Show THE scandinavian MISSION bartor deseret news jt it may prove interesting to your readers to bear a few words from the winston field in scandinavia let us ask aek the thousands who have leathered gathered but from these lands to utah to lay side aside mines mi nee politics and their pressing everyday every day duties for a short timea time and teed read a few paragraphs about the progress in their native lands of the peat great work for which they gathered to zion it might be well that all others do so also the diversion will probably do them good even etelk if conference reports are deemed dry iea reading beading ding the lire life of mi a an subject abject I 1 lies jes I 1 in n ita I 1 interest n te rest to us ua for fear that the reader should tire before beford the finish it may R an well he be remarked right here that two religious papers are published in this mission and nan those who are interested in the cause can do much good by sending 1 for one years subscription for either of 1 6 we these publications the periodical chosen will be sent to any address for this amount regarding the fall conferences tt it can CAD be said that they were profitable to those who participated and attended and the trip was full of pleasant experiences As early as septem er ath the conference confer embe euce in aalborg was waa held on that evening a number of elders occupied the time of the meeting in bearing testimonies of the restoration of the gospel on sunday morning ath the reports of their labors during the summer were given by the branch presidents from which it was learned that satisfactory progress was made in the various fields president P F C gave a condensed report of the conference showing that the work was progressing in a very satisfactory manner quite a number of strangers were investigating the truth and forty three persons had joined the church by baptism since the march conference the saints of whom there are in this conference are filled with the spirit of the gospel as appeared from the large attendance and the good order and feeling manifested in the gatherings the elders are united and labor witha zeal in their callings the meeting house bouse was nicely decorated with flowers and evergreens ever greens meetings were also held at 2 and 7 pm at each of which the hall was packed with attentive listeners on the following saturday and sunday sept and the aarhus conference was held here also a live interest is taken in the cause and quite a number of saints were in from the country the hall was nicely decorated with evergreens ever greens the choir rendered some choice selections selection 9 at the various meetings and a time of rejoicing was experienced by all who attended A report meeting was held saturday night and three meetings were held on sunday A priesthood meeting was held on monday morning at which important questions were asked and answered in relation n to the missionary work and at which good instructions were given there were fourteen elders from utah present who had bad a time of rejoicing together in relating their varied experiences as well as in preaching the gospel to the people since last conference there had been fifty six pix baptisms and the conference numbers nearly members there are eight branches in the these be two conferences feren ces in jylland and an effort Is ig being made to widen the field in both conferences and establish cablish ea new branches in the west part of the country where the t h e gospel has not been preached for many years president F C of aalborg who has been instrumental in doin doing much good in that field was released re leasel in november to return home and elder li F johnson has been appointed to succeed him I 1 the southern swedish bonfe conference ren ce was held in malmoe on oct ard and ath elder fred lundberg having been called to preside over stockholm his place in malmoe is filled by elder john swenson A saturday evening report meeting was held besides three meetings on sunday all of which were well attended by the saints and by a few strangers the work in this region is making sowe some headway principally in the eastern part where there are openings to preach and a few here and there who will listen A priesthood meeting was held on monday in which the conference labors were discussed and instructions given to the missionaries the Goe Goo or central swedish conference was held on saturday and sunday oct and alth the comfortable hall was wag beautifully decorated with flags american danish and swedish festoons fes of ever greens pictures and flowers natural end and artificial making a very neat ap bearance pe arance the saturday evening meeting was devoted to bearing reports from the presiding F elders aders A lack of missionaries had bad somewhat retarded the work but the progress was nevertheless marked as there had been 43 baptisms since the last conference and the prospects were quite flattering and in n no branch more than in the city itself where an unusual interest when compared with the indifference of recent years had been shown by strangers in listening to gospel monies on sunday three meetings were held and the hall was packed with people who listened generally very attentively to the explanations of the gospel doctrines advanced by the speakers on monday morning a priesthood meeting was hold held and on the same evening there was a pleasant social gathering in which the saints and elders enjoyed themselves in conversation etc on wednesday morning in company with preal 4 dent Da lilquist we went to and on the same evening held a well attended meeting in that place visiting also alao a number of the saints the work of the lord is progressing satisfactorily facto rily here under the care of elder A Q G johnson leaving on thursday morning we arrived in the same mine evening and were met and welcomed by prest john johnson and a number of elders in this conference we likewise found a good spirit irit prevailing among the saints saints the roomy hall was beautifully dec decorated 0 with festoons fes garlands sn mosses natural and artificial flowers and several varieties of beautiful evergreens ever greens besides flags and pictures the whole i gracefully arranged under the direction of one of the local brethren elder A hansen who to is an adept in the art of decoration the saturday evening meeting on the was do devoted to reports from the missionaries six elders who had bad lately arrived were present during the summer this conference has been greatly in need of elders eiders and hence the progress not as marked as it would have been under other circumstances but its membership is over and there had bad been thirty five baptisms the large hall was full at each of the meet ings ing and on sunday evening was crowded to its utmost capacity the speakers explained the first principles of the gospel to attentive listener elder john johnson Job who succeeded admirably in winning the love and of the saints while he pro pre sided was released to return home and elder adolph madsen was appointed his sue successor cessor A priesthood meeting was held on OD monday at which a number of the missionaries spoke and the methods of presenting the gospel were discussed and general instructions given the relief belief society held a fair and social on monday evening which was a financial as am well as an artistic success and on wednesday evening a farewell social was given in honor of president johnson job neon there were speeches songs games and conversation the choir under ulder the leadership of elder 0 A rendered some choice songs and hymns during the conference which were highly appreciated among the songs was an n original song of welcome which was greatly enjoyed by the elders and visiting brethren on thursday morning company with elder john johnson Jah neou we left and on saturday evening oct met with the saints and elderson elders Elder of the stockholm conference the hall ball was neatly decorated and was bullof full of people who listened attentively to the reports which the brethren from the various branches gave on sunday three meetings were held and on monday a general meeting of the saints all well attended president lundberg Ij and his associates in the work are energetic in their labors and ADO their efforts are bearing fruit the conference numbers upwards of 1400 members and during the summer 88 persons have been added by baptism A choir has recently been organize dand during the services rendered some choice vocal selections during the year there have been baptisms in this conference A large district in the northern part has not yet heard the gospel but enores are being made to have it proclaimed in that region as rapidly re as elders can be obtained who are capable of enduring the hard winters the conference in copenhagen was held on saturday and sunday november 7 and 8 A beautiful flag bag decoration relieved by festoons fes of evergreens ever greens and flowers graced the hall which was full of saints and strangers at every meeting and literally crowded during the sunday evening services the large number of visiting elders made the proceedings lively and as in the other conferences a rich portion of the holy spirit was enjoyed outside of the city branch there is but little progress in Sj celland yet the elders are doing faithful labor in warning the people in the city good meetings are held which are well attended by strangers there is a good sunday school with an average attendance of some fifty children the choir is one of the attractive features of the meetings and this organization galliza tion rendered some excellent songs and music during conference elder C E who has labored in th the eStar star office and in the conference for two years and through his zeal kindness and valuable labors in the choir and among the peoples people has endeared himself to the saints and won their confidence and esteem was honorably released to return home and elder harold F liljenquist was appointed to succeed him as president of the conference while his place in the office officio is filled by elder charles L olson olsen there are fourteen branches of the church in denmark ten in norway and twenty one in sweden and in the three countries there to la now a member ship of 1075 in the first named in the second and 2104 in the third during the year yeal there were baptisms an increase of nineteen over 1890 of which number joined the church to in denmark 43 in norway and in sweden anere are several sunday schools improvement associations and relief boole bo cleties ties all ding worthy labor for the cause of truth on the whole it can be said truthfully that there are good prospects for the work ot of god in scandinavia the results are of course not dot as great as in former years and there is no denying delaying the fact that missionary labor now is as difficult and costly as ever and often discouraging to the unceremoniously buffeted about among the people yet with all this there is great satisfaction and joy in the work of warning warn ing the nations we have seldom any persecutions and with few exceptions the people and the legal authorities treat us with consideration and respect in most fields the elders report large numbers of people who are willing to listen to their testimonies while others are indifferent or entirely unwilling to hear many are convinced of the truth of the doctrine but lack the courage to withstand the ibe ostracism that embracing it would insure make use of our testimonies to strengthen their unbelief in existing false rell religions gions but themselves lack courage to repent and cast their lot with the Saix its but among it all the elders preach the gospel as a witness ind and in their midst there is the true mis missionary konary spirit the spirit of prayer sacrifice union and humility coupled with an earnest desire to further the purposes of god under the present presen circumstances it will require aire some time yet before the gospel testimony can be borne born to all who are willing to hoar hear it and there sire are only few places where the people can be said to have rejected the testimony of the elders the saints as a rule are united alive to their duties and are striving to live as near to the gospel precepts as their surroundings roun dings and pecuniary conditions will permit we all join in thanks to god fo rIlls gracious mercies in the past and pray that his blessings may continue to us through the dawning new year and be made manifest abundantly to IR hla servants and people who spend their energies for the advancement of and right the world over EDW H copenhagen dec 4 1891 |