Kirtland Geauga County Ohio
March 3th 1831
we arived here safe and are all well I hav[e] been ingageed in regulating the Churches here as the deciples are numerous and the devil had made many attempts to over throw them it has been a Serious job but the Lord is with us and we have overcome and have all things regular the work is brakeing forth on the <right> hand and on the left and there is a great Call for Elders in this place we hav recieved a leter from Olover [Oliver Cowdery] dated independence Jackson County Missouri Janua ry the 29th 1831 these are the words which he has written saying—
My dealy dearly beloved bretheren after a considerable lengthy journy I arived avail myself of the first opertunity of communicating to you a knowledge of our situation that you may be priviledged of writing to us for we have not heard any thing from you since we left you last fall we arived here at this place a few days since which is about 25 miles from this the Shawney indians on the south Side of the Kan sas River at its mouth & delewares on the north I have had two interviews with the Chief of that that the delewares who is <a> very old & venerable looking man after haveing laying before him & eighteen of or twenty of the Council of that nation the truth he said that <he he> and they he and thy they were very glad for what I their Brother had told them and they had recived it in their hearts &c— But how the matter will go with this tribe to me is uncirtain nether Can I at present Conclude mutch about it the wether is m[u]tch is quite Severe and the snow is Considerable deep which makes it at present quite dific cult traveling about I have but a short time to write to you my b[e]loved Bretheren as the mail leves thi[s] place in mornin the morning [p. [1]]