Among the French in Illinois.
By D. T. Bourdeau
Since my return from the General Conference, I have labored to the best of my ability to get things in such a shape that I might leave Illinois to carry the message to the French in other fields, and I am thankful that I am able to report a good measure of success. I have visited most of the brethren and sisters in St. Anne, Kankakee, Papineau, and L’Erable. In L’Erable the Lord gave us one good family of France French, and in Papineau a sister decided to keep the commandments. Thus these two fields are opened for further missionary labors by the most experienced of our French brethren and sisters. A week ago last Sabbath we attended to the ordinances at St. Anne. It was a precious season. The new converts took hold with all the readiness, ease, and freedom of older brethren. We completed the organization of the church by ordaining an elder and a deacon. Last Sabbath (yesterday) we had a general rally of our French brethren and sisters and of our American brethren of Kankakee. The meeting was held in the Congregationalist church of Kankakee city, which was pretty well filled with Sabbath-keepers, all of whom have embraced present truth within a little more than a year. At the close of the forenoon meeting, four more of the French were baptized, and at the close of the Sabbath, nearly all the French and American brethren and sisters united in attending to the other ordinances of the Lord’s house. It was another profitable season. As the meeting was held in a private house, which was filled to overflowing, we were reminded of the need of a house of worship, at least for our quarterly meetings. A Bible-class and Sabbath-school were organized for the France French brethren of Kankakee. Systematic Benevolence was organized for these French brethren to the amount of $95.00; a leader was appointed; and monthly and quarterly meetings were established, and sixteen dollars’ worth of our different kinds of French pamphlets and tracts were taken and paid for. Two-thirds of these will soon be read in France. Our French brethren at St. Anne had taken a good supply of our French works the week before. This morning, as we were arranging church records and S. B. book at Bro. Pottenger’s, a dear French brother and sister, who had looked cautiously at the subject of baptism, came in from a neighborhood six miles distant asking us to baptize them. About ten of us went to the nearest point of Kankakee River, and this brother and sister were buried with the dear Saviour in the likeness of his death and raised in the likeness of his resurrection. I believe that all of our French brethren but three have now been immersed, and we expect that Bro. R. F. Andrews will baptize these soon. Kankakee, Ill., Aug. 19, 1875.