Show missionary MESSAGES A racy correspondence from didies sunny gunny land GROVETOWN columbia co ga july 3 1888 editor deseret news there may be a certain class of the readers of your valuable and much appreciated paper who would be better pleased to hear of the progress of political events as for instance what james Q G blaine or col ingersoll has said than to learn of the lix progress ogress of our missionaries who are spreading the gospel of peace among the nations but to another class especially those immediately connected with the work of the ministry letters from the elders are of peculiar interest from this latter class I 1 task ask forbearance for a little time while I 1 relate some of the experiences gained aud inci incidents deits noted while laboring in anis part of the vineyard of the lord I 1 left my y home bume in vernon tooele thoele county Ut utah abon on march 1887 and proceeded to salt bait lake where I 1 in company with five others was waa set apart to labor in the southern stated mission we left our loved city of the saints on the I 1 ath and on en our arl rival in chattanooga were assigned to our fields of operation by president wm spry elder altier john M browning and myself boing into tile the georgia conference soon after arrivi arriving ag in the state it was decided by president spry to open a field of labor near augusta ga miles from where any field was in oper tion in the conference this labor was assigned to elder S G spencer and me ind and since that time considerable rood has been accomplished in this held field I 1 have been ever since with the exception of a few weeks spent in a higher country to recover from an attack of chills and fever the lord nas bountifully blessed our labors and although though there nas has been severe opposition at times the wrath of man has been made to praise the lord and many good honest souls have been led into the told fold of the great shepherd additional missionary FORCE upon the return to utah in november 1867 1887 of S G spencer president A 11 smith came to labor in this field and was soon followed by elder Jede jedediah diali Ballant ballantyne lue of ogden utah during the winter our labors were spread over ever a section of country 25 miles in lunetti taking in the city cily ot of augusta witti with its inhabitants the in interest brebt became so great that t two wo more elders weft sent for and in february they arrived Ved elders james duncan of meadow creek utah ana it 0 van ledru of clifton idaho considerable persecution was raised during this time but we have found it the better plan as a rule to say but little about such things seeking rather to encourage and set forth the good qualities of the majority nere here than to raise much stir over what a tew few have done or may do and the tery drawing the attention of others to in tolerant conduct and putting it in their minds mind to do like deeds of violence two tw traveling elders and pres Pre smith have teen been attending to this field of labor since april the others having gone out to seek for pastures n new ew the saints in richmond and columbia countries desiring to celebrate our PIONEER DAY by a barbi barbecue cuell and general meeting pros pres smith extended invitations to all the georgia elders reaca and to the brethren in a neighboring county in a south Caro carolina linato to be present it at 10 a m july there were assembled at bro A M littles little near grovetown Grove town ga eleven elders fifty one saints and quite a number of intimate friend sand invests investigators gators mak tag ing in all nearly persons ejr sons after the morning entertainment abich consisted of songs music speeches etc the particular features of which were a speech by president smith on the pioneers and the singing under the direction of elder ballantyne we went out dut to arbors erected for the occasion to give us shade and then partook of a abarba cue dinner which for plenty and for excellence I 1 never saw excelled great credit is due mr thos rearden Ke arden one of our near who worked until he was sick tor for the comfort of others in the afternoon we again held meeting under an arbor erected for the purpose and were favored by some excellent discourses from elders wa W A redd bedd and A it smith the spirit of god being poured out upon speakers and congregation in rich abundance all felt well and have now returned to die bw performance of duty with renewed strength and vigor A commendable FEATURE one particular feature of the proceedings ce we would desire to iipp impress ress upon the minds of many of our pious home hom raised saint sains a of long standing in the church during the whole day not oue one drop of liquor was used upon the enot one oath or was heard and no unbecoming acts were seen the spirit of peace reigned supreme should not this be a lesson to those who congregate in zion on such occasions there are many people in the south who are far very far from what they should be but because more mobbing has been done here cef than in any other part of the world let us not judge fudge too harshly lest the same judgment rest upon us many of the elders come out into the mission with brej minds to some extent consequent upon the expressions of persons who have taken out a cursory gl glance a nee of the situations sometimes undue prejudice is caused by returning elders who are not thoughtful enough to speak respectfully of a people who have itt ia the most part treated them the best bes they could if it was sometimes humble bumble tare and again some feeling is aroused by newspaper comments upon passing events many are the signs which foretell the speedy separation of abel th el wheat and tares to be followed by the burning of all who conot cunot come through as sound healthy wheat lot let all israel look to their tooting footing ever praying for the speedy redemption of zion which can only be obtained by our reforma reformation tiou I 1 rema remain in 1 your brother in the gospel DAVID BENNION |