"And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be." - 1 Nephi 13:38
I found an interesting story on the blog
Step By Step:
Benito
Pablo Juarez was born to Zapotec Indian parents in the year 1806,
making him a contemporary of Joseph Smith. When Benito was only three
years old, both of his parents died. His grandparents watched over him
until the age of 13, but then they died also. Benito's life looked
bleak, but just as the Lord had watched over an Israelite shepherd boy
named David, and had watched over the boy Joseph who was taken away from
his parents and sold into Egypt, and had watched over the poor
backwoods boy named Abraham Lincoln; so the Lord would watch over
Benito. After herding sheep for his uncle for a time, Benito wandered
into the big City of Oaxaca, in the mountains of south central Mexico.
His sister happened to be serving as a maid for a wealthy Spaniard, and
through some providential circumstances, Benito came to be adopted by
this family.
Benito proved to be extremely bright, and was schooled in the
traditional Catholic society of the priesthood. He manifested a desire
to practice law and graduated from the University of Oaxaca with a law
degree. For the next 12 years, Benito Juarez practiced law in the state
of Oaxaca, Mexico and became a champion for justice. His integrity and
concern for the poor became almost legendary. In 1847, as the Mormon
pioneers moved west to Utah, Benito became the governor of Oaxaca,
Mexico, and made the state a model of justice and organization. He
reportedly was so organized that the people could set their clocks
according to his schedule for going to work. Governor Juarez developed a
strong love for democracy, but in so doing brought upon himself the ire
of the establishment. He was exiled by the Mexican President Santa Ana
in 1853, and spent two years in the United States.
Benito Juarez returned to Mexico as minister of justice, and in
1857 he drafted the reform laws that brought about the
disenfranchisement of the Catholic Church. In other words, he brought
about the separation of the church and the government. The results of
those laws were felt by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
as Juarez's work opened the door for missionary work in Mexico. In
reality, Benito Juarez' work meant the fulfillment of prophecy which the
prophet Nephi recorded nearly 2500 years before:
. . . in the latter days, when our seed shall have dwindled
in unbelief yea, for the space of many years, and many generations after
the Messiah shall be manifested in body unto the children of men, then
shall the fulness of the gospel of the Messiah come unto the Gentiles,
and from the Gentiles unto the remnant of our seed . . . (1 Nephi 15:13)
[Joseph L. Allen, Exploring the Lands of the Book of Mormon, pp. 93-95]
