DIVINE GUIDANCE AND PROTECTION.

Elder J. H. Peterson, a missionary laboring in Kansas, in 1897, relates some of his experience in traveling without purse and scrip, and shows how the Lord opened up the way for him and his companion and provided for their wants. His narrative is as here given:

"We arrived at Heber about 4:20 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, and called at the post office for mail, but there was none for us. A gentleman asked us if we were not strangers in the town, and we said we were.

"'Don't you want to stay in town over night?' he further inquired.

"'We shall be pleased to, if we can find a place to stay,' was our reply.

"'Well, I'm just the fellow that's got the place,' he continued.

"'But we have no money, we travel without purse or scrip,' we answered.

"He laughed, but told us to go down to his hotel and look around.

"We did so and were hardly seated when a gentleman who had overheard us stepped in and asked us if we were not 'Mormons.' We told him we were. He said he was the mayor of the town, and asked if we would not preach for the people, as he thought they would like to hear a 'Mormon,' having never heard one. It was getting rather late, but we told him that if we could get a house and have the people notified, we would. He told us to remain at the hotel and get our supper and he would get the court house for us. In less than two hours he had the news spread all over town, so that when meeting time arrived we had over sixty people to talk to, and they paid us very respectful attention. The sheriff told us we had nothing to fear as he would insure us protection. We gave out another meeting for next evening and then went back to the hotel, where Mr. Moore, (the mayor) introduced us to some of the leading ladies and gentlemen of the town. Some young people were singing and playing in an adjoining room and we were taken in to hear them.

"It was soon bed-time, and we were taken to our room—the best in the hotel. Before retiring, my companion and I knelt in humble prayer to thank the Giver of all good for this manifestation of His goodness, and to ask Him to bless the man who had befriended us and assisted us in getting to preach to so many people.

"The following evening we had over one hundred listeners upon whom we made a good impression with our remarks. We lodged at the hotel that night also."

The experience of Elder Peterson, above related, is not unlike that of other missionaries engaged in the same work, and is here given as an illustration of the manner in which the Lord's servants are provided for when they rely upon him. Even their simplest needs are often supplied in an unusual and remarkable manner, as the following incident will show:

Two missionaries recently laboring in Norway were one Sabbath without money, and had received no invitation to dine that day, so they passed the whole time without eating. They had held meetings during the day, and after returning to their lodging place at night one of them remarked that he was real hungry. The other replied that he was hungry also, and added the words, "but I believe the Lord will remember us." It was then ten o'clock—a rather late hour to expect to receive anything to eat that night—but just as they were speaking a knock was heard at the door, and a young lady came in with a basket of nice food for them. They inquired what led her to bring them food so late at night. Her answer was that she and her mother were preparing to retire when they were impressed to send the Elders something to eat, and they could not rest until they had done so.

Other needs and desires of missionaries are supplied in a similarly remarkable way. They often receive assistance and guidance in their studies and labors, and that too just in the hour of need. A young Elder while preaching upon one occasion, not long since, desired to read a passage of scripture which he was not sufficiently familiar with to quote from memory. He knew it was in the Bible somewhere but had no idea where to turn to find it. He proceeded to introduce the passage of scripture in his remarks and opened the Bible, when the very first words that he saw were the ones he desired to quote. Such an incident might be looked upon as a matter of chance; but the Elder with whom it occurred felt that it was a divine guidance that led him to the passage, and it increased his reliance upon the Lord.

Some time ago an Elder laboring in England, in a part where he had relatives, had a desire to be sent to Ireland, where he also had relatives. His wish was that he might have the privilege of bearing his testimony to his kinsfolk in the latter country as he had already done in the former. He prayed for the desired change, but said nothing to anyone, feeling that it was his place to remain where he was unless called away by those in authority over him. At this time there was a need of experienced missionaries in Ireland, as most of those then laboring there were about to be released. To supply this need the presidency of the mission appointed a few men from other fields to go to Ireland, and among them was the young man who had been praying for the opportunity of going there. He was, of course, pleased and thankful to receive the appointment.

In their journeyings from place to place, missionaries have often had occasion to acknowledge the protecting hand of the Lord over them.

Elder David Archibald, who recently fulfilled a mission to Great Britain, tells of an occurrence which happened while he was passing through Wyoming on the way to his field of labor. One night while resting in a half-reclining position on the seat of the railway car a voice said to him, "You are lying in such a position that all your money can be taken out of your pocket!" With a sudden start he clapped his hand over the pocket in which he carried his pocket-book, and awoke from his sleep just in time to see a man go out rather hastily through the doorway. Thinking he might have been dreaming, Brother Archibald said nothing about the matter at the time. A fellow passenger who happened to be awake when this occurred, saw a man, whom he first supposed was a railway employee, reach up to one of the lamps with one hand and pretend to adjust the light. At the same time he reached towards the sleeping man's pocket with the other hand. The sudden movement of the Elder prevented the would-be pickpocket from getting the wallet and he rushed out of the car as quickly as possible. The man who saw this proceeding wondered how his fellow-passenger, whom he supposed was sound asleep, managed to cover his pocket just at the moment it was about to be picked, and he afterwards made inquiry about it. When Elder Archibald learned from the other passenger of the attempt made to rob him, he was satisfied that it was the whispering of the Spirit that gave him the timely warning.