Show FROM HOLLAND 1 rotena I 1 feb IS 13 1897 historian franklin D richards dear brother before embarking on a steamer bound for englad d this tale evening I 1 will hurriedly write you a few lines line I 1 arrived in this ibis airston on the alt since which time I 1 have been busly bus ly engaged in my bw bla and other missionary labors labor and have visited the branches br acobe of arnhem rotterdam daw aad amati amsterdam adam I 1 find this mission in a prosperous condition and the prospects prospect tor for the future progress of the work very the mission minion consists consist of ten branches namely seven evea in hol land and three iu in belgium with a total membership of or souls coate including children under 8 years year of ago age only nine elders elden from zion and three local missionaries constitute the actual working force in we active ministry here at present prea ent which Is not sufficient aa 88 compared with other mie sione but the elders elden who are here bore all so co tir far a I 1 have met them seem to be very good and energetic men who are doing successful work in the different parts of the mission rider elder pieter pie per the g president prea luent of the mission to 18 so an able and exemplary man who I 1 believe possesses the love and confidence ut of all his co ca laborers and the saints generally the baptismal and ordinance recounts are and have been well weil kept here bore from the beginning but like the swiss bai sad and german mission there are not many ml minute books kept kepi our statistical matters matter and other reports which are ar so essential to the historian are also lacking lackin lr except for the lost few years year reform in record in needed very much in all the missions that hat I 1 have visited the headquarters headquarter of thin mission are here at rotterdam and are quite comfortable all the larger branches bra nohea of the minion runt rent good and respect able balle where meetings meeting and dun day schools are held bold regularly regular j and in all my travels I 1 have not found more warmhearted and affectionate saints than man those with whom I 1 have hare bad we pleasure plea eure ot of becoming acquainted since anoe my arrival to lo holland though un able to speak their language my knowledge ot of danish and my very limited understanding of german en able me to understand tand a great dal of what they say eay and they in turn can understand me in the same me wy W y the branch in rotterdam had bad baptized members mem bere according to the he statistical rep reg rt of dec 81 1896 and the be one to in amsterdam both branches the two largest in the win mis sion are in a very satisfactory BaUa factory condl tion alon this mission seems to have ft 6 great future before it ANDREW |