"And now concerning my servant Parley P. Pratt, behold, I say unto him that as I live I will that he shall declare my gospel and learn of me, and be meek and lowly of heart.
"And that which I have appointed unto him is that he shall go with my servants, Oliver Cowdery and Peter Whitmer, Jun., into the wilderness among the Lamanites.
"And Ziba Peterson also shall go with them; and I myself will go with them and be in their midst; and I am their advocate with the Father, and nothing shall prevail against them." — Doctrine and Covenants 32:1-31
In September 1830, Joseph Smith received several revelations, including two that called Oliver Cowdery and Peter Whitmer Jr. to go west to preach to the Native Americans. Later, Ziba Peterson and Parley P. Pratt were called to join them. On their way to Missouri, Pratt decided to stop by his former minister, Sidney Rigdon, in Mentor, Ohio.2
Initially, Rigdon was not interested in hearing about the Book of Mormon, but he allowed Parley P. Pratt to preach a sermon to his congregation about it and was given a copy of the Book of Mormon. Later, Rigdon decided to read the Book of Mormon for himself. Believing it was true, he felt conflicted because he knew that he would not be able to continue on as a minister if he accepted the scripture. After discussing it with his wife, Phebe, Rigdon decided to follow his newfound beliefs.3
Cowdery, Pratt, and Ziba Peterson also preached at the Morley farm after receiving an invitation from Isaac Morley's daughter to rest there. The inhabitants of the Morley farm were living together in an attempt to recreate the communal living described in the book of Acts, believing that the Christianity of their day was not the same as what Jesus Christ had established in the first century. The message that the four missionaries shared resonated with them, and many chose to be baptized.4
