“If you will all of you raise your desires to heaven, that the ice may be broken up and we be set at liberty, as sure as the Lord lives, it will be done.” — Lucy Mack Smith1
During the early days of the Church, Lucy Mack Smith led a group of Saints from New York to Ohio as the Saints made their three-hundred-mile trek to join other members in Kirtland,3 with part of it following the Erie Canal.2
The journey began smoothly, but a broken canal lock stranded Lucy's group, causing hunger and anxiety. Lucy urged patience and faith, reassuring them of the Lord's guidance. After the canal was repaired, they continued their journey, only to find the harbor blocked by thick ice and limited places to stay. Limited to sharing one large room in town, Lucy managed to arrange for her group to stay on a steamship while waiting for the ice to break.3
Here, the Saints' spirits faltered, leading to heated arguments that drew the attention of onlookers. Lucy admonished them to have faith and pray for the ice to break. As they prayed, the ice in the harbor split with a thunderous noise, allowing their steamboat to pass through the narrow opening before abruptly closing again.3 As the boat left the harbor, a bystander, seeing how low the boat was in the water, predicted it would sink. According to Lucy, the observers "went straight to the office and had it published that we were sunk, so that when we arrived at Fairport, we read in the papers the news of our own death."4
