

  01:17 They make their own tightrope, because I guess in 1859 you can’t run down to Walmart and get yourself a tightrope, so they have to make it themselves. Takes them about a year to get the whole event ready. They made these flyers. For 10 cents, you could come, either be on the Canadian side or the American side of the falls and you can come here and watch this guy walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. And really, I think, John, those who bought a ticket were coming there to see this guy die because it’s a long ways down. And even if you survive the fall, it’s like a washing machine with razor blades. It is a churning machine. You’re never going to make it.

John Bytheway: 01:57 And hello, it’s called Niagara Falls.

Hank Smith: 01:59 Falls.

John Bytheway: 02:00 What do you think is going to happen?

Hank Smith: 02:02 Not Niagara walk.

John Bytheway: 02:05 It’s not Niagara floats.

Hank Smith: 02:08 You and I know of people, we’ve heard the stories of people who go over in barrels, people who jump over the falls; they don’t live. It’s a miracle if you live. Well, the day comes and he gets out there on the edge, and he’s got his long pole that he used, balancing pole. He starts to walk across this tightrope. He does it. Takes him 15 minutes. It is a long ways across. He makes it to the other side, and people are screaming and yelling, and he’s famous. He’s amazing. He’s wonderful. He didn’t die.

  02:40 I haven’t seen the video of this, John, but apparently he says, “I’m going to go back. I’m going to go back to the other side.” And people are, “What? This is outrageous. This is more than what I paid for. This is more than my dime’s worth.” He gets his balancing pole back out and he walks back to the other side of the fall. This would be so stressful for people watching. Of course for him, he’s got to be so tense the entire time. Well, the story goes that he is a showman and he’s working up the crowd. He throws his pole away, and he says, “Bring me the wheelbarrow.” Somebody brings out an 1860s wheelbarrow. I have no idea what that looks like.

John Bytheway: 03:21 Whatever that looks like.

Hank Smith: 03:22 If it was like mine, it would have duct tape.

John Bytheway: 03:24 The wheel looks like from a covered wagon or something. Yeah.

Hank Smith: 03:28 They pull out this wheelbarrow. He said, “Who here believes that I can walk this tightrope pushing this wheelbarrow?” And I can imagine the crowds quiet, like, “Really?” And he says, “Do you believe?” And pretty soon, “I believe.” “Do you believe?” “I believe. I believe.” “Do you believe?” And pretty soon, the crowds, “We believe, we believe.” They’re knocking each other. “Do you believe?” “I believe. We believe.” And they’re all yelling, “This is wonderful. This is great. We believe.”

  03:56 And then he says, “Quiet down. Quiet down. I’m so glad you all believe because I only need one volunteer. Who will get in the wheelbarrow?” And you can see the crowd go, “Didn’t you say you believed? I think he said he believed.” He will. He said, “What’s wrong? I thought you all said that you believe.”

  04:27 The story goes that one man raised his hand and said, “I will get in the wheelbarrow.” One man raised his hand. I remember I was teaching this once, John, to a group of youth, and I said, “Who do you think it was?” And this little girl in the front row, she goes, “Joseph Smith.” I’m like, “No, no, it was not Joseph.” Joseph Smith just happened to be at Niagara Falls in 1860.

John Bytheway: 04:52 Oh, that is awesome.

Hank Smith: 04:53 Yeah, it would’ve been a great story. But no, it’s his manager. It’s Harry Concord who knows him so well.

John Bytheway: 04:58 No kidding.

Hank Smith: 05:00 Who says, “I’ll do it. I’ll do it.” He ends up crossing Niagara Falls. And The Great Blondin was there for a long time, I guess many years doing all these tricks. People would come out and watch him.

  05:11 Well, John, look at this. Alma 46:15, “The true believers in Christ will take upon them the name of Christ.” Moroni in verse 19 waves this rent part of his garment, his title of liberty, and he says in verse 20, “Behold, whosoever will maintain this title upon the land, let them come forth in the strength of the Lord.” Almost as if Moroni is saying the same thing. “If you believe, then act. If you believe, I…” Because don’t you think, John, so often, I believe. I believe. And the Lord says, “I’m so glad you believe. I need you to go on a mission.” Oh, wow.

John Bytheway: 05:46 He wants to go… Yeah.

Hank Smith: 05:49 He said he believed. “I believe, I believe.” “Oh good, because I need you to bear your testimony to these friends. I need you to walk out of this movie and I need you to…” Fill in the blank. Well, we can’t just be those who say we believe; we have to step up and get in the wheelbarrow.

John Bytheway: 06:05 Boy, and you mentioned verse 15, “All those who are true believers in Christ took upon them gladly the name of Christ.” Like when we take the sacrament, that they’re willing to take upon then the name of Christ, I hope we’re also glad to, we’re honored, we’re thrilled to take upon us the name of Christ. And it reminds me of Moroni later on. “What say ye, my sons? Okay.” Let’s say you want to take them on. That’s good. Let’s go.

Hank Smith: 06:28 I’ll get in the wheelbarrow. Let me be first. Love that attitude. Well, we hope you’ll join us on our full podcast. It’s called followHIM. You can get it wherever you get your podcasts. We’re with Dr. David Boren this week. You’re going to love him and his stories and all the insights he pulls out verse after verse after verse about leadership. It’s a really amazing episode. And then come back here next week. We’ll do another followHIM Favorites.