REPORT FROM BRO. LOUGHBOROUGH by John Norton Loughborough

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 12, 1867

REPORT FROM BRO. LOUGHBOROUGH

By John Norton Loughborough

On Monday, Jan. 21, in company with Bro. Maynard and family, I went about thirty miles into the pine woods to Winfield, Montcalm Co., where, on Tuesday afternoon, I preached a funeral discourse for Bro. Rust, whose obituary has already appeared in the Review. On Wednesday we had a meeting to take some steps in organizing a church. We enrolled the names of the few there, appointed a leader, and arranged the s. b. pledges for 1867. After attending to this, by request of the church, I spoke for an hour on the Health Reform. There are a few in the pine wilds of Montcalm Co., who love, and desire to obey, the truth. It was a matter of regret to us, that, after we had made such an effort to get in there, much business prevented some of the Sabbath-keepers from attending the meeting. It was all hurry with lumber business in the woods, and reminded us forcibly of the hurrying time of harvest among farmers in summer.

We had a little chance to see the lumbermen’s operations and mode of life. One would think, while seeing and hearing of the vast amount of logs shipped out of these woods (one man had a contract for eleven million thousand feet), “Who is going to use all this?” But it is shipped down creeks to the Muskegon river; and at the mouth of this river it is sawed into lumber and shipped to Chicago, scattered over the western prairies, and even to New Orleans, and does its part in supplying material for the great hurry of “building,” which is to occupy men’s attention, till the day of the Lord opens to their astonished vision in all its terrible grandeur.

On Thursday, the 24th, returned to Bro. Maynard’s, Greenville, and had the privilege of spending an evening with Bro. Bates. On Friday, the 25th, Bro. William Wilson and wife took their sleigh and carried me to Wright, some forty miles, in about the worst snow storm we have had this winter. The snow fell to over a foot in depth during our journey. We got along very well, however, although the track was snowed full, and we had our own roads to break. Scarcely a team did we meet in the whole journey. One man who saw us thought any one who would venture out as we did that day must be after his coffin. We felt that we were on the Lord’s business, and he gave us peace in our hearts by the way. We arrived in Wright just as the brethren were assembling for their Sabbath evening prayer meeting. Found Bro. and Sr. White laboring with the church in Wright. I tried to do as well as I could in bearing my testimony there. The Lord gave me some freedom in speaking the word, and I trust the six discourses I delivered there were not altogether in vain. On Monday and Tuesday we had business meetings, in which s. s. was organized for the year 1867, amounting to about $900.00. Over $1,000.00 in stock was subscribed to the Health Institute.

Wednesday, spent most of the day with the trustees, talking and planning in regard to a new meeting house in Wright. It is decided to build a new house this season, 36x50, which will cost the church something like $4,000.00. We think the brethren in Wright are trying to appreciate and act upon the testimony presented to them there. May the Lord strengthen them thus to do.

Wednesday evening I went by railroad to Grand Rapids, intending to take the stage the next morning for Monterey. I engaged my passage, the driver agreeing to call at the National Hotel for me where I was stopping. But he did not come for me. This forcibly reminded me of the words of the wise man, “Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of need, is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.” Consolation of that kind, however, would not get me to Monterey. I found myself in Grand Rapids at a hotel, where I must wait twenty-four hours more before getting on my way to Monterey. I tried to improve the time writing. The day passed away very pleasantly, and the next morning I took the stage to the half-way-house, twenty-two miles down the plank road toward Kalamazoo. There I hired a man to carry me from thence to Monterey, a distance of sixteen miles. Instead of arriving there Thursday night and having one day to rest, as I designed, I arrived just as the brethren were assembling for their evening meeting. I went to the meeting, and spoke for a short time. Sabbath and first-day, preached twice each day, with freedom. On first-day evening had a business meeting, in which s. s. was re-organized for the year 1867. The figures were more than doubled, the present amount being upwards of $600.00. They also pledged $300.00 to the Health Institute. On Monday went to Otsego, and visited our much-afflicted sister Leighton, who still lives, a monument of the mercy of God. She has been many years afflicted with a cancer, but unless the Lord’s special power is interposed, it must soon end her days here.

On Tuesday, Feb. 5, I returned to my own home in Battle Creek.

J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.

Battle Creek, March, 1867.