The Book of the Assistants

An account of the South Africa Cape Town Mission, recorded by the hand of Elder Jones and Elder Martin

And it came to pass in the third year of the reign of President Wood, in the second week of the third transfer, great prosperity was poured out upon the Elders of SACTM. For behold, the one hundred and thirty-four Elders that dwelt between the lands of Cape Town and Mthatha did continue to go forth proclaiming the gospel of the Lord our God with great fervour and zeal.

2 And now, therefore, this was after the land of Namibia was cast off forever from the borders of the land of SACTM. And henceforth the Elders of SACTM were confined to the land of the Eastern and Western Cape.  

3 Nevertheless, many united themselves in that year with the Kingdom God, yea, even to exceed 300 souls and they were filled with the grace of God, which grace is sufficient for all men.

4Yea verily, verily, this great prosperity was in part due to the exceedingly great number of lessons taught with a member present, yeah even Nine thousand and one hundred and twenty lessons. And the number of other lessons was numbered Six thousand and four hundred and twenty and one lessons.

5 Yeah verily this brought forth exceedingly great joy to President Wood and his Assistants, even so much as to overcome their physical frames, so great was their joy.

6 And behold, also the nurturing of the senior couples, yea even twenty, did nourish and strengthen the mission, yea to allow for such exceedingly great growth.  And neither durst they neglect the needs of the Elders, for thus they were determined to maintain their boarding’s.

7 And it came to pass that also in that year, King Muagabe cast out many of the Elders in his land, some of whom fled to the land of SACTM. And their brethren in the Lord did receive them rejoicing.

8 And thus during this time of great prosperity in the land of Cape Town, the Paarl and Fish Hoek branches became wards. And it came to pass in the Neighbouring land of Port Elizabeth, the people of Motherwell did form themselves into a branch of Zion. And thus we see that the works and the designs and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught.

9 And yea verily, in this time of many Elders, Elders were sent forth to explore foreign lands, yea even the land of Table View, and the land of Grassy Park, and the land of Kwa dwesi.

10 For behold, and verily because of the greatness of the numbers of the labourers in the vineyards of the Cape Town zones, President Wood saw fit to divide the zones and bring forth a fourth zone in the land of Cape Town.

11 And yea verily, verily he spake unto us saying: And now behold this new zone which I have brought forth shall bear the name of the Cape Flats Zone, because of the exceeding flatness of the land, yeah for behold the land is flat like unto a plate, even to exceed the flatness of all other lands, and thus it shall be named henceforth the Cape Flats Zone.

12 And verily so as the word proceeded forth from his mouth, thus was it so.

13 And thus we do make and end of our writing upon this record, which writing has been small, because of the awkwardness of our hands and our weakness in writing. Neverthless thus the Lord hath said: Fools mock, but they shall mourn, and my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness.

14 And we Elder Jones and Elder Martin saw that we must shortly go down unto our graves, thus we bid the reader farwell, hoping that many of our brethren shall read our words. Brethren, adieu.