Mission Journal Entry

Los Adaes Mission

August 17, 1745

Today was a very difficult day in the mission. It’s been very hot and we’ve had no rain for weeks. The stream is beginning to get smaller every day so we worry about having water to drink. This morning we gathered for our daily talk with the priest and prayed. Afterwards, we learned more about the Spanish religion and it’s very different from our own. The friars showed us how to make things that we could trade with others to help our mission get furs and other things we need. We grown many crops here but the dry weather has made it very hard. Some of us have learned how to sew and make clothing like the Spanish. After lunch we saw a baptism where the priest sprinkled water on the head of a native child to help wash away his sins. Later in the day we saw an argument between one of the friars and a soldier from the nearby presidio. The soldiers are very unhappy to be so far away from their families and they often don’t get along with people in the mission. Most of them had to build the fort that helps guard our people and our animals so it’s a very hard life for them. I feel pretty safe in our mission but some of our people have left because they just don’t want to be like the Spanish. I like some of the things they have and the way they do things so I play to stay a little longer but our supplies are low and I’m afraid that we won’t have enough food and water for everyone.