Editing David Brainerd (section)

===Entering mission===
On April 1, 1743, after a brief period serving a church on [[Long Island]], Brainerd began working as a missionary to Native Americans, which he would continue until late 1746 when he became too ill. In his late life, he also experienced [[depression (mood)|depression]], loneliness, and lack of food{{why?|date=December 2024}}.<ref>Piper, pp. 133–145.</ref>

His first missionary assignment was working at [[Kaunameek]], a [[Mohicans|Mohican]] settlement near present-day [[Nassau (town), New York|Nassau, New York]]. Brainerd remained there for one year.<ref name="Piper">Piper, p. 130.</ref>

In 1743, he was reassigned to work among the [[Lenape|Delaware Indians]] along the [[Delaware River]] northeast of [[Bethlehem, Pennsylvania]], where he remained for another year, during which he was ordained by the [[Newark Presbytery]].<ref name="Piper" /> After this, he moved to [[Crossweeksung, New Jersey|Crossweeksung]] in New Jersey. Within a year, the Native American church at Crossweeksung had 130 members, who moved in 1746 to [[Cranbury, New Jersey|Cranbury]] where they established a Christian community.<ref name="Piperpp">Piper, pp. 130–131.</ref>

In these years, he refused several offers of leaving the mission field to become a church minister. He continued his work converting Native Americans, writing in his diary:

<blockquote>
'[I] could have no freedom in the thought of any other circumstances or business in life: All my desire was the conversion of the heathen, and all my hope was in God: God does not suffer me to please or comfort myself with hopes of seeing friends, returning to my dear acquaintance, and enjoying worldly comforts'.<ref>Quoted in Piper, p. 145.</ref>
</blockquote>