Wilford Woodruff's Response to the Announcement of Baptism for the Dead

Prominent men appear to Elder Woodruff at St. George temple 1877

     At the time of the Church’s October Conference in 1940, eight members of the Quorum of the Twelve were serving missions in England, including Wilford Woodruff.  At the conference, on October 5, 1840, Joseph Smith gave an address in which he made a huge announcement, one that established an entirely new direction for the Church.  There may have never been a conference announcement, before or since, with that significant a change being made, even including those that abolished polygamy or extending the priesthood to all worthy males.  The discourse was about baptism for the dead.
     On the next day, Elder Woodruff’s wife Phebe, who had attended the conference, wrote a long letter to her husband in England to share the news.  Shortly after this, Joseph smith also wrote a letter to the Twelve explaining the doctrine.
     When Elder Woodruff heard the news, his response was interesting and inspiring.  He recorded in his journal that the moment that he heard of the possibility of baptisms for the dead, his “soul leaped with joy.”  The doctrine of vicarious baptism proved to Wilford that God “was reasonable, wise, just, and true, and possessed both the best of attributes, and good sense and knowledge.... consistent with love, mercy, justice and judgment.”  As a result Wilford loved God more than ever.  He later testified that the revelation was like a “shaft of light from the throne of God,” and “opened a field wide as eternity to our minds.”  (reported in Jennifer Ann Mackley, “Wilford Woodruff’s Witness: The Development of Temple Doctrine,” Seattle: High Desert Publishing, 2014, 47-50)
     Might we share some of Elder Woodruff’s feelings about work for the dead?