Richard Lawry author page - Devotionals from a Small Town

06/18/2026

Today's installment of Sophie's Journey finds Sophie distilling her experience to its simplest form. She wants her children to live.

https://anarkiesmusings.blogspot.com/2026/06/sophies-journey-chapter-21-bargain-with.html

06/16/2026

Decisions made in Florence, Nebraska, were pivotal in the problems encountered by the Willie Handcart Company. My latest chapter in Sophie's Journey addresses the meeting in Florence.

Sophie’s Journey - Chapter 20 Florence The company arrived in Florence on a Tuesday. The settlement was on the edge of the prairie, right ...

06/15/2026

The stories that I am learning as I research Sophie's story with the Willie Handcart Company are heart-wrenching. I will soon be writing about some of the most desperate times the company endured, and it is emotionally draining. You can read my latest chapter at the link below.

Sophie’s Journey - Chapter 19 Eyes on the Horizon It was early morning, but the Iowa heat was oppressive, tasting of dust and dry grass. By...

06/12/2026

I finished another chapter in the Sophie Petersen story

Sophie’s Journey - Chapter 18 The Hills of Iowa Morning light filtered through the Iowa mist. Sophie stood by her handcart. Her hands were...

06/10/2026

The latest installment of the Sophie Petersen saga finds Sophie on the Iowa prairie.

Sophie’s Journey - Chapter 17 Ocean of Grass On the morning of July 15, the weather was good, and everyone was in high spirits. Today, the...

06/08/2026

Another chapter in the saga of Sophie Petersen

Sophie's Journey - Chapter 16 Faith Against the Frontier The humidity was gone at last. A hot wind carried dust and the scent of swea...

06/06/2026

Chapter 15 of Sophie's story is finished. The Willie Handcart Company is ready to leave Clark's Mill and head out on their 1300-mile journey across modern-day Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming and into the Salt Lake valley.

Sophie's Journey - Chapter 15 The Danish Saints The morning dawned hot and humid. Sophie stood by her handcart at Clark's Mill, w...

06/04/2026

Levi Savage was a principal character in the story of the Willie Handcart Company, of which Sophie Petersen was a part. Chapter 14 outlines Levi's misgivings about the leadership's plans.

Sophoe's Journey - Chapter 14 Brother Savage’s Warning The morning at Clark's Mill was a cacophony of noise - saws biting, hammers ringing...

06/02/2026

The latest chapter in the Sophie Petersen story delves into promises made to Sophie and to her friend Peder Mortensen.

Sophie's Journey - Chapter 13 The Promise The morning at Clark's Mill sat heavy on the chest, wood-smoke and wet earth, the kind of air th...

05/31/2026

Sophie and her children spent the 4th of July at Clark's Mill in Iowa as the Willie Handcart Company prepared to make the 1300-mile trip to Utah.

Sophie’s Journey - Chapter 12 The Price of Liberty Sophie could not breathe at Clark's Mill. Not properly. The air sat on her chest as a w...