The Brigham Young Center

President's Office,
Gt Salt Lake City,
July 23rd, 1867.

Mr. William Woolley,
Rahway, N.J.

Dear Brother:

Your letter has been received, and I am pleased to hear that you are still firm in the faith, determined to do the will of God and to gather with His people. You should cherish this determination and exercise all the faith, coupled with works, within your power to emancipate yourself from Babylon.

We are not sending down teams this year to help up the poor. We do not know what we will do next year, but it is likely that we will send down teams; if so, and you had means to carry you to the frontiers, it would be an excellent opportunity for you to emigrate.

The Lord is very merciful to His people and He is blessing them to a very great extent. We have peace in our mountain home, though our enemies deserve no credit therefor; they have left nothing untried to bring trouble upon us, and it would delight them to see us overwhelmed and destroyed; but they find, as the wicked have always found, that it is a fearful thing to fight against the living God. Still we are not without our difficulties because we dwell in Zion; there are many things to try our faith and to prove us in the work of God. But we are gaining experience, and we trust the day is not far distant when the Saints will be prepared to accomplish the redemption and building up of the centre Stake of Zion. The work of preparation for his great labor is not accomplished in a day; it requires years of application to the principles of the gospel, and study and perseverance in the path which God has marked out.

Our crops look promising and there is a prospect for a plentiful harvest. We have been troubled a good deal, this season, with high water, which has damaged and flooded considerable of our farming lands. Our new tabernacle that we are building is being pushed ahead with commendable rapidity and we hope to have it so far completed by our fall Conference, that we can meet in it on that occasion. It will not be finished, probably, by that time, but sufficiently so to make it commodious. We have had Indian difficulties this season in the southern part of our Territory; but by being vigilant, the unfriendly Indians have gained no advantages, while they who were friendly have been kept so by Kindness. I suppose you have heard that a large number of missionaries have been sent to Europe this season; though in the midst of Indian difficulties on their way down, they all passed through in safety, and we hear that they have embarked for Europe.

With love, and praying the Lord to bless you and to open up the way that you may be delivered

I remain
Your Brother

Brigham Young