"The day after, we all started to go through the city of London to see if we could find a man with the spirit of God; and after wandering through the city, not knowing whither we went, we came upon a man whom we stopped, and to whom we spoke. Brother Kimball asked him if he was a preacher. He said he was. He seemed to have a good spirit, and informed us that he had been in America, and had come to London for the purpose of going to South Australia, but had just buried one child and another lay at the point of death. Brother Kimball told him his child should live. He gave us some information where we could preach. On the same day we called upon him and found his child better, but he was not at home. We then went and heard a Calvinist preach, and he gave us an invitation to call and see him. Next day we again went over the city to see if we could find any of the children of God. We found one man and his household who received our testimony, and he opened his doors for us to preach. We appointed a meeting at his house for Sunday evening. His name was Corner, and he lived at 52 Ironmonger Row, St. Luke's Parish, near the church.
"We had spent twelve days in going to and fro through London, trying to find a people willing to receive our testimony; but finding the doors shut against us, we determined to go into the streets and lift up our voices in the name of God. Accordingly, Elders Kimball, Smith, and myself started on Sunday morning, August 30, walked three miles, and stopped in Tabernacle Square, Old Street, where we found an Aitkenite preaching to the people. He was followed by a Presbyterian. Just as the latter was about to begin, Elder Kimball informed him that there was a preacher from America present who would like to speak when he got through. The preacher then informed the people that there was an American minister present, and proposed that he should speak first. Elder George A. Smith got into the chair and spoke about twenty minutes; then the Presbyterian spoke. George A. had informed the people that there were two other American preachers present who would like to address them, and, when the Presbyterian closed, Elder Kimball asked him if there would be any objection to our preaching there at 3 o'clock. He answered, 'No, not at all. To what denomination do you belong?' 'To the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,' was the reply. 'Oh, I have heard of them,' he said; 'they are a bad people; they have done much hurt; they divide churches; we don't want to hear you.' He then mounted the chair again and said to the people: 'I have just heard that the last man who spoke belongs to the Latter-day Saints,' and he began to rail against us. Elder Kimball asked him to let him step into the chair to give out an appointment for a 3 o'clock meeting, but he would not. Brother Kimball then raised his voice and informed the people that some American preachers would speak there at 3 o'clock.
"At the appointed time we were at the place. The conduct of the preacher and the excitement upon the subject brought a large congregation to hear us. I opened the meeting by singing and prayer, and spoke about twenty minutes, from Gal. i:8 and 9, and was followed by Elder Kimball, for about the same length of time. The people gave good attention and seemed to be much interested in what they heard.
"After meeting, Mr. Corner invited us home; but soon after we arrived at his house Elder Kimball felt impressed to return to the place where we had preached. When he got there he found a large company talking about the things which they had heard, and they wished him to speak to them again. He did so, and addressed them at considerable length, and afterwards several invited him home to their houses. While he was away, a man who had been a preacher came to Mr. Corner's; I gave him a brief account of the great work of God in the last days, and he and the others who were listening received the things which I spoke unto them. Mr. Corner offered himself for baptism; he was the first man in London to do so. We appointed the next evening as the time to administer the ordinance of baptism to him. After supping with him, we returned home. I was weary and ill during the night, but felt thankful unto the Lord for the privilege of preaching to the inhabitants of that great city, and of having gained one soul as a seal to our ministry.
"On the 31st of August we reaped the first fruits of our labors, and laid the first living stone of the Church of Jesus Christ in England's great metropolis. We walked into the city and called upon Mr. Corner, who went forward with us to the public baths, and received the initiatory ordinance of the gospel. Returning to the house of Brother Corner, Elders Kimball, Smith, and myself laid our hands upon his head and confirmed him a member of the Church. We returned to our homes that night, thankful to God for His goodness in blessing our labors even thus much.
"On the 2nd of September I was quite ill. I had not been well for several days, but now I was obliged to keep in my room. Elders Kimball and Smith went into the city to visit the people, and found some who hearkened favorably to them. By this time we had learned that London was the hardest place for a mission that we had ever undertaken; but we did not feel discouraged in the least, and were determined in the name of the Lord to set up the standard of Christ's Kingdom in that city. The following day I was still confined to my room most of the time, but on the next, Elders Kimball and Smith went to Debtford, and I took a walk into the city, called upon Brother Corner, and found him in good spirits. I also called upon Mr. Panther, 17 Warf, City Road, Basin, who was a director of a Methodist chapel; I asked him for the chapel to preach in. He said he had a schoolhouse which would hold two hundred persons, and I might have that on Sunday, so I gave out an appointment at Bowl Court, 137 Shoreditch. I conversed with several others who received my testimony, and one woman said she would be baptized.
"Next day I wrote to Elder Browett of my Herefordshire field of labor, walked to Brother Corner's and visited several other friends. Two offered themselves for baptism. I visited St. Paul's, then returned home. Elders Kimball and Smith had just returned from a visit to the Rev. Robert Aitken. He received them kindly, acknowledged their doctrine to be true, but was afraid of deception. His mind was in a disturbed condition. In the evening we held a meeting in the Temperance Hall; but we had almost the bare walls to preach to, there being only about thirty present. I preached to those for about an hour, and Elder Kimball followed me. After paying seven shillings and sixpence for the use of the hall, we returned to our lodgings.
"On September 9th I paid my bills, called upon friends in company with Brothers Kimball and Smith, and on the day following I parted from the brethren and friends in London to return to Herefordshire. We had spent twenty-three days in the great Babylon of modern times, and had found it harder to establish the Church there than in any other place we had ever been. We had baptized one man, and ordained him a priest; six others had given in their names to be baptized on the following Sunday; and at this time there was some little prospect of the Rev. Robert Aitken receiving the work. I therefore left London, feeling that our mission and labors had not been altogether in vain.
"I was rejoiced on my return to the churches to find that in Herefordshire the work was rapidly progressing. In some cases it was even reaching the nobility, and a lady of title had become convinced, through our ministry, of the work of God. Lady Roberts was of the nobility of England, and a lady of wealth; she had withdrawn form the Church of England and had traveled much in search of truth, looking for the fulfillment of the prophets. She became acquainted with the fulness of the gospel through a female servant in the employ of Squire Dowdswell, and began to investigate the subject. The spirit of God rested upon her and convinced her of the truth of the work. She obtained the four published numbers of the Millennial Star, and, fearing that she would not be able to obtain them for herself, copied the whole of them with her pen. She also read the Book of Mormon and copied a part of that, and became perfectly convinced of the truth of the work of which she read; she said she would go a thousand miles if necessary to see some of the Twelve and be baptized under their hands. Hearing that I was in London, she was about to take a journey there to see me and the other brethren, and be baptized. She had two brothers who were ministers of the Church of England.
"On the 21st of September, 1840, we held the Frome's Hill conference, at which were represented 24 churches with 754 members, 14 elders, 51 priests, 9 teachers, and 1 deacon. The Bran Green and Frome's Hill conferences were now composed of 40 churches, 1007 members, 19 elders, 78 priests, 15 teachers, and 1 deacon. These two conferences, with their forty branch churches and over a thousand organized members, under the direction of one hundred and thirteen ordained officers, had been raised up within six and one-half months. Surely the work of God had been marvelous—unparalleled perhaps in the history of any new religious movement.