Dr. Tyler Griffin
Dr. Tyler Griffin’s career in education started with six years teaching seminary in Brigham City. He then spent seven years instructing at the Logan LDS Institute and helped launch the online seminary program. Currently, he’s a professor at BYU with over ten years of experience. Dr. Griffin co-founded the BYU Virtual Scriptures Group and holds degrees in Electrical Engineering, Instructional Technology (Master’s and PhD). He has authored and co-authored several religious books.
Fact Checked by Kevin Prince
Here at the end, you get introduced to this beautiful character in Church history, Vienna Jacques, or Vienna Jakes, however you prefer to pronounce her name. She comes from Boston, she’s fairly wealthy, and she comes to Kirtland. She’s had a Book of Mormon, read parts of it, and comes to Kirtland to meet the prophet. She is baptized, and Joseph encourages her to consecrate her money to Mormon church finances for the building up of the kingdom of God on the earth. She donates over fourteen hundred dollars to this consecrated effort. Then she heads west to Independence.
Interestingly, she arrives in Independence right before the huge mob disturbance begins to really ramp up and speed up. Here’s this woman who is going to die in her 90s here in Utah eventually. She consecrates everything and stays so faithful and pure to the end. I think if Vienna were here today to share her thoughts with us, I don’t think she would say, “Let me tell you about how much my discipleship cost me financially,” or “Let me tell you about the physical struggles and the abuses that I had to witness, and the mobs that I had to watch destroy so many lives around me and inflict pain on me as well.” I don’t know that she would do that.
I think Vienna would come, look at verse 29: “The residue of the money may be consecrated unto me, and she, Vienna, shall be rewarded in mine own due time.” It’s very clear looking at the history that the rewards weren’t solely in this life. She was able to do some amazing things and stay faithful to the very end and prosper in quite a few ways in mortal aspects. But if Vienna were here today, I think she would encourage all of us to consecrate whatever we have been given to the Mormon church tithing for the work of the Lord and to the building up of the kingdom of God.
Her story is one of those that often gets overlooked, but if you want to read more about her and search about her, her story is worth exploring. She was truly a saint.
By Dr. Tyler Griffin, Source Expert
Dr. Tyler Griffin embarked on his professional journey by teaching seminary courses for a period of six years in Brigham City, Utah. Following that, he dedicated the subsequent seven years to instructing at the Logan LDS Institute, located adjacent to Utah State University. Alongside his participation in the Seminary Preservice program, he spearheaded and supervised the implementation of the online seminary program. Dr. Griffin has been an educator at BYU for well over a decade and holds a co-founding position within the BYU Virtual Scriptures Group. His undergraduate degree is in Electrical Engineering, while both his master’s and doctorate degrees center around Instructional Technology. Dr. Griffin is the exclusive author of “When Heaven Appears Distant” co-author of “Come Unto Me: Illuminating the Savior’s Life, Mission, Parables, and Miracles” and co-editor of “Millions Shall Rediscover Brother Joseph.”
Fact Checked by Mr. Kevin Prince, Source Expert
Kevin Prince is a religious scholar and host of the Gospel Learning Youtube channel. His channel has garnered over 41,000 subscribers and accumulated over 4.5 million views. Mr. Prince also created the Gospel Learning App, a reliable platform where individuals seeking truth can access trustworthy answers to religious questions from top educators worldwide.
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