,,sketches ,,of ,,missionary ,,life ,,by ,,edwin ,f4 ,,parry1 ,,recently ,,of ,,the ,,presidency ,,of ,,the ,,european ,,mission1 ,,church ,,of ,,jesus ,,christ ,,of ,,latter-,,day ,,saints4 ,,author ,,of ,a ,,prophet ,,ok ,,latter ,,days1 ,,etc4 ,,salt ,,lake ,,city1 ,,utah3 ,,george ,q4 ,,cannon ,,sons ,,co4 ,,printers4 #ahii4 ,,preface4 ,the recital of incidents in human experience is always interesting to the young1 and such recitals1 if of a proper character1 may be listened to or read with profit as well as pleasure4 ,especially beneficial and interesting are stories of missionary life wherein the wonderful providences of the ,lord are shown4 ,they serve to awaken faith and strengthen confidence in ,god1 and teach many valuable lessons4 ,the object sought in presenting this little work to the public is to supply fresh reading matter of a wholesome character to the youth of ,zion2 and it is issued with the hope that its contents may stimulate faith in the heart of the reader1 and assist him in his efforts to become more useful in the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,most of the events and incidents herein related are of recent occurrence1 and many of them were narrated to or came under the observation of the writer while engaged in missionary labors abroad4 ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,utah1 ,november1 #ahii4 ,,contents4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,character of ,men ,called as ,missionaries ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,first ,temptation to ,missionaries ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,providential ,aid ,received ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,leaving ,home--,the ,journey ,,chapter ,v ,first ,experience in the ,field ,,chapter ,,vi ,lack of ,ability ,,chapter ,,vii ,miraculous ,help from the ,lord ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,presenting the ,gospel to the ,people ,,chapter ,,ix ,discouraging ,prospects--,pleasing ,results ,,chapter ,x4 ,effect of ,hearing the ,gospel ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,experiences in ,holding ,meetings ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,divine ,guidance and ,protection ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,friends ,raised up ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,signs that ,follow ,believers ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,miscellaneous ,experiences--,conclusion ,sketches of ,missionary ,life1 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,character ,,of ,,men ,,called ,,as ,,missionaries4 ,the manner of conducting missionary work by the ,latter-day ,saints is unique and marvelous2 and the further one inquires into the details of the method the more wonderful it appears4 ,the remarkable features of this work will be better understood when it is known how it is carried on1 and what some of its results are4 ,at present the great majority of ,latter-day ,saint missionaries who are sent out into the world are young men1 ranging upward from sixteen years of age4 ,they are selected from all avocations of life4 ,some are farmers or farm-laborers1 sheep herders or followers of other common occupations2 some are mechanics or mechanics' assistants2 others may be clerks1 book-keepers1 merchants or school teachers1 while a very few are lawyers1 doctors or other professional men4 ,but many of them are so young that they have not begun to follow any regular pursuit4 ,some of the latter may have received a fair common-school or even collegiate education1 while others are called from remote parts of the country1 newly settled1 and where the educational advantages are but meagre4 ,none are trained especially for the ministry outside of what teaching they get at home1 in the ,sunday ,schools1 ,church schools and ,improvement ,associations4 ,generally when called1 these young men are given only a short time for preparation before taking their leave of home--usually a few weeks1 sometimes only a few days1 and in some instances only one day4 ,they are sent with the expectation of bearing their own expenses to their fields of labor1 wheresoever they may be called1 whether to the adjoining ,states or to the far off islands of the southern seas2 to the sunny south or the dark and frozen regions of the ,arctic circle4 ,except in countries where it is possible to carry on missionary labor without purse and scrip1 they are also expected to support themselves with their own means while away from home4 ,it is a notable fact that there are but very few young men called to take missions who decline to go2 and very frequently men whose circumstances apparently might justify them in being excused accept the call1 trusting in the ,lord to overrule circumstances in their favor and thereby enable them to respond4 ,those who thus place reliance in the ,lord are not neglected by ,him4 ,invariably the way is opened for the accomplishment of the duty imposed upon them4 ,it is also remarkable how willing many young men are to accept the call to go out into the world to promulgate the ,gospel1 fully understanding that they are expected to preach in public as well as to teach in private1 when in the majority of instances they have never made the first attempt at public speaking4 ,such willingness is an evidence of great trust and confidence in the help to be received from the ,lord4 ,in going out they may not all have a knowledge of the truth of the ,gospel they go to advocate1 but faith is implanted within their hearts in a sufficient degree at least to cause them to start upon their mission4 ,the testimony of thousands of such young men who have thus gone out and returned with a perfect knowledge of the truth of the ,gospel1 is strong evidence that such confiding faith is by no means exercised in vain4 ,invariably when missionaries have gone forth in response to the call of the ,priesthood and have faithfully1 and in strict obedience to instructions received1 performed their duty they have been enabled to fulfill honorable and useful missions4 ,they have been abundantly blessed of the ,lord1 helped in their efforts in a wonderful manner1 and ofted miraculously preserved from threatening dangers and led to take a course that brings about the most satisfactory results from their labors4 ,the narration of some of the interesting and remarkable phases of missionary experience will be the subject of following chapters4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,first ,,temptation ,,to ,,missionaries4 ,it is not an infrequent occurrence that1 when a man is called to take a mission1 temptation is at once presented to him to make excuses2 and he can see many apparently good reasons why he should be excused from the obligation2 and here begins his first struggle4 ,a striking illustration of this is conveyed in the following narrative3 ,several years ago a man of very moderate pecuniary circumstances1 and who had a family of small children dependent upon him for support1 was engaged as a common laborer on a railway4 ,one night he had a dream that impressed itself upon his mind4 ,all that he could distinctly remember of this dream was that he received two letters1 the contents of which he did not know4 ,one letter1 he understood by his dream1 was from the manager of the railway company for which he was working1 and the other was from the ,president of the ,church1 who at that time was the late ,john ,taylor4 ,the man felt that this simple yet unusual dream had some significance1 though he could not at the time satisfy himself as to its meaning4 ,pretty soon1 however1 it was made clear to him1 and he was led to acknowledge that it was an inspired dream given to prepare his mind for what was coming4 ,word was conveyed to him from one of the railroad department managers that he had been selected to occupy another position in the employ of the company1 where his work would be more agreeable and he would receive a larger salary4 ,this was indeed joyful news to him1 as he was then with his small earnings1 having a hard struggle to make a livelihood for himself and his family4 ,almost simultaneously with this welcome message came a letter from the ,president of the ,church1 stating that he had been selected to take a mission to a far distant land1 and asking him if he was willing to accept of the call4 ,here was a temptation placed before him4 ,the questions that for a time perplexed him were3 should he respond at once to the call to fulfill a mission8 or would he not be justified in excusing himself for a year or two1 and by so doing1 with his advance in wages1 save means to support himself and family during his absence8 ,however justifiable the latter proposition appeared to him he rejected it and decided to accept the mission4 ,he fulfilled it to the best of his ability1 and in later years testified that he was better off financially than he would likely have been had he remained with his former employers and received the advanced wages offered4 ,a similar instance to the one just narrated was that of a young man who recently filled a mission4 ,after receiving his call to go upon a foreign mission he sought and secured work in a mine4 ,by this employment he hoped to raise sufficient means by the time set for his departure to take him to his field of labor1 and1 if possible1 something towards paying his expenses while absent4 ,the work he received about the mine was ordinary labor2 but his employers soon learned that he was a trustworthy man1 and just about the time when he had promised to start upon his mission an offer of a better position1 with good wages1 was made to the young man4 ,under other circumstances he would gladly have accepted such a tempting offer2 but he had already given his word that he would accept the call into the ,lord's vineyard1 and he was determined to keep his promise4 ,he refused the situation so kindly offered1 and went upon the mission assigned him4 ,he lost nothing in the estimation of his employers by this course4 ,he had been straight-forward with them from the first1 having informed them of his intention to leave at a certain time1 and of the object he had in view when he applied for work4 ,so well pleased were they with his services that they assured him he could get employment from them on his return if he desired it4 ,some few years ago an ,elder in the ,church entertained the desire to some day fulfill a mission abroad4 ,he did not feel that he was in a condition financially to go at that time1 as he was in debt to the amount of some twenty-six hundred dollars4 ,he calculated that if he was fortunate in his affairs he would be able to pay his debts in the course of a few years1 and would then offer his services as a missionary4 ,before he had an opportunity to pay any of his debt he was called to take a mission to ,europe4 ,he at once made up his mind that he would try and go1 trusting in the ,lord to prepare the way for him4 ,he went upon his mission and before his return his wife had the whole of his indebtedness paid off4 ,his business was that of a farmer1 and1 although during his absence his work had to be entrusted to more or less disinterested parties1 his farm yielded better returns1 than his neighbors' farms4 ,he acknowledged that the ,lord had certainly blessed him for his obedience to the call made of him4 ,besides this1 he enjoyed better health while away from home than he had for some years previously4 ,he has recently returned after fulfilling a useful mission1 feeling thankful for the privilege of going abroad in the service of the ,lord4 ,some who have been asked if willing to perform a mission have suggested that their call be postponed for a certain length of time in order to become better prepared4 ,a number of such missionaries have been heard to admit that it would have been better for them if they had accepted the call at once2 and some have1 after asking for an extension of time1 changed their minds and reported themselves ready to go without availing themselves of the time given for preparation1 finding that the longer they remained the farther they were from being ready4 ,the late ,apostle ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 in his ,autobiography1 relates that upon one occasion he hesitated before starting upon a mission that had been assigned him4 ,he was in debt1 and was building a house1 and desired to finish it before leaving4 ,before it was finished the house took fire and was burned4 ,elder ,pratt then decided at once that he was ready to fulfill his mission4 ,he looked upon his misfortune as a rebuke for not responding when first called4 ,upon deciding to go1 his friends came to his assistance1 his debts were cancelled1 and thus his way was made clear to perform his duty4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,providential ,,aid ,,received4 ,after accepting a call to fulfill a mission1 ,elders sometimes find they are without the necessary funds at hand to carry them to their destination4 ,but the assurance that prompts them to respond to the call also gives them confidence that this difficulty can be met and overcome in some way4 ,the feeling that where there's a will there's a way seems to actuate their whole being1 and very seldom if ever are they disappointed in their expectations4 ,a few years ago a young man was called to fulfill a mission and had reported himself as being willing to go4 ,he hastily prepared to start by paying what debts he was owing and providing some things that his family were in need of1 after which he found that he had no means left for paying his way to his destination1 which was in a foreign country1 and the time set for his departure was near at hand4 ,a few days previous to the time of leaving1 an acquaintance met him1 and during the conversation that ensued the missionary informed his friend of his call to take a mission1 but said nothing about his financial circumstances4 ,before parting the young friend handed the missionary a silver coin with this remark3 ,here1 ,i want to give you this to help you along2 and you will find that others will help you1 as ,i found in my experience when about to go on a mission a few years ago4 ,this was the first piece of money he had received to aid him on his way1 but1 true to his friend's words1 others helped him1 and money came from several sources where he did not expect anything1 and had no reason to expect it4 ,the result was that on the day of his departure he not only had enough to pay his way but sufficient to meet necessary expenses while absent during the first year of his mission4 ,another such instance occurred in the experience of an ,elder called to go to ,england several years ago4 ,after receiving and accepting of his call he made what preparations he could to comply with it4 ,he was however disappointed somewhat in getting some means due him4 ,the result was that on the day previous to that on which he expected to start he did not have sufficient means to take him to ,new ,york4 ,he knew not from what source he could get money1 but still hoped to be able to go on the day appointed4 ,that night he dreamed that he received one hundred dollars1 but awoke in the morning and found himself in the same financial condition as on the day before4 ,but his hopes were not blighted4 ,he concluded that if the dream meant anything it was an indication that he would still succeed4 ,during the day and before the time set for his departure he received just one hundred dollars from an entirely unexpected source1 and was thereby enabled to start on his journey at the time appointed4 ,in the ,life of ,john ,taylor is related an interesting episode which shows how he was helped when in need of funds to pay his way across the ocean4 ,it was in the year #ahci1 just after the ,saints had been driven in a body from their homes in ,missouri4 ,apostle ,taylor1 with others of his quorum1 had been called as a missionary to ,england4 ,with much difficulty1 owing to sickness1 he made his way to ,new ,york1 but without means to proceed any farther4 ,his experience in ,new ,york is here given as recorded in his biography3 ,when ,elder ,taylor arrived in ,new ,york1 ,elder ,woodruff had been there some time1 and was all impatience to embark for ,england1 but as yet the former had no means with which to pay for his ocean passage4 ,although supplied with all the means necessary on his journey thus far1 after paying his cab-fare to the house of ,brother ,pratt he had but one cent left4 ,still he was the last man on earth to plead poverty1 and in answer to inquiries of some of the brethren as to his financial circumstances1 he replied that he had plenty of money4 ,this was reported to ,brother ,pratt1 who the next day approached ,elder ,taylor on the subject3 ,elder ,pratt3 ',well1 ,i am about to publish my ',voice of ,warning' and ',millennial ,poems1' ,i am very much in need of money1 and if you could furnish me with two or three hundred dollars ,i should be very much obliged4' ,elder ,taylor3 ',well ,brother ,parley1 you are welcome to anything ,i have1 if it will be of service to you4' ,elder ,pratt3 ',i never saw the time when means would be more acceptable4' ,and putting his hand into his pocket ,elder ,taylor gave him his copper cent4 ,a laugh followed4 ',but ,i thought you gave it out that you had plenty of money1' said ,parley4 ',yes1 so ,i have1' replied ,elder ,taylor4 ',i am well clothed1 you furnish me plenty to eat and drink and good lodging2 with all these things and a penny over1 as ,i owe nothing1 is not that plenty8' ,that evening at a council meeting ,elder ,pratt1 proposed that the brethren assist ,elder ,taylor with means to pay his passage to ,england1 as ,brother ,woodruff was prepared and desired to go4 ,to this ,elder ,taylor objected1 and told the brethren if they had anything to give to let ,parley have it1 as he had a family to support and needed means for publishing4 ,at the close of the meeting ,elder ,woodruff expressed his regret at the course taken by ,elder ,taylor1 as he had been waiting for him1 and at last had engaged his passage4 ,elder ,taylor3 ',well ,brother ,woodruff1 if you think it best for me to go1 ,i will accompany you4' ,elder ,taylor3 ',oh1 there will be no difficulty about that4 ,go and take a passage for me on your vessel1 and ,i will furnish you the means4' ,a ,brother ,theodore ,turley1 hearing the above conversation1 and thinking that ,elder ,taylor had resources unknown to himself or ,brother ,woodruff1 said3 ',i wish ,i could go with you1 ,i would do your cooking and wait on you4' ,the passage to be secured was in the steerage--these missionaries were not going on flowery beds of ease--hence the necessity of such service as ,brother ,turley proposed rendering4 ,in answer to this appeal1 ,elder ,taylor told ,brother ,woodruff to take a passage for ,brother ,turley also4 ,at the time of making these arrangements ,elder ,taylor had no money1 but the ,spirit had whispered to him that means would be forthcoming1 and when had that still1 small voice failed him6 ,in that he trusted1 and he did not trust in vain4 ,although he did not ask for a penny of anyone1 from various persons in voluntary donations he received money enough to meet his engagements for the passage of himself and ,brother ,turley1 but no more4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,leaving ,,home ,,the ,,journey4 ,one of the first trying experiences a missionary has to endure is that of tearing himself away from his family4 ,the expression tearing himself away is not describing too strongly the painful feelings of such an ordeal1 for to many this is no trifling experience3 it is like tearing one's heartstrings to undergo it1 and he feels almost as though he were purposelessly inflicting most cruel torture upon his loved ones regardless of their appeals for mercy4 ,but feeling that it is a call from the ,lord that prompts him to do this1 he is strengthened to endure the severe but fortunately short trial4 ,one can perhaps imagine to some extent how painful was such a parting as the one described by the late ,president ,heber ,c4 ,kimball4 ,it occurred about the same time as the incident related in the previous chapter in the experience of ,president ,john ,taylor when called to fill a mission to ,england4 ,apostle ,kimball was called to the same mission4 ,it was but a short time after the ,saints first settled in ,nauvoo1 ,illinois1 and they were poor and destitute1 and owing to exposure and an unhealthy place of refuge these missionaries and their families were in poor health4 ,elder ,kimball depicts his leave-taking as follows3 ,during the night of ,august #bcrd1 #ahci1 my son1 ,david ,patten1 was born in ,commerce1 in the log cabin ,i had put up at the end of the ,bozier house4 ,we had a heavy thunderstorm that night1 but the hand of the ,lord was over us4 ,as soon as my wife was able ,i moved my family into the new log house that ,i had built4 ,september #adth1 ,president ,brigham ,young left his home at ,montrose to start on the mission to ,england4 ,he was so sick that he was unable to go to the ,mississippi1 a distance of thirty rods1 without assistance4 ,after he had crossed the river he rode behind ,israel ,barlow on his horse to my house1 where he continued sick until the #ahth4 ,he left his wife sick with a babe only three weeks old1 and all his other children were sick and unable to wait upon each other4 ,not one soul of them was able to go to the well for a pail of water1 and they were without a second suit to their backs1 for the mob in ,missouri had taken nearly all he had4 ,on the #agth ,sister ,mary ,ann ,young got a boy to carry her up in his wagon to my house1 that she might nurse and comfort ,brother ,brigham to the hour of starting4 ,september #ahth1 ,charles ,hubbard sent his boy with a wagon and span of horses to my house2 our trunks were put into the wagon by some brethren2 ,i went to my bed and shook hands with my wife who was then shaking with a chill1 having two children lying sick by her side2 ,i embraced her and my children1 and bade them farewell4 ,my only well child was little ,heber ,p41 and it was with difficulty he could carry a couple of quarts of water at a time1 to assist in quenching their thirst4 ,it was with difficulty we got into the wagon1 and started down the hill about ten rods2 it appeared to me as though my very inmost parts would melt within me at leaving my family in such a condition1 as it were almost in the arms of death4 ,i felt as though ,i could not endure it4 ,i asked the teamster to stop1 and said to ,brother ,brigham1 ',this is pretty tough1 isn't it2 let's rise up and give them a cheer4' ,we arose1 and swinging our hats three times over our heads1 shouted3 ',hurrah1 hurrah for ,israel4' ,vilate1 hearing the noise1 arose from her bed and came to the door4 ,she had a smile on her face4 ,vilate and ,mary ,ann ,young cried out to us3 ',good by1 ,god bless you4' ,we returned the compliment1 and then told the driver to go ahead4 ,after this ,i felt a spirit of joy and gratitude1 having had the satisfaction of seeing my wife standing upon her feet1 instead of leaving her in bed1 knowing well that ,i should not see them again for two or three years4 ,usually missionaries go to their fields of labor in small companies1 and after the acute pangs of parting with loved ones are somewhat assuaged they enjoy their travels4 ,the new scenes constantly coming within view help to divert their minds from the thoughts of home4 ,if they have a long distance to travel to reach their destination1 and especially when they have to cross the ocean1 they find time to seriously consider the nature of the duty before them4 ,then they begin1 if they have not done so before1 to realize the necessity of depending upon the ,lord for guidance and aid4 ,if they have to cross the great deep and should they become sea-sick they are liable to feel that their troubles are increasing in number and severity2 but if their sea-sickness is of an extreme type it banishes all other troubles4 ,they have no hope nor fear of the future and the past is entirely forgotten4 ,all they can think of is the awful present4 ,the more severe their sickness the sooner it is ended1 and their recovery is so rapid that it causes astonishment1 and they wonder how it was possible for them to feel so ill through such a trifling cause4 ,in a few days nothing is left of the dreadful sensation but a recollection as of an unpleasant dream4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,first ,,experience ,,in ,,the ,,field4 ,the excitement or the interest of travel generally keeps up one's spirits while on the way2 but soon the journey is at an end4 ,arriving at the headquarters of the mission to which they have been appointed1 the missionaries are assigned to various conferences or fields of labor4 ,during the short time they have traveled together they have become quite attached to each other4 ,they appreciate one another the more through being alike newly separated from near friends and traveling through strange lands among strange people4 ,it is another affecting experience to part from traveling companions2 and when each one finds himself singly cast among strangers1 or rather among new friends1 he is for a little while lonesome4 ,if he allows himself to take a cheerless view of the situation he may feel somewhat home-sick2 and if he makes no effort to cast aside his gloomy thoughts he will soon be feeling extremely unhappy4 ,he can encourage this feeling until it becomes a serious malady that can only be cured by the most heroic treatment1 or else have the cause removed by a far less heroic method--that is by returning home at once4 ,on the other hand1 if the newly-arrived missionary fully determines to go to work immediately1 to become familiar with the labor before him1 to get acquainted with the people1 and make himself at home among them1 and take advantage of every circumstance that surrounds him1 he will soon feel contented so far as personal comfort is concerned4 ,although people are inclined to regard it as a trifling ailment1 and extend no sympathy for those who suffer with it1 homesickness is a very serious affliction4 ,it is even fatal in some instances4 ,a soldier of a ,massachusetts regiment is reported to have died in ,cuba recently through homesickness4 ,fortunately there are remedies for the complaint in cases where missionaries are attacked with it4 ,the most effective remedy is for the one afflicted to go to work at once upon his missionary labors4 ,he may meet with rebuffs1 but such experience will be just what is needed to dispel the feeling of home-sickness and to inspire him with a determination to battle against discouragement4 ,a young man who lately returned from the mission field related that when he first arrived in his place of labor he felt symptoms of home-sickness4 ,he determined to shake off the feeling at once1 and went out to deliver tracts and seek to get ,gospel conversations with the people4 ,the first man he met opposed him and used considerable abuse4 ,this treatment aroused him to put forth efforts to defend the cause he represented as well as his own character1 for both were attacked4 ,it also furnished a favorable opportunity for doing so1 as the man made charges which he felt fully able to refute4 ,the young man did not retaliate with abuse1 but patiently and in a kindly spirit undertook to set the truth before his misinformed opponent4 ,his pleasant manner and humble spirit conquered his antagonist and made him a lasting friend4 ,the missionary received a standing invitation to his house1 and besides this the gentleman who first opposed afterwards1 with his family1 attended meetings and they all became interested in the ,gospel4 ,the missionary continued his active efforts and had no more feelings of home-sickness4 ,he subsequently became one of the most energetic and successful workers in the field4 ,quite a number of missionaries who at first have become somewhat discouraged1 and partially made up their minds to return home1 have had dreams just at the critical time1 and have been influenced thereby to continue in the field4 ,they have dreamed that they had returned home without fulfilling their mission4 ,the humiliation and chagrin they experienced in their dreams appeared so real that they have thereby had their minds changed by it1 and once more determined to continue their efforts4 ,there have been instances where missionaries have returned home on account of home-sickness1 but almost invariably they have felt dissatisfied with themselves until they have returned to their fields of labor and made a more successful effort to fill a mission4 ,it sometimes occurs that a missionary goes to his field of labor with a misapprehension of the nature of the work4 ,returned ,elders in reporting their labors abroad often speak of the success they met with1 and of the opportunities and needs there are for missionary work in the world4 ,in listening to such reports a person sometimes gets the idea that those who go out as missionaries will find people anxiously waiting for them1 and ready to receive their message4 ,a missionary soon learns that such is not the case1 and sometimes feels that it is only a waste of time for him to remain and try to do anything4 ,how frequently has the remark been made by a newly arrived missionary1 ,why1 ,i could do more good at home than ,i am doing here6 ,but he soon discovers that to gain success he must work for it4 ,if the people will not come to him1 he finds that he must go to them4 ,he must awaken an interest in the message he bears1 and to do this he must be patient and diligent as well as prayerful4 ,it is a common remark among missionaries that they are just beginning to do real missionary work that is satisfactory to themselves when they are about to be released4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,lack ,,of ,,ability4 ,if he has not done so before1 a young missionary1 just beginning his labors1 will soon discover his lack of ability to express his thoughts as he would like to4 ,he may fully believe in the ,gospel or may even have a strong testimony of its truth1 yet he will find that it is not so easy to intelligently and fluently explain his reasons for the belief within him4 ,he may be somewhat familiar with passages of scripture that go to prove the truth of the ideas he entertains concerning the ,gospel but cannot readily turn to nor repeat these passages4 ,by contrasting his ability in this line with that of missionary companions who have been longer in the field1 he keenly senses this fact4 ,as is sometimes the case1 he may have gone to his field with the expectation that the ,lord1 through ,his ,holy ,spirit would inspire him with words to say1 immediately when he made the attempt to speak1 without any study or thought upon his own part4 ,in his little experience at home he might have observed the remarkable improvement in some young man's speaking abilities after performing a mission4 ,not knowing what discipline this particular young missionary had to go through while absent1 a person may thoughtlessly get the idea that his ability was acquired without much effort4 ,it is not long1 however1 before the new missionary realizes that it is necessary for him to do his part if he expects to make progress4 ,he learns the truth of the saying1 ,the ,lord helps those who help themselves4 ,he discovers that he must store his mind with knowledge in order that the ,holy ,spirit may bring things to his remembrance4 ,he finds that the ,lord does not1 unless for special purposes1 reveal direct through ,his ,spirit truths that are already known to mankind3 for has ,he not commanded ,his children to search the scriptures1 to seek out of the best books words of wisdom1 and to seek learning even by study1 and also by faith8 ,these facts dawn upon his mind in an early stage of his experience4 ,his very first attempt to present the ,gospel in private conversation or by public speaking may cause him to realize the necessity of study and preparation4 ,he may perchance1 as is most likely1 be confronted with a question that he cannot answer4 ,he is baffled for the time being1 but it only serves as an incentive to study and prepare to meet the question in the near future4 ,the writer recollects hearing of an instance where a young missionary who had newly arrived in the field1 went to visit his relatives with the view of talking to them about the ,gospel4 ,his relatives1 thinking perhaps that they were not well enough posted to discuss the subject with him and show wherein he was in error1 as they supposed1 sent for their minister to have him hear and answer their missionary kinsman's doctrines4 ,the result of the conversation was very humiliating to the young missionary4 ,while he knew he had the truth1 the minister was easily able to vanquish him in argument1 being versed in theological sophistry and posted on the scriptural passages that suited his purpose4 ,the effect of the interview proved to be of much benefit to the ,elder1 although embarrassing at the first4 ,the experience made him resolve to study earnestly and meet his opponent at a later date when he would set forth the claims of his people in a more satisfactory manner4 ,this resolution he carried out4 ,after preparing himself he sought another interview with the same minister at the home of his relatives4 ,this time he was enabled to confound the clergyman in every argument brought forth to oppose him4 ,a somewhat similar instance was that of another missionary who had been asked some questions regarding the doctrines of the ,latter-day ,saints which he was not able to answer satisfactorily to himself4 ,he felt deeply mortified on account of his inability1 and undertook to study the questions thoroughly that he might not again be found unable to answer them4 ,he afterwards remarked that he had never studied so hard before in his life2 but he accomplished his object and felt well repaid for his efforts1 as they brought so much enlightenment to his mind4 ,being compelled to beat a retreat may be somewhat disheartening for the moment1 but such an experience is what is needed to develop within the mind of the missionary a thorough knowledge of the first principles of the ,gospel4 ,with this added knowledge comes enlightenment through the ,holy ,spirit1 and his testimony of the truth of the ,gospel is strengthened4 ,the more he learns about the ,gospel the more beauty and truth he discovers in it1 and the greater is his faith4 ,his interest in the work grows1 his enthusiasm is awakened and he becomes developed in many ways4 ,he is more anxious to declare his message to the people and bear testimony to what he knows4 ,his dread of obstacles decreases1 and he actually takes pleasure in surmounting difficulties that arise4 ,opposition is a stimulant which he rather likes to meet4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,miraculous ,,help ,,from ,,the ,,lord4 ,elders have often found in their experience that the ,lord has helped them to a remarkable degree in their efforts to qualify themselves for the labors before them4 ,so much assistance have they received through ,his ,spirit that they have been astonished with their own utterances when explaining the principles of the ,gospel4 ,while speaking1 ideas have been presented to them which they had never thought of before4 ,and often additional light has been flashed into their minds upon subjects they were attempting to elucidate or explain4 ,many instances have occurred where missionaries have been blessed with the gift of tongues1 when called to preach to foreign nations4 ,one such instance was related by ,apostle ,heber ,j4 ,grant in the course of remarks he made in the ,tabernacle in ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,november #bb1 #ahif4 ,the narrative as he gave it is as follows3 ,when ,brother ,maeser was baptized in his native land1 he called upon the ,lord in secret prayer1 after he came out of the water1 and said to the ,lord1 ',o ,lord1 ,i have obeyed ,thy ,gospel2 ,i believe in the divinity of the mission of the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith with all my heart2 ,i believe that the angel that was seen to fly in the heavens with the everlasting ,gospel1 has come to the earth and restored the ,gospel2 now1 ,o ,father1 manifest unto me one of the signs that shall follow the believer1 and ,i pledge you that if you give me a witness of the divinity of the work in which we are engaged1 ,i will1 if need be1 give my life for that cause4' ,after this he walked along asking questions of ,brother ,franklin ,d4 ,richards1 ,brother ,budge acting as interpreter4 ,finally when he asked a question of ,brother ,richards1 ,brother ,richards told ,brother ,budge that he need not interpret that1 as he understood it perfectly4 ,then ,brother ,richards answered1 and ,brother ,maeser told ,brother ,budge that he need not interpret that1 as he understood it perfectly2 and they walked along the street1 one talking in ,english and the other in ,german1 and each understood the other by the inspiration of the ,spirit of ,god4 ,apostle ,anthon ,h4 ,lund1 while presiding over the ,european ,mission1 wrote to the ,millennial ,star1 in the course of correspondence1 the following3 ,elder ,hyrum ,jensen related an interesting experience he had had4 ,when he came to ,norway last spring he knew very little of the language spoken here4 ,one day he attempted tracting1 but the people laughed at him when he tried to speak to them4 ,he felt their ridicule keenly1 and was especially grieved at not being able to explain to them the saving principles of the ,gospel4 ,his way passed by a grove4 ,he entered it and there in the humility of his soul he prayed ,god to aid him and loose his tongue4 ,he felt his prayer was heard1 and with renewed courage he commenced his labors4 ,in a few hours he had sold all his tracts1 and the people listened attentively to what he had to say4 ,he said3 ',i spoke ,norwegian with more ease than ,i have ever spoken ,english4' ,considering the short time he has been in ,norway1 we were all astonished to hear him use the language so well4 ,a young missionary sent to ,germany1 who had received but three lessons in ,german before leaving home1 preached to the ,saints in the ,german language seventeen days after arriving in their country4 ,his rapid progress continued till he could speak the language as perfectly as could the natives themselves4 ,he attributed his success to the help of the ,lord which he received to assist him in his studies4 ,the writer recollects hearing the late ,elder ,george ,g4 ,bywater relate an incident in his experience while upon his first mission4 ,he was laboring in ,wales in company with another ,elder of more experience than himself4 ,the senior ,elder generally did most of the preaching4 ,upon one occasion the latter took a severe cold on his lungs and became so hoarse that he could scarcely whisper4 ,an appointment had been made for him to preach at a certain place where the congregation would be mostly composed of ,welsh-speaking people4 ,the experienced missionary was unable to speak on account of his hoarseness1 so he informed his young companion that he would have to do the speaking4 ,elder ,bywater felt his weakness and inability to satisfy the people's expectations1 as he did not understand the ,welsh language2 but1 on being requested to do so1 he arose to address the audience as best he could1 depending upon the ,spirit of the ,lord to assist him in his utterances4 ,he began by speaking in the ,english tongue--the only one he understood--but soon he found that he was speaking words which he did not understand1 and the fluency with which they came from his lips astonished him4 ,after he had finished preaching his companion1 who understood the ,welsh tongue1 told him that he had delivered an excellent sermon in that language1 and that if he lived to the age of ,methuselah he would not be able to preach a better one4 ,he had been blessed with the gift of tongues that his hearers might understand the message he had to declare to them4 ,president ,george ,q4 ,cannon relates how he was in a marvelous manner enabled to understand the ,hawaiian language4 ,he had been sent while quite a young man1 as a missionary to the ,sandwich ,islands4 ,he soon found that the white inhabitants of the islands cared very little about hearing the ,gospel1 so he resolved to master the native tongue and deliver his message to the ,hawaiians4 ,how he was divinely aided in carrying out his determination is given in his own words3 ,my desire to learn to speak was very strong2 it was present with me night and day1 and ,i never permitted an opportunity of talking with the natives to pass without improving it4 ,i also tried to exercise faith before the ,lord to obtain the gift of talking and understanding the language4 ,one evening1 while sitting on the mats conversing with some neighbors who had dropped in1 ,i felt an uncommonly great desire to understand what they said4 ,all at once ,i felt a peculiar sensation in my ears2 ,i jumped to my feet1 with my hands at the sides of my head1 and exclaimed to ,elders ,bigler and ,keeler who sat at the table1 that ,i believed ,i had received the gift of interpretation6 ,and it was so4 ,from that time forward ,i had but little1 if any1 difficulty in understanding what the people said4 ,i might not be able at once to separate every word which they spoke from every other word in the sentence2 but ,i could tell the general meaning of the whole4 ,this was a great aid to me in learning to speak the language1 and ,i felt very thankful for this gift from the ,lord4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,presenting ,,the ,,gospel ,,to ,,the ,,people4 ,the experiences of missionaries in getting the ,gospel before the people are varied and interesting4 ,the general method of presenting the message is by distributing tracts from door to door1 and seeking in this way to get conversations with the people4 ,in addition to this1 meetings are held and the people invited to attend them4 ,in ,great ,britain and some parts of the ,united ,states street preaching is done to a considerable extent when favorable weather permits4 ,in some countries out-door meetings are not allowed in the towns and cities4 ,in such places the meetings are generally held in public halls or private dwelling houses4 ,in distributing tracts from door to door a missionary meets with all kinds of people1 and1 it might be added1 with all kinds of receptions4 ,his first day's tracting is generally made memorable by some occurrence which is of a novel character to him4 ,approaching the first house on the street selected for his field of operation1 he timidly knocks at the door4 ,it may be opened by a child1 who1 on seeing it is a stranger1 or at his request1 calls its mother to see what is wanted4 ,she has all sorts of surmises as to who it may be4 ,if she is expecting the rent collector she hesitates about meeting him as she may be unprepared4 ,if she suspects him to be a peddler or book agent she approaches with a scowl of impatience on her face4 ,finding he has only a ,gospel tract to offer her1 and that without cost1 she is willing to accept it1 but hastens to cut the conversation as short as possible on account of being so busy4 ,the missionary may meet with a similar reception at a number of places1 but sooner or later he is almost sure to have the door closed in his face before he can deliver his message4 ,this kind of treatment may cause his hopes to fall somewhat and his courage to fail him for a moment1 but soon his determination is renewed1 and his timidity vanishes4 ,he may consider his first visit in tracting fairly successful4 ,by introducing himself as a ,latter-day ,saint1 or merely leaving the tract without further introduction1 on his first visit he is looked upon as nothing less than a respectable gentleman4 ,by the time he calls with the second tract some of those who received the first will have read it1 and without doubt were deeply impressed with the truth of its teachings2 but learning later that the ,latter-day ,saints are the same people as are commonly called ,mormons1 they refuse to investigate further or to have anything to do with such a people4 ,not because of their doctrines do they shun them1 but on account of the prejudice which exists against the ,saints4 ,it is indeed astonishing to the young missionary to discover on his second visit how some of those to whom he handed tracts show their extreme contempt for him and the literature he is circulating4 ,on seeing him at their doors they will at once go and get the tract left the week before1 carrying it by one extreme corner1 as if afraid of contamination1 and push it out to him at arm's length1 telling him to never come again to their door4 ,some have been known to carry the tracts back with a pair of fire tongs1 in order to express more effectively their utter abhorrence of everything connected with ,mormonism4 ,such are some of the unpleasant features of tracting4 ,there is a bright aspect to this same avocation4 ,the satisfaction of having performed a most important duty in the service of ,god gives joy to the heart1 no matter how little encouragement one may receive from the people in his labor of tracting from door to door4 ,but often through diligent and prayerful searching a missionary finds those who are willing to listen to his message and testimony1 and his visits result in the conversion of precious souls to the great truths that lead to eternal salvation4 ,a young man who recently filled a mission in ,great ,britain1 one day while distributing tracts felt impressed to call at a certain house1 and present his message to the inmates4 ,he obeyed the prompting1 and was met at the door by the lady of the house4 ,she listened to what he had to say and accepted the tract he offered1 but showed no unusual interest in his message4 ,the next time he was in the neighborhood delivering tracts he called again at this particular house4 ,his reception this time was similar to the first one4 ,he called again the third time1 and still three more times without meeting with any further encouragement4 ,he received no invitation to go in and converse upon the ,gospel1 still he retained the impression that there was someone there who would listen to his message4 ,he called the seventh time1 and his perseverance was rewarded with a request to enter the house4 ,the husband was at home and was in a humor to talk upon religion4 ,he had one request1 however1 and that was that the missionary confine his teachings to the scriptures1 and prove his assertions from the ,bible4 ,he was acquainted with the scriptures1 and was also aware that many professed teachers of the ,gospel did not adhere to the word of ,god as taught in the ,bible1 hence his desire to hold the ,elder to the scriptures4 ,of course this was just what the missionary desired1 and it did not take him long to convince his friend that the doctrine he advocated was strictly scriptural4 ,the result was the man and his family soon embraced the ,gospel4 ,it was what the man had been looking for4 ,he had become dissatisfied with the creeds that he had before heard1 and at the time the missionary called at his house he was praying for guidance that he might know what church to unite with4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,discouraging ,,prospects--,,pleasing ,,results4 ,it frequently happens that a missionary works until nearly discouraged before he discovers any fruits of his labors4 ,a young man who labored as a missionary in ,great ,britain some few years ago had an experience of this kind4 ,he and his companion had spent considerable time in one field4 ,they had labored faithfully and earnestly1 but saw no favorable result4 ,at last the ,elder prayed to know whether he should remain in the district longer or report to his president the apparent conditions and get an appointment to some other field4 ,his prayer was answered by a dream wherein he was shown that there were a few persons in the district who would soon request baptism at his hands4 ,he was much comforted and encouraged by this dream and related it to his companion4 ,they both remained in their field of labor1 and it was not long before several of those who had listened to their testimonies applied for baptism4 ,the missionary who faithfully1 patiently and persistently continues his labors in the field assigned him is invariably rewarded for his efforts1 as many a one can testify4 ,he may not baptize many1 but frequently he may be the means of bringing the truth to some honest soul who is ready to receive it with his whole heart4 ,where such is the case the ,elder feels fully repaid for his work if no other result of his efforts is visible4 ,some few years since another young missionary in ,great ,britain was sent to a certain district to labor1 where the prospects were not so bright as desirable4 ,he1 however1 continued earnestly and humbly to perform his duty in bearing testimony to the people4 ,he was there for months without seeing any results4 ,but eventually he was led to a family who believed his testimony and embraced the ,gospel4 ,this family proved to be most excellent people1 and their influence and energy were the means of bringing others into the fold1 and the branch which was almost lifeless before soon became a most lively and prosperous one4 ,the missionary felt more than repaid for his labors when he saw how they had been blessed of the ,lord4 ,a similar occurrence took place in another conference of the same mission about the same time as that just related4 ,a missionary had spent some eighteen months in one town4 ,during that time he had several companions one after the other who labored with him1 and between them they tracted the town quite thoroughly4 ,their labors in other directions to get the ,gospel before the people were also diligently pursued1 but apparently without any good results4 ,the ,elder who had spent so much time there was then released to return home1 his last companion missionary was sent to another field1 and others took their places in this particular town4 ,it was not long1 however1 before these new missionaries began to reap a harvest of souls as the result of their predecessors' planting of the ,gospel seed4 ,a number of people were baptized within a few weeks1 and1 with the few old members of the ,church residing in the town1 a lively branch was established there4 ,this happy result was of course greatly due to the efforts of the ,elders who first labored there so long and faithfully1 and who1 no doubt at times felt discouraged at the prospects before them4 ,missionaries are frequently led in a strange way to those who are searching after the truth2 and often people of this character are brought in contact with the ,elders in a remarkable manner4 ,not long since some missionaries were laboring in a certain district in ,england4 ,in performing their duties they frequently passed a certain shop or store in the neighborhood of their lodging place4 ,the gentleman who kept the shop1 as well as his wife1 noticed them pass the door1 and recognized that they were ,americans4 ,soon their interest in these strange men was awakened4 ,they did not know that they were ministers of the ,gospel1 but felt impressed to make their acquaintance4 ,at last the shop-keeper requested his wife to invite them in the next time they passed1 stating that he desired to talk with them4 ,his good wife soon saw one of the ,elders passing and she stepped out and asked him if he and his companions would call and have a talk with her husband when they had the time to spare4 ,of course the missionaries were quite willing to comply with the request4 ,they were looking for opportunities to present their message to the people4 ,when they called to visit the family they explained their business1 taught them the ,gospel1 which the man and his wife gladly accepted2 and soon the ,elders were made to feel as much at home in their midst as though they had been acquainted for years4 ,the following is an incident of missionary experience that recently occurred in ,ireland3 ,two young ,elders were one day distributing tracts in a small village4 ,one visited on one side of the only street in the place and his companion took the opposite side4 ,while going along in the performance of this duty one of the missionaries called at a place where he found a man and his wife digging potatoes4 ,a tract was offered to the man1 but he was not in a humor to receive ,mormon literature1 so he gruffly ordered the ,elder off his premises1 adding the threat that if he did not go he would brain him with his spade4 ,his wife was not so unkind1 and she remarked that she would accept the tract1 saying that it would not do her any harm4 ,and where are ye from8 she inquired1 recognizing the ,elder was a stranger to the country4 ,the young man replied that he was from ,utah1 in ,america4 ,from ,utah6 she exclaimed1 and do you know our ,micky8 ,the ,elder replied that he could not say as to that1 for he did not know what the full name of her son might be4 ,he works in the----mine1 in ,utah1 do you know him6 said the woman in her anxiety to hear what he knew about her far-off son4 ,the young man said he also had worked in that same mine1 and if she would state his name he could answer the question4 ,she at once gave her son's name1 and sure enough he was known to the missionary4 ,o1 yes1 said he1 ,i am acquainted with him4 ,we used to sleep in the same bunk6 ,with this the old lady clasped the young man in her arms exclaiming1 ,the ,lord bless ye2 and ye're acquainted with our ,micky6 and his father was goin' to brain ye wid the shpade6 ,she held to the young man and wept for joy4 ,the missionary's companion1 seeing from a distance the woman's actions1 thought his friend was in trouble and hastened to the premises4 ,the situation was soon made clear to him1 and both were invited into the house and treated with the greatest of kindness4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,effect ,,of ,,hearing ,,the ,,gospel4 ,there is no way of telling just how much good one does in distributing tracts and in bearing his humble testimony to the people1 or how far-reaching are the results of his efforts4 ,in a letter written by ,apostle ,anthon ,h4 ,lund from ,stockholm1 ,sweden1 to the ,millennial ,star is related the following incident4 ,how a tract may preach the ,gospel and bring conviction to the soul was illustrated in the case of a lady in ,angermanland1 related by ,elder ,holmgren4 ,she had gotten hold of a tract called ',the ,voice of ,truth1' written by ,erastus ,snow4 ,she learned it nearly by heart1 and not knowing the address of the ,saints1 she wrote to the president of the ',mormons' in ,salt ,lake ,city1 and from there the ,elders here were informed of her address4 ,they found her anxiously awaiting them1 and at once she obeyed the ,gospel4 ,she keeps a little store1 and is always ready to explain our doctrines to her customers4 ,another similar circumstance is related by ,apostle ,lund4 ,in substance it is here given3 ,a gentleman whose residence was in ,belgium1 while on a visit to ,london1 met one of our missionaries1 who gave him a pamphlet setting forth our doctrines4 ,the gentleman took it home1 and1 out of curiosity1 read it through4 ,he was deeply impressed with its contents1 and became anxious to see a ,mormon ,elder1 but could not get the address of any4 ,he therefore wrote to the ,president of the ,church1 asking for more information concerning the ,gospel and inquiring where he could find some missionary of the ,church4 ,the letter of inquiry was forwarded to the president of the ,netherlands ,mission1 who sent an ,elder to visit the writer of it4 ,the ,elder called upon the inquirer after truth1 and the latter listened with deep interest to the explanations of the ,gospel4 ,before the ,elder left the city the gentleman requested baptism4 ,many years ago a gentleman heard a ,latter-day ,saint missionary proclaiming the ,gospel in an open-air meeting in ,india4 ,he heard nothing further of the message at that time4 ,he afterwards returned to his native country1 ,great ,britain1 and not long ago heard some of our ,elders preaching in a meeting in ,south ,wales4 ,the first testimony he heard had made a lasting impression upon his mind1 and when he again heard the same glorious message he investigated the claims set forth by the ,elders and accepted the ,gospel4 ,a gentleman who joined the ,church some few years ago in the ,leeds ,conference of the ,british ,mission stated that the first ,latter-day ,saint missionary he met impressed him by his humble and unassuming manner4 ,he was more impressed by the ,elder's demeanor than with the subject of his conversation1 and while in his presence for the first time he believed the ,elder was indeed a servant of ,god4 ,the man did not at once embrace the ,gospel1 but undertook to investigate it4 ,in the meantime the young missionary was released from his labors and returned home1 not knowing what would be the result of the humble testimony he bore to this particular person4 ,in #ahhd ,elders ,c4 ,f4 ,christensen and ,w4 ,f4 ,garner1 two missionaries laboring in ,carter ,county1 ,tennessee1 were arrested on a false charge1 and taken to jail4 ,it was at a time when excitement concerning the missionaries in the ,south ran high4 ,while on their way to the place of confinement1 one of the brethren remarked1 ,we might preach to these men as they did to the jailor of old4 ,these words and other remarks made upon that occasion made a lasting impression upon one of the gang of men who were with the officer who made the arrest1 and from that time he began to search for the true ,gospel4 ,but he never saw any more ,mormon ,elders until #ahic1 although he had read some of our ,church works4 ,at that time he was prepared for baptism1 and he and his wife received the ,gospel4 ,he afterwards wrote to ,elder ,garner1 informing him of his conversion1 and what led to it4 ,such experiences as the ones related below are sometimes met with while tracting4 ,the narrator is ,elder ,frederick ,scholes1 who at the time1 ,june1 #ahid1 was a traveling ,elder in the ,british ,mission4 ,i had just left a ,primitive ,methodist minister after a prolonged conversation1 and called at the next house1 at which a lady answered the door and asked me to step inside4 ,i commenced to talk of the ,gospel message ,i had been sent to proclaim1 and found her an attentive listener4 ,she informed me that she had been praying to know which of the different religions was true1 believing that the ,bible is true1 and that there is but 'one ,lord1 one faith1 one baptism4' ,in answer to her prayers she had a manifestation1 or a vision1 and was carried away to a large hall2 here she saw a man preaching the ,gospel to her2 after preaching to her for some time1 he left her1 saying3 ',i will see you again and preach the ,gospel to you4' ,during her recital of this manifestation she shed tears of joy1 for her heart was full4 ,she had desired to hear further of this person whom she had seen4 ,now she had that privilege1 for she informed me that ,i was that person2 she recognized me when she opened the door1 and the words ,i had addressed to her were similar to the words spoken to her in the vision4 ,i felt thankful to learn that ,i was chosen to bring 'glad tidings of great joy' to one who was searching after truth4 ,i gave her some of our literature1 with the admonition to read and learn further of the doctrine of which ,i had spoken4 ,she has told me since then that she believes and will be baptized4 ,on ,june #bh1 ,i had called at a number of houses leaving at each some tracts1 and as usual informed the people ,i would call again in a few days and leave a more advanced tract1 and also endeavor to answer all questions they might ask4 ,one family1 upon learning what faith the tracts represented1 sent one of the children running after me with the tracts1 saying they did not want them4 ,a number would not accept a tract under any consideration4 ,my next experience was with a minister4 ,a lady answered my knock and accepted the tracts4 ,i informed her that ,i would call again1 and leave another tract1 and endeavor to answer any question they might ask4 ,i had gone but a short distance from the house when the gentleman of the house hurriedly stepped out1 coatless and hatless1 and hailed me4 ,i returned1 whereupon he gave me back the tracts which ,i had just left1 saying he did not want them1 he had heard somewhat of the ',mormons1' but did not agree with their teachings4 ,i inquired in what way he differed with them4 ,he said the question would lead to a discussion and he had not time to talk with me1 repeating that he had no need of the tracts4 ,having a ',morgan tract' in my pocket1 ,i offered it to him1 asking him to read it4 ,after a few excuses he accepted it4 ,he then asked me a number of questions which ,i answered1 and1 becoming interested1 he took out his watch and said he had fifteen minutes to spare1 and asked if ,i would step into the house4 ,he led the way into the drawing room1 remarking that we would have a pipe and a chat2 as ,i did not use tobacco1 he asked me to have some tea4 ,not using tea1 he asked if ,i would take coffee or chocolate4 ,as ,i used neither he became solicitous as to what ,i did drink1 and ,i answered1 water or milk2 whereupon he ordered milk and butter and bread brought up into the drawing room4 ,i partook of the refreshments provided1 and he smoked his pipe1 and thus ,i had the privilege of conversing with him1 fully three-quarters of an hour4 ,upon leaving he gave me his card and an invitation to call again4 ,i not only left him the tracts he at first refused1 but a full supply of the tracts ,i had with me4 ,the repulsive demeanor he at first manifested1 mellowed down into a more friendly attitude4 ,such pleasing incidents as the first one narrated in the above letter are of not infrequent occurrence in the mission field4 ,people have often been informed by dream or vision of the coming of missionaries with the ,gospel message to deliver to them4 ,two young ,elders laboring in ,southern ,illinois after holding a meeting were approached by a young man who told them that his sister1 living some distance from where they were1 desired to meet them4 ,when in the neighborhood1 they called upon her1 and she told them that she had seen them before and that their faces were familiar4 ,they remarked that they had never before been in that neighborhood4 ,the lady then explained that she had seen them in a dream4 ,they gave her some tracts to read1 and she soon applied for baptism1 having been assured in vision that they were messengers of truth4 ,sometimes a missionary's labors produce an unexpected result4 ,it is difficult to get some people who show an interest in the ,gospel convinced of the necessity of baptism4 ,often1 though1 when they are fully convinced they readily obey4 ,an ,elder who was recently engaged in missionary labors abroad made the acquaintance of a lady whom he met while distributing tracts4 ,she seemed to be favorably impressed with his teachings2 and the scriptural proofs he advanced in support of his claim that baptism was essential to salvation were convincing to her4 ,her admission of this fact led the missionary to believe that she might accept the ,gospel2 but upon a subsequent visit to her home he was given to understand that there was no more need of him calling upon her to talk upon the ,gospel1 as he had already shown her the necessity of baptism1 and she had complied with that ordinance by having her minister baptize her4 ,another missionary who had made the acquaintance of a lady called upon her and her husband a few times to talk with them upon religion4 ,having explained to them upon previous visits the first principles of the ,gospel1 the ,elder finally ventured to advance a little further4 ,he took occasion to state the views of the ,latter-day ,saints concerning the eternity of the marriage covenant--that a man and woman might be married not only for this life but also for the hereafter4 ,on learning this the woman replied3 ,why1 bless your soul1 if that's what you believe in ,i want nothing to do with you4 ,i've had enough of my husband in this life already6 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,many unexpected things happen at meetings held by the ,elders in the mission field4 ,a few years ago an ,elder in ,sweden was holding a meeting4 ,a local preacher attended it1 and the people present expected the preacher would be able to refute the doctrines advanced by the ,mormon missionary2 but they were disappointed and no doubt greatly surprised4 ,when the ,elder finished speaking the minister knelt down in the meeting and thanked the ,lord that he had found the truth4 ,three weeks afterwards he joined the ,church4 ,a similar incident is related by ,bishop ,lars ,neilson1 of ,leamington1 ,millard ,county1 ,utah4 ,in the year #ahea a young man invited him to attend a meeting to be held by ,latter-day ,saint missionaries in the village where he was then residing4 ,he promised to attend1 adding a threat that he would tell those men that in the last days false prophets are to come and deceive the people4 ,he went to the meeting and found the house filled1 but he made his way to the front1 where he would be in readiness to denounce the preachers at the proper time4 ,the missionaries presented the ,gospel in such a humble and clear manner that ,mr4 ,neilson became convinced that it was true4 ,it was the ,bible doctrine1 and he dared not deny it nor scoff at it4 ,from that time his friendship was won4 ,he entertained the ,elders at his home1 defended them before the people1 and eventually he joined the ,church4 ,two missionaries in the ,southern ,states1 who had been sent to open a new field of labor1 commenced by holding a public meeting in a hall which they had secured4 ,a prominent citizen of the town1 who was well posted on the scriptures1 attended this meeting1 and to learn if the speakers taught ,bible doctrine he secured a front seat where he might hear distinctly4 ,he was well pleased with what he heard1 and at the close of the meeting he approached the ,elders and told them that as long as they preached the kind of doctrine set forth that evening they were welcome to his hospitality4 ,he thereupon invited them to his hotel1 to make their home there as long as they desired4 ,inexperienced missionaries are usually assigned to labor for a time with those who have had more experience4 ,sometimes1 however1 an ,elder who has newly arrived in the field is1 through force of circumstances1 left to himself for a time4 ,it is then he feels more than ever the necessity of relying upon the ,lord4 ,some four years ago an experienced missionary in ,great ,britain was holding open-air meetings4 ,his companion had newly arrived from ,zion1 and had had little or no practice at public speaking4 ,at the close of one meeting he gave an appointment for a subsequent meeting1 and invited the people to attend at the designated place on the street4 ,circumstances prevented the senior ,elder from filling the appointment1 so he sent the new missionary to apologize for his absence4 ,the young man went1 and finding a gathering of people at the place selected for the meeting1 he was impressed to preach himself1 trusting in the ,lord to assist him4 ,the ,lord did assist him1 and he preached to the people with a freedom beyond his expectation4 ,it was a valuable experience for him1 and from that time he continued to labor most energetically and earnestly during the remainder of his mission4 ,two other young missionaries upon another occasion were left to hold a meeting without experienced help4 ,before the time of meeting they learned that certain parties intended to be present to oppose and if possible confound them4 ,but undaunted1 the ,elders fasted and prayed1 and when the time came1 went and held their meeting1 and bore their testimonies in humility to the assembled people4 ,their opposers were there4 ,the young men knew them1 having heard them interrupt some of their more experienced fellow-missionaries upon former occasions4 ,but this time they had no opposition to offer4 ,instead1 they listened attentively to the ,elders' remarks1 and then bore testimony that they1 the ,elders1 had the ,spirit of the ,lord with them1 and that its influence was felt in the meeting4 ,apostle ,anthon ,h4 ,lund in a letter to the ,millennial ,star1 dated at ,nuremberg1 ,germany1 ,may #ai1 #ahid1 tells about meeting with the ,saints in ,zurich1 when he was introduced to a ,brother and ,sister ,hoffman who had recently joined the ,church4 ,brother ,lund says about this family3 ,i was very much interested in hearing them tell what led to their conversion4 ,they had rented rooms in the same house where the ,saints of ,zurich hold their meetings2 but as they were ,catholics they were forbidden by their priests to attend the meetings of the ,saints4 ,their room adjoining the room where the ,saints met1 the lady could often hear ,brother ,duback's sermons4 ,she became much interested and told her husband that ',mormonism' was not what it had been represented1 but that it was founded on the scriptures4 ,they sent for ,brother ,duback1 and he explained the principles of the ,gospel to them1 furnished them with books to read1 and told them to pray earnestly to ,god to show them whether these principles were true or not4 ,they did this one ,sunday evening after having attended their first meeting with the ,saints4 ,in the night ,brother ,hoffman heard a noise as of a rushing wind1 and a voice called his name distinctly three times and said3 ',this shall be a testimony to you that what you have heard this day is truth4' ,the manifestation made a powerful impression on his mind4 ,he awoke his wife and told her what he had heard4 ,the same night she had a glorious vision4 ,the room was filled with light and a heavenly personage appeared to her1 pointing to her husband4 ,she understood this to mean that she should follow him and that what he had told her was truth4 ,they rejoiced greatly in the goodness of ,god1 and requested ,elder ,duback to baptize them4 ,they told me that they had never felt such joy and happiness as the obedience to the principles of the ,gospel had given them4 ,quite frequently attempts are made by unprincipled individuals to interfere with the labors of our missionaries in spreading the ,gospel4 ,often men will deliver lectures against the ,elders1 circulate falsehoods about the ,saints1 or interrupt their meetings4 ,generally such attempts to hinder the missionary work result in good4 ,what their enemies do to injure them is in most cases a help to the cause4 ,some ,elders laboring in the ,scandinavian mission several years ago were opposed by two local ministers in the neighborhood where they were located4 ,one minister delivered a lecture against the ,saints and he was joined by the other in his attacks upon the ,elders4 ,the latter requested the privilege of defending their cause at the lecture1 but were refused4 ,they1 however1 managed to secure the same hall as was used by these ministers1 and announced that they would hold a meeting there the next night4 ,the lecture of their opponent aroused considerable interest in the subject of ,mormonism1 and on the following evening the hall was filled to overflowing1 notwithstanding the assertion made by one of the ministers that the people would not turn out to listen to them4 ,had the ministers remained quiet it would have been difficult for the ,elders to awaken such interest in the religion of the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,missionaries in nearly all parts of the world have had similar experiences to this one just mentioned4 ,another occurrence which took place in the ,scandinavian ,mission will further illustrate how the ,lord overrules for good the attempts made to annoy or vex ,his servants4 ,some men who were employed on a canal informed two ,elders who were laboring in the neighborhood that there was a man working on the same canal who desired to see them1 and who would open his house for holding meetings4 ,one of the missionaries went in search of the man spoken of1 but he soon learned that there was no one laboring on the canal answering to the name which had been given2 and he discovered that the men who gave the information had been playing a practical joke4 ,the ,elder1 however1 made the best of the situation4 ,instead of turning away disappointed1 after having waded through considerable mud and slush in search of the mythical person he had been told about1 he spoke to each of the workmen1 and presented them with a ,gospel tract4 ,in doing so he found a man who offered to open his house for a meeting that same evening4 ,the offer was accepted and all the workmen were invited to attend4 ,they had a good attendance1 and soon afterwards the man in whose house the meeting was held and his wife were baptized1 and others became interested in the ,gospel4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,divine ,,guidance ,,and ,,protection4 ,elder ,j4 ,h4 ,peterson1 a missionary laboring in ,kansas1 in #ahig1 relates some of his experience in traveling without purse and scrip1 and shows how the ,lord opened up the way for him and his companion and provided for their wants4 ,his narrative is as here given3 ,we arrived at ,heber about #d3bj p4m4 on ,thursday afternoon1 and called at the post office for mail1 but there was none for us4 ,a gentleman asked us if we were not strangers in the town1 and we said we were4 ',we shall be pleased to1 if we can find a place to stay1' was our reply4 ,we did so and were hardly seated when a gentleman who had overheard us stepped in and asked us if we were not ',mormons4' ,we told him we were4 ,he said he was the mayor of the town1 and asked if we would not preach for the people1 as he thought they would like to hear a ',mormon1' having never heard one4 ,it was getting rather late1 but we told him that if we could get a house and have the people notified1 we would4 ,he told us to remain at the hotel and get our supper and he would get the court house for us4 ,in less than two hours he had the news spread all over town1 so that when meeting time arrived we had over sixty people to talk to1 and they paid us very respectful attention4 ,the sheriff told us we had nothing to fear as he would insure us protection4 ,we gave out another meeting for next evening and then went back to the hotel1 where ,mr4 ,moore1 7the mayor7 introduced us to some of the leading ladies and gentlemen of the town4 ,some young people were singing and playing in an adjoining room and we were taken in to hear them4 ,it was soon bed-time1 and we were taken to our room--the best in the hotel4 ,before retiring1 my companion and ,i knelt in humble prayer to thank the ,giver of all good for this manifestation of ,his goodness1 and to ask ,him to bless the man who had befriended us and assisted us in getting to preach to so many people4 ,the following evening we had over one hundred listeners upon whom we made a good impression with our remarks4 ,we lodged at the hotel that night also4 ,the experience of ,elder ,peterson1 above related1 is not unlike that of other missionaries engaged in the same work1 and is here given as an illustration of the manner in which the ,lord's servants are provided for when they rely upon him4 ,even their simplest needs are often supplied in an unusual and remarkable manner1 as the following incident will show3 ,two missionaries recently laboring in ,norway were one ,sabbath without money1 and had received no invitation to dine that day1 so they passed the whole time without eating4 ,they had held meetings during the day1 and after returning to their lodging place at night one of them remarked that he was real hungry4 ,the other replied that he was hungry also1 and added the words1 but ,i believe the ,lord will remember us4 ,it was then ten o'clock--a rather late hour to expect to receive anything to eat that night--but just as they were speaking a knock was heard at the door1 and a young lady came in with a basket of nice food for them4 ,they inquired what led her to bring them food so late at night4 ,her answer was that she and her mother were preparing to retire when they were impressed to send the ,elders something to eat1 and they could not rest until they had done so4 ,other needs and desires of missionaries are supplied in a similarly remarkable way4 ,they often receive assistance and guidance in their studies and labors1 and that too just in the hour of need4 ,a young ,elder while preaching upon one occasion1 not long since1 desired to read a passage of scripture which he was not sufficiently familiar with to quote from memory4 ,he knew it was in the ,bible somewhere but had no idea where to turn to find it4 ,he proceeded to introduce the passage of scripture in his remarks and opened the ,bible1 when the very first words that he saw were the ones he desired to quote4 ,such an incident might be looked upon as a matter of chance2 but the ,elder with whom it occurred felt that it was a divine guidance that led him to the passage1 and it increased his reliance upon the ,lord4 ,some time ago an ,elder laboring in ,england1 in a part where he had relatives1 had a desire to be sent to ,ireland1 where he also had relatives4 ,his wish was that he might have the privilege of bearing his testimony to his kinsfolk in the latter country as he had already done in the former4 ,he prayed for the desired change1 but said nothing to anyone1 feeling that it was his place to remain where he was unless called away by those in authority over him4 ,at this time there was a need of experienced missionaries in ,ireland1 as most of those then laboring there were about to be released4 ,to supply this need the presidency of the mission appointed a few men from other fields to go to ,ireland1 and among them was the young man who had been praying for the opportunity of going there4 ,he was1 of course1 pleased and thankful to receive the appointment4 ,in their journeyings from place to place1 missionaries have often had occasion to acknowledge the protecting hand of the ,lord over them4 ,elder ,david ,archibald1 who recently fulfilled a mission to ,great ,britain1 tells of an occurrence which happened while he was passing through ,wyoming on the way to his field of labor4 ,one night while resting in a half-reclining position on the seat of the railway car a voice said to him1 ,you are lying in such a position that all your money can be taken out of your pocket6 ,with a sudden start he clapped his hand over the pocket in which he carried his pocket-book1 and awoke from his sleep just in time to see a man go out rather hastily through the doorway4 ,thinking he might have been dreaming1 ,brother ,archibald said nothing about the matter at the time4 ,a fellow passenger who happened to be awake when this occurred1 saw a man1 whom he first supposed was a railway employee1 reach up to one of the lamps with one hand and pretend to adjust the light4 ,at the same time he reached towards the sleeping man's pocket with the other hand4 ,the sudden movement of the ,elder prevented the would-be pickpocket from getting the wallet and he rushed out of the car as quickly as possible4 ,the man who saw this proceeding wondered how his fellow-passenger1 whom he supposed was sound asleep1 managed to cover his pocket just at the moment it was about to be picked1 and he afterwards made inquiry about it4 ,when ,elder ,archibald learned from the other passenger of the attempt made to rob him1 he was satisfied that it was the whispering of the ,spirit that gave him the timely warning4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,friends ,,raised ,,up4 ,it is remarkable how the ,lord raises up friends to ,his servants while they are engaged in the ministry4 ,in whatever part of the world they may labor1 the ,latter-day ,saint missionaries meet with those who befriend them in a most unexpected manner4 ,people that become thus friendly are sometimes those who are earnestly seeking the truth and are interested in the ,gospel message1 at other times they do not accept the ,gospel1 but continue to remain friendly with the ,elders1 and go to considerable trouble and expense1 and at times even risk their lives1 to assist and defend them4 ,to do this it often requires not only considerable physical courage but moral courage as well1 owing to the unpopularity of the ,mormon missionaries and their doctrines4 ,the only way to account for the friendship shown by such persons is to acknowledge that the ,lord has wrought upon their hearts to assist ,his servants who are dependent upon ,him for support4 ,upon one occasion when the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith was arrested upon a trumped-up charge1 a lawyer was influenced to defend him in court through hearing a mysterious1 audible voice command him to do so4 ,the writer remembers meeting a gentleman in ,england who had made it a practice of defending the doctrines taught by the ,latter-day ,saints and of assisting the ,elders whenever he met them4 ,he carried a well-worn ,ready ,reference with him1 and was well posted on our doctrines4 ,his business took him to various parts of the country and in his travels he would occasionally meet our missionaries1 attend their services and sometimes hire meeting halls for them4 ,many times have missionaries received contributions of money from persons who have attended their meetings1 and that too without the slightest hint that they were in need of means4 ,frequently the ,elders have also been encouraged and defended by unknown persons upon occasions where men have sought to oppose them or disturb their meetings4 ,the writer recalls two instances that came under his observation where such was the case4 ,at one time after holding a conference an individual arose at the close of the meeting and tried to get the attention of the people while he denounced the utterances of the speakers as false doctrine4 ,he only said a few words when a stranger to the missionaries spoke up and defended their teachings1 and at once silenced their opposer1 who thereupon left the building4 ,at another time an out-door meeting was being held4 ,a fairly large crowd of people were listening very attentively and appeared to be much interested2 but when the speaker was about to close1 and made mention of the name of the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith1 there were some slight interruptions2 but the meeting was dismissed without any serious disturbances1 although it appeared that some of the men present were anxious to refute some of the statements made regarding the restoration of the ,gospel through the latter-day ,prophet4 ,however1 immediately upon the dismissal of the meeting and before the gathered throng had time to disperse1 a gentleman stepped forward to the center of the group where the other speakers had taken their stand1 and bore testimony to the truths proclaimed at that meeting and to the truths of ,mormonism generally4 ,the stranger whose identity was never learned1 was a forcible speaker and held the audience for a considerable length of time although most of those present had been standing there nearly an hour before he began to speak4 ,missionaries have often been entertained and fed by strangers who have befriended them4 ,in nearly every community where missionaries have taken up their labors they find those who will entertain them1 and who seem to take great pleasure in doing so4 ,in cases where the missionaries have been in need of means these friends have often been led to supply them without any request for such assistance being made4 ,the following narrative written by ,elder ,w4 ,w4 ,cluff1 and published in the ,improvement ,era1 describes an instance of this character3 ,in the year #ahff1 ,elders ,joseph ,f4 ,smith1 ,franklin ,w4 ,young and myself had been traveling as missionaries on the island of ,hawaii laboring about ten months in the ,helo and ,koohala ,conferences1 on the north and east side of the island4 ,a conference of all the ,elders laboring in that mission was called to meet on the island of ,lanai4 ,it required five dollars each to pay our fare from our field of labor to the place of conference4 ,in starting from ,helo and traveling by land to ,upolu1 a distance of about one hundred and fifty miles1 we would visit about ten branches of the ,church4 ,at each of these we held meetings and reminded the ,saints that we were on our way to conference1 and that we required so much money to pay our passage across the channel to ,lanai4 ,money among the natives was scarce and difficult to get4 ,when we left ,waipio1 the last and largest branch on the way1 we had only received seventy-five cents in money and five or six goat-skins1 worth twelve and a half cents each4 ,while it looked very discouraging1 we had faith that by doing all we could the ,lord would open the way for us to attend the conference with our brethren4 ,on leaving ,wimea1 fifty miles from ,upolu1 where we would embark on the vessel1 the road forked1 one going north and one going west4 ,about three miles west on the road1 a family of ,saints lived2 with this family we had left some of our books and clothes1 and to go that way would take us three miles out of our way4 ,i being considered the best walker1 it was decided that ,i should go that way and the brethren continue on the direct route4 ,i had not proceeded more than a mile when ,i found a man's coat lying in the middle of the road2 picking it up ,i found a money purse in one of the pockets1 containing some papers and three five dollar gold pieces4 ,being just the amount we needed and finding them as ,i did1 the first impression was that it was a ,godsend4 ,there being no one in sight1 ,i started across the country to intersect the brethren1 thinking ,i would bury the coat with all it contained except the money1 in a deep ravine1 and cover it over with lava rock4 ,i had not gone fifty yards when another thought suggested itself1 and ,i asked myself the questions3 ,do you really think the finding of the coat was a ,godsend8 ,could it not be a temptation8 ,it certainly belonged to some person to whom the papers might be valuable4 ,with these thoughts and reflections1 and that the ,lord would not bestow a blessing at the expense of another of ,his children1 my conscience smote me1 and1 still seeing no one in sight1 ,i turned back to the road and proceeded to the house where our things were left4 ,only the woman was at home2 to her ,i related the finding of the coat1 and1 taking out the pocket book1 showed her the money and papers which proved to be of great value to the owner1 a white man who lived about fifty miles east1 and of whose hospitality we had a number of times partaken4 ,as a guard against the woman keeping the money1 ,i let her see me take a memorandum of the money and papers1 and also told her ,i would write to the owner4 ,on overtaking the brethren1 ,i told them about finding the coat and the fifteen dollars we needed to pay our passage1 and asked them if they did not think it a ,godsend2 they replied that it really looked like it4 ',i thought so1 too1 at first1 but on second thought ,i feared it might be a temptation1 in our straitened circumstances1' ,i replied4 ,on explaining what ,i did with the coat and contents1 they expressed great pleasure and satisfaction1 approving heartily my actions4 ,that night we stopped with a white man by the name of ,lincoln who had married a native woman who was a member of our ,church4 ,we had stopped there a number of times before4 ,mr4 ,lincoln had always made us welcome4 ,the next morning we bade the family good-by1 and started on our journey1 our host following us out of the house1 saying3 ',if you are going to your conference1 on ,lanai1 you will want money to pay your fares1 here is five dollars for each of you1 if you will accept it4' ,we did accept it with heartfelt thanks both to ,mr4 ,lincoln and to our ,father in ,heaven1 believing ,he had put it into his heart to give us just the amount of money we required4 ,in proceeding on our way1 we all felt and acknowledged that this really was a ,godsend1 as ,mr4 ,lincoln and his family had never before given us money1 and during our stay this time not a word had been said about our needing money to pay our passage to ,lanai4 ,we recognized that the ,lord had really heard and answered our prayers4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,signs ,,that ,,follow ,,believers4 ,besides the miraculous aid and protection frequently afforded them in their labors1 the missionaries abroad often have occasion to note remarkable manifestations of the ,lord's power and goodness towards others4 ,the signs that ,christ promised should follow believers are as much in evidence in these days as in former dispensations4 ,the ,latter-day ,saint ,elders witness these signs from time to time among those who accept their testimony and believe the ,gospel4 ,often they are called upon to administer the ordinance of anointing and laying on of hands upon the sick and afflicted4 ,as the result of such administrations they see some wonderful manifestations of the power of ,god4 ,a few such instances of recent occurrence ,i shall here relate3 ,some three years ago two ,elders who were laboring in ,warwick1 ,england1 made the acquaintance of a lady who was so ill that she had been confined to her bed for two years1 and suffered great pain4 ,they taught her the ,gospel1 and told her that the miraculous signs which the ,savior said should follow the believers might be realized in her case if she would exercise faith4 ,she read the books they loaned her and believed their words1 and a day was appointed for them to come and administer to her4 ,they came upon the day appointed and the ordinance was attended to4 ,while their hands were upon her head1 she afterwards testified1 all pain left her2 and immediately after the conclusion of the ceremony she was enabled to get up and walk4 ,she retired to an adjoining room and partook of refreshments4 ,she was entirely healed from that time1 and was able to work and earn her own livelihood4 ,elder ,ephraim ,h4 ,nye1 who at the time1 ,june1 #ahii1 was president of the ,california ,mission1 gave the following account of a remarkable case of healing which came under his observation3 ,t4 ,m4 ,shaw1 of ,san ,francisco was baptized a year ago last ,may4 ,he was a painter and was employed as such at the ,mare ,island ,navy ,yards1 but roomed at ,vallejo4 ,about ten days ago while at his work he suddenly fell to the ground and was unable to rise4 ,the post doctor was called and upon examination found that he was stricken with paralysis2 the whole right side being affected4 ,he was carried out and taken to his room in an ambulance4 ,the doctor proposed to give him some medicine but he positively refused to take it1 declaring that he would be all right as soon as he could send for the ,elders and have them come and lay hands on him4 ,the doctor1 however1 told him that he would never walk or have the use of his arm or leg again1 and in that condition he lay till the fourth day4 ,in the meantime his wife1 ,mrs4 ,shaw1 wrote for me to come1 but as ,i was away the letter lay unopened1 till she1 becoming impatient1 came to see why we did not respond4 ,on arriving here and making known the situation1 two of the ,elders1 ,f4 ,b4 ,platt1 president of the conference1 and ,j4 ,m4 ,hess1 went to ,vallejo1 arriving there about noon1 and found ,brother ,shaw in a pitiable condition4 ,his right foot and leg1 up to his knee1 were apparently as dead as though they were a part of a corpse2 they were cold and clammy1 and so with the right hand and arm4 ,he could not move a finger or toe on that side4 ,the ,elders proceeded to administer to him in the ,lord's appointed way1 anointing him with oil and laying their hands upon him4 ,after the prayer he at once began to open and shut his hand1 then raised it to his head4 ,mrs4 ,shaw as she saw him do that1 gave vent to an exclamation of surprise and delight4 ,elder ,hess asked him if he could now move his leg1 at which he began to move about2 and calling for his clothes1 dressed and walked about the house and within an hour walked out and up quite a hill upon which the house stands4 ,during the morning before the ,elders came1 a kind-hearted neighbor came in and while ministering to his comfort1 pityingly remarked that he would never walk again4 ,he at once told her that if the ,elders came on that noon train1 he would call at her house and see her during the evening4 ,she said1 ',never2 it is impossible1 you will never have the use of that foot or hand again4 ',nevertheless1 after climbing the hill and returning1 he declared his intention of visiting the lady4 ,so1 accompanied by his wife1 he walked to her house and knocked at the door4 ,the lady opened it1 and on seeing him threw up her hands and screamed with fright1 while he1 holding out the hand which had been so cold and lifeless1 but was now perfectly natural1 offered to shake hands with her and said1 ',i told you ,i would come1 and her ,i am2' and seeing that he was there and his wife with him1 the lady had to acknowledge that a wonderful miracle had been performed4 ,elder ,d4 ,t4 ,edwards1 a missionary who was laboring in ,pennsylvania in the early part of the year #ahig1 relates this instance of miraculous healing3 ,one little boy six years old had been sick with pains in his side almost continually since his birth4 ,his parents were told by the doctors that he could live but a little longer1 and he was also given up by his parents4 ,on being asked to administer to him1 we performed the holy ordinance4 ,the pain left him1 and he got up from bed soon after4 ,this was done nearly four months ago1 and the longest he was out of bed before1 since his birth1 has been five weeks4 ,he is now well and hearty1 and looks better than he has done in his life before4 ,many such occurrences as those mentioned above1 and some even more remarkable1 might be related4 ,of course such cases of healing are not witnessed only by missionaries abroad1 they are of frequent occurrence1 among the ,saints here at home4 ,but to the missionaries who at times meet with discouragements1 they are a source of comfort and joy1 as are all the exhibitions of the ,lord's goodness which they experience4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,miscellaneous ,,experiences ,,conclusion4 ,missionaries often go to their fields of labor with a faith and determination that their efforts shall not be in vain4 ,they believe implicitly in the promises made to them by the inspired servants of the ,lord who set them apart and bless them before going abroad4 ,a little incident occurred a few years ago which illustrates the trusting faith possessed by some missionaries4 ,a man called at one of the conference houses in ,great ,britain to inquire if any of the inmates had any old clothing they wished to dispose of4 ,one of the ,elders brought out an old pair of trousers for which he considered he had no further use4 ,he was offered a shilling for the pair and was about to accept the offer when a newly arrived ,elder exclaimed1 ,let me have the trousers2 ,i will give you a shilling for them4 ,it made no difference to the owner who got them1 so he sold them to the last bidder4 ,they will do to wear while baptizing people1 the purchaser remarked1 and his companions smiled at the assurance he had that the investment was a profitable one4 ,as time rolled by1 the ,elder found occasion to make use of the trousers quite frequently1 for during his missionary career he baptized between forty and fifty persons4 ,the following letter1 written by ,elder ,albert ,matheson a few years ago1 while laboring as a missionary in the ,southern ,states1 is interesting as it shows the fulfillment of a prediction made to one of his fellow-missionaries3 ,the mission of ,elder ,dotson has been of special interest and satisfaction to him4 ,some years ago1 while nearly all of his relatives were not in sympathy with our faith1 he received a patriarchal blessing1 in which was a promise that he1 if faithful1 would have the privilege of bringing many of his kindred into the ,church4 ,when this promise was made the ,elder could see no possibility of its realization1 as his relatives were far removed from him both by distance and doctrine4 ,time passed on and he reached the age generally considered too far advanced for missionary labors in the ,south2 but at last he received a letter from the ,presidency of the ,church extending to him an invitation to take a mission to the ,southern ,states4 ,but this did not clear away all difficulties4 ,after his arrival at ,chattanooga there were about ten chances to one that he would get in a conference in which his relatives did not reside4 ,true ,brother ,dotson might have suggested that he work in a locality near his kinsfolk1 but he had no idea that such a right belonged to him4 ,it was his belief that the servants of ,god appointed for that purpose were perfectly competent to discharge their duty4 ,this belief was strengthened in him when he received an appointment to labor in the neighborhood where his relatives resided4 ,not all the barriers were yet removed from his path1 however4 ,his relatives were not at all eager to join themselves to his faith4 ,it was not until after he had worked diligently among them that he saw prospects of the fulfillment of the patriarch's promise2 and just at this time threats of violence against the ',mormons' in that neighborhood gave occasion for the ,elder to seek quarters less hostile to truth-tellers4 ,after a little the threatened violence subsided4 ,he then went back and soon baptized eleven of his relatives1 among whom was his aged father4 ,an ,elder who was lately in the mission field relates that he had often thought while at home that he would like to perform a mission abroad2 but having no education--not being able to read or write--he feared he would never have the privilege4 ,an opportunity at last came for him to go1 yet he still lacked education4 ,while in a meeting about this time the inward promptings of the ,spirit made known to him that if he would go the ,lord would be with him2 that he would be enabled to learn to read and write1 and that he should fill a useful mission4 ,he relied upon the promise received and went forth in obedience to the call made of him4 ,although past the prime of life1 he readily acquired the arts of reading and writing4 ,as a missionary he soon became very successful4 ,by his humble efforts he was the means of bringing a number of souls to a knowledge of the truth1 and within a short space of time he and his missionary companion baptized some nineteen people4 ,it is frequently remarked by those who speak from experience that a man loses nothing financially by spending a few years in the mission field2 and that a mission gives one experience that is of inestimable value to him--an experience that he cannot get in any other way4 ,the truth of these statements is repeatedly verified4 ,a young man who returned from a mission some time ago made the remark recently that since his return he had been so prospered in his business that he had earned as much during the two or three years since his return as he would have done had he remained at home with steady employment such as he was engaged in previous to going upon his mission4 ,some years ago when work was plentiful and wages were high1 a young man of ,salt ,lake ,city was called to take a mission4 ,some of his friends1 and even members of the family to which he belonged1 protested against his going4 ,they thought the opportunity to make money was too good to pass by4 ,one brother of the young man encouraged him to go upon the mission assigned him1 and remarked to those who did not favor it1 that if he went he would be prospered upon his return and within a few years would be better fixed financially than his friends who remained at home taking advantage of the good times for making money4 ,the young man fulfilled the mission assigned him1 and was away for some three or four years4 ,upon his return he went to a new part of the country to make his home1 without any resources except his ability to labor with his hands4 ,only a few years passed before the prediction made by his brother was fulfilled4 ,he had been greatly prospered in his temporal affairs1 and was better off than his friends who objected to his going upon a mission4