| Show 5I18MUNAUV IXllilUENWS Scino January J7th 1897 To the Idion I Dear SinPlease allow spice in I your aPu bilr paper for publishing a few items ol our missionary labors which perhaps will be Interesting to those who are laboring for the advancement of truth and righteousness here upon the earth Know ing the hundreds of Elders and Saints who have given us their faith in lasting and prater during the severe illness of Elder Joseph A West I president presi-dent ol Ihe Florida conference I deem it but a tribute due that I give a short account of the same to our many friends in ihinkfnl remembrance ol all they have done for us Llder West lei Silt Lake City April JJth 1895 Ion I the 29th of June 1893 In response to a call from the first presl dency of our Church to labor as they had done and hundreds ol others to carry glad tidings of great joy to the meek and the the lowly to warn the people ol the judgment that will overtake over-take the wicked We with the other boys placed ourselves our-selves under the directorship ot our beloved be-loved president Elias S Kimball I In November Elder West was called to take charge ol the Florida conference confer-ence the time previously being spent in Alabama I first labored In the South Alabama I conference and afterwards was assigned to labor m the Florida conference Willie laboring here we witnessed much ol the power of God our Llders went forth in great humility without purse or scrip At the beginning ol Diember we bad twenty six Elders in the Florida 1 conference boS who are true whose parents and the Church need to be proud of Many have believed our I humble testimony and we have blesied the name of our God Hut we were counted worthy to go forth as mtssen gets of ills divine word On the igth ol beptemberKlder West was stricken down his voice and lungs had given way some time previously but low all tu viul parts of his body seemed to lad him He I would grow so weak that the Elders who were willi him and the friend hom God had raised up fur us would almost think that lie ua > gone forever Then with the zeal ot Paul the Llders would anoint him with the hoy oil and time and time again was he healed by the lion er at God The riders and bamls throukiout the Southern slates with paicins md loved ones at home fasted and pro 1 < d or him and through the bssin i i < he G id of Israel those tplisoi lalproSLratiou 10 grow 1 lighter well remember on fie 4h of November last when our beloved rresl dent West was attacked by one cf those bad spell hU blood quit circulating his whole body grew Mill and cold his jiws were even locked together that it was impossible to get his mouth open I he ldOfc J Its sw could not speak and we could scarcely tell whether there was a breath of life In him or not Alter administering to him the lourth time Ills jaw were loosed he breathed the breath ol life freely and could talk to us once more We could only praise God lor the priesthood we held and for His power being made manliest through Ills I serving in behalf of our dear president While be lay helpless upon hit bed OM day a dear hills girl Mamie Hurst came running to tell us that such a lot of men on horseback horse-back WMC coming We knew il was a mob We in gieat haste had Elder Usher clad In di guic mid sent him off as greater threats Had been made against him than us The mob for such it proved to beone hundred and fifty men aimed to the teethe came up to the front gate The lady of the house with little Mamie stood at the gale and tried to reason with the men who were drunken with wrath against the Iol man Elders Ihey told the mob they could not come fl in ony over their J dead bodies unless un-less I they would solemnly swear that thev would not Injure the sic man nor those who were nursing him They finally agreed tint II three ol their leaders lead-ers could come in and talk to them that they would not harm them at this time bo Messers j J R Ne lan I Ihonm Me rat la JII Clain and Henry Platt with the consent of the lady ol the houe came in We had previously in great humility knceied by the bed side ot our tick brother md prayed God to protect us and we dedicated dedi-cated ourselves the hOUie we were ant the inmates thereof and all unto him They came In and were quite cvil We told them of President Wests long sickness the spun ol God rallied upon us in mighty power Wetold them they had cometu takeout livesordrivetis Irom the country They sail they had come to warn us tn leave tint our doctrines were mak n great disturbances disturb-ances turning fuller against sonmothcr against daughter and neighbor against I neighbor and they would have no more ol it Wo bore to them a faithful testimony testi-mony ol the truth of the Gospel and the divinity ol Joseph Smiths mission and I that we were sent to carry the glad tidings to all who would hear us we told hem that they mignt commence at our finger ends and urjoint our whole bodies yet with our last urealh our test monies would be the same We warned them to cease their persecution against the work ol God or the judgments ol God would follow them They bid come with Ihe lull intention of miking ul take an oath that we w ould leave the county but they seemed to target tar-get all their mission and they solemnly vowed not to molest us while one of our number was sick Thus our lives were spared from the rasp of an angry Ignorant band of mn who had lent themselves to the service of Satan Yet ol a truth we only lelt sorry that we had but one life to give for so great a cause We were alterwaids informed by a cray haired veteran that not mole tb fifteen ol the one hundred and filly men could read and write During the next week president West was released and I also to attend hlmn bisnurs and see him safely in the care of loving parents and friends in Snowflake Arizona We enjoyed the trip quite well under the circumstances Arriving at the place above menuonecll December Decem-ber ijth I returned via San iSanciseo alter a sojourn of two weeks with L Ider West and friend in Arizona which was spent very pleasantly among the Saints We bear our testimony to all who read these wends that Gal lives and that He hears our prayers and that His servants are protected by a divine power We would urge the oung men of Israel to awake and put on the armor of humility seek wisdom m prayer and thus prepare themselves logo forth as mettorsof light 1 not in word alone but that their very appearances will be a testimon ot the truth they bear Let us sty to the fathers and mothers In Zion hold on to your wild wayward boys as we have seen the power of God made manliest in healing the bodies ol the Elders abroad and have heard the thousand ol testimonies ot our parents and the Saints at home so can the same power touch the hearts of these thoughtless boys an J open their eyes that Satan has blinded Let our Fathers work go on until it fils the whole earth until everv son and daughter of Adam shall have the privil edge of hearing the true Gospel of Chtist For tins Gospel of the kingdom must be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nation and then shall the end come In praise ol the Southern states people peo-ple will say for their kindness and Hospitality Hos-pitality their equal would be hard to find and in behall of Elder Joseph A West I feel to thank all who have aided him in any way during his long siege of sickness Alter one hundred and fifteen days illness he is now ablate walk around the yard Respectfully THOMAS r WASDE |
