All language subtitles for Emma Smith My Story (2008)

JULIA: After Father went to
Carthage, Mother never smiled
with her eyes.

Somehow I think she already knew
he wasn't coming back.

He was killed a few days later.

[ Soft music playing ]

Mother was a widow
with five young children

when Lewis Bidamon
first came to call.

He could never take Father's
place in her heart.

But he was good to us all.

And for 20 years, he and Mother
shared a marriage of affection.

Then, when Mother was 63 years
old, she discovered a painful
secret.

Louis had betrayed her
with a woman half her age.

They had a son.

And when the woman could no
longer care for the bay,

she brought him to Mother.

Mama calls me Charlie.

Mama told me all about you.

I see.

JULIA:
Mother took Charlie in,

and for the rest of her life,
she raised him
as
one of
her own.

But she did something
even more amazing.

She hired Charlie's mother
to work at the house,

so that she could
be near her son.

That's the kind of woman
my mother
was.

Mother was always
taking in strays.

I was one of them.

Mine had been a very hard life.

When Mother's health began to
fail, I came home to care for
her.

But the truth is, even then
she was taking care of me.

The lilacs
are early this year, Mother.

The bush you planted near
Father's grave is already
covered with them.

I planted it there to remind me.

Of what?

Life is a very good teacher.

Lilacs don't last
very long, Julia.

Best things in life seldom do.

That makes them all the sweeter.

What's this?

My first book of hymns.

You know you've lived too long
when you can't see the words
anymore.

Or remember the tune.

I'm surprised anyone could read
those words.

Paper was scarce at the time.

I always wished
that I could sing.

You can.

Be honest, Mother.

I can't even carry a tune.

There are songs in
everyone, Julia.

And God can hear all of them.

I wish that I had your strength.

Strength isn't something you
have...

It's. . ..

It's something you find.

EMMA: I learned that
lesson early in life.

I will not have Emma
deceiving herself.

Isaac, please!

She's just a child.

As much
as
some want
to believe otherwise,

the fact is, God does not
interfere in our lives.

We must learn to
rely on ourselves.

Emma, remember,
no praying in this house.

EMMA: When Father took a stand,
he was not easily swayed.

And his example taught me
to be the same way.

JULIA:
What did you do?

EMMA: I found strength
to take a stand of my own.

If I could not pray in the
house, then I would pray
somewhere else.

Papa
says
we can't
pray anymore.

EMMA: One day he'd found me
praying for him.

I was asking God
to help my father find faith.

Please help my papa. -

If it means that much to you,
Emmy, we'll pray from now on.

EMMA:
Prayer changes things, Julia.

- JULIA: Not for me.
- EMMA: It can.

EMMA:
Trouble is, most of us

have to keep learning
the same lesson over and over,

before it finally sticks.

Your father helped me to learn
many such lessons.

The same tomorrow, boys!

JULIA: He told me
how the two of you met.

EMMA: Oh?

JULIA: He said it was
love at first sight.

EMMA:
But Father did not approve.

JOSEPH: I don't think your
father likes me much.

EMMA:
He worries, that's all.

JOSEPH:
About what?

EMMA: Just...
From stories he's heard.

JOSEPH: What if I told you
that some of them are true?

EMMA:
Of visions and angels.

A believe the faith of a child
can do miraculous things.

If I had not experienced what I
have, I might not believe it
myself.

But you do believe it?

I see it in your eyes.

What else do you see?

It's getting very warm in here.

Hold it just like this,
so it's flat against the water.

Mmm, let me give it a try.

Right.

Are you sure you
want to do that?

Yes.

Checkmate.

What did you call me?

EMMA: I thought a great deal
about what you told me.

JOSEPH:
And?

EMMA:
I believe you.

Start counting.

One, two, three.

Do not count out loud.

MR. HALE: I will not have you
throw away your future

on this...this dreamer.

JOSEPH: God heard and answered
the prayer of a boy, Emma.

He will answer you.

EMMA: I was hopelessly caught
between Father's stubborn doubt

and the witness of truth,

which was growing in my heart.

All right, on the count
of three. Ready?

One, two...

JOSEPH: Where did you learn
to ride like that?

EMMA: I was riding
before I could walk.

What if I count
with my mouth closed?

♪ A penny for
a
spool of thread ♪

♪ A penny for
a
needle ♪

♪ That's the way
the money goes ♪

♪ Pop
goes
the weasel ♪
[Laughs]

God gave us voices.
We need to sing.

Oh, Miss Hale, you are
a mighty stern taskmaster.

That's what friends do
for each other.

My oldest brother Alvin was
the best friend I ever had...

...until now.

I asked your
father's permission.

He wouldn't even hear me out.

Father is just being fatherly...

...and stubborn.

- Be patient.
- I'm trying.

Emma, it's not your father
that I'm in love with.

EMMA: Father never would give us
his blessing.

Finally, we married without it.

When you're in love,
you come to rely on each other.

We've hauled more rock
and built more fence

than any of us care to remember.

That is true.

And every one of them,

"Horse high and hog tight,"
as
Father used to say.

You boys used to
listen to me then.

[ Laughter]

Hyrum here has been
looking after me

as
long
as
I
can remember.

And believe me, with this rascal
you married, it hasn't been
easy.

Don't listen to a word.

Well, boys, let's go finish
some chores.

It was delicious.

Thank you, Mother.

Emma, I always used to tell the
boys that if they are wise,

they will marry
above themselves, as I did.

Looks to me
like Joseph's done just fine.

Thank you.

For what?

For making Joseph so happy.

It's a wonderful thing when
someone you love believes in
you.

Your father will come
around, I think.

I pray for that.

My husband has never agreed
with organized religion.

He cannot accept
all of their doctrines.

Our whole married life
I have been praying

that one day we would be united
in our faith.

Those prayers will be answered.

They will for you, too.

EMMA: God hears every
prayer of our heart.

JULIA:
Even those which go unspoken?

You don't believe that, do you?

Look at me, Mother.

I've already buried one husband,
divorced another...

I'm sick most of the time,
and I can't find out why.

I have nothing to sing about.

I don't even know
what to believe anymore.

Have you ever tried cuddling a
child that doesn't want to be
held?

You were like that.

Sometimes you still are.

I know.

God loves us, Julia,
even when we hold back.

JOSEPH:
When Alvin died,

the Reverend told us
he was lost forever.

Just because
he had never been baptized.

EMMA: I don't believe God
would be so cruel.

JOSEPH: I saw God the Father
and His son, Jesus Christ.

It happened here, Emma,
in this very spot.

JULIA:
Father was just 14.

Perhaps, he only imagined it.

EMMA: No, Julia.
God answered Joseph's prayer.

And He answered mine.

Oh, I didn't see a light
or hear a voice,

but my answer was
no
less
real.

He said that He had a work
for me to do.

He did?

EMMA:
The messenger told him of a book

that was written
by ancient prophets.

He said it contains a fullness
of the gospel of Jesus Christ,

and he was to help
bring it forth.

JULIA: You were there
when Father received the plates?

EMMA: I waited for him
at the bottom of the hill.

From the moment the record
came into his hands...

...it seemed that all the powers
of Earth and hell

were determined to
take it from him.

MAN:
He is not a prophet.

Stop!

Don't do this, Emma.

- I'd like to kill him myself.
- Yeah.

[ Laughter]

Now all we need is a plan.

Not yet.

EMMA: It was a frightening
glimpse of the future.

It's got to be in here.

Look under the floor!

Where is it?

JULIA:
What happened?

EMMA: News of our travel
seemed to soften Father's heart.

He invited us to come home.

We took every precaution
to keep the record safe.

Joseph has been commanded
to translate the record.

You married a dreamer, Emma.

Translate.

He can hardly read and write.

Until he gives up
these foolish ideas,

he is no longer welcome
in this house.

He'll change his mind
after the baby comes.

EMMA: Father was right
about one thing.

At that time, Joseph could not
dictate a well-worded letter,

let alone a book.

Martin Harris became his scribe.

JULIA:
How was the record translated?

EMMA:
Just
as
Joseph said:

"By the gift of God."

The work went rapidly forward.

Then Martin asked for a favor.

He wanted to show
the manuscript to his wife,

which seemed a harmless request,

especially from one
who had helped us so much.

JOSEPH:
I've asked the Lord again,

"What should I do?"

♪ Believe me if all your
endearing young charms I'

♪ That I gaze on
so fondly today ♪

And there's more to it,
but I don't know the words.

I think if it's a girl,
I'll call her "Emm" for short.

If it's a boy, let's
name him Alvin.

I wish I'd met him.

So do I.

Right here.

[ Soft music playing ]

EMMA: That was the first
of so many names

I would write in
that family Bible.

Alvin, Thadeus, Louisa,
little Joseph,

and my precious Don Carlos.

In the midst of our loss,
another worry toward our hearts.

I don't understand, Joseph.

How does Martin lose 116 pages?

We looked everywhere.

He promised he would
keep it safe.

I should have
listened to the Lord.

He only wanted to
convince his wife.

The Lord said no.

And I kept asking.

I feared man more than God.

- Well, then, it's Martin's
fault. - Whatever the excuse
is...

...the manuscript is lost.

And I am accountable for it.

Emma, I may have lost my soul.

EMMA: I never prayed harder
than I did during that time.

And Joseph prayed as well.

But the Lord didn't answer
right away.

Joseph, take some water.

No.

This garden is not
doing well, Emma.

How are you?

I let the Lord down.

You've done all you can do.

And what if that's not enough?

I was reading in
the Bible that...

...no amount of sorrow
can make things right.

Only the Lord's
love can do that.

If we let Him.

EMMA: After that,
Joseph lived by one rule:

When the Lord commands, do it.

Life is a very good teacher.

It's been a very
hard one for me.

That doesn't mean
God loves you less.

Your father used to say,

"Sometimes God brings us low
before He can lift us higher."

I've experienced
that all my life.

JOSEPH:
Down from the generation...

EMMA: In time, Joseph was
entrusted with the record once
more.

JOSEPH:
Until the time comes...

EMMA: I wrote
while he translated for a while.

JOSEPH:
We shall be restored.

I caused that they should hide
themselves without the walls.

- Emma.
- Yes?

Was there a wall
around Jerusalem?

Yes.

I didn't know.

I'm not sure how to pronounce
the next one. I'll just spell
it.

L-E-M-U-E-L.

EMMA: It was marvelous to me
as
much
as
anyone
else.

I knew the book
was of divine authenticity.

I had not the slightest
doubt of it.

In time, the Lord sent another
to assist with the work.

When the translation
was nearly completed,

Joseph said
that a few would be privileged

to see the plates
for themselves.

I fancied I might be among them.

Emma, it's the Lord that chose,
not me.

Mary Witmark told me herself
that she saw the plates.

Do you know how many times
I could have looked?

But I did as you said.

Why her and not me?

Emma...

All of my life I wanted to make
Father proud of me, Joseph.

He is not proud of me now.
He thinks I'm a fool.

Have I failed in
God's eyes
as
well?

Sometimes the Lord
tries our faith,

but He'll never give us
more than we're able to handle.

Maybe He just trusts
you too much.

MR. HALE: Emma, he's
making a fool out of you.

I can't believe that a daughter
of mine could be so taken in.

You haven't seen this record?

Then how can you be certain
he even has this gold Bible?

Emma!

I taught you better than this!

Father, sometimes
you know things with your heart

that you don't know
with your head.

JULIA:
Didn't you ever see the plates?

I didn't have to.

Strength doesn't come
through seeing, Julia.

It only comes through faith.

Really mother?
I think I would have looked.

Emma.
Emma, it's finished.

Oh.

Look, "An Account Written
by the Hand of Mormon,

upon the Plates
Taken from the Plates of Nephi."

"By Joseph Smith, Junior."?

Here, let me show you something.

EMMA: "if ye shall ask in faith,
with a sincere heart,

He shall manifest the Truth unto
you by the power of the Holy
Ghost."

"And by the power of the Holy
Ghost, ye may know the truth of
all things."

I propose that we proceed and
organize ourselves as a church,

according
to the commandments cf God.

All those who are in agreement,
please so indicate.

Thank you.

If it means that much
to you, Emmy...

JOSEPH: Thou art an elect lady,
whom I have chosen.

Joseph, what did the Lord mean
in the revelation by "an elect
lady"?

He meant you.

You, Emma, are a woman
of great worth.

At times I wonder.

Selecting the hymns
is just the beginning.

You're to expound the
scriptures, exhort the saints.

The truth is, Emma,

I rely on your counsel
even more than you know.

It's just as well.

I am...

We are...

- Really?
- Yes.

- Are you certain?
- Yes, I'm certain.

What can I do?

Well, should an elect lady
have to do the dishes alone?

EMMA:
Do not count out loud.

One, two, three.
One, two, three.

The cradle you made,
is it big enough for two?

Two?

I think you better sit down.

I think I better sit down.

[Singing indistinctly]

♪ To my heart to
sing Thy praise ♪

JOSEPH: Murmur not because of
the things which thou has not
seen.

Lay aside the things of this
world and seek for those of a
better.

EMMA: That revelation was the
source of great strength.

A song of the heart is a prayer,

and God must have known

how much
I would need those prayers.

Ohio is so far away.

I know.

Will I ever see you again?

Come and visit.

Or you can always come home
and visit.

Father says if I go,
I'm not welcome.

You know he doesn't really
mean that.

This was my grandmother's.

She gave it to my mother.

Now I want you to take it,
as
a reminder.

You can always come home.

Mother.

This means so much to me.

Don't you want to find out
for yourself?

I wish I could.

I'm sorry.

[ Soft music playing ]

EMMA: I never saw
Mother or Father again.

[ Music continues ]

This one's gonna be just fine.

Keep pushing, keep pushing.

This baby's gonna come.

They came too early.

That's not your fault.

What if I can never
have a child?

You are the choice of my heart.

Emma, it will work out.

Even tragedies
can become blessings.

When your mother
died giving birth,

they brought you
and your brother to me.

Raising you
as
my
daughter has been one of the
great joys of my life.

Oh, Mother.

Oh, Mrs. Hopkins.

This is the truth about that
so-called golden Bible.

Mormonism Unveiled. You'll
want to
read
it.

You're Mrs. Smith.

Have we met?

Oh, I know who you are.

I see.

All this talk of visions
and revelations,

no good will ever come of it.

Good things have
already come of it.

My dear, if you believe that,
you're
as
confused as
your husband.

[ Indistinct shouting ]

EMMA:
Joseph!

Hey, you thirsty?

Come on,
this is how the Holy Ghost...

I have the tar coming, boys.

There will always be opposition.

How much do we have to endure?

We talk of Christ.

We rejoice in Christ.

He will bare our grief.
He will carry our sorrows.

JULIA:
Carry our sorrows?

The very next day
my brother died.

EMMA:
Poor little Joseph.

He died in my arms.
There was nothing I could do.

If God is so kind, why does He
allow the innocent to suffer'?

I've asked that
question 1,000 times.

And the answer is
always the same.

God's ways are not
always our ways.

I just can't accept
that, Mother.

EMMA:
When we embark on a journey,

we must keep our eyes forward.

Never look back.

Morning, Brigham.
Parley.

Sorry, ma'am.

Good morning, Father.

If you're looking for your
husband, he's out there.

What kind of prophet would run
through the streets like a
schoolboy?

If God wanted to speak
to men in our day,

it would not be to
a 14-year-old boy.

Unless, of course,
only a boy would listen.

Hmm.

Good day.

EMMA:
The one thing I knew for certain

was that Joseph
had been called of God.

We do not ask people to give up
any good that they have.

We only invite them to come
and to get more.

[Singing indistinctly]

Hyrum.

How much longer is the meeting?

I thought it would be
over by now. [ Chuckles ]

Emma.

Joseph is talking
of building a temple.

A what?

A temple.

Can we do that?

I don't know.

Part of me
says
we can't
afford it, we don't know how to
do it,

and a hundred other reasons
why the answer should be no.

My whole life I've been--

- He has vision.
- Yes.

When I look at Joseph,
I stop thinking about "how,"

and I start thinking "when."

So do I.

JULIA: Father was often
away, wasn't he?

EMMA: More and more
as
the work expanded.

Perhaps I relied on Joseph
too much.

And that was
the hardest test for me.

Being alone and facing the birth
of another child.

Here is your son.

What a happy day-

He's so beautiful.

Hi, Joseph.

Yes.

EMMA: God's tender mercies
are all around us, Julia.

Beautiful boy.

EMMA: We just have to
be willing to see.

Disappointments come to us all.

I must be content to teach
other people's children.

There's always reason to hope.

I find it difficult to believe
in things I cannot see.

Some things
are more certain than sight.

Lydia.

Read the revelations for
yourself, then ask of God.

EMMA: It's been my experience
that revelation doesn't come

until you are ready to ask.

When you're a little older, son,

I will tell you all about how
proud I am of your mother.

She always seems to be
lifting my sights.

For example...

the Lord's law of health,
the word of wisdom,

wasn't revealed until after
your mother raised the question.

Thou has grieved for the
hardness of the hearts of thy
father's house.

And thou has longed
for their salvation.

The Lord will have respect
for thy cries

and cause some of
them to repent.

WOMAN: Seems you were right
about that gold Bible.

No.

No, I was dreadfully wrong.

EMMA: Joseph said we were not
just building a temple.

The Lord was building us.

I think it will be perfect
for the temple dedication.

Brother Phelps
just finished it in time.

It's the last hymn of my book.

Would you sing that song again?

♪ The spirit of God like
a fire is burning a'

♪ The Latter-day glory
begins to come forth ♪

One night,
when I was praying in a temple,

I saw a glimpse into Heaven.

And my brother Alvin was there.

And I wondered how
that could be.

Because, you see, Alvin died
before he ever got a chance to
be baptized.

And the voice of
the Lord told me

that all those without a
knowledge of the Gospel

will have a chance to hear it...

and accept it.

Mother, don't you want to
find out for yourself?

I would if I could.

That means that Heavenly Father
has a plan

so that all of His children
can come back and live with Him,

if we listen.

Do you really believe
that, Mother?

Yes, Julia.

Heaven wouldn't be Heaven
without those we love.

JULIA:
I wish I could feel that way.

EMMA:
You can.

[Singing indistinctly]

Few in this world
have a correct understanding

of the nature
and the character of God.

Many do not understand
their relationship to Him.

I testify to you that they live.

For I saw them.

And I cannot deny it.

Mama, look, it's as big as me.

Remember what I told you, Julia.

That's what happens when you
plant a seed and you take good
care of it.

It's called the law
of the harvest.

Even the smallest of seeds
can grow.

Your mother has taught me
a few things.

What?

Well, for one thing,
you reap what you sow.

You can't plant potatoes
and get pumpkins, young lady.

Some of us tried to do that,
you know.

JULIA: I thought things
were supposed to be better

once the temple was finished.

EMMA: So did I.

But Joseph said just the
opposite would happen.

He said that the powers of
darkness would strive even
harder

to stop the work.

And they did.

Even men of great faith,

friends like Parley Pratt,

even they began to have doubts.

Some of us
have lost nearly everything.

Is that what God wants?

I say Joseph is a
fallen prophet.

What if he's right?

Joseph's been called of God,
Parley. Nothing can change that.

I say God has rejected him.

EMMA: Pride can be
such a difficult test.

- It's true.
- That's right.

WOMAN: You bore witness that
Joseph had been called of God.

I felt the power of your faith.

Perhaps we were both mistaken.

No.

You knew it.

Now I know it as well.

How could God let my wife die?

First, Oliver and now...now
Parley. Who's next?

EMMA:
Parley is speaking from anger.

He doesn't mean it.

Losing his wife so suddenly...

You know how that feels...

...to lose someone that we love.

EMMA: The Lord said
I was to be a comfort to Joseph.

But I was also to
exhort the church.

I resolved to do
all that I could.

Parley.

Don't let sorrow
rob you of faith.

She wouldn't want that.

Joseph told me
the Lord would bless us.

I believed him.

Then believe in him now.

EMMA: Sometimes
when trials overwhelm us,

we forget that God
is our friend.

He always
has our best interest at heart.

When the spirit of truth
touches your heart,

then there is no
room left for doubt.

Joseph.

When you told me
we were to build this temple,

I marveled at your faith.

Now I marvel even more.

How can we leave it behind?

There will be other temples.

Will things be
better in Missouri?

EMMA: Sometimes the river
seems so peaceful.

But unseen, beneath the surface,

it's eroding everything
you work for,

undercutting all your dreams.

[ Soft music playing ]

JULIA: Missouri was supposed
to be the promised land.

EMMA: It was.

But something went
terribly wrong.

Instead, it became
a refiner's fight.

Those were dark, dark days.

And in the midst of such trials,

you come to rely on strength
beyond your own.

Everyone thinks I am strong.

I don't feel strong.

What's going to happen, Joseph?

We will do the best that we can.

And go on.

MAN: These Mormons
are to be treated as enemies

and must be exterminated
or driven from the state.

We only came because we had
your word of honor.

Well, you, sir,
were misinformed.

EMMA: Rumor and fear
only make things worse.

False charges were raised,
and Joseph was betrayed.

He was taken to await a trial
that never came.

You're a glutton
for punishment, Smith.

[Coughing]

[Man coughing]

Hey, Joe!

That wife of yours
is mighty prissy!

- Yeah! - But she won't be so
proud for long!

MAN: Smith!

Get yourself up here.

It's been weeks now, Joseph.

How long?

I don't know.

You're trembling.

Don't...

ma, Emma,

How are the children?

They miss you.

Fredrick cries for
you every night.

Tell them that Father loves them
and prays for them.

They need your prayers, Joseph.

What they really need is you.

And what about you, Emma?

Hummus

It's not safe here anymore.

I should take the
children and go.

Emma, go.

But how can I leave you here?

Go, by all means. Leave
as
soon
as
you
can.

Has God forsaken us?

[ Soft music playing ]

EMMA: No one but God
knows the feelings of my heart.

As we left our home and almost
all of everything we possessed,

we made our way
out of the state.

We crossed the
river to Illinois.

But my heart kept looking back.

People scattered like sheep,
left to the wolves.

And all your talk of salvation
means nothing!

EMMA: Were it not for
divine mercy, Joseph,

I should never have been able
to endure

the suffering I have
passed through.

Yet I am willing to suffer more
if it is the will of kind
Heaven.

JOSEPH:
Oh, my affectionate Emma.

My heart is entwined around
yours forever and ever.

Lucy
says
that when one
door closes, another eventually
opens.

When that door closes for me...

You mustn't think such things.

Oh, but I do.

Lucy is a strong woman.

But let me tell you the secret.

She relies on me...

...almost
as
much
as I rely on her.

Promise me something.

That when I'm gone,
she can rely on you.

She can.

Wag

There's something I wanted to
read later to everyone that...

I think you need to hear it now.

"Emma,

I'm sending this epistle
to the church through you

because I want you
to read it first.

All these things shall give
the experience

and shall be for thy good.

Thine adversity and thine
afflictions shall be but a small
moment.

And then if thou undo it well,

God shall exalt thee on high.

EMMA:
The river, to me,

seemed a barrier to the storm
which raged on the other side.

I waited there for him.

Emma.

Oh, Joseph!

Oh, you got away!

They let us go.

EMMA: I promised myself
that whatever else came,

I would not cross
that river again.

Have faith, brethren.

Nauvoo means
'Beautiful Place'

Emma.

- Emma.
- Shh, shh, it's all right.

It's all right.

She's looking
after some of the others,

and she asked me
to look after you.

Then I'll do my best to mind.

I'm just going to say one thing,
brother Joseph.

This place you brought us to
is certainly wet.

My word, it's been raining
for three days straight.

How many are sick?

The whole house is full.
Not much of a house, though.

How many holes can
one roof have?

I guess I'd better get up.

No, you don't.

You are not going anywhere
until this fever breaks.

Try not to get wet.

[ Chuckles ]

You seem to be improving.

I asked God to spare my life so
that I could ease your burdens

and comfort your heart.

Then do what I say.

This place is not much now,
Emma, but it will get better.

This will be a beautiful city,

with fine houses and a temple.

Be patient.

It could be worse.

[Thunder crashes ]

I think it already is.

EMMA: Joseph had a clear vision
of the work he
was
to do.

Nothing less than building up
the kingdom of God on the Earth.

He shared that vision
with all who would listen.

MAN: Here it comes!
Out of the way!

EMMA: We united our hearts
and our hands with the task.

Make a note of it.

Whoa, there!

I love it when you work
on our house.

Oh, thanks very much.

Fix the roof,
and I'll fix your dinner.

Ooh, it's a race, then.

What do you think?

I like it.

[ Laughing ]
I can hear my wife already.

Thank you.
They are beautiful.

That's why they made me
think of you.

Samuel, over here!

The truth of God will go forth,
boldly, nobly, and independent,

until it has penetrated
every continent,

sounded in every ear.

And the purposes of God
shall be accomplished.

Emil

Emma?

Father's gone.

I didn't even know.

All I wanted was a chance
to make him proud.

Emma.

One day his eyes will be open.

I think he will be proud of you.

- It's too late.
- No, no, no.

Emma, God can make things
right again.

MRS. HALE:
You can always come home.

EMMA:
Mother died soon after Father.

And there followed so much grief
that I felt something die in me.

Sorrow can hollow
you out inside,

leave you empty, if you let it.

...is the power of
God unto salvation.

Chosen...

I see Alfred.

God will not take
another of my children.

Promise me.

Emma [ls-a
D
Mann.

...like you.

Being strong
can be a very lonely thing.

You will have your
children again.

I told the brethren that
eternity is like this ring.

Without beginning and without
end, it goes on forever.

JOSEPH: The Lord
has made known unto me

that the sisters
in the Kingdom of God

should organize themselves
together
as
a society.

And to lead this society,
to preside over it,

the Lord has chosen Emma Smith.

Sisters. . ..

We are going to do
something extraordinary.

We expect pressing calls,

grand occasions.

Each member
should be ambitious to do good.

The Lord has said, "When you're
in the service of your fellow
beings,

you're only in the service
of your God."

We will bring relief
to those who are in need.

Emma, you're so kind to me.

Heaven would not be Heaven
if you were not there.

I feel the same way.

Boys, shame on you!

Shame, shame, shame!

Now, you come inside right--

[Laughs]

Come on boys!

Ah!

MAN: You speak your mind almost
as
good as you cook.

Most men are not ready for that.

Well, sir, most men don't know
what they're missing.

Hmm.

I'll just have another.

- Candidates.
- Such an arrogant man.

I suppose it does take
a certain kind of confidence

to run for public office.

You realize he only wants
to use your influence.

I think we need
all the friends we can find.

Real friends, Joseph.
Be careful.

Don't let yourself trust
a man like that.

Don't worry, I won't.

He did like your
fritters, though.

He couldn't even remember
their name.

[ Both chuckle ]

Perhaps I should call them
something else

in honor of the election.

Candidates.

Candidates?

All puffed up and
full of hot air.

[Laughs]

EMMA: I always believed,
when you trust in the Lord,

things work out.

I see you've been shopping.

EMMA: But even
as
we were building,

something else was tearing down.

Oh, Miss Smith.

Yes?

I got a warrant here
to arrest Joe Smith.

On what charge?

There are some unanswered
questions in Missouri.

My husband is not at home.

Oh. What kind of a man
runs off and hides

and leaves a pretty little woman
like you all alone?

A woman like you
needs protecting.

Are you quite finished?

For now.

EMMA:
God gave Joseph a work to do.

And all the powers
of Earth and hell combined

could not keep him
from doing it.

Very, very good

[Laughs]
Very good.

- Oh!
- Oh!

Oh, you nearly
scared me to death.

I scared you?

I'm an unarmed man.

Emma, honestly, a hairbrush.

Danger or no, I just
had to see you.

- That thing's not loaded, is
it? - No. [ Laughs]

I wanted to give
each of the children a blessing.

Don't wake them.

Just let her sleep.

Oh, she's beautiful, isn't she?

Dear Lord, bless
this sweet girl.

Help her to do Thy will.

Help her to know of Thy love.

EMMA: Your father
believed in you, Julia.

So do I.

I never knew.

[Sighs]

They'll be watching the house.

I better go.

I wrote a letter
to the governor.

Maybe he'll intervene.

God is my friend Emma,

And He is yours.

Give this to the brethren?

But I want you to read it first.

JOSEPH: I love you.

Never forget that.

"What do we hear in the Gospel
which we have received?

A voice of gladness,
a voice of mercy from Heaven.

Glad tidings
for the living and the dead.

Shall we not go on
at so great a cost?"

EMMA:
Why can't good things last?

They can.

That's what Joseph
was trying to teach us.

There is no end to hope, Julia.

There is no end to love.

Lucy, why does the Lord
want us to build another temple?

He wants us to have
a fullness of joy.

And that can only come through
the blessings of the temple.

Joseph was called
to teach us that.

Some things are very
clear now.

JOSEPH: It may seem to some
a very bold doctrine.

Power which can bind on Earth
and in Heaven.

God has restored
that authority again.

In a temple, we can receive
all the ordinances of salvation,

not only for ourselves...

...but for those
who have died without them.

JOSEPH:
So what have you been up to?

EMMA: Wrote another letter
to the governor.

- Another'?
- M m-hmm.

That's very ambitious.

I intend to plow with a
racehorse. You better hold on
real tight, Joseph.

Don't mind if I do.

[Emma laughs]

Brothers and sisters,

it is one of the Lord's
greatest blessings,

the most beautiful aspect
of His plan of salvation,

that the relationships we form
on Earth carry on into the next
life,

that a man and a wife, joined by
the power of the holy
priesthood,

can be joined in eternity.

By the authority vested in me, I
now pronounce you, Joseph Smith,

and you, Emma Hale Smith, sealed
for time and for all eternity.

Forever.

You're counting again.

Be grateful.

If I don't, we'll both
be dancing on your feet.

[Laughs]

Do not underestimate
these men, Joseph.

They will stop at nothing.

They intend to destroy you.

Hold it right there, Smith.

Don't move, or
you're a dead man.

You're gonna shoot me?

We're taking you
back to Missouri for good.

Don't move.

[crying]

Joseph!

We need a place
to stay, old man.

Seems to me,
if you were really a prophet,

God ought to be taking
better care of you.

He has blessed me
more than you know.

Don't look that way to me.

[ Sobs ]

EMMA: Sometimes fear
shouts so loud in our ears

that it almost drowns
out our faith.

But God knows who we are, Julia.

We cannot go anywhere
that He cannot find us.

Come on boys!

Stop the wagon!
Hold it right there!

Well, gentlemen,

looks like I won't be going
with you to Missouri today.

But just to show
there are no hard feelings,

why don't you be
my guests tonight?

That means he'll be
going to dinner.

EMMA:
Life is like the river, Julia.

Sometimes it sweeps you
gently along.

Sometimes the rapids
come out of nowhere.

The revelation on
plural marriage

was one of those rapids,
wasn't it, Mother'?

How can you ignore something
that hurt you so much?

I don't speak of it,
but I have never ignored it.

Then why the silence?

What good
would speaking of it do?

It flew in the face of
everything that was dear to us,

all that we meant to each other.

Then why did you allow it?

Because it was the
price of faith.

God commanded,
and Joseph obeyed.

And it nearly broke
both our hearts.

Some say that there
were other reasons.

They say Father
was a fallen prophet.

Well, people say all
kinds of things.

But, Julia, I know better.

Joseph taught what God revealed,
nothing more.

He sealed that witness
with his life.

Emma...

The Lord is going to let me rest
for a while.

JUDGE]

[Sighs]

No.

No.

Oh, Emma.

EMMA:
There comes a time for all of us

when we must be
more than we are.

We must follow the course
which God has laid out.

They're making us
out to be fools.

EMMA: Opposition was coming
from every direction.

We didn't know
who we could trust anymore.

That was the greatest test.

You've come this far!
You know better than that!

Joseph talked of going away,
finding a new home in the West.

He started out,
but the people were alarmed.

I could not bear the thought
of him saying he'd run away.

So I wrote him a letter.

I asked him to come back.

If you could,
what would you change?

Me.

I would change me.

♪ That's the way
the money goes ♪

♪ Pop goes the weasel

- Excuse me.
- Very good.

She has a gift
with the children.

- She has a gift to love.
-[ Chuckles ]

I would be willing to walk
through hell itself,

barefoot, if necessary,
for a woman like that.

Are you afraid to
go to Carthage?

Are you?

A little.

So am I.

[Sighs]

It's after midnight.

I can't sleep.

Neither can I.

[Sighs]

What's going to happen, Joseph?

Whatever happens,
the Lord is in it.

Emma, this work,
the revelations, the temple...

It's all about bringing together
the people that we love.

It's about learning to turn
our hearts toward each other.

We cannot know at the present

the blessings
which God has in store for us.

Emma?

Emma?

If we are faithful, all of our
losses
will be made up.

Before you go tomorrow, will
you give me a blessing then?

Emma.

You write down the blessing that
you desire, and I will sign it.

[Crying]
And it will be yours.

Exactly as you wish.

You are coming back.

Oh, I look forward
to reading that blessing.

JULIA: I used to pretend
Father would come back.

I'd wait for hours
by the window.

I just wanted things
to be the same again.

But they never were.

How could they?

Part of you went with him.

[crying]

Remember what Father said,

that God chooses the crucible
in which we are tried.

I'm beginning to understand
what that means, Mother.

But I still wish I
had your strength.

EMMA: Strength isn't
something you have.

It's something God
helps you find.

And usually we have to find
it, Julia, one day at a time.

JULIA:
Mother wrote out the blessing.

EMMA:
"I desire the spirit of God

to know and understand myself.

I hope to perform all the work

that I covenanted to do
in the spirit world.

That I may be able to comprehend
the designs of God

without doubting.

I hope to be able to acknowledge
the hand of God in all things.

I desire with all my heart to
honor and respect my husband.

I hope to be able
to retain the place

which God has given me
by His side."

JULIA: Father said
that the Lord will judge us all

according to the desires
of our hearts.

As I look back on Mother's life,

I believe that the blessing
she wanted

is already hers.

EMMA:
There is no end to hope, Julia.

There is no end to love.

[ Soft music playing ]

♪ The distance
between us ♪

♪ The stretches
of pain ♪

♪ Will not divide us

♪ I remain

♪ The hands of
injustice ♪

♪ That took you away

♪ Can't separate us

♪ I remain

♪ Through walls and bars
and running streams ♪

♪ Over rising hills
and sinking valleys ♪

♪ With God as our strength
to carry us through ♪

♪ Oh, I remain
because of you ♪