Letter from Bro. Ertzenberger.
By James Ertzenberger
By the providence of God, I have the great privilege to meet you, my dear friends, brethren and sisters. I have also had the great pleasure to speak to you, not only at Battle Creek, but also at several camp-meetings, as in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. Although in my broken English, I think you understood me. I spoke to you of my joy to see you, and to meet you. I never expected this in coming here. I was desirous to make acquaintance with you, but all this was more than I could expect. I spoke to you of my happiness among you. I spoke to you of my thankfulness for your love and sympathy shown to me, etc. I spoke to you of the mission in Europe (Switzerland). I brought you the Christian love and friendship, and the salutations, from our brethren and sisters in Switzerland. You were glad to hear of them, and I was rejoiced with you. To-day I am constrained to speak, through this good paper, to you. You know, my beloved brethren and sisters, that, when we are connected one with another in the true Christian love, then our joys and sorrows are common, as it is written in 1 Cor. xii, 26. Now I cannot have the many joys which I have had among you for myself alone, nor the many blessings which I have received since coming among you. I was greatly rejoiced, and richly blessed. I have also seen your Christian love and sympathy which you have manifested for the brethren and sisters in Switzerland. I have written to them of all this. I have sent them your love and your salutations. I received a letter from the elder of the church at home, Bro. Albert Vuilleumier. They are greatly rejoiced because of all this. Their hearts are lifted up to God in gratitude, who united their hearts with yours in the same faith, in the same spirit, and in the same love. I am charged to express to you, in the name of the whole church there, their heartfelt Christian esteem and friendship, their warm gratitude for all that you have shown and manifested to me, and for them. They send you again their hearty salutations, and pray you to remember them in your prayers. They do the same for you. I can, and I must, also tell you, that although they have recently had great trials, as Bro. A. V. wrote me, God has sustained them till now. The enemy, although endeavoring to destroy the good work there, was defeated, not by men, but by the Almighty God. This good work goes still forward. God be blessed! Oh! he has been very good to us. He is still good to us. Let us be faithful. Let us love him because he has loved us first. Let us go forward in repenting and overcoming. Let us draw nearer to him. Let us live in him. Let us be ready for his glorious coming. Many of our dear brethren and sisters were desirous to know how long I shall stay here. I could not give a definite answer. Our dear Bro. White and Andrews told me that it would be good for me to stay here till the next General Conference. I wrote to the elder, and to the deacons, of the church in Switzerland. They answered me, that they were glad to hear that the dear brethren had the same views; and I therefore can remain longer here. May God help me in learning English, and in studying the present truth. Pray for me, that I may return prepared as a true servant of God, able to lead many to him. Yours thankfully, Battle Creek, Mich., Nov. 22, 1869.