had had three five <(5)> missions amongst them. He is not afraid of starving if he can have a rifle and ammunition and health. He is willing to go and with the prayers and faith of the brethren he believes they can accomplish the designs of the mission.
thinks there is no danger of starving. He dont think there is any danger of loosing his scalp nor ever would unless the gentiles catched him asleep.
said he shall enter upon the mission with pleasure and shall accept it. He fears no danger and shall go wherever he is appointed by the .
said he feels perfectly free to go on the mission but he is able unable to furnish any thing for the outfit. That is all the objections he could have.
Likely drawing on private teachings from JS, Dunham publicly taught five years earlier that the church would eventually move further west. In 1840, after having spent several months in Indian Territory, Dunham passed through Kirtland, Ohio, on his way to preach to Indians in the eastern states. There he spoke openly of his recent missionary work in the West and its theological purpose. Thomas Burdick, a local elder, reported that “in publick he [Dunham] says. ‘This nation is about to be destroyed’ and suggests to the brethren that there is a place of safety preparing for them away towards the Rockey mountains.” (Thomas Burdick, Letter, Kirtland, OH, 28 Aug. 1840, in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 174–175.)
Samuel Bent, one of the nine men appointed to the Western Mission, spoke earlier in the meeting in favor of the mission. The other three appointees were not present at this meeting, as noted a few paragraphs later in the minutes.