200th Anniversary of the Prophet Joseph Smith's Birth

"Friday was the 200th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Smith so to celebrate we made 20 contacts (one for each of the 10 year periods) and mentioned his name in each and everyone one. Some people were interested, others weren't. Then that night I sang all 7 verses to "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" out loud and probably made some of the guys I live with mad, but oh well, I gotta celebrate."

Joseph Smith (1805-1844) was the founding prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Smith was born of poor parents in Sharon, Vermont, on December 23, 1805. The family moved near the town of Palmyra, in upstate New York, where between the ages of 14 and 25 Smith experienced visions calling him to restore the Gospel of Jesus Christ. An angel guided him to a set of golden plates buried in a hill near the Smith farm; these contained a narrative written in a hieroglyphic script, which he translated, “by the gift and power of God.” The result was published in 1830 as the Book of Mormon, which is a religious record of the ancient inhabitants of North America.

LDS Church's Joseph Smith Website