Show EASTERN STATES MISSION 91 WILLIAMS avenue carbondale perm penn march 1897 knowing that it is a desire of the people living in zion to hear bear from the ambassadors which the lord has sent out to prune his vineyard for the last time I 1 add a synopsis of my labors to the many that are being sent into the no one realizes that there are many different minded people in the world more than an elder pr preaching eachin 9 the gospel some cannot bestow enough conr upon you while others seem as though they cannot say enough evil against it you among the latter class or at least I 1 find it so in this community are generally found those who profess to be leaders of the people religiously inclined when myself and companion elder J H bess wandered into forest city seeking the honest in heart in december the tl e word soon went forth that mor mon elders had invaded the town the shepherds so called began to warn their flocks that the I 1 wolves had bad made their appearance in their midst and cautioned them to beware lest they should tall a prey I 1 while tt trading acting the town I 1 came across a gentleman who after a few conversations kindly opened his house for meetings after holding the first meeting he was called upon by his minister and Ws was notified not nol to allow those mormons cormons in his house the reply was that he was boss of his bis own house not to be beaten the gent lemans amplo employer V er came to him soon after and told him be had no place for any ahat that let the mormons cormons into their houses undoubtedly the minister had gone to the gent lemans employer and ask him to discharge him it if be let the mormons cormons into his house again not wishing to cause his discharge we cancelled further engagements soon after this it was published in the papers that reverend P B kennedys Kenn edys subject for the following sunday would be the mormon people no more attentive listeners were found in his audience than elder D R gill and myself brother gill came up from scranton to hear the sermon the preacher began by reading about half his hh discourse which was principally aimed at the book of mormon he endeavored to prove the falsity of it by bringing up the old spaulding story but a very poor effort it was and a sad failure as to disproving the divine authenticity of the E b ok at the close he warned all his audience to beware of us and not to allow us in their houses saying that we had taken one young man from their midst already as we had baptized a young kanj man and it would require their united efforts that no more should be taken at the close of the service we went up to speak to him and asked for the privilege lege of saying a few words but were refused we also had been holding meetings in a private house about three miles from the city and the reverend gentleman IV bearing of it went out to see them and endeavored to um turn the good people 7 against us after spending about an t hour in telling them the lord had sent him there to tell them that the mormon elders were not to be allowed in their hous edid not preach from the Bible etc he be was kindly told that the mormons cormons were welcome to hold meetings in the house at anytime and they knew that they preached from the bible as they had heard them the minister told the lady of the house as he went off that she was no child ot of christ the family is now ready for baptism into the church of christ another reverend gentleman told me that if I 1 did not leave town I 1 would go out with a coat of tar and feathers and he be would see that it was done but no heed beed was taken to his threat we have been as instruments in the hand of the lord in in br bringing ming ten souls to the true fold in carbondale and in the near future we expect to baptize as many more as soon as a few fine days come as some are a little back backward waid about getting into the icy water now ten miles east of here we came across an old gentleman who was baptized into the church in its early history but having baving no one to say a good word for the church to cheer him up and hearing so many stories he be said he had come to the conclusion that the church had gone astray but he still holds to the tha p principles anc aples we exhorted him to remain f faithful aith ful told him the lord was with the people and that to bless them if they would seek him at all times we lett left him feeling better the people of canaan are furnishing us a hall to hold meetings in and are corning coming from the surrounding towns to hear us many of them I 1 suppose all or nearly so never saw a mormon elder before and they came for miles to see and hear us I 1 hope soon to see some of the fruits of our labors there the lord is showing forth his power through us as his servants in curad our administration to the sick nick and some mple not yet of our faith are having a esst abou amou amount at ol of faith in us as the true imants servants of god one little boy bov six ws ITS old has das been deen sick almost con im tally since his birth with pains in his i e his parents were told by the fedors to rs that he could live but a little at leer cerp gerp and he was also given up by his ants on being asked to administer him we perl performed ormed the holy ordice c the pains left led him and he got up to bed soon aber this was done irav y four months ago and the loest longest was out of bed before since his birth rth 1 been five weeks he is now well uj hearty ho arav and looks better than he has in his life before the greult is the patents s or at least the mother will soon the tee church a the saints here are very diligent in aping the commandments ol of god and ander to see ahn darkness they were in before they heard beard his true se servants rv ants soine who were their best friends pre t to 0 their joining the church have lemed a cold shoulder to them one led aid lady seventy eight years old had her ber daughter send her word a few days i be before fiore getting baptized that if she joined b mormons cormons she would never call her mother ther again but this only strengthened r in the gospel we y have bad to part with our late dent elder S W richards who ui had bad charge of the eastern states VI hission Itai Wion for over two years we hope ij stat t his future life may be one of pleas xe and enjoyment at looking back over U busy career in the work of the riat in which he has spent nearly mah whole life 5 t our meetings here are quite well at S fade ded d but the great majority majori tv of people aik the word vord of god go by unheeded D T EDWARDS |