| Show FROM ALABAMA in an inart letter from edwardl Ite editor THE ROUNDUP ROUND UP Il illoway lowdy II how are you ill all there Is 19 a faint idea in my mind somewhere that I 1 sort ort of promised to write you a few lines occasionally and let you know low I 1 was ta it seems that most of the missionaries misson aries forget to write home to the paper so far as I 1 am concerned it lias has been and is still a most welcome visitor and comes much imore regularly tu to hand than do the betters detters of if som s of the old time friends ind aind associates for if I 1 remember right therease there ther eare are a right smart of them that owe me a letter at least I 1 have bave written a number of letters and have not as ag yet received any answer I 1 only gibli to remind them that I 1 am still among the livin gand would be pleased plea seil to hear from them aga again in I 1 believe the last letter I 1 wrote you was some ti time me oura our annual annual conference in last st spring where we all had a most enjoyable time there was only one thing to mar our cur pleasure ind and that was our president elias eliass S kimball was so sick that lie could nt n t any of our meetings since that time I 1 have haire had quite a varied experience and hate hac traveled over a I 1 I 1 considerable portion of the state of alabama I 1 traveled with elder t seo geo A reid for about two months as vi biting elders then elder wm win E and I 1 were sent ent cover into the est central part of the state to oiw up ap a couple of new counties we were joined later by two other elders and I 1 have bave since labored in russell county with elder W W williams of perry bannock co ida as a canvassing alder this was wag a new county when we first entered it most of its citizens having never seen any cormons mormons until they lawus saw us we commenced our campaign by going to the county seat scale land and visiting the probate judge and other prominent officials got the use of the court house to holesome hold some meetings in which were quite well attended from here we went out into other parts of the county our fame usually going before us and visited the folks and held meetings among the people we have haid meetings in almost all of the neighborhoods in the county thalme that we have thus far visited we usually have a goad attendance and many of the people seem t to 0 be much interested in our doctrine and I 1 think alie abe time will come when some of the good people in this county will embrace the alie gospel of our lord and savior after we had held some meetings in one place one of the men who bad attended in telling hia neighbors al out us s said lid they are men just like we aie you will see sec from this that sonic some of the folks have queer ideas in relation to the mormons cormons Mor mons but for all that we are usually treated the best way the people know how and when a southerner takes you into bis house and tells you to make yourself at home lie always means it and can hardly do enough for you and makes you feel very welcome of course we always try to do our part such as talking to them on the gospel bible etc and when we cant interest them in that way y w e talk to to them about the weather wea cotton or anything else and frequently sing them some ot of our songs and it very of often ten happens that we are preaching to them before they are really aagre of it down here in the south we travel without purse and scrip as the lord has said ills his servants should go but we dont call it begging we know this is the best way to go for then we will be more humble and prayerful and I 1 want to tell you that it if a man cant pray when lie find ands night coming on and lie is out ina in a strange land among strangers and dont know where his hia supper is coming from much less ills his bed he is a mighty hard case and I 1 fear will be of little use in thu the missionary field or anywhere else until he be begins to pray and I 1 want to sty say from actual experience that a man can pray on such occasions and be in earnest about it too and yet we do not want for food to eat or places to sleep since I 1 have been here I 1 have stopped in hotels rode on oil the railroads stopped with the rich and the poor gratis and have had money gi given ve n to me on a n u in ber of occasions thus far I 1 have not been in want ot of anything in the alie way of living tins this is a great testimony to me of the goodness of god to ills his servants and I 1 know that it if we will put our trust in him ile he will provide for us I 1 will relate one of a number of occasions v here I 1 have been befriended as it were in time of need another elder and I 1 hal had an appointment out for a meeting in a city and before meeting we went over to the hotel and tried to get lodging we were told they could not keep us free of charge we also failed in some other places so we went and held our meeting when we ie got through preaching we told them we were traveling without money and had no place to stop for the night and it if any of them could provide for us we would appreciate it |
