Beyrout

Syria Apr. 2/94

Dear Father and Mother;

You will perhaps be looking ere this for a few lines stating how I arrived at my destination. I had been on my journey two months excepting only a few days. The 28" it was when we got here. Elder Don Musser was located here in one room. Elder Robinson and I are with him. Will remain here a few weeks studying the Arabic language and at the same time the Gospel. Our labors will be in Palestine. Bro. Musser will soon be returning home, leaving only four elders in the whole Turkish mission. The other two elders are in Turkey (Asiatic Turkey). I like my field very much. It includes Jaffa, where we soon intend going, Haifa, Jerusalem etc. Our journey here was a very pleasant one. It was a long one and rather more expensive than we calculated on before leaving Germany. To be safe I borrowed $12.50 at Leipzig; but landed here with a little more than that. Have since bought a pair of pants. Will appreciate a little very much when you can send some. My expenses will be small in some parts of my mission: they are not big here. We are renting this room and buying our board as Bro. Musser has been doing.

Beyrout is situated on a harbor facing the Mediterranean sea. The vegetation is all green. Oranges and lemons are hanging on the tree. The palms and cypress trees and fruit trees are all beautiful. The surface of the ground slopes towards the sea and the city is really a succession of terraces whose walls are bedecked with ivies and grass. Geraniums are in full bloom n the door yards and on the walls. Later in the season though these features of Beyrout's beauty will be lost to quite an extent and the Oriental now will show its walls fences in their own peculiar character. 

The mountains of Lebanon are in sight from here with towns scattered from summit as far as the eye can reach. Everything looks beautiful. We have had some very copious rains making the air clear and refreshing. The weather is comfortably warm. 

I think I couldn't have come in a better time. My health has been splendid all the way and is now for which I am very thankful. The