Movie Review: ***^Ephraim's Rescue

Ephraim’s Rescue

This movie tells the story of a very fascinating man, Ephraim Hanks.  It also tells of Thomas Dobson, as he was one of the recipients of Ephraim’s miracles, and responded by dancing a jig.  Ephraim had a sense of listening to the Lord, and knowing what he should be about.  This sense comes to his benefit on several occasions.  He also was prepared to take part in the rescue, by his life and circumstances.  He also had the gift of healing healing, and this gift he was able to use in healing the Saints in his community, the handcart pioneers, and on one occasion an Indian boy. 

I find anything about the handcart pioneers emotional, and this was no different.

Martin Handcart Pioneer: Thomas Dobson, 19, Healing at the Hands of Ephraim Hanks

Thomas came to Utah with the Martin Handcart Company with his mother and older sister and younger brother.  His mother had been one of the first women to be baptized in England, and 19 years later was migrated with the handcart companies.  Crossing the planes, Thomas wore out his shoes.  His feet became frozen.  Ephraim Hanks promised him the next pair of shoes, but his feet were so badly swollen nothing would fit.  It was feared he would lose his toes.  Ephraim Hanks administered to him, saying there is nothing I can do, and wrapped his feet a piece of cotton.  He promised him, “I tell you what you do.  Stand up and sing the handcart song and I promise you in the name of Israel’s God your feet shall be made whole.”   That night Tom heard fiddling (as the result of a wedding).  He hobbled to the fire, and one of the brethren, as a joke challenged him to dance a jig.  He had learned the clog dance since a youth, and as a result obliged them with a dance.  He says that was the last of his lame feet.

Ephraim Hanks tells the same story in this manner.  One evening after having gone as far as Ft. Bridger, I was requested by a sister to come and administer to her son…  He was very sick and his friends expected he would die that night. . . . I felt the power of God resting upon me and addressing the young man said, “Will you believe all the words I tell you?”  His response was, “Yes.”  I then administered to him and he was immediately healed.  He got up, dressed himself and danced the hornpipe on the inboard of a wagon, which I procured for that purpose. 

Book Review: Scouting for the Mormons on the Great Frontier

This book is the biography of Ephraim Hanks. It is written by Sidney Alvarus Hanks
and Ephraim K. Hanks. I am not sure of the year. It can be accessed at the website: http://wiki.hanksplace.net/images/d/db/Scouting_for_the_mormons.pdf
Some of it is stories from church magazines, some letters are copied, and part of it is the first person account of the rescue of the Martin Handcart Company. It includes stories of Ephraim's life after the handcarts, including his practicing of polygamy and his reaction to the federal marshalls.

Ephraim Hanks was a man of miracles, and I feel closer to he, as well as my great-great-grandfather Isaac from reading this book. His story of the rescue of the handcarts manifests the miracle it was that any of them got out alive. Ephraim was not a rescuer at Red Buttes, or Martin's Cove. He arrived shortly after the company left the Cove.

But he made a big impression. He is one of two rescuers mentioned in Isaac's one page person history. He continued on to the company, when all the other rescuers stopped to ride out the winter storms, and he prayed for a buffalo, and one was provided by God, and he rode into camp at dinner time with his horses laden with buffalo meat. That was his first impression; but the impression he made by anointing and healing and curing the sick even more lasting. He brought one man back to life (at least he was dead as best anyone could tell.) One day he performed over 100 blessings. He also healed with his soap and knife, removing dead skin with his castille soap, and cutting away flesh that was dead due to frost bite.

Miracles followed this man in more dealings than with the handcarts. He carried mail for many years along the trail, and escaped Indian trouble only with God's help. He performed annointings and healed the sick through out his life. He also was somewhat a prophet, seeing beforehand things that would shortly come to pass.

This story is worth reading.