| 620 saving some of them thro' the gospel of Jesus Christ. Her father also has recommended them to go, and promises to give them recommendations to people of influence. They will not go unless counseled so to do. They are very anxious that I should go with them. They could not go till a year from this August. What I wish to know is whether you think it wisdom to encourage them in this. The distance is about fifteen thousand miles. It has been upon my mind for several years that I should have to perform a mission in that country, and if it is the will of God, and I should receive proper counsel, I certainly would have no objections to finish my mission, this side of the Atlantic, before I recross it. But in this, as well as in all other things, I submit to your counsel.
LORENZO SNOW.
Smith co. Va., Sept. 28, 1841
D. C. Smith:-
Dear Brother in the gospel covenant; I now lift my pen to inform you and the readers of your paper, concerning the spread of truth in this southern land. I would here observe, concerning my own travels in the ministry; perhaps you recollect that when you last saw me I was sick with the chills and fever; after my recovery from that attack, I immediately repaired to North Carolina; that was in the fall of 1839, to which place my brother, J. M. Grant, had previously gone. We have generally travelled [traveled] in the south-western part of Virginia and in the north-western part of North Carolina, in which part of the country we have found many good friends; we have generally been treated with kindness and hospitality by most of the people; more so than ever we were at the north. The people have helped us to all the necessary means to enable us to prosecute our mission. Although we have met with some opposition by the learned clergy, yet we have always found the sentiment contained in your motto, to be good, that "Truth will prevail." Yet I often think, it will never fully prevail over falsehood and error, until the millennium commences, and the father of lies is bound and cast into the bottomless pit; and then, and not until then, will rumor, with her ten thousand tongues, cease to sow the seeds of discord and strife. O, how earnestly ought every saint of God to be engaged in their labors, and prayer to the Lord, to hasten that day, that happy, that glorious day of days! My dear brother, I often look forward to that happy time, while journeying to preach the gospel, and although I have been more than two years separated from my kind relatives, and the saints of God, in the west; whom I love, and to whom I am bound with considerations and ties that are stronger than death: Yet the glorious concilation [consolation], that I have, of meeting them, when time with us shall have wound up its successive revolutions, in the kingdom of our heavenly Father, with all the saints, who have gone before, gives me great satisfaction. Notwithstanding some of the saints of God, with whom I was well acquainted, have fallen martyrs by the ruthless hand of violence in Missouri, yet he who bears the martyr's cross, shall wear the martyr's crown. But to resume my sketch.
We have baptized several persons lately in a place called the Rich Valley; the church there at this time numbers 25 members, all in good standing, and many believing. There are great calls for preaching and a prospect of more uniting with the church soon. The church in this vicinity, numbers near 80 including 1 Elder, 2 Priests and 1 Teacher.
The prospects in North Carolina, also, were good, when I was there last. I expect to return in a few weeks to spend a part of the winter there. We had intended to visit Nauvoo this fall, but as we are a long way off, and doing very well, we thought we would make a long trip, and return in the spring. I hope we shall have the fervent prayers of all the saints for our prosperity and success, in bringing souls unto Christ.
I am as ever yours,
JOSHUA GRANT.
Laharpe, Hancock co. Ill. Oct. 31, 1841.
To the Editor of the Times and Seasons.
Dear Brother:-Having lately returned from a short mission of three months in Indiana, I deem it a privilege, and also a duty which I owe to the quorum to which I belong, and to the church in general, to make known the extent of my labours [labors] and also the spread of truth through my instrumentality.
I left Laharpe the 7th day of July, in company with brother William Snow, who had been appointed to visit the church in Laporte, Ia., where we arrived the 21st
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