A Journey to find Answers

  

This is a painting of my ancestor Lumon Andros Shurtliff who was introduced to the restored Gospel but struggled for quite a while trying to determine if it was true and if he should be baptized. He was given a series of symbolic dreams with horses, hogs, and fruit vines that gave him some sense to move forward but he still was uncertain. He finally he took a leap of faith and walked to Kirkland and told Peter Whitmer of his doubts and faith and was assured he could be baptized which he was.

 

However as he began to walk home he realized he still didn’t know if this church was true and he was going to need to go home and face his neighbors. He began to agonize and earnestly prayed to know if what he had done was right. At that moment he felt a sensation of cold water washing down through his body and heard the words I depicted on the painting border. His crippled leg was healed in that moment and he was able to go home with a strong testimony and assurance of the truthfulness of the religion he had just been baptized and was able to bring many others into the faith and perform many blessings of healings.

  

Creating this painting was my way of remembering and helping to celebrate the bicentennial of the Church of Jesus Christ and to share my testimony of how our earnest prayers are answered in the Lord’s timing.