Testimony before Japan Mission

My dear brethren and sisters, I assure you that it is with a feeling of much timidity that I stand before you this evening, and I trust that for the few moments that I may stand here that I may have your attention, and that I may be blessed with the Spirit of God. I am truly thankful that I live in this day and age, when God has established His Church and Kingdom upon the earth, and His Sunday schools have been organized, whereby the youth of Zion may be taught the principles of the Gospel, that they may grow up in a knowledge of the truth; that they may gain a knowledge of God and Jesus Christ whom He sent. I am thankful that I am associated with the Sunday schools and I regret that my labors will soon terminate, at least here at home, amongst them. Not that I regret that I have been called upon another mission, for I assure you that I consider that I have been honored among men to feel and to know that I have the esteem, the love, and the confidence of one of the true witnesses of Jesus Christ, even one of our Apostles, and that he is desirous of taking me into the nations of the earth to assist him in preaching the Gospel unto those who lie in darkness. I am not going into the world without a testimony of the Gospel, and I am not going into the land of the Mikado without realizing that a great responsibility is resting upon those who have been called to open up the Gospel in that land. The Gospel has never been preached to those people, and I doubt if they have ever heard anything about it except a few who may have been in the United States. I realize that we will have to teach the people of this land that Jesus is the Christ, and that God is His Father. We will also have to teach them to believe in the Holy Scriptures. I trust, my brethren and sisters, that while we sojourn in that land that we may be blessed with an interest in your faith and prayers, for I assure you that I feel humble, I feel weak, and I have no other desire in my heart than to do all the good I can, and I know that without an interest in your faith and prayers that it will be impossible for me to be of service to God in the land where I have been sent, and where I expect to go. I assure you that I shall always remember my experience and my labors in the Sabbath schools, and I only hope that it may be my privilege to take up my labors again in this capacity when I return, for I realize that the Sunday School is the soil where the Gospel seed is first planted, where it is nourished, and where we find it naturally reaches its maturity. My brethren and sisters, I desire to bear my testimony unto you, tonight, that I know that this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I know that it is true, and I know that if I am steadfast and serve God and keep His commandments that I shall be saved and exalted in His kingdom. It is not because I have seen the sick healed, because I have seen devils cast out, or that I have been inspired of Almighty God that I know this, it is because that still small voice says unto me, "Elder Ensign, this is truth, this is the straight and narrow way, walk ye in it, and ye will be saved and exalted in the kingdom of God." May we all be saved is my prayer, and I ask it in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶