Show labors of the eiders elders COUNCIL CouNci i BLUFFS IOWA lowa july 30 1877 editor deseret bews news As I 1 am about to return to utah perhaps it is well to send the NEWS a short abort sketch of the labors of the elders in this district I 1 arrived in this place on the of april 1876 elder joseph G young labored with me a apart part of the summer otherwise I 1 was alone until about tle the the of october when elder E H pierce was wag directed to remain with me during the winter much good had bad already been ad complis hed by elders joseph E and isaac bullock and others who had preceded me A few were baptized and some went to utah during the summer in november the tho eldera ca called lied at the october conference began to arrive among them elder jig jig to labor with the scandinavians dinavi ans several more scandinavian elders were sent bent down during the winter four of whom accompanied compa compan nied led elder to minnesota these scandinavian brethren have realized very encouraging results from their labor labors of which they have kept the NEWS very well posted sometime ago the way seemed opening in every direction for preaching the gospel but many who favored the truth have since turned its bitter enemies and the mass of the people gre greedily eallY swallowed every sensational report about utah no matter how false or how hov absurd in rn fact the gullibility of the american people wit with h regard to mormonism is almost incredible in the minds of the few who keep well posted on the exciting questions questions of the day there Is doubtless doubtless quite a reaction in our favor but much of the false impression made on the minda minds of the great bulk of the people will remain for a long time to come I 1 think there are now four elders in minnesota elder F F hindre is now traveling alone among the scandinavians in this region elders P P pratt and nels madsen are scattering their testimony of the truth broadcast in eastern iowa making seven elders that will be left in this district after my departure elder john A woolf whose labors in connection with elder micah harris resulted in bringing eight or ten persons into the church in nebraska I 1 left here for home on the dinst for several months mouths I 1 have felt that more immediate results m might be realized from preaching the gospel among the scandinavian people of this country than would be from preaching to the english speaking portion of the population the success of the scandinavian elders seems to prove this idea I 1 have hoped to see much good accomplished complis hed among the young youn who in this region have comprised a large proportion of our congregations but these hopes so far have had a very indifferent realization perhaps PC those who succeed us i will vill see this hope realized not being able to travel much on foot and not having funds for railroad travel my labors hav han hae e been pretty much confined to tamie harrison and shelby counties since my arrival in the district about persons have been added to the church some borne thirty five church members with enough children and family friends to make mako the number up to fifty persons have gone to utah A number of others wish to gather as soon boon as practicable A few have apos tati zed perhaps if there is one thing that an elder feels more keenly than another on a mission it is 18 to see beo those for whom he has labored in the gospel turn away and become enemies to the truth some four weeks ago when elder HF H F was traveil traveling ng fro from m council bluffs to boomer township with mr thomasl thomasi page they were overtaken with a severe thunderstorm the lightning struck a fence post about ten feet from the team sc scattering uttering some of the splinters under the teet leet of the horses it was a close call but nothing was injured except brother S it has affected att acted the whole left side of his body he complains much of pain mostly in the head but sometimes in the side and hip he also bleeds some internally it does not seem prudent for him to try to travel and preach he will probably return home as boon eoon as the way opens for him to do an so all the elders bent sent to this district have been erinest and diligent III in their efforts to fill their misson there have been several whose broken constitutions would not admit m it of their long enduring the sudden changes of weather in this fickle climate and the ordinary vicissitudes of a trav traveling dg elders life As these have failed lied tied they have hava been released to return home their missions having been necessarily shorter than would otherwise have been desirable much ground has been preached d over in the past year ilour if our united labors have not produced brilliant results we li have ve at least the satisfaction of having made an honest effort to further the great jatter latter day work JAMES A LITTLE |