|
Missionary
Letter
Preston,
Lancashire,
Eng. Sept. 2, 1837
My
Dear Companion, I
take this opportunity to write a few lines to you, to let you know I am in
the land of the living, I am a pilgrim on the earth, and a stranger
in a strange land far from my home, and among those that seek my life
because I preach the truth and those things that will save their lives in
the day of tribulation. On
the 18th of July [1837] we landed in Liverpool in the forenoon.
I had peculiar feelings when we landed, the spirit of God burned in
my breast, and at the same time I felt to covenant before God to live a
new life, and to pray that the Lord would help me to do the same.
We remained there three days, resting our bodies.
On Saturday, the 22nd, we took coach for Preston, the distance 31
miles; we arrived there at four in the afternoon.
After
we had unloaded our things, Brother Fielding had gone to see his brother,
and Brother Goodson had gone to get lodgings.
All at once I looked up. There
was a large flag before me with large gilded letters written thereon,
"TRUTH WILL PREVAIL." We
said, "amen, so let it be Lord."
The same evening one of the clergy desired an interview with us.
Elders Hyde and Goodson and myself went to see him, conversed with
him and one Mr. Watson until about ten in the evening when we retired to
our lodging. The next morning
we agreed to go and hear him preach; we did so.
After he got through, he gave out an appointment for one of us at
three in the afternoon. It fell to my lot to preach first. I spake upon the first principles of the gospel and what the
Lord was doing in these last days. It
caused the people to stare at me. After
I got through, Brother Hyde bore testimony and many receiv-
[P.
4, Column 2] [P.
5, Column 1]
We
have to live quite short but the brethren are very kind to us.
They are willing to divide with us the last they have.
They are quite ignorant; many of them cannot read a word and it
needs great care to teach them the gospel so that they can understand.
The people here are bound down under priestcraft in a manner I
never saw before. They have
to pay tithes to the priests of every tenth they raise, so that they
cannot lay up one cent. They
are in the same situation the children of Israel were in Egypt.
They have their taskmasters over them to bind them down.
It will be as great a miracle to deliver this people as it was the
children of Israel.
There
are a great many believing [P.
5, Column 2]
You
stated in your letter that some of the twelve were coming to England next
spring, and you say that they are calculating to bring their wives with them.
This I have no objection to, but if they come, they had better
bring money to support themselves. I
think they had better take up with Brother Joseph's
[Smith] advice and leave their wives at home, for if they bring
them here, they will repent the day they do it.
I do not wish to bring my wife to this place to suffer.
If they could see the misery that I do, they would not think of
such a thing. The Savior
says, "He that is not willing to leave father and mother, and wife
and children, brothers and sisters, houses and lands for my sake and the
gospel, are not worthy of me." We
have had our own hired house since we have been here and bought our own
provisions. We do not eat but
one meal at home, for the brethren invite us to eat dinner and supper with
them.
You
stated that our brethren thought of appointing a conference in England
next spring, but we know not what will happen before that time.
We know not how long we shall be here.
If we come home next summer, we shall come before they can get
here. The Lord says,
"Take no thought for the morrow," and this is the way I feel at
present. I commit myself into
His hands that I may always be ready to go at His command. I desire to be content with whatever situation I am placed
in.
The
2nd week after I came here, a minister's daughter came in where I was and
I commenced preaching to her the words of life.
She seemed to listen with great attention to me.
I told her I was going to preach in the evening; she said she would
come and hear me. She did so
and the next night she came again and the next morning she sent for me to
come and baptize her. Accordingly,
I went and baptized her. This
was on Friday morning and on Saturday she started for home.
She wanted me to come to her father's house for she thought her
father would open his chapel for me to preach in.
I told her if there was a door open, I would come.
She appeared very intel- [P.
6, Column 1]
Brothers
Goodson and Richards went to Bedford and Mr. Matthews received their
testimony and exhorted his people to do the same, and set a time to go
forward and be baptized; and when the time came, he was missing and did
not come. He had turned
against the work and been baptized by some of their ministers; and is [P.
6, Column 2]
Brothers
Russel and Snider that went north, we have not had the particulars from.
We have preached in the streets the most of the time, until our
lungs are injured much. We
have large congregations to hear and the houses are very small in this
place.
We
have had the Cock pit to preach in, two Sundays once a day, and next
Sunday we have the privilege of preaching in it twice.
It will hold six or seven hundred people.
Sept.
6 I am now going down to Walkerford to visit that little branch.--There is
a great and affectual door opened there.
I had many calls in different places, and so it is here in Preston,
more than we can attend to, and they are calling for us in the country.
Brother Hyde and myself went out ten miles last week and preached
twice. We had as many as
could hear us. They had a shock of an earthquake here a few years ago, but
they say it was nothing compared to this.
The people find much fault and threaten us much, because we get
their best members. We tell them all we want is the wheat.
I
cannot tell you much on one sheet of paper, but I shall write again in
about three weeks from the date of this.
You must forgive me, my dear Vilate, that I have been so negligent
about writing to you, but I will not do so again.
I felt much gratified with the news you wrote in your kind letter.
I had many sorrowful hours thinking of the things in Kirtland.
It has been my prayer ever since I left that a reconciliation
should take place. I feel
contented about you. I know
the Lord will take care of you and preserve you until I come home, and
feed you and clothe you and the children.
And he will take care of me; give me your prayers and you shall
have mine. Be faithful, my
dear companion. Our labors
will soon be over, when we shall meet to part no more forever.
I am glad you have Sister Fielding with you.
I hope she will stay with you until I come home.
Tell William and Hellen and Heber to be good children and pray for
me, my [P.7,
Column 1]
HEBER KIMBALL. |