Story Time: The Sister Preachers

Gale Sears introduces her new historical novel, The Sister Preachers, based on the true story of the first sister missionaries in 1898 (Deseret Book).

I grew up captivated by stories and it wasn’t long into my Mary Janes that I realized I got a kick out of spinning my own tall tales: everything from talking bunnies to enchanted flying bikes. Advancing into my Girl Scout summers at the campfire where I conjured stories of ghosts and rampaging bears, to sappy high school rhyming poems about unrequited love; I found that stories entranced.

As an adult I’ve been privileged to mesh my love of storytelling with my love of the narratives of history. To meander through the stories of actual people living through extraordinary circumstances teaches, lifts, and humbles me. Each experience clarifies the art of being human.

I have been blessed to write historical fiction highlighting noteworthy events and remarkable people in the LDS realm. The Sister Preachers is my latest offering and tells the story of the 1898 mission of Inez Knight and Jennie Brimhall to England. These women were the first single proselyting missionaries for the Church. So, why England? Why women? Why 1898?

In the early to mid-1800’s, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was having great proselyting success in Great Britain. Many skilled craftsmen, merchants, laborers, and farmers left the fair green isles to immigrate to the land of Deseret. Then, in the latter part of the century, a disgruntled British apostate by the name of Jarman began writing and distributing anti-Mormon literature and going about the country lecturing about the evils of Mormonism. He formed anti-Mormon leagues and encouraged these groups to harass and torment the missionaries and the members. Much of his vitriol was aimed at polygamy and the supposed cruel treatment of Utah’s women. The persecution became so severe that Elder McMurrin, then President of the European mission, wrote to the first Presidency of the Church requesting sister missionaries be sent from Utah to dispel the pernicious fables being promoted. It proved to be a sensible and effective solution.

Inez Knight and Jennie Brimhall were daughters of prominent Provo, Utah families. They both had university level educations and were stalwart members of the faith. Though the pioneering aspect of the mission was daunting, these two young women approached the task with grit and grace. Inez Knight’s journal tells of her and Jennie questioning their abilities, dealing with skeptical Elders, and encountering violent persecution while preaching, yet it also tells of forays into the charming English countryside, being encouraged by resolute British saints, and building and securing their testimonies. It is a glorious story of faith, which I feel honored to share.

Gale Sears grew up in Lake Tahoe, California, and spent her high-school years in Hawaii. After graduating from McKinley High School in Honolulu, she went on to receive a BA in play-writing from Brigham Young University, and an MA in theater arts from the University of Minnesota. She is an award-winning author, known for her historical accuracy and intensive research. She is the author of the bestselling The Silence of God, Letters in the Jade Dragon Box (Whitney Award Winner), Belonging to Heaven and several other novels, including The Route, Christmas for a Dollar, Autumn Sky, Until the Dawn, and Upon the Mountains. She and her husband, George, are the parents of two children and reside in Sandy, Utah.