Show IN THE BLUE GRASS STATE daviess co kentucky november and 1896 I 1 am enjoying the best of health and m trying hard to enjoy the spirit of my mission for the last year 1 have been traveling over countries that have been gone over by our elders making a house to house canvass giving tracts at each house I 1 have had bad nine bine new companions to travel with I 1 have traveled over twenty two counties and preached in nearly every town and village of course we meet with a great deal of opposition in these closed counties as the people have heard our elders many times before and it seems they have heartened heard ened their hearts against the truth but theford the lord has blessed us greatly in our efforts to get the gospel before this people perhaps a report of our last weeks work would give you some idea of what we are doing miles walked forty six families visited revisited re seventeen meetings eleven baptized seven gospel conversations twenty tw enty six I 1 have been very successful in making friends among this people I 1 have baptized seventy one since I 1 came here I 1 have tried hard to carry out all the instructions we receive irom from our beloved president elder kimball I 1 was appointed a short time ago to be assistant president of this conference we have thirty four elders in this conference each pair having a separate county to work in I 1 am now traveling visiting each pair in their respective counties holding meetings with them we have a great many young men who are not very well prepared to preach the gospel and it seems necessary to travel among them and give them all the encouragement we can our elders travel without money not even to buy stamps or pay for our washing I 1 have not had bad one cent cant from home for six months montas and I 1 guess I 1 am getting along better than t b an my family I 1 received a letter from elder kimball the other day saying they could not spare me until late next spring be this as it may if my family were provided for I 1 could stay but having lost all of their crops I 1 am somewhat worried how they will get along they never make any complaints but I 1 know they must be in a bad fix for winter the people here are very kind and hospitable they have never charged me for food or lodging since I 1 have been here and I 1 have boarded at some of the best hotels free of charge about the only opposition we have is from the ministers they see their craft is in danger and they storm around a little but it only helps our cause we have bave done more in the last three months than we did in the previous twelve months there are thousands of good honest people here that have never heard the gospel the harvest is truly great but the labors are few we need more good young men it is a mistake to think our elders need a pocket full of f money they them only need enough to get to their field of labor then they would be ten times better off if the bridge was cut and let the lord fulfill his promise we have not had one elder go home sick that has strictly carried out this council some of our elders have had to sleep out in the woods with money in their pockets elder kimball told us it if we would travel entirely without money that we should not go hungry or sleep out and that we should have good clothes to wear and I 1 have proved his words to be true lor for I 1 have got a nice heavy tailor made suit and a new hat and every cent comes from my kentucky friends I 1 did not think there was so much pleasure in missionary life as there is the lord is greatly blessing our elders and many are being added to the true fold of christ we have one branch here in kentucky with sixty seven members and all have been baptized this past summer they are building a nice little church we held seventeen meetings in one district the result was twenty three baptisms besides quite a number of children were blessed we generally hold from ten to fifteen meetings in succession in one place devoting our whole time to the first principles ot of the gospel we feel greatly encouraged with the result of our labors there is a much better feeling existing towards us by this people than there has been in the past brother smith and myself will start this morning on a walk of 1150 miles unless some kind friend helps us on our way F D richardson Owens borough daviess co kentucky |