South Lancaster, Friday, October 24, 1890

Rain commenced in the night and continued all day. I see notwithstanding the rain the people are coming in from Connecticut and Nashua. The church was full of people in the afternoon. I tried to speak to them from John 15 on the relation of the branch to the vine. The atmosphere was very heavy and lifeless and it seemed impossible for all the people to keep awake. We called for them to rise up and sing and yet there was an oppression in the atmosphere in the room.MR1033 13.1

I thought best to change the exercise and I asked those who had never surrendered their hearts to God and those who were being overcome with temptation to come forward. There were eight seats occupied. Some bore testimony of their needs before a season of prayer. The Lord indited prayer. Brethren Goodrich and A. T. Robinson prayed with great fervor. The Lord gave me freedom in prayer and the blessing of the Lord rested upon myself and many others. The pain of heart left me and the peace of the Lord took possession of my heart. Thank the Lord.MR1033 13.2

In the morning, October 24th, Elder Goodrich called to see me and we had a lengthy conversation in reference to the necessity of help in the State of Maine.—Manuscript 42, 1890, 17-18 (Diary 16, pp. 249, 250).MR1033 13.3