“… I was taken by surprise when I was informed by the Prophet Joseph, who came to me June 4th [1837], being the Sabbath day, while I was seated in the front stand above the Sacrament table on the Melchisedec side of the Temple in Kirtland, who opened the door and whispered in my ear, ‘Brother Heber, the Spirit of the Lord has whispered to me, saying: Let my servant, Heber, go to England and proclaim my Gospel, and open the door of salvation to that nation.’ …
“The idea of being appointed to such an important mission was almost more than I could bear up under; I felt my weakness, and was nearly ready to sink under the burden which was placed upon me, and I could not help exclaiming: ‘O Lord, I am a man of stammering tongue and altogether unfit for such a work! How can I go to preach in that land which is so famed throughout Christendom for learning, knowledge and piety – the nursery of religion – and to a people whose intelligence is proverbial?’
“However, all these considerations did not deter me from the path of duty; the moment I understood the will of my Heavenly Father, I felt a determination to go at all hazards, believing that He would support me by His Almighty power, and endow me with every qualification that I needed; and although my family were dear to me, and I should have to leave them almost destitute, I felt that the cause of truth, the Gospel of Christ, outweighed every other consideration.
… “The Presidency … laid hands on me and set me apart to preside over that mission, and conferred great blessings upon my head; said that God would make me mighty in that nation in winning souls unto Him; angels should accompany me and bear me up, that my feet should never slip; that I should be mightily blessed and prove a source of salvation to thousands, not only in England, but in America. …
“After being called on this mission, I daily went into the east room in the attic story of the Temple, and poured out my soul unto the Lord, asking his protection and power to fulfill honorably the mission appointed me by his servants; that the God of Joseph and all the holy prophets and apostles that were before him would be with me by the administration of his holy angels, and that I might have power so to live that all the blessings that had been conferred upon me in that house might be fulfilled, as I candidly believed that they would. …
“A short time previous to starting I was laid prostrate on my bed with a stitch in my back, which suddenly seized me while chopping and drawing wood for my family, so that I could not stir a limb without calling out from the severeness of the pain. Joseph, hearing of it, came to see me, bringing Oliver Cowdery and Bishop Partridge with him; they prayed for and blessed me, Joseph being mouth, beseeching God to raise me up &c. He then took me by the right hand and said: ‘Brother Heber, I take you by the right hand in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and by virtue of the Holy Priesthood vested in me, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to arise, and be thou made whole,’ I arose from my bed, put on my clothes, and started with them, and went up to the Temple, and felt no more of the pain afterwards.”
Heber C. Kimball as recorded by Helen Mar Kimball, “Life Incidents,” The Women’s Exponent, Vol. 9, #24, May 15, 1881, p. 186.