| Show LETTERS FROM ASIA MINOR the fol following loIng communications written by a native convert to the gospel from a province in asia minor axe are particularly interesting they were translated for publication in the elder F F hintze of holiday in this county who labored as a missionary in turkey some years ago zara state of livas asia minor july 1897 to mr F P F hintze my dear brother in christ and all the saints over there with great joy I 1 obtained your letter this week which I 1 had been hopefully and wishfully expecting although the three tracts you had sent mentioned in your letter have arrived here as I 1 acid you in my former letter dated may this letter has not arrived they are still held securely by the post postoffice office officials and they will not give them to me owing to enemies lying to the government and acting hypocrite to me who say to the government erti ment that I 1 am by my letters to america aleco and other places communicating muni cating hurtful political informs tian therefore they are determined to open and examine all letters and packages addressed to me when they opened the tracts they did not find any temporal or political affairs but all was spiritual and of course they also understood they are spiritual but for the purpose of torturing and afflicting me or to receive bribes they said it seems to us that they are harmful writings hence we will send you to the gov governor er with your letters and you must take your punishment according to the decision which they render I 1 answered them and said bring them the m forth if there be any political information in them I 1 am ready to be furnished with a good will we have no temporal cin ciell 11 or political relations with any people and all our writings are of the word of god and the tracts are entirely spiritual but if you give the spiritual pl ritual words temporal translations meaning something else you will vill remain sinners I 1 am ready do as you like with me for the sake of the word of god when I 1 used this style of language they said if it to is so let us sound the letters only if thy find them harmful you must go later on so bo they sent them without showing them to me and up to the present time they have sent no information according to my idea they could fand nothing wrong therefore they have thrown them into a corner and they are lost and the officials have bave said nothing about the matter in the same way rny my letters have also filled failed to reach you but now I 1 am happy that au bu have proposed to write again to ato out whit abat was the matter nevertheless you write and I 1 dont answer r apparently and I 1 am waiting atad my eyes are turned toward board zion fh 4 little sweet news I 1 then won der shall t f ever again obtain yours and our beloved prophets writings and good exhortations any more or are you vexed at me and will write no more excuse is needless to again mention that they never as much as showed me when I 1 asked who had F signed the letters they would only reply they are from america but now I 1 comprehend they are forn f om you and our beloved prophet this filled me with great joy for now J understand that you do not forget even a poor brother but will remember and console him my beloved if it is good in your sight for christs sake console again your fellow laborer and give my best respects to our beloved prophet and apostles and I 1 ask you to advise me as you feel directed now dear brother we sent our brother hagob gagosian Gag to you and I 1 hope that you will receive him with pleasure indeed you know that he left his home two years ago and by faith took his jouney to zion being very poor he labored and traveled but last week I 1 received a letter from him dated london june 26 in which he said how blessed for in eleven days my eyes shall see zion this ends my journey to zion and with tears of joy in my eyes I 1 say to you goodby and pray god to grant you also to see it when I 1 read this I 1 could not read more for tears and for the joy of zion which is in my heart my dear brethren truly he is lucky his eyes will see the promised land the congregation of the saints and the holy temple he will be happy in meeting with you and all the saints and live there in liberty and not only he but blessed are all those who come to zion in faith at least all of you who live there are in easy circumstances having the blessings of the living god though we have consolations of the lord and through your advices advises to us and through the gospel which has been sent to us in these latter days we have liberty and mercy in christ through his holy spirit which dwells in us yet any plant growing on the mountains cannot grow as high nor give as good and well flavored fruit as those which are planted in the garden because the latter has a special gardener who waters and tills in due season but what can I 1 do 9 the former has not only no one to till and water it but stripped by wild beasts and men its branches often break down and som sometimes kimes they are destroyed entirely but this faith is always with us that he who commenced a good work aifong among us will of course finish it and we hope that the lord will ere long gather us to zion when we shall succeed to see you and be happy with you nevertheless the sufferings which we undergo purify us and we possess the experience lest we wd also are consumed on the journey for our unbelief as were the children of israel who had the promise give my best regards to brother stauffer and ask him to write and mention his address and I 1 ask you also to answer me speedily you know all about us you have heard and seen with your eyes may god deliver us from babylon because our patience is ne nearly rl exhausted come 0 lord come so soon our properties and our honor even are not ours we are mocked and persecuted as captives we have hav more tribulations which I 1 cannot state here your brother and fellow laborer in christ and th inthe ahe gospel NISHAN I 1 following is a letter addressed to brother levon abraham received at the same time my dear brother levon abrahm 1 though we do not know one anol sam yet we are of the same spirit tatt 7 U the same country and we must be gent and love one another you belve by the love of the lord W is in your soul that you have a sip SOL duty to labor as much as you cask can M V the benefit and salvation of your i low citizens you know all of ar tribulations and afflictions be before for he e mention them and you can relate cheok to the brethren and stir them uw up our deliverance being of one ftfe they partake of our sufferings f you can cause them to do all for U ua your petitions and prayers and 1 by rn grace of the lord do not forget promise as the butler of ph pharaoh 1 got joseph after his release froth ia s son it is true that if you forget alaf we shall get out of the prison w H as did joseph yet the more ym 40 the more you will be blessed and mended in the future as our may the lord be with you and 1 you faithful and honest amen I 1 am troubled with an dwelling as I 1 do among fierce w V for nothing save to teed feed this flock yet were I 1 to seek nothing my own peace each day would bp L long as a year for I 1 long for when will the time come when 1 I depari saying good bye as H he did I 1 consider this always that it is ter for my wife and children for far to come to zion but for my b ard and sisters it to is good that I 1 as stay 1 do not know which I 1 shall soon to choose hence with prayers I 1 d myself unto the will of god we are all well in the lord my regards to brothers 1 and their families and an HM saints I 1 say the mercy of the tee be with us all amen your brother and laborer co in i and in the gospel NISHAM SHE |
