It was with peculiar sensations that I walked over my native land, where I spent my youth, and cast my eyes over the Farmington meadows and the hills and dales where I had roamed in my boyhood with my father, stepmother, brothers and half-sister.
On my arrival at my father's home I had the happy privilege of once more taking my parents and sisters by the hand, also my uncle, Ozem Woodruff, who was among the number I had baptized the year before.
After spending an hour in conversation, we sat down around our father's table and supped together and were refreshed. Then we bowed upon our knees together in the family circle and offered up the gratitude of our hearts to God for preserving our lives and reuniting us.
I spent the next eighteen days in Farmington and Avon, visiting my father's household, my uncles, aunts, cousins, neighbors and friends, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ unto them and striving to bring them into the kingdom of God.
On the 1st of July, 1838, one of the most interesting events transpired of my whole life in the ministry.
When Father Joseph Smith gave me my patriarchal blessing, among the many wonderful things of my life, he promised me that I should bring my father's household into the kingdom of God, and I felt that if I ever obtained the blessing, the time had come for me to perform it.
By the help of God, I preached the gospel faithfully to my father's household and to all that were with him, as well as to my other relatives, and I had appointed a meeting on Sunday, the 1st of July, at my father's home.
My father was believing my testimony, as were all in his household, but upon this occasion the devil was determined to hinder the fulfillment of the promise of the patriarch unto me.
It seemed as though Lucifer, the son of the morning, had gathered together the hosts of hell and exerted his powers upon us all. Distress overwhelmed the whole household, and all were tempted to reject the work. And it seemed as though the same power would devour me. I had to take to my bed for an hour before the time of meeting. I there prayed unto the Lord with my whole soul for deliverance, for I knew the power of the devil was exercised to hinder me from accomplishing what God had promised me.
The Lord heard my prayer and answered my petition, and when the hour of meeting had come I arose from my bed, and could sing and shout for joy to think I had been delivered from the power of the evil one.