Have faith in God, who has overcome the world, that his Spirit will speak in you and by you, exhorting men to be converted and keep his commandments.
"You will find men full of faith, gentleness, and goodness, who will receive you and your words with joy; but you will find others, and in greater numbers, faithless, proud, blasphemers, who will speak evil of you, resisting you and your words.

Be resolute, then, to endure everything with patience and humility." Hearing this, the brethren began to be agitated.

St.Francis said to them: "Have no fear, for very soon many nobles and learned men will come to you; they will be with you preaching to kings and princes and to a multitude of peoples.

Many will be converted to the Lord, all over the world, who will multiply and increase his family." After he had thus spoken he blessed them, saying to each one the word which was in the future to be his supreme consolation: "My brother, commit yourself to God with all your cares, and he will care for you." Then the men of God departed, faithfully observing his instructions, and when they found a church or a cross they bowed in adoration, saying with devotion, "We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee here and in all churches in the whole world, for by thy holy cross thou hast ransomed the world." In fact they believed that they had found a holy place wherever they found a church or a cross.
Some listened willingly, others scoffed, the greater number overwhelmed them with questions.

"Whence come you ?" "Of what order are you ?" And they, though sometimes it was wearisome to answer, said simply, "We are penitents, natives of the city of Assisi."[16] This freshness and poetry will not be found in the later missions.