of which I
was allowed to take two pounds for the orphan house, and to give the
other two pounds to poor believers. December 31. This evening we had a
special meeting for prayer and praise. There have been received into the
church, during the past year, 59. There are men in communion with us,
95. I have received for my temporal wants, in freewill offerings,
presents, etc., L285 1s. 11/4d.

During January to May of 1836, numerous donations were made of
furniture, provisions, half-worn clothing, and money (varying
from one hundred pounds to a halfpenny). Encouraged by these
_unsolicited_ offerings, Mr. Mueller determined to open the
Orphan House.

April, 21. This day was set apart for prayer and thanksgiving concerning
the Orphan House, as it is now opened. In the morning, several brethren
prayed, and brother Craik spoke on the last verses of Psalm xx. In the
afternoon, I addressed our day and Sunday school children, the orphans,
and other children present. In the evening we had another prayer
meeting. There are now seventeen children in the Orphan House.

May 6. I have now been for some years, and especially these last few
months, more or less thinking and praying respecting publishing a short
account of the Lord's dealings with me. To-day I have at last settled to
do so, and have begun to write.

May 16. For these several weeks our income has been little; and though I
had prayed many times that the Lord would enable us to put by the taxes,
yet the prayer remained unanswered. In the midst of it all, my comfort
was, that the Lord would send help by the time it would be needed. One
thing particularly has been a trial to us of late, far more than our own
temporal circumstances, which is, that we have scarcely, in any measure,
been able to relieve the distress among the poor saints. To-day, the
Lord, at last, after I had many times prayed to him for these weeks
past, answered my prayers, there being seven pounds twelve shillings and
one farthing given to me as my part of the freewill offerings through
the boxes,--two five-pound notes having been put in yesterday, one for
brother Craik and one for me. Thus the Lord has again delivered us, and
answered our prayers, and that _not one single hour too late_; for the
taxes have not as yet been called for. May he fill my heart with
gratitude for this fresh deliverance, and may he be pleased to enable me
more and more to trust in him, and to wait patiently fo