Show written for or aw paper IN DISTANT SAMOA AVALU savaii samoa february ary ath 1895 I 1 trust that a few items from the sunny green isles ot of samoa will be read and aad appreciated at least by relatives our ur co laborers in the ministry both at home and abroad and by all who are zealously laboring in and praying for the establishment of truth on earth for the overthrow ol of the works of darkness for the fulfillment of all that has been promised through the mouths of holy prophets both ancient and modern that righteousness might sweep the earth as wih a flood and the earth cease to groan because of the wicked ness and abomination upon her face as was promised to father enoch we have just received and read our monthly mail from zion dear zion home of the free where the pure breezes blow and the clear streamlets stream lets flow yet speaking for my companion and myself we do not I 1 desire to gather with thee this winter tor for here in the southern seas we need no overcoats no fur caps no overshoes to keep jack frost away and again we do not feel that it is affliction to bear the vessels of of the lord and we learn leam to have more inore faith in the promises of the lord through his ful fulfilling filing unto us so many blessings which have been promised us our burdens grow lighter and we have more courage and hope to press forward to the goal tor for which we are all seeking that we may at least gain admittance nto one ot ol the mansions mansion sif which christ went vent to prepare for the laborers of his vineyard we spent the hallowed day of rest yesterday more pleasantly than we have for many weeks in our meetings the lord greatly poured out his spirit upon both the listeners and the speaker but strange strang e to all but latter day saints I 1 believe the speaker was the most blessed for through him and his words the spirit flowed to all present between and after meetings we read to ourselves and to each other sermons and mis sion arys letters over which we had one of the sweetest swee teet and and most heavenly feasts I 1 ever experienced it just seemed that the same holy spirit which oro the apostles when speaking and the elders when writing was embodied in their words and come pouring into our souls which are ever hungry and thirsty for ib inspiration which is con keyed unto us by the spirit ot of truth indeed the words of solomon are fulfilled in our case when he said As cold waters to a thirsty soul so is good news irom from a far country and I 1 dare say it is ten times more so unto us humble wanderers bunting and fishing for the pure in heart and the true seed of abraham I 1 wish to re echo from samoa that even to this distant land the words of elder grant struck with force wherein he be complained so bitterly of not being able to persuade even authorities in high standing to keep the word ot of wisdom I 1 appreciate and sympathize with him from the very bottom of my heart and while my companion and I 1 do not drink whisky tea nor coffee use tobacco or bad language we have re solved that brother grant nor any one else will ever have an occasion to feel discouraged over us breaking the word of wisdom and I 1 hope and pray that his words will have some effect to comfort and strengthen other elders who are in any way heartened disheartened dis e en as they have strengthened me ana and that we nor brother grant will ever again be discouraged because of the slowness of the comprehension and the hardness of the hearts of our erring brothers and sisters as well as of those who to their own condemnation will not accept the gospel of peace love and righteousness now occurs to my mind a subject which I 1 have thought about talked about and read about not counting new missionaries sion aries just arrived there are on samoa twenty elders and two sisters all are engaged from day to day accord ing to instructions and the best light we have striving to raise this benighted branch of israel to a knowledge of the redeemer and his many promises to their fathers in days of old and although this work has been going on about the same as at present for six or seven years it seems that the work is in its infancy Is this not proving that the lord is more merciful to the remnants ot of israel than he is to all the other nations of the earth from accounts of elders in the eastern states we see that after counties are thoroughly canvassed they are then left and new ones opened while here on samoa we travel the same roads over every week if we travel that often but the majority of the time is spent teaching a little primary school of irom from five to twenty and preaching the gospel from sabbath to sabbath with very nearly the same few baines to preach to every sunday with once in a while a ew strangers present thus it can easily be seen that we have to study the gospel earnestly and do a great deal of praying in order to kee keep p irom from being discouraged and weary in our labors since our last october conference con terence we have found the natives as a whole much more willing to listen to our message and with more questions to ask than heretofore and with most with whom we converse they say they believe our church is the true one but it is hard for them to embrace the truth owing to samoan custom which they truthfully say is faigata lava very hard in many villages the people are compelled to remain catholic protestant or whatever they are on penalty of being driven out of the town with house and property burned and plundered just as the chiefs of the town see fit this being the case I 1 have made it a rule to first try and gain the friendship of leading men of the vili villages ages who as a rule walk hand in hand with teachers and priests of the towns they too having learned that to keep the masses together they must obtain and keep t the fellowship ot aliis Alii sand and tu keefe la latties late f e ies s chiefs and kinsmen kingmen tal those upon whom we have prevailed sufficiently to wish to join the church always manage to ask will you and when will you give us a missionary t to 0 come and five live with us and teach our children who are growing up in ignorance alce etc if you tell them that you wll wall come to visit them often etc they very soon decide that they cannot join a church that is unable to furnish them a preacher and a teacher free the ida da moans seem to think we are out here on a pleasure trip seeking ease because of the hard times home and I 1 believe the best thinkers believe that we would gladly furnish them missionaries according to their demands if they would only lotu mai 11 join the church they must think that mormon elders are as thick as people in india and increasing faster by their acts and talk at times we are the best known of all men or animals on samoa or the most talked about for even babies one year old who can only say ten words know us at first fir it sight although according to their memories they never before saw us on strange villages I 1 have seen babes just beginning to walk call out aue mamona which is literally hurrah mormons cormons Mor mons thus proving to us beyond all dispute that we are constantly upon the lips of their parents the samoans have been and are ever anxious to hear believe and scatter broadcast all the lies that are started up by some teachers or hireling priests about us and what we teach and above all people upon earth I 1 believe there are no such gos sippers and backbiters back biters as are the samoans Sa moans they will give a caller the very best in the house to eat free and with three scores of smiles but as soon as the persons back is turned oh how ow they will score himl him yet for al all this s they are a branch of gods covenant children whom he has declared he would make mighty in the last days in the days of wickedness and vengeance therefore as I 1 am a twig of a wild olive tree grafted in I 1 hope the lord will help me to have charity for and assist to redeem fallen israel seeing that such great blessings have been conferred upon me and my fathers fathera having been made heirs of adoption into the new and everlasting covenant which so long has been broken since we returned from october conference at bagali fagalii my companion and I 1 have traveled fridays and saturdays every week but one seeking to scatter the seeds of righteousness and truth and that we might rid our garments of the blood of this sinful hard hearing generation in which we ate aie called to labor since the isah of december we have baptized three into the fold and blessed three we hope that by or before our april gathering at fagalii we will have baptized and blessed several more news came from tutuila last friday that five baptisms had been attended to at one branch since leaving fagalii the middle of october last elder barrus also explained the circumstance of a woman being healed the day she was baptized ed who for four months had not stood upon her feet about a year ago now jiow there was at this place a man healed the day he was baptized who for five months had been blind and from time to time very remarkable cases of healing occur through our instrumentality thus confirming our labors by signs following the believers to our joy and praise to the lord but to the con dem nation of those who witness these things and still harden their hearts ever praying for the gathering of israel and gods blessing upon zion luwis LEWIS B BURNHAM |