Show THE wilh AUSTRA australasian lasian MISSION i through courtesy of brother george 11 taylor of this city we are enabled to publish the following communications from his son TA oNOKE near hastings 11 hawks bay napier new zealand dear father our company of six elders for new zealand who left san francisco oct after a very pleasant voyage which included a stop of a few hours at the sandwich islands where we had the good fortune to meet quite a number of 67 the elders who had gathered thereto there to bid good bye to some of their number who were going home arrived safely at auckland all in good health and spirits nov the pre fre president aident of t the ile lle MI mission aslon brother stewart not expecting our arrival was a longway long iong war way in the tiie interior but as we were leaving the pier a man stayed stepped steeped u up to one of the boys and asked i if he dad did not COME CONIE FROM yrol UTAH ills lils name was C nelson ile he was not expecting any one from utah but feit impressed acome to come down to tw tnt wharf ile he took us all to his house and the moment his wife saw us shi sha she re nihed brother miller as one she had seen in a dream some time before while at supper two ladies came in ill and one of them immediately pointed i at me saying that is the one after an introduction she told us she had seen me in a dream three months before after spending three days visiting among the saints and maki makl making ng our maiden speeches at sunday in meetings eeli n we received a telegram from president stewart to tb meet him at gisborn where he would give us OUR OUK appointments on bur tour arrival we met him and were appointed as follows brother 11 hill ill lii to the south island to labor among the whites all the rest arnon among the mao ries rles as follows elder davis at wellington in ington ton elder meller at muriwai Murl Mur wal iwai elder slater slater at myself at napier and Ta onoke and elder richards with elder stewart at E east ast capa it was almost like leaving leavin home a again aln ain to part from each other although tio ugh strangers to each other when iche west we started arted from home our ignorance of the world the nature of our mission and eur our ur inexperience all tended to draw us closely together and we spent many happy and profitable hours in each others company on nov 2 ad I 1 arrived at napier but found no one to meet me as I 1 expected as the place is a small town to ansome some fe wmiles out in the country was not very well known I 1 had some little trouble troubie in finding fin dInE it bubb but by y inquiry 1 I 1 at last found a native who could understand me and he offered to drive me to the place which he did talking to me all the way and yelling yellin out ac every every house we calne caine to th that at a mormon Nl ormon named taylor had just custar aru arf 1 rived from utah and was oin going oln to dreach the first mani me met t on oi i ar was 11 liu IlU OTnER rother OTENE who was the first native baptized in this district ile he introduced me to my traveling companion brother newby who has lias been among the natives about four lilon ils lis and is just lust beginning to talk a little lit itt ie in their language brother otene pre the branch is quita well weil onn off owns A large amount of land furnishes u us s a house to live in with abundance of good food and hors hons horses s to travel with f from ro ni place to place A few hours after my arrival a number of natives came to see me and I 1 took my fir t lesson in rubbing noses noes we mr al ail ali went into brother Ot orelles elles elies house where we had family prayers and sill singing the lla lia natives tives six in number expressed their pleasure at my ari art anival ival AS THOUGH I 1 WAS GREAT creat max MAN I 1 spoke to them abent fifteen minutes welch had bad to be interpreted arld alid thus ended my alist day amon among the Mao niao urles uries I 1 have purchased books and I 1 am doing my best to learn the language so s that I 1 can be more useful the natives are coming in for miles around having heard that another eider elder had from utah brother seems to hayft hava taken a ien quite a nin MID me told mo last imi t thai that k 4 wal 12 0 o a letter ietter to my father mother and wife which he has done and brother newby has translated it I 1 send you both letter and translation this brother seems wholly devoted to the work was baptized by alma greenwood and is now about to build a house to hold meetings in lie ile is on hand to go with the elders at any time to any part of the district f furnishing horses borses aud provisions A brief account of my FIRST SUNDAY with them and I 1 will close meeting was to be leid held heid 12 miles distant A nind ning buggy was sent for us and belore before we reached therece there we had an escort of 20 persons dersons in bu buies buggies ies les or on horseback we we e were hallex hailed by sinn sing sinking ing and swinging handkerchiefs and on all ali alighting ig att n went through the ceremony of hany haug hand shaking an and rubbed noses with about 40 persons we held a meeting on saturday night with GO present 34 14 natives spoke some songs SODS sons son S were sung and I 1 spoke to them the ba balance alance of the time alm e a half caste being interpreter on sundar sunday we bad eighty present quite a number of them non members an educated native acting as interpreter ter we had a splendid time but felt if we could only speak to them in their native tongue we could do much more good they got up a grand supper after meeting and f furnished urnis hed a table and chairs knives forks dishes etc tor lor bro newby and myself while they took theirs on a mat on the floor in the centre of the room and all ate with their fingers from the same dish and here Is a sample of how they live bread and butter mutton eels cabbage cake etc it Is not often that elders drop into such comfortable quarters and we wish to improve it in learning the language an realizing that ere long we will eve faveto to be out in the field sowing the gospel seed remember me kindly ti to all enquiring friends your your loving son 10 GEO S TAYLOR |