Report on the Colorado Mission

(President of the Colorado Mission). ¶

My brethren and sisters, I can say that I rejoice this morning in having the opportunity of meeting with you in conference. I look forward with fond anticipation to the time when I can meet here and hear the words of the servants of the Lord. While I am under the sound of their voices and hear the inspired words that come from them, I feel that I will never do anything wrong as long as I live. I have heard Elders in the mission field, while they have been assembled in conference, say, "I feel now that I could go out and spend my whole life in preaching the Gospel." But sometimes, after leaving these places of worship, we forget what we have heard, and we drift back again. Hence it is necessary for us to be constantly reminded of our duty. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, while on earth, realized the necessity of preaching the Gospel unto His people; for He said unto His Apostles, "Feed my sheep." He realized that the Saints should be preached to, and taught, and reminded of their duties day by day. It is essential that we. pray constantly, that we be not led into temptation, nor do that which will grieve the Spirit of the Lord. ¶

I feel well in the Gospel. I know it is the power of God unto salvation. I love to hear the servants of the Lord address us from time to time. I love to hear the voices of those who love the Gospel. I have been delighted this morning in hearing the voices of my brethren who have spoken the principles of the Gospel. I have been made glad to hear our Prophet say that Zion is prospering and growing in the land. I can realize this myself. I can also realize the influence which the good people of Zion have among the people of the world. As has been said many times, I know that God and one righteous man is a majority; and I know that if we will live according to the light which we receive from time to time through the servants of the Lord, the Elders who are in the mission field preaching the Gospel will have an easier time. ¶

The mission over which I have the privilege of presiding is an extensive one, reaching from Canada on the north to Mexico on the south, from the Missouri river on the east to California on the west, and including five states and two territories. We have laboring in that mission about 46 Elders. From the first of January last the Elders have visited about 60,000 houses. In making these visits I suppose it would be a fair estimate to say that they have preached the Gospel to 150,000. They have distributed about 40,000 tracts bearing upon the principles of the Gospel and telling the people how they travel and how they preach the Gospel without purse and scrip. They have been sent out to bear testimony to the divinity of the mission of Joseph Smith the Prophet. During that time there have been distributed several hundred books. Many thousands of people have heard the proclamation of the Gospel, on the street corner and in the various halls in which we have held services; and though the baptisms have been very few indeed compared to the great number who have been visited, I feel that much good has been done. The Spirit of the Lord has been with the Elders, and I feel that the leaven is beginning to work among the people. ¶

A few weeks ago a lady physician came to our office, and she said, "Mr. McRae, I want to talk to you for a short time on your method of controlling your young people. I realize that you have more control over your rising generation than any people upon the face of the earth. Our young people are slipping away from us gradually, and falling into vice, and we cannot control them. How do you manage?" I told her how we managed, and detailed to her the work done in the Mutual Improvement associations, the Primary associations, the Sunday schools and other institutions I told her about our Church schools, about our ward teachers visiting the people, and about the special missionaries that are called in the various wards and stakes to visit the young people and exhort them to diligence. She said, "Will you be kind enough to have an interview with one of our ministers and tell him how he can work along these lines.' " I remarked to her that I would willingly do so, but that I was afraid he could not live to it or teach it to his congregation. Why? she asked. My answer was, "He requires a salary to preach the Gospel. Whenever he arises to preach to his congregation and says that which they do not like, they say that he will have to stop preaching that way or they will stop his salary." "Now," said I, "when I preach to the people, I do not care whose toes I tread on; I do not care who I strike; I teach the truth, and no matter where it hits they cannot come to me and say, 'We'll stop your salary because I haven't any to stop. That is the difference between your minister and me." That is one great difference between the ministers of the world, who are professing to preach the Gospel unto the people, and the Elders of the Lord Jesus Christ. I would sooner be a humble Elder preaching the Gospel unto the people, bearing testimony that Jesus is the Christ and that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God, than to be the greatest "divine" upon the face of the earth. ¶

I pray that the Lord will bless us during this conference, and that He will inspire those who speak unto us, that we may be fed with the bread of life, that when we go from here we will form a resolution in our minds that we and our families will serve God and keep His commandments. May the Lord bless us to this end, is my prayer. Amen. ¶