Merthyr Oct 20th 1848
My Dear Bro. Woodruff,
I, at length find an opportunity to acknowledge the receipt of yr welcome letters, the last of wh ch arrived here last week & truly thankfull am I for your kindness in writing me & that one so unworthy is thought of & prayed for so far away & by those whose esteem & confidence I value above riches that perish. In reading over your precious heralds, my heart leaps for joy in anticipation of the blessed day when our warfare will be ended among the Babilonians & when we and all the faithfull Saints will "meet to part no more" as Sectarians say on "Zion's thrice sanctified hill." My whole soul is invigorated by your cheering counsel to go ahead & in the name of him who has brought me hither to I say -- I will go ahead & make the Cambrian hills of Wales echo my testimony through the glens & clear my escutheon in the day of visitation.
It is true that the Lord has blessed my labors beyond my anticipations so that thousands already of the Ancient Britons Sing the Songs of Zion in the native language & among the graves of their Fathers & do rejoice greatly in the prospects which has opened upon their astonished vision promising them glittering crowns that fade not away & endless life to wear them"; but, the secret of the success I find to be that I am backed, & sustained by the prayers of such men as Bro. Woodruff & his Quorum in their counsells -- on the tops of the "everlasting hills" & in their closets. With such incentives to action who would not go ahead?
Then need I creave a continuation of such support? the interest of the cause & your love of souls will secure it.
Every item of news from you especially from our central home is sweet to me while here in exile from those I love & seek their counsell.
But I find it would exhaust all my sheet to & more to tell my feelings & attachments to you & to Dear Sister Woodruff & to reflect on past scenes opent in sweet harmony I must change the scene or my letter will be void of news, -- well, -- in regard to the affairs of the Church generally I am glad that I can answer in a word that throughout Wales it is good, yeah very good indeed, I had like to say that perfect union prevails throughout the Principality, & among the Saints, "The reign of peace" has already comenced. As to our numbers at last Conference you'l doubtless read them in the "Star". However we are increasing at the ratio of about 150 per month as near as I can learn. I have raised here in Merthyr the Mother Branch of Britain to over 800 memebers! A pretty good beginning is it not, especially for a Sailor? Have published 48 different kinds & sizes of Pamphlets comprising more original matter, (all Welsh) than the Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants & Voice of Warning combined, & have circulated about one million, near eight hundred thousand pages, all of which preach of course, night & day to sick & poor the eternal truths of Mormonism & cheer the honest hearted. Many learned & some very noted me have of late embraced this work & many very rich & influential are at the door. I have been at length enabled to subdue all my public foes here so that they hide their heads with only an occasional squib through the very
holy periodicals. The power of God is made more manifest among the Saints as they increase in faith & works. The gifts of the spirit are enjoyed in just profusion in almost every branch especially "the gift of healing" many instances I might mention which wd make you rejoice--but I must forbear, broken bones have been repeatedly healed instantaneous, & all kind of diseases nearly cured by faith & the ordinances, but the ones that has attracted the most public notice of late is the fact that a young man who had been deaf & dumb since 1840 received his speech & hearing perfectly when coming up out of the water of Babtism. He is ordai ed to the Priesthood & preaches with success since. This they cannot deny tho they sectarians strive hard to attribute it to some other cause, but the Saints give God the praise & glory. I have lately been on a tour through many parts of England & can truly say that the condition of the Church is bettering continually & more power manifested.
My lungs for the last year have been wearing out rapidly causing me great pain from which I wd never be free hardly only when under the Elders hands, but thank the Lord all the Saints with one effort have held me up & now I feel some better than I have been. I have seen Pres. Pratt & family in Liverpool & had much pleasure with them. He is & will be an invaluable blessing to the British Isles, a Godsend in time of need. May the God of Joseph bless him alway! You have doubtless heard with regret of our Beloved Bro. Spencers Illness, but he is sustained by faith & prayers of all in Wales & England too. I am preparing a company of 300 or 400 Saints to start homeward in(?) Feby Please write me again soon. My wife joins me in kind love to SisterWoodruff & yr Dear self. Yr Bro. D Jones
