Saturday, April 18. Finish the visit in time to have council meeting in the Lost River meetinghouse. In all my visiting this spring but very little complaint or dissatisfaction has been laid. Our council meetings, too, have been harmonious. The members generally show a heartfelt will to live in the church, to be built up in the church, and to help to build up the church so long as the church keeps house according to God's order.
Monday, April 20. Get home in the night. Go right on to John Zigler's. Catharine is very sick. She dies at 4 o'clock in the morning.
Wednesday, April 22. Catharine Zigler is buried to-day.
Friday, April 24. Jacob Wine, Joseph Miller and I go to Forrer's furnace in Page County, Virginia, and have night meeting. Jacob Wine speaks from John 1:29. He prefers the German language. He makes a right good stagger even in English for a beginner, but he will need much practice before he can use this language with much freedom. But it is not by the might nor the power of man that souls are saved, but by the might and power of the Lord working with man.
Saturday, April 25. Dine at Isaac Spitler's, and stay all night at John Huffman's, both in Page County.
Friday, May 8. Go to Brother John Harshbarger's on my way to Albemarle.
Saturday, May 9. He and I go to the Ferry on the Shenandoah river, but finding the river too high to ferry in a horse boat, we go around by the bridge, and get to Brother Coverston's in the night.
Sunday, May 10. Meeting at Brother Coverston's. Matthew 7 is read. "The Strait Gate" is the subject.
Monday, May 11. Dine at John Conrad's, and come across the mountains by a desperate path, home; thirty-eight miles. The path by which we came to-day is almost or quite as steep in places as stairsteps, and very rough from large stones in its bed, with others projecting into it on either side. Brother John was in front of me slowly leading his horse down one of the very steep places, when his saddlebags slid out of the saddle down over the horse's neck and fell on his arm. He pleasantly looked back at me saying in a very cheerful way, "It looks as if my baggage wants to go ahead of the horse that carries it."
Wednesday, May 13. Love feast at our meetinghouse. Five persons baptized. Brethren John Bowman, from Franklin County, and John Barnhardt are with us. They are this far on their way to the Annual Meeting.