I now wish to call your attention back to the first day that I visited the Island. I said
it was on Sunday & of course there was to be preaching in the Baptist Meeting house.
I hastened to the place, meeting had commenced. I sent for the deacon he came to the door,
I informed him we were servants of God, had a message to the people, & wished to be herd.
he informed the priest of it. We were invited into the pulpet & our appointment given out. The
priest finished his discourse; invited us home with him, gave us some refreshment. We presented
him the Book of Mormon he did not at first object, was mild & said he would read it. He
soon accompanied us to the meeting house, the congregation was assembled, & it
was with peculiar feelings that I arose to address a congregation upon an Island of
the Sea, to present before them the fullness of the everlasting gospel, & the authentitcity of
the Book of Mormon, as it was the first time to my knowledge that an Elder of Latter
Day Saints ever trod the sail of one of the Islands, or his voice herd by the inhabitants in procl-
aiming the word fo God. I had the strictest attention of all, their appearance indicated a thought
that they had herd strange things to day. When I closed I gave out an appointment for
the four following evenings to be held in the several districts. to cut a long story short suffice
it to say, they came out by hundreds, christian & sinner, captain & sailor, priest & people,
the sound went abroad to the neighbouring Islands, their sails were soon spread to waft
them o'er the deep to hear the tidings for themselves. During the first 14 days we delivered
19 discourses. Many began to believe. The two priests made friends like Herod & Pilate, they
became alarmed, they began to oppose & rage, they had no influence over the people.
The Baptist priest spent one Sunday in his meeting house without a soul to accompany him
while I had a congregation; even his own church & deacon were attending our meeting,
investigating the subject, & inviting us to visit them. Vinalhaven never was as [page torn]
stir'd up before, in peace or war. The priest imediately sent letters to the mainl[a] [page torn]
come over & help us or we fall {shorthand} The Baptist priest fearing [page torn]
not come went after them himself, while while the Methodist priest came from the South Island & made
open war against the Book of Mormon & our principals. I attended his meeting look a min-
ute of his discours, & publicly answered his crooked remarks, & he returned home confounded
soon the Baptist priest returned with several others & held a six days meeting, it did not
take affect the mark was torn from the eyes of the people & they began to see clearly, after
I had fairly set our principals before the people, I opened a door for Baptism
& twelve offered themselves as candidates; We led them down into the sea & Baptized
them & of a truth they returned rejoicing: two of the number were respectable sea
captains. The cry from the neighbouring Islands soon entered our ears come over
& preach to us. Some came from the Maine land to hear, & they believe & wish to be bap-
tized, hundreds are believing, & many ready to be baptized. I visited South Island preached
10 times, returned to North Island, organized a small branch of the church, returned to the Main
land, travled 200 miles with Elder Hale towards Kirtland; took the parting hand with, [{shorthand}] He has gone to
spend the winter in Kirtland. I returned to Father Carters after my wife, whose company I am now
enjoying. I shall return to Vinalhaven in few days to spend the winter. I shall not return west I
think start of a year. I shall spend the time on these Islands & the maine land think for a year. I never
before have seen such doors open for preaching, the courthouse in Camden is offered me to lecture in
I shall except of the offer when I return, it is the nearest town to Vinalhaven Pop 6000 & a num-
ber have offered themselves for baptism there. P^s. I wish you to direct all of your letters to Vinalhaven Maine, for the
present, as I shall make that my stand. I shall be glad to hear from you at any time. Tell me of any News you get from our frie-
nds and also inform me if you get the M & Advocate now, the kirtland paper. I shall be glad to call and see you when I go west
but there is a prospect now of it's being some time first. I shall however calculate to see my wife settled in Missouri before I leave
this Continent, which may be sooner than I have calculated, we have now seven Elders in England apart of the twelve, and as
soon as doors are open in Europe so that they need help the first Seventy will follow the twelve into that country, and as I am
a member of that quorum I shall not hesitate to go when duty calls. That the blessings of heaven may attend you in every lawful
calling. & that all things may work together for your good both temporal & spiritual is the prayer of your Brother

Willford Woodruff.

Asahel H. Woodruff

I now wish to call your attention back to the first day that I visited the Island. I said it was on Sunday & of course there was to be preaching in the Baptist Meeting house. I hastened to the place, meeting had commenced. I sent for the deacon he came to the door, I informed him we were servants of God, had a message to the people, & wished to be herd. he informed the priest of it. We were invited into the pulpet & our appointment given out. The priest finished his discourse; invited us home with him, gave us some refreshment. We presented him the Book of Mormon he did not at first object, was mild & said he would read it. He soon accompanied us to the meeting house, the congregation was assembled, & it was with peculiar feelings that I arose to address a congregation upon an Island of the Sea, to present before them the fullness of the everlasting gospel, & the authenticity of the Book of Mormon, as it was the first time to my knowledge that an Elder of Latter Day Saints ever trod the sail of one of the Islands, or his voice herd by the inhabitants in proclaiming the word fo God. I had the strictest attention of all, their appearance indicated a thought that they had herd strange things to day. When I closed I gave out an appointment for the four following evenings to be held in the several districts. to cut a long story short suffice it to say, they came out by hundreds, christian & sinner, captain & sailor, priest & people, the sound went abroad to the neighbouring Islands, their sails were soon spread to waft them o'er the deep to hear the tidings for themselves. During the first 14 days we delivered 19 discourses. Many began to believe. The two priests made friends like Herod & Pilate, they became alarmed, they began to oppose & rage, they had no influence over the people. The Baptist priest spent one Sunday in his meeting house without a soul to accompany him while I had a congregation; even his own church & deacon were attending our meeting, investigating the subject, & inviting us to visit them. Vinalhaven never was as page torn stir'd up before, in peace or war. The priest imediately sent letters to the mainla page torn come over & help us or we fall {shorthand} The Baptist priest fearing page torn not come went after them himself, while while the Methodist priest came from the South Island & made open war against the Book of Mormon & our principals. I attended his meeting look a minute of his discours, & publicly answered his crooked remarks, & he returned home confounded soon the Baptist priest returned with several others & held a six days meeting, it did not take affect the mark was torn from the eyes of the people & they began to see clearly, after I had fairly set our principals before the people, I opened a door for Baptism & twelve offered themselves as candidates; We led them down into the sea & Baptized them & of a truth they returned rejoicing: two of the number were respectable sea captains. The cry from the neighbouring Islands soon entered our ears come over & preach to us. Some came from the Maine land to hear, & they believe & wish to be baptized, hundreds are believing, & many ready to be baptized. I visited South Island preached 10 times, returned to North Island, organized a small branch of the church, returned to the Main land, travled 200 miles with Elder Hale towards Kirtland; took the parting hand with, [illegible] He has gone to spend the winter in Kirtland. I returned to Father Carters after my wife, whose company I am now enjoying. I shall return to Vinalhaven in few days to spend the winter. I shall not return west I think start of a year. I shall spend the time on these Islands & the maine land think for a year. I never before have seen such doors open for preaching, the courthouse in Camden is offered me to lecture in I shall except of the offer when I return, it is the nearest town to Vinalhaven Pop 6000 & a number have offered themselves for baptism there. Ps. I wish you to direct all of your letters to Vinalhaven Maine, for the present, as I shall make that my stand. I shall be glad to hear from you at any time. Tell me of any News you get from our friends and also inform me if you get the M & Advocate now, the kirtland paper. I shall be glad to call and see you when I go west but there is a prospect now of it's being some time first. I shall however calculate to see my wife settled in Missouri before I leave this Continent, which may be sooner than I have calculated, we have now seven Elders in England apart of the twelve, and as soon as doors are open in Europe so that they need help the first Seventy will follow the twelve into that country, and as I am a member of that quorum I shall not hesitate to go when duty calls. That the blessings of heaven may attend you in every lawful calling. & that all things may work together for your good both temporal & spiritual is the prayer of your Brother

Willford Woodruff.

Asahel H. Woodruff