Show the toe ainoa ELDERS MAESER AND JOHNSON relate their missions to foreign countries the usual sabbath services of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints were held in the meetinghouse meeting house on sunday afternoon at 2 president david john presiding the choir sang with all my power of heart and tongue ill praise my mager in my song prayer was offered by bishop J P R bohnson Toh the choir sang ye children of our god ye satota of L itter day the sacrament waa administered by the bishopric of the third V ard during which the choir sang arise my soul arise ELDES BENOT JOHNSOS of the second ward who returned home from to scandinavia last wed was the first speaker he said it was thirteen months since he had been abroad to preach the gos pal to the world he had tried in his weak way to fulfill fulfil his mission but he had been sick during his absence at one time being so low as to leave little hopes of his recovery he still felic weak but hoped by the grace of god to get his strength back he bad a pleasant to sweden from atah and was received kindly by his numerous relatives they were pleased to see him but cared nothing for the gospel which he preached unto them when he had got through visiting them he was taken very sick being in a low condition for six weeks the president of the mission concluded to send him home bat he wanted to fill his mission and prayed unto the lord to help him accomplish the desire of his heart the lord heard his prayer and he was thankful to say that he had preached the gospel to those with whom he came in contact it is hard for an elder to labor in that country the people there have heard the gospel so much that they have no desire to listen to the elders preach as a result but few outsiders attend the meetings of the saints he had often been turned out of doors and had often gone to a dozen different houses before he could obtain a nights lodging but he dad not get discouraged for he knew that he way engaged in gods work whenever the elders had nights rest or eat a meal they had to pay for it the saints there are very poor and have but few of the necessaries of life it is said that we are to go without and scrip tho speaker had often been led to think upon this passage and as a result he had come to the conclusion that the elder nowadays now a days had to havo a little means with him in order to get around among the people today to day preaching the gospel was like the gleaning of grapes after they had boen plucked three or four times after he had been laboring in several places he was taken very sick last february he was so low tant no one thought he would recover brother fj elstead called upon him while ho was in this condition and thought he would nob live brother Pj elstead asked him if he should administer to hiim ho answered yes he did so md the next day he got up and went 0 meeting although weak ho was to fill his mission and he bared not vh other he died while so doing he was glad to pay that god had bean merciful to him through it all and ho was pleased to 30 home again the voyage to zion was pleasant and the saints in the company rejoiced as much as ho did to be privileged to come here let ua abc bend to our duties and live up to what god has revealed to us ELDER felt bis inability to address the saints in the english ho trusted that amlo he stood before tho people ho would enjoy the faith and prayers of the saints it was customary for elders returning from missions to ivo an account of themselves and therefore he would start with the time he went ho left provo on the of may 1887 arriving on the of the following month in tho field of nis mission he found great difficulty in preaching the gospel in the german language but by the help of jod he mastered the tongue ind was soon able to do nue good H experienced great in tho of tho golpe owing to the of catholicism but in iio kingdom of Wurt emborg it was hu drent in germany every man IBS to be provided with a passport or citizenship papers if he wishes to bluy long in one place he basio report himself to the police station and show them papers it would not do for a mormon missionary to do or else ho would be in less than ten run 0 the place minu terr he had to j hido up as it ho traveled in demany 0 o that the would nut got hold of him he had walked three jays without bread but be felic to acknowledge the hand of trod in all the people in these mountain valleys can not their beautiful homes and without first been the condition of tho people of tho earth ia had aard since ho had been borne that ho would not one rock that lies on the streets 0 provo for all europe he had seen the kings and tho queens and the emperors of europe with their large armies but here in zion ho beheld more attractions than he had ever seen while abroad the condition of the people of europe is most deplorable and he could not help feeling thankful to god when he contrasted their condition with the condi ion chosen people there is but one plan of salvation and that god has committed into their hands it behoove th us therefore that we carry it out god has more wisdom than we have and because we have eo many scho olaof learning in our midst we should not get so high strung as to think too much of asking god for knowledge in the world it is different there they have their academies and colleges and in them they consider is contained all wisdom god is no where with them he noticed that a great reformation had taken place in provo since he left for his mission the people were getting more civilized saloons were being opened and other adjuncts of civilization were being established while in fact in everything the world was being patterned after provo to him was the dearest spot on earth and be was glad to be hero once more he trusted the young men in zion would shun evil and prepare themselves to hold important and responsible positions in the kingdom of god he knew this work to bo true and had received a testimony to the divinity of joseph smiths cabling and to the position occupied the saints make more pretentious than any other people on the face of the earth and hence how necessary it is that they live up to the professions they make the judgments of the almighty are beginning to be poured out upon the nations that have banished the servants of god and he will visit with sore indignation all those who persecute his people the speaker closed with an earnest mony to the truth of gods work and with a fervent appeal to the people to do right DAVID JOHN in a few concluding remarks alluded to the spirited discourses delivered by the brethren who had spoken it had been a long time since he had enjoyed such a spirit as had prevailed while they were describing their missions and testifying to the truth of the work of bod and the manner in which he had blessed them while they had been away president john then addressed himself to the young men to whom he testified that mormonism was true and that it would triumph over all its foes until god himself came to the earth and reigned among his saints be honest be sincere study the laws of god understand der stand the word of jehovah awake ye elders of israel ono half of the people are dead asleep we say to all the world that we are living on the very eve of time then elders of israel have oil in your lamps and be on the watch tower waiting for the coming of the bridegroom the choir sang 0 lord most merciful benediction was pronounced by president jacob gates |