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Show TRAVELING IN TEXAS. Lessons Learned by Missionaries Id the Lone Star Slate, eels- WlihasH rre and flerlp- Wlib rrl1-tUDUaNa 1st Lard lroTltla Honky Gkovu, Texas, April 5th, iS. To ihe Uuor: Your ever welcome paper, which come twice a week, is appreciated very much in this part. It is like hearing from a dear friend at home, and wilh your permission, I will drop you a few lines, so that your readers may kuow how the Lord is opening up the Lone Star State and preparing the hearts of the people to receive the precious truths of the everlasting ever-lasting Gospel. I left my home January aub, iSys, for a mission to Texas, and alter initiation into th missionary field for about three month with l.lder S. IL Well of St. George, I was assigned to labor iu Pan 11 in County, Texas. On May iMh, hldcr S. K. Wilcock and the writer started to their field ot labor, where wa worked until July 8th, making Irietids and removing re-moving prejudice. While the people wera hospitable to ut, yet none were touched with the spirit of conviction, although al-though they Investigated our doctrine aud while they could not deny any of it, yet they would try lo console themselves by trying to believe that part ol It was done away. There we met the other Klders of Texas, at the Grubbs school house, in Hopkins county, with a hearty hand shako, a loving spirit of unity and a welcome wel-come to those who had just come from Zion. Owing to tickmss, Llder Kim-ball Kim-ball could not be with ut, so our worthy ex-president, A. S. Campbell took charge of our conference, which was a tource of great pleasure and enioyment to all the l.M.M, who had never attended at-tended one before. The ram lud fallen in such torrent, that some of tho 1.. tiers had to be ferried across the stream to come to conference. Alter an assignment assign-ment ol new comp inions, we parted with tear in our eyes and with a "God bless you and sue tecs, dear brother," and started lur our dillereut fields ot Ihbor. Oq July iuib, l.lder K. H. Smith and four humble servant landed back in anniu county where we held veveral meeting! aud revisited Inead at w were instructed. Then brcaue of the hot w either nnd other reasons, we were advised to hnd a place where we could .Uv lor awhile, as the chill and fever were racing very bsdlv, also oilier di-ease di-ease common in 1 exa during the summer sum-mer season, ami Ihe Klders from the pure mountain valleys could not stand thesii iKnerhe.il in the South. Many ol the Lidcrs were stricken down wi'.h ill health until it seemed a thong:) Siian wa going lo slop our progress ill tin part oftne vmeyaid, hut ol mis 11 lb hiiie army, there were nou- hut what held out 10 the very last not will 1 to give up, although s. m-.: ol 111 had s rttany a thirty 1 hills, and simte ol us ia as lung an three week with tne nialaiul lever, ami one g ivr his ble lor the cause, li s faith uevct l.iileriug. A Iaik -Uuin w thrown over the p.r weik l.lders of the Lone Star Slate, but they wtre steadfast to duty. At Van-lrkle, Hunt Co., Texas. No-vemher No-vemher jtd, fourteen humble l.ldcrt wereseited in a rniume uu vine '"US prepared lor th; occasion in the woods hard by the schioihoiise, nnd in which conference wa to be held, to rece.ve tin- much n edrd m dril' tioiis Irom our worthy pit sulent K- S KniU'.ill. He showed us our wtakness, one being the money we were carrying, instead of V. g wiihoui purse or t rip ,md pumr g oar t.ntli in our hmveiily i alher to rai.e up funds to tnke cue ol us. 1 wll not say all were that way, but tor one I w..s in that condition to some extent, and in-lead in-lead ol mak 11 converts, we only m ide f:ieds enough to take care ol us Our ptesnh nt Lider KtmhiH told 11 that il we would keen (lie wort) ol wisdom and commandment ol God and tiavel without with-out purse r m rip, then instead of going up lo a man aid lea ring and trembling to gt to stay over night with linn, Ihe Spirit ol Go I would b 11 u where 1 1 g and we would he hoi I and 1 e.11 les ol man s arm, and wc would hive Irieud raised up to us in time ol need, and wou.d make lots ol coiivens. Lalrr CamphHI wa taken to work in thetlhcu at Chattanooga and A. C. ha 1 by Mia reded him .0 ptesidrnt of tne I t ai . ..iilcie.u e. Tne l.iders w. u ad itisigned their held 01 labor, hut when it came to me I was to go alone lor about ten days wailing for a new companion from ion. Then reah d thu real wonh ol a companon. I n-lt bse a stranger in a strange laud with no liicnds and no home. I prayed Godlo semi me a louit anion that would suit my condition, and my prayer wa answer ans-wer d in the person ol Joseph I . I . rhomliiison w ho came on the l .til ot November. We started cut a intruded, sent our money to the ollii e toptyfor our iraci and hooks, that we weic to ihsltlbtue among the people, and like messci gers i t old, went Irom place to place. tne way heiiig nude open for u and many lrieu being raised up to give us the tvry essaro ol he. We had great power with the people and were led to Ihose who were se king lor Ihe 1 ruth. Hy rcnuest we held seven meetings (in a private house) alter whuh there were three pern us applied lor baptism. We appointed ap-pointed Christmas day lor ihe tune 10 , receive, these honest soul into the I L hurc h. One ol the grandest days ol my hie was iper.t in performing the ' sacred ordinances at an agent 111 the bands ol God. It was my lirst experience. ex-perience. Atter our day's latxr we tiroke our last by partaking ol the hospitality of some of our good blends 'I tie days rolled on and we were soon among strangers, leaving our Saints behind. When we returned another honest hearted soul was ready to be baptised. So we broke the It - on the pooi caused by January's cold blast, and surrounded by irtends and enemies lo wiinc the proceeding, we bore our b'siimomc aud performed the ordinances. or-dinances. Atier another trip in new communities we were to separate so we returned to our Saints preparatory to meeting 0111 new Lompan oi s at a station thirty mile away. "Wu only had partly enough tnuiiry to pay the fate lor one ol us lo go, aud the tunc was at hand. Morning came and our luend S. L. Gregory took me to the station in his bunny, and as we passed by a store he look me in and gave me a new hat and pair ol shoe as mine weie getting quite shabby. As he paid the clerk he handed back a dollar in change which my inend told me lo put into my pocket. When I went to buy my ticket, he gave me two dollars more to use if necessity m-cpurcd. m-cpurcd. So on we went with a thauklul heart that God had led ma to tneiuls who would help me iu tune ot need Itut I met unuther disappointment, as my companion did not coine; so I returned re-turned lo'the Saints and found four more ready l r 'buptitm. 1 got back w ith one dollar in my pocket. I returned it to mv friend as warned in a dream. He bade nie keep 11, hut I told him no, that m time ol need money would come. Then a 1 was semlu.g in my report a few days later, another Inend, Charles Hryant, gave me enough money lo get me a suitol clothe, and said he ''It there is any over, usu to the best advantage lor the spreading ol the Gospel." our Saint are very anxious lor all lo hear the Gospel so they let us preai 11 111 their dwellings, ami i-'o all in Hi power to make u comfort if le aud assist as-sist in spreading the principle ol alva- I met' my new companion, I Ider ! I). C. Hess, Jan. 25th, nnd introduced him in Texas thu same evening, at a meeting held in the house ol one ol the Saint. The room was packed lo overflowing over-flowing and they listened with surprise to the doctrines and testimonies ul tne lour humble Llderswho were present. January 27th, alter a few words of advice ad-vice to each other, Joseph L. 1. Thomliuson and Kldrr l ied Smith ha Ic us goodbye, and started lor then held of labor in Grayson county, 'Icx.c. Since then we have had varied experience ex-perience of which i may write here-alter. here-alter. M O. M. |
