'I’m Ready Now': Ephraim Hanks and the Handcart Rescue
On October 6, 1856, Brigham Young issued a call for rescuers for the stranded Martin Handcart Company. Ephraim Hanks was not present. Three weeks later, fishing at Utah Lake and attending a conference in American Fork, he received a prompting that the handcart people needed help. He arrived in Salt Lake City by October 26. When Brigham Young called others to join the rescue and they said they could be ready in a few days, Ephraim said simply: 'I’m ready now.' He prayed one night for food and a buffalo appeared. He shot it with one shot, loaded it on his pack horse, and arrived at the Martin Handcart Company on November 11. He healed the sick, brought a man back to life, and healed a boy whose feet had gangrened so severely that amputation seemed certain. After the blessing, the boy lived a full life.
Key Lessons
- • Preparation allows us to answer calls immediately, before conditions are ideal.
- • When people are suffering, readiness matters more than comfort.
- • Faith paired with action is what moves mountains.
Community Connections
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Related People
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Grandson of Ephraim Hanks · Mission President (Samoa) · Temple President (Samoa) · Church Education System Leader · Stake President · Senior Missionary (Ukraine, Freiburg) · Lehi Resident
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Child Passenger Safety Technician, Former Boutique Owner, Parent Educator, Community Builder
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Former Principal, Lehi High School · Agriculture & Science Teacher · Lifelong Lehi Resident
Lara Bangerter
Manager, Lehi Historical Society & Archives
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Related Quotes
(4)"I’m ready now."
— Ephraim Hanks (quoted by Phil Hanks)
"Stay faithful and serve to the best of your abilities wherever you live."
— Phil Hanks
"Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could continue to carry on that spirit?"
— Lara Bangerter
"We should have been afraid, but I wasn’t."
— Phil Hanks
Ways to Serve
(1)More from Phil Hanks
Phil Hanks
The Ukrainian Saints Who Arrived Afraid and Left Transformed
While serving at the Freiburg Germany Temple, Phil and Donna witnessed Ukrainian Saints arriving by the busload. Most were new members of the Church in Ukraine — a community that had only recently emerged from the Soviet era. They had no idea what to expect in the temple. They came afraid. Over four or five days — moving through baptisms for their ancestors, endowments, and sealings — Phil watched something change in them. 'By the time they left, there were tears and hugs.' He says it quietly but repeatedly: 'They were changed.' A community now scattered by war, this story preserves their early devotional life.
Phil Hanks
Called as Mission President at 28 — Before He Even Knew
Phil and Donna were in Samoa teaching at a Church school when congratulatory telegrams began arriving. First his mother, then a cousin: 'Congratulations, President.' He had no idea what they meant. After six weeks of delayed mail due to a Pan-American Airlines strike, letters finally arrived including a call from the First Presidency to preside over the Samoa Mission. Phil was 28. Donna was 27. They came home for ten weeks, attended the mission presidents' seminar with all 61 mission presidents in the world at the time, were set apart, and returned July 1 to lead the mission. Phil said simply: 'We should have been afraid, but I wasn’t.'
Phil Hanks
Svetlana Still Teaching in Ukraine
After two missions to Ukraine — first in Kyiv, then returning to the same city, same apartment, same assignment — Phil and Donna built deep friendships. Years later, Russia’s invasion scattered the Ukrainian Saints: friends in Germany, Hungary, Portugal, the United States. One friend stands out: Svetlana, a schoolteacher who became a dear friend when Phil and Donna taught English at a local elementary school. The schools have been destroyed. Svetlana is still there — still in Ukraine — teaching her students online.
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Charlene Freestone
Six Children, One Minivan, and a Wooden Box
At a child safety checkpoint in 2021, Charlene helped a family with six children in a seven-seat minivan. One child was on a secured wooden box. The family had daisy-chained lap extender belts through the outer car seats. Charlene and another technician spent over an hour arranging new seats, only to learn the mother was pregnant and needed room for a newborn. They had to start over completely. The experience became a career turning point.
Charlene Freestone
I'm Back, But This Time I'm Helping
Charlene's son was born with needs requiring surgeries. A nurse with child passenger safety training helped her family during the car seat oxygen test. Exactly 12 years later, Charlene began working with Intermountain at Utah Valley Hospital — on the exact anniversary of her son's discharge. Looking at her badge, she thought: 'I'm back, but this time I'm helping people here.'
Charlene Freestone
Grief Turned Into Safety Work
Charlene mentions a man in his 50s who became involved in child passenger safety after losing his daughter in a car accident. He used his grief constructively, becoming a volunteer for Zero Fatalities and eventually a certified CPST. He's also trilingual, making him an invaluable resource for families facing language barriers.