River Ribble History

Jesus walked about forty miles (from Galilee to Jordan) to be baptized by John, the Baptist, who had the priesthood authority to perform that ordinance.

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.  But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thous to me?  And Jesus answering, said unto him, Suffer me to be baptized of thee, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.  Then he suffered him.  And John went down into the water and baptized him.  And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water; and John saw, and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Jesus.  And lo, he heard a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  Hear ye him.  Matthew 3:43-46-JST

We were teaching a young woman one time and asked if she knew where Jesus Christ had been baptized.  She said, "The River Ribble!"  The reason for that answer is, the first British saints were baptized in this river.  Below is a story about that era in England and below that is an article about the history of the Church in England concerning the River Ribble.

True story:  Two missionaries, working among farm folk where they were not well-liked, had been without food for twenty-four hours.  At two o'clock in the afternoon, they decided to do the only thing they knew.  "Well," said one, "let's go tell the Lord about it."

It was a thing they did frequently, not out of habit but out of necessity.  One of the missionaries wrote, "Who but the Lord could help us in these hostile country areas?  We were without purse or script.   We were on our own.  But, He in whose work we were engaged was ever within reach, the unfailing resource."

They found a secluded spot, knelt, and prayed.  There were no trite cliches in this appeal, no threadbare phrases.  They were praying for urgent needs.  It did not take long to express them.  As they stood and replaced their hats, one of them noticed a small ripple in the stream that gurgled through their prayer chamber.  :Oh, for a fishing pole, " he remarked.

His companion replied, "What's wrong with what you have in your hand?"  What he had in his had was a broken-down, ragged umbrella.  And his companion was not smiling.

 

They had thread and a safety pin.  They doubled and redoubled the thread, fashioned a hook with the pin and fingernail clippers, sharpened it with a fingernail file, and located a worm under a stump.  They tied the line to the umbrella and crept to the stream.

As the worm floated down the creek, they wondered if this might be the way the Lord would answer their prayers, or if they simply had and inclination for the dramatic.  And the, wham!

The elder with the pole pulled fast and a fish sailed over his head and off the hook onto the grassy bank.  He stared, unbelieving, until the other elder cried, "Find another worm!"  They caught six fish, fish "that hit that line as though they hadn't seen a fly or a worm in weeks."

In a few moments, the trout were broiling over a small fire.  The missionaries thanked the Teacher for the food, and when they said it, they meant it.  No meal ever tasted better!

As they picked up their suitcases and began trudging down that country road, one remarked, "You know, the Lord is a mighty generous employer."

(Truman Madsen, Improvement Era, March 1948, p. 151