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Owen to Father
Sept 10 [18]94
No 38
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Löbersgasse #54 Bornheim Frankfurt A. Main, Preusseu,
Prest. Wilford Woodruff
Dearest Father:
Your kind letter of Aug 22nd has been received
and read with great pleasure. Was sorry to hear
of the condition of little Asahel & have remembered
in my prayers which is all that I can
do so far from him. I sincerely trust he has
recovered. Pa your letters always are a source
of great pleasure to me & I can not express
my thanks to you. No matter who forgets to write
to me Fathers letters come along about every week
& written in your own hand. No one writes as
much as you do & I can not thank you enough
that you are so kind & always remember me.
I know Ma remembers me to but she has so much
to do that I cant expect her to write as often as
I should like to hear from her. In regard to
your writeing: Of course I can read it & there is
only a word here & there that ever troubels me
& it I soon find out what that is. You just
write & I will assure you your letters will be
read. Regarding them being private, will say no
one sees your letters but myself. What you said
about my Carriage that is all right to keep it if
you want to but you should see that the top
is up, that the wheels stand on boards & that
the Canvass cover is spread over it to shelter it
from dust. My eyes have given me no trouble
since I had them treated & commenced to wear
glasses to read & write. The Dr. told me (as I
think I told Ma in one of my letters) that
my eyes were strained & that I must not read
or write for six weeks or else use glasses. I
prefered the latter as I felt that my eyes would
never stand the reading I wish to do without
glassess. Since that time I have had no trouble & have
done a great deal reading. According to your instructions
I read the Doctrine & Cov. through; have read most
of the books of the New Testemant & considerable beside
this in the bBible, also "The Voice of Warning," "Parley P.
Pratts works," The Pearl of Great Price, and a great
many Sermons in the Semi News and always read
my "Stern" through once or twice which comes once
in two weeks. My reading is all German except
Parley P. Pratt's Works & my Deseret News.
I always read the Sermons delivered at the Tabernackle
many times in English & German both. Last evening
I read an Epistle you wrote on to the Saint's while
you were in St. George; I think at least while
you were on the "Under Ground." I found it in
one of the Old "Stern's." Stern is the paper published
by the Swiss & German Mission the same as the
"Star" in Liverpool.
Some times it appears that our work was all
most in vain to try to bring the people of this
country to an acceptance of the Gospel but it is
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Jake & Will send best love
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not in vain for by warning the nations of the
Earth we are fulfilling the Commandments of God.
We cannot force people to accept the Gospel & when
we have laid the principles of Salvation before them
& do all in our power to make them plain
then I think we will be justified before our God.
I don't get discouraged & if my Maker will give
me power to lift up my voice & help to warn
this people & keep my self clean from the world I
will try to thank him all the days of my life.
What a glorious thing it is for a young man
to get out into the world where he is hated
& looked upon by hundreds of people because
he is a so called "Mormon." He sees the
sick healed through the hands of the Priesthood
& receives testimonies every day he lives. I then
compare the Gospel with the "Fables" taught by
Hipocrits who make their profession a "Business."
It oft times makes me feel that I would like to
preach from the house-ftops or somewhere all could
hear. We are very careful not to say anything against
the Priests & Churches here & try to carry out Bro
Grants instruction by building the people a new
house before we nock the old one down.
I feel good Pa in this work of ours & thank
the Lord that my testimony strengthens as I investigate
our Gospel & compare it with what we find in
the world. It is a great thing for a young man
to have a little actual experience, then he can
understand why his Parents have given their whole
life for the cause of the Gospel & makes him
desirious of following in their foot-steps.
Private I think a change would be good
& in answer to your question as to where I
will say Berlin. Bro. Wm Mc Ewan is there & Bro.
Weiler is in Leipzig not very far by rail from
Berlin. Am sorry to say that my present companion
& I do not harmonize as well as I should like to
do but but I have never said a word to him &
would not say anything to any one but you. Elders
should be united & I wish we could be more than
we are in some things but if I have to stand
alone at anytime I will try to carry out the instruct-
ions given me, in spite of the devil.
Pa I think of you many times & pray the Lord
every day I live that he will grant us both life
that when my mission is fulfilled in honor that
I may again enjoy your beloved companionship. I
also ask him to give you increase to pay your debts
both the Church & Private & to bless you with life
& heath & when you go home at night that you
may be refreshed with sleep & rest.
May you, dearest Mother & all my dear ones at home
be preserved as choice in the eyes of heaven
& be blessed with all that y will bring you
true joy & peace.
Lovingly your Son