Show ON THE GULP COAST president N S W conference CAMERON CAMBRON cameron county la may 1897 since our last letter we have finished another parish barish one of the most swampy parishes in the state but not at all the poorest after closing acadia we started for cameron karisha Pa risha distance of about fifty miles we landed at live oak plantation this is a rice plantation consisting of about acres it is owned by a gentl gentleman e from the north this is a lul jul plantation situated on the bank of Mer mermetta mermentau menta tau U R river iv as there but were but a few families s on ont this h is plantation we soon finished it and then crossed the river over to lake side there being a few families there this being a swampy parish the boat had to be used if ceedee in canvassing it as it should be the hand of the lord was manifested and were soon landed on the opposite side A gentleman furnished the boat and a band to row us across we soon finished as there were only a few families on this side we returned to the river and there found a couple of frenchmen who seemed quite grateful for the privilege of carrying two of the lords servants across the river we found ourselves once more in safety and bade our friends goodbye good bye in broken tones of english one of them said pray god tor for me this little coiner being finished we started on another long walk to reach another corner after a few days walk we landed at grand lake which is situated right on the lake from which it gets its name there is a little fittler lidge idge with about seventy families an W it we wd reached there sunday even log ing and attended the methodist church they treated us very kindly and gave us a chance to speak I 1 accepted the invitation vi and made a few remarks on faith this seemed to enthuse them for more so we succeeded in holding a great many meetings the church being at our disposal which we kindly thanked them for thi th people treated us fins fine and offered to take us across the lake in the boat when the time came for us to leave money was given us and a couple of letters with money enough to take us a few miles in the boat we knew we had to go but how we were to go without any money was a puzzle to ta us we came to the me conclusion that it il we will but trust in the lord he will open up the way before us and bless those that put their trust in him we took look the sailboat mail boat ontario and after a lew few hours landed in lusburg the county seat the people in this little town are not very numerous there being only two stores and about one half dozen houses anis is also a small ridge extending for some distance we succeeded in getting the court house and held two meeting them and canvassed a few families the sheriff we found to be baa a gentet genteman gent kman man in every one that believed in beating bearing in everybody before condemning them from lusburg we were rowed across the river by a kind friend we canvassed a few families and the next morning ve v e started for johnsons bayou a distance of about twenty miles there being no houses we followed fol owed the gulf of mexico it being on one side and a big swamp on the other we found it to be a pleasant walk along the beach we gathered a a few beaus beans and some pretty shells we succeeded in reaching our field of labor and spent a pleasant evening with a methodist preacher the first one I 1 had ever seen that heard of the lat tet ter day saints or mormons cormons Mor mons in 1886 the people here were swept into eternity by a tidal wave there were seventy three drowned on this ridge and about six miles to the west est ilo ico were drowned most of the people left but the land being so rich they soon came back and now it is a prosperous rous little community the people are mostly stock raisers they raise some cotton and a great many melons we held a few meetings and had bad a very good time we found some very good people who were and kind and hospitable we returned the same way as we went and this time tested our ability in rowing a boat we found that we were very poor hands at the business but succeeded in reaching the other side in safety we now had bad a short time to labor among the french we found them to be a very fine people considering the opportunities port unities they have had we found them kind and hospitable but they could not read our literature one man said he would give 25 cents for a tract in french it is really a language of itself a native of france cannot talk it but it take him long to learn we have learned a few words but not cot enough to do any good after visiting one creole settlement we left for grand chenier on our way we found some fine people on sunday we spent the day with county superintendent welch we found him to be a good natured old gentleman monday we were rowed across the river and found it to be a beautiful ml spot the land was very rich and fertile this ills the gulf never reaches so the pe peo feel perfectly sate but a little disc di scoop aged on account of the orange trees treat being destroyed by frost and inse the orange trees after a two y ceaf growth look beautiful and if provide providence continues to smile on them for a ln years the louisiana oranges will on ances more appear in the market the land here is very ery rich and efaw grow a great deal of cotton there bal ing so much swamp ti tf e people t stock owners thousands ot of h hoea run wild in the marshes there are t three stores on this island and the 0 owners seem to be liberal minded as they aas us a place to preach closed their ho housed of business and came to hear us j on this little island may be hea heard the bellowing of the alligator the hiss his f the snake the sweet songs of the m ing bird and the buzzing of the qui toes they are so numerous that th ahn often kill cattle we found thern them to ba plentiful tut but the people said they scarce we had bad tars to sleep un and they sun funded ded to us like a swarm bees at the close ot of our meeting started for hackberry it being our bt settlement to canvass we took aff ontario a few days after and landed itta hackberry after a short ride we w areil kindly treated and soon finished is and there being mostly french in it ft we closed the county couney and started conference a distance of about a miles we were thankful to our ur h hei enly father lor for his protecting c care re 0 01 us and forthe for the kind friends her he raised eds unto us to administer unto our wa this was a grand experience for utah boys as one of us had never s the gulf of mexico or had the eriv of riding in a steamboat we are with our friends taking a short i tomorrow we will start for confer where we expect to meet our belo bel president and receive some good so ual lood food and once more behold faces ot of our dear co laborers in the cal of truth 1 the NEWS is one of our sources of oll formation and is eagerly sought aft by our friends B W DANSIE DANsi cF WILLIAM A kimm |