Show IN THE MISSION FIELD 42 ROLAND BOLAND ROAD BOAD handsworth hanesworth HANDS WORTH birmingham may 29 1885 1896 after actor spending six tx months in worcester boire gaining many interesting making acme friends and every day finding something now new to admire anti ana interesting in the beauty of the worcestershire scenery enery the winding severn and his hie torio malvern hills billa scarred with earth works marking the battle grounds of the ancient britons aud and romano romani I 1 was wag becoming imbued with a growing pride in what we hau baa down in our di P 1 when at the council counsil meeting of our january conference I 1 was appointed to labor in Northampton shire and shortly afterwards found myself absorbed in work with brother J 8 distributing tracts in the quiet aready gorog little town of welling borop boro which has bae a population of about twenty thousand people mostly on en in abe emple trade of boot and anae manufacturing it was a few days daya before I 1 got used to the novelty of a town of this hie size with no daliy daily news new paper no street railway no noise ex capt the steady hum of everyone at tn ling to cleown ate own business buela eee that hat of making shoes brother monsley and I 1 soon however became affected by 9 the e industrious dust rious air about us and began our distribution of tracts too toe people were a ways courteous i 10 0 their treatment of ur u and their almost universal unive iaal accept ance of our tracts was most encouraging we had bad many good gospel couver nations sat lons we were bothered about a meeting place however and had held no meetings at but each sunday held bald cotti go ge meetings among saints at one of ane he towns or villages vill agea in other parts of the cou country coultry one day several weeks ago when I 1 was putting putt inu out tracts I 1 came to the house bouse 0 of the pastor of the congregational church and instead ot of the usual tract Is belief alone sufficient I 1 handed the servant who answered my knock at the door one of james 11 s 9 the latter day saint telling her bar to band it to mr stevens Bt avens several days day after I 1 reached a different t part of the town to w n i in n my work and was pawing passing from door to door with my tracts I 1 was studying and winking thinking as I 1 passed along when a minister entered a gate I 1 was approaching aud and turning he be addressed me 1 I am glad to 40 see you scattering the good seed need my irlene this pleasant remark uttered in do a friendly and partially luter interrogative raga manner was the beginning of a conversation between US ue ue no knowing who I 1 was isad and 1 L knowing that he was mr stevens although we had never met before we stood talking by the gets gate for about ton ten minutes when the gentleman rather starrlea start lea me with the question would you mind peaking in my church and ana telling us about your work and your penpit 12 my answer was to thank ulta and express my appreciation for bis bin kind indita tiou and he set the following tours day ev evening saying we have a regular service every tb Thursday u lasting from an hour to an hour houi and a half but upon this occasion the time will be b at your disposal and the meeting entirely in your hands cow come to my house at half past five bring your briend 1 I had told him brother would be with me and we will take tea together before going to church and we separated this was waa friday and monday we heard board that it had been announced at the be close of me he sunday services that in place of the usual thursday evening service two american gentlemen would talk upon the latter day saints their country and their religion wuen thursday came we kept our appointment at tea time lime and were cordially cor diaby received by mr Stevens Stevene who introduced us to his wife our talk at the tea table able was of our great american nation our own particular part or of it and our mormon people mr stevens is a man wt of broad intelligence a scholarly and interesting inter eating talker un on any subject mrs mr stevens a pleasing bright amiable lady and ana our time was wan pleasantly and quickly passed until hall half past seven wuen we went into the the must moot handsome baud some building of public worship la in and I 1 think the finest in Northampton shire con sl si dering that it was a week day meet ing and they are no not generally very well att attended endea our oar audience was war quite a satisfactory one A hymn was sung and mr stevens offered prayer in which he be asked that the friends frienda who would address them that evening might be inspired by the holy spirit and that iu in the progress of their work they might receive revelations in very deed and be touchingly asked that our loved ones at home might be preserved irom from every destroying influence so 0 o that we w might maht be protected in our labora labor and travels to return in safety and with joy to our native land lie he introduced us io in turn to his congregation asking them for their kind attention on an out our behalf we told them briefly cf the organization of the its bk big tory present condition and its ita pies and received close cloce attention throughout at the close of our re marki one gentleman had bad several questions to ask which from their nature we judged to have been inspired from some antl anti mormon source but were answered by brother to our questioners con confessed fessel satisfaction although we afterwards alter wards heard beard he be nad made some disparaging remarks as he was leaving I 1 had bad with me a number of views and photos photon and mr stevens atthe close of the meeting told the people that any of them who wished to do so might come forward and look them over saying he was sure sore they would find them interesting quite a number cumber came forward and many upon leaving shook us ua warmly by the hand it was a pleasant experience and one I 1 will long remember while for mr stevens ri I 1 have no feelings but those of respect and grato df bem R B el cl redge in I 1 millennial anial star |