Oscar McConkie’s Witness

Oscar W. McConkie’s witness of Book of Mormon People

Oscar McConkie, father of Elder Bruce R. McConkie, received a vision in which he saw Lamanites (Book of Mormon peoples) in the spirit world. Without going into too much detail of the background, a convert Lamanite named Mark Vest had had great success as a missionary on his reservation, creating a branch. But he became sick and died, and a dispute arose regarding what to do with his remains. The vision given to Oscar McConkie, the mission president, resolved the dispute:

“As he prayed, a vision was opened to him of the spirit world. He saw Mark Johnson Vest standing in front of a large group of Lamanites, which he estimated to be twenty to thirty thousand. As he did so, one of the Indians in the middle of the group stood up and said: ‘Do not listen to this man! He is not a Lamanite. He is a Nephite! President McConkie saw Mark Vest rise to the full stature of his height and say, ‘I am not a Nephite! I am a Lamanite, and when I died I was cremated according to the custom of my people.’ At this point the vision closed up.” (As quoted in Dennis B. Horne, Bruce R. McConkie: Highlights from His Life and Teachings, 28. See also Ensign, July 1972, Questions and Answers)