| Show FROM THE missionary FIELDS report keport of an elder bellwood bell wood co neb august 1898 in i jes espouse response to a call from the ser vano of god I 1 left my family and at Lewis lewisville ville fremont county jd idaho abLo on the of october 1896 to fill all a mission to the northern states in company bilth four elders david F MIng minthorn horn parley williams william aCair viles and mahonra Malhon rl we arrived in kansas city on friday evening ening sunday we visited the ale ft lot independence jackson county a place I 1 had haal desired in my heart to see if I 1 were ever called to take a mission missi on in while viewing this sacred spot my mind reflected upon the ithe early history of the rise of the church of christ and the many difficulties difficult les and trials the saints of god encountered in mose early days for their faith in christ afriat ai riat and the love they had for the and the man whom god had raised up and inspired to lay the of the great 1 latter atter day work pork I 1 felt to rejoice to have the privilege to view this sacred spot we also alao had the privilege to attend services in the reorganized organized re church we ibm returned and put up at the hotel monday we were assigned our fields of aa labar wr I 1 was sent to omaha to labor in the nebraska conference I 1 arrived at omaha and found my way to street where I 1 met elder JL A G young and elder fawson we neld keld our first conference in the city of washington L county it convened on the ithe of november 1896 and continued three days we had a time of a feast and received many valuable instruct doua I 1 was assigned to labor with elder der archibald G young in the city of rf hastings adams county we hook our oar departure for our field of labor in abe month of december we called on the ha mayor and found h hn in to be a very wr fair minded gentleman he granted us ua privilege to canvass the city ci ty we gabe 10 lo called on the edl edli tors hastings fa a population of about and is I 1 of rounded by a beautiful country we at out to canvass the ithe efty city and to distribute tracts traits and converse converge wath wl th the on the gospel all went well we struck a minister the day after the papers stated that two mor aion son elders Eders were in town cal calling lingon on the ft families mIlles this aroused a great deal deai of the different churches q rpm holding bonding meetings roee tings we called one ona ay at a hall in the business part of ta the town where several pastors were 1 holding meeting the reception was a cool d 0 we were abused on account of te belief in the revelations and doe doc d oc trine a of tf the joseph we could not obtain any church or hall to in iii but resumed our labor from kouke to house bouse we made some warm t tte labored in hastings till the t spring conference which convened in omaha the 3rd ard of april 1197 1897 we had aalt enjoyable time when meeting the again in conference I 1 was as aifred tio bo return and labor in adams county with L S mecham as companion we arrived ait our field of labor the lath day of april ais entering our field of labor we bedl fated the county unto the lord and in his blessings upon the people we soon secured a place for tere on and then started s a abour through the ow county it was our first experience V traveling without money never be in my life had I 1 traveled this way lound found chait the lords promises anade good brother mecham and jl 1 meled together for three months when lie he returned to fco Orr raba my next com companion and co laborer was P J williams president of the nebraska conference we pursued our labors in adams county till fall fail conference and made many warm friends our conference convened in council bluffs iowa october 9 we had a time of rejoicing there were twenty one elders in both conferences eight in nebraska and thirteen in iowa biow a my next companion was lee S robinson we were assigned to labor in fairburn jefferson county nebraska and took our departure on the of october we labored together tor for six weeks week when brother robinson was waa called home h ome on account of alc sickness kness I 1 remained there three weeks anti and made a good many warm friends I 1 spent the holidays the of december in beatrice nebraska at this point I 1 was met by andrew anderson andersen from halliday utah from beatrice we took train to fort kearney Kea raey nebraska Neb miles mile from omaha the next morning being sunday we voted the bap ba p tast church monday morning we called on the mayor and got permission to candess the city we also called on the editors monday evening we nailed called at the baptist church where the different churches were holding a unton union prayer meeting here we met rev hayden of the presbyterian faith he trad had been doing missionary work in utah having been located at ait logan utah for several he had most moot of our church works and trad had been lecturing on what he called mormonism for several years he introduced himself and said you axe are mormon elders from utah I 1 replied in the affirmative he said he had located us and was going to oppose us he gave notice through the press ithac he would expose the rottenness of MoT in his church the foIl following Dwing sunday evening when the time arrived for the exposure the people had gathered from all parts of the town ha H represented the people of utah their character and moral marai 1 precepts as ae blaek black as aa possible palling failing to secure a building to hold bold meetings in one pleasant day we went down the treet street s and held meetings ee tIngs and had large crowds to listen to us we made many friends and gave away tracts and aad we held street meetings and made my many warm friends we labored in this city for two months afterwards I 1 was assigned to labor in saunders county with M P as we labored in this county for two months we were led to a family who had joined the ithe church in sweden about abou t ten years ago later in company with elder john hatch from taylor arizona I 1 made a tour and held fourteen meetings your in the cause of truth JOSEPH W JONES in arkansas arks pollard ark aug 22 1898 about four weeks ago the under signed left conference headquarters at bradford to visit saints and friends in clay county as we had heard that the persecution which had been raging there had somewhat abated on OIL coming here we found things more favorable than we had an anticipated hicl and our friends were extremely pleased eased to meet us it having been nearly a year since any of the elders had them in january 1897 the elders held a conference here ea at the conclusion of which they were mobbed and ever since until quite recently persecution has been running high vengeance is mine I 1 win repay saith the lord so it has haa been with the one of them w WM brought up and fined for the job jo b which with a charge of stealing cost him over a hundred dollars and reduced him to ithe point of starvation besides this death has robbed him of his bla mother and a little child and a severe illness came newly nearly coating him his life also one or two more have nearly died from severe oases of sickness aad another one has just lost loist his wife one misfortune after another has overtaken them until one would think hey chey bould see their folly the peace loving citizens have organized a law and or der society tor for the purpose of uprooting the lawless element which haa bas been running things its own way for or several years one of the leading spirits in this movement is our old ald friend wm wheat the second sunday after our arrival we had the ithe ure of organizing a sunday school it is now doing well and prospects are encouraging our conference halo ha been doing a good work this summer and the elders have been remarkably cemarka by blessed with good health quite ft a number have been baptized and the outlook is favorable for continuation of the good work two sunday schools have been organized and are now in a flourishing condition the eky city of little rock has been canvassed people were quite indifferent to the gospel but were generous in supplying the wants of the elders for some time they encountered no opposition but presently some priests became enraged and determined th that at something mu must jk be done accordingly the president of the little rock pastors Pa stars alliance issued an address warning the people against the subtle mormon elder mons are trying to rule the state sald aid the address and they are a a growing menace to our institutions the book of mormon and manuscript found are one ione and the same thing there is a dark future for the young state of utah ubah for every community where they may obtain a following 0 nod for every person that is drawn aff B try dy their subtle elders BI ders 11 the elders succeeded in getting replies published in two of the elty city papers many erroneous ideas wm were refuted and no na doubt much good mm accomplished the pastors have ka ad no more to say through the presa JOHNH JOHN H PETERSON B R R 1 BROWN at topeka topeka kansas aug 3rd ard aos about sixteen months since aldei 0 A C dalley and M 0 miner were called to this beautiful and city with message of glad U for about five months t they hey maxw the gospel from door to door and night nig ht upon ji the lighted by many they were kindly received and trued in november these elders were how honorably released rele aeed to return to their boni bomea but by many their humble testimony shall never be forgotten and their warm friends are not a few in way may of the present year elder wm T jack organized the east kansas conf con trence rence with jos J formerly president of the cherokee coa wn ference as its president with headquarters in this city where elder eldea richardson in company with the wn nm 1 der signed resumed the labors left unfinished by elders daney dalley and minor we have labored teaching the G bocol from house to house andt and pre ad every night that was favorable afi the streets our meetings have beeh ft fairly well attended many are convinced of the truths taught them yet have not the caurs courage to filco face the powers ot of the worlo world in our cen conference ference seven baptisms bap have been performed since its organization off june 1st ast 1898 the power of abd has neen manifest in the healing of the sick especially in this and lawrence cites ciles over our labors in topeka will be at an end for the time being as komorow we leave for new fields of labor at our last meeting held an the dinst a large crowd was at first during the singing in attendance but only to leave when the gospel was taught and rush in confusion to excitement created on the next comer by the singing of some colored people god is blessing the efforts of the brumble elders in this part at present the named are laboring boring la to spread the gospel goepel in this conference elders elder C W goodliffe and E C at lawrence errest jos J richardson and spencer effit at holton gearge E brim and benjamin W merrill at ottawa joseph A wright jr and thos H gleason Olea fion at winchester abyron H allred jr and wm jackson at topeka tr r prayers are that the work of god may be cut short in righteousness and thi the pure jure in heart saved your brother in the gospel BYRON BYRO H ALLRED JR clerk of conference in wisconsin oshkosh Osh kosto wis aug 23 1898 y first appointed field of labor was to appleton where I 1 labored for six months with john J ohn J simmons as a dem panion we succeeded in making ciany many warm friends and planted the gospel goepel seed in that city which we hop will take root in the near future from tre I 1 was called to labor in ID fond du lao lac where I 1 remained for wt a short time when aben it was considered best beat that I 1 the labors in jackson county where 1 I in company with elder lohn john E bolce boice atter after holding a series of Inee meetings tings we went from there to I 1 eva Trem county where I 1 with relatives and many mends friends judging from the past and ent there will be a great work alo agne ee many honored souls have been eted to reflect upon their condition erd rt r gad and consequently y are in ugilt ing the principles taught by the latter day sabinita Sa inita our conference will he held on the third fourth and fifth we an aa having a successful and enjoyable ime with the saints and many friends of this part pa ft the work is pro pra very idly in this confer afier when first I 1 came here there ore twelve traveling elders at there are sixteen all faithful workers E W croft presides vl V chave enjoyed my labors thus far and have gained g alabed an experience that could aver have been gained in any other W way vey I 1 am well tand and have en loyed good health heal th your bather broi their in christ EDWIN IEL LINDSAY lons long island conference freeport N X Y aug 26 25 1898 ibe M island has yielded rich hat hac to the workers in the vineyard lord many lajia years ago brigham I 1 parley pratt orson pratt or ade auford woodruff and others became leaders of at our people d and spoke here the older a here well remember the gray haired grand anta to tell us ot of the pleasure tiley they fl to take in listening to these men god bairt la wednesday we met a sva aa caan over seventy years of age 46 ma ateer was WAB a latter day saint etite il aboy ite be used to tio accompany ur to mid aad we weh 11 does he re member hearing the elder who was addressing the people speak in tongues others testify ahalt all the elders they have met have been true and earnest gentlemen and that those who have joined the church here have been from the best class of citizens those whom we meet oft often en rail against our people and doctrines and in forcible language tell us we ought to tio be ashamed to teach such doctrines after we have explained the stand we take and brought proof that the lat ter day saints are a moral and law abiding people and show them that our ideals are higher than those of any other christians they are astonished and ask our pardon for insulting us and frankly tell us they have regarded mormonism as a synonym of everything low and degrading people here are becoming more friendly many tell us they axe are informing their their friends in other cities about us and sending our tracts to them we labored seven months n jamaica a city of pretty homes ten miles east of brooklyn the people at first very much opposed to us but by faith and prayers their doors were opened to us and many hundreds of them heard the first principles of the gospel of christ and listened to the testimonies of the elders we held several street meetings and one meeting in fraternity hall the newspaper men have been very liberal with us having made several announcements for us printed our articles of faith and given a very good report of our hall meeting they have since volunteered to come and report our o ur meetings there are a number of saints at oceanside where meetings are held each sabbath they manifest their love for the gospel by their good works and kind treatment of the elders among those faithful souls that have stood firm to the truth under all circumstances and ministered to the servants of god cheera cheerfully ully for any years we mention our dear sister forchay soper she has been called a mother to the saints here and truly she merits the name another kind hearted sister whose many deeds of christian charity make her memory dear is amanda pettit the elders laboring here are marcus parr farr F F moses J R thomas and E D whiting freeport has been once the people have treated us well e have loaned and sold twenty books had bad over twenty visits with the families and more than a hundred gospel conversations elder moses left us in may and spent two months in connecticut he was invited to speak to the people who furnished a room organist stand and good choir for him he held five well attended meetings we |
