Millard Stake Report

My brethren and sisters, it is with a degree of pleasure that I have the privilege of standing before you to represent the Millard Stake of Zion; and though I feel very timid I hope, if I may be blessed with the Spirit of the Lord, to be able to make a true report of the conditions of that Stake. On the twenty-first of next month it will be two years since I was called to take the position that was filled by my father for twenty-five years in the Millard Stake. It is one of the largest stakes geographically in this State, having the same boundary lines as Millard county. We have 11 organized wards, with a population of 6,000 souls, a little over 5,000 belonging to the Church. We live in peace with one another, and while we have a thousand people dwelling in our midst who do not belong to the Church, with very few exceptions they are honorable people and good citizens. While President Smith yesterday was giving the number in the Church who hold the Priesthood, I thought of the Millard Stake of Zion. Out of 5,000 members of the Church we have 1,000 bearing the Priesthood. Our Priesthood meetings, which are held monthly, are well attended, and they are among the most enjoyable meetings held in that Stake. We usually have a full attendance of our High Council and Bishops. We are united in our labors, and the people are a good people. The population of the Stake remains about stationary, and has done ever since I can remember -- and I was born in Millard Stake. I feel in relation to the people of that Stake that the good are growing better, and many who have been careless and reckless are awakening to a realization of the fact that Mormonism is worthy of investigation, and as a result of investigation our Mutual Improvement associations have never been in as good a condition as they are at present. In the Stake Mutual Improvement convention held last month there were over 300 interested workers present, and we had an enthusiastic and an enjoyable convention. In the 11 wards that we have, there are but three saloons, and, thanks be to the Lord, not one of them is conducted by a Latter-day Saint. Concerning the morality of the people, in the last four years I know of but one case of divorce among our people. The faith of the people is good, and they love the Lord. The authorities of the stake are united in their efforts. As to myself and counselors, we love one another, we love our labors, and we are moderately well acquainted with the conditions of the people generally, being able to call all of them by name; and, knowing their lives and understanding their faithfulness, we love them. We are united in support of the general authorities of the Church. We live in a locality that is barren in many parts for the lack of water, still there have been many predictions made concerning the development of the Millard Stake of Zion. We have faith in those predictions, but we are not content to idly wait for their fulfillment. As the Lord shall make manifest unto us what to do, we hope to labor until there shall not be any amount of water unutilized in the stake. We hope to see all available ground brought under cultivation that can be made to produce even without water, until a much larger population can be supported than at present. We know that this result will be brought about, for the servants of the Lord, filled with the spirit of inspiration, have made these predictions unto us, and the Spirit of the Lord has testified unto us that the predictions were true and would be fulfilled. ¶

As to myself, I feel happy in the work of the Lord. I rejoice that I was born of goodly parents. I cannot recall a moment in my life when I doubted the divinity of this work. I have always looked upon the Authorities of this Church as being servants of the Lord. I can remember in my childhood when President Young used to make his trips through the stakes. My father pointed him out to me as the servant of the Lord, and I looked upon him as a Prophet of God. From that day to this, I have looked upon the various Presidents of the Church as Prophets of the Lord, and I have felt to sustain them, not only by my faith and prayers, but by my works as the Lord should manifest unto me what there was for me to do. The Lord has given me a testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel. I know it is true, and I doubt not. When I was called upon a mission to the Netherlands and placed in one of the cities there, unable to speak a word of the language, I gazed into the faces of those people as I walked along, and, feeling that they were honest, a yearning desire filled my heart to be able to bear testimony unto them of the truthfulness of the Gospel. I felt that I was not an ordinary man, but that I was sent out as a messenger from the Lord; and being filled with that desire, and unable to speak the language, I studied and labored hard to become acquainted with the Dutch tongue, and on many occasions I fasted and prayed. There was a time when I was almost discouraged, and felt that I could not acquire that language, but upon one occasion the power of the Lord rested upon me, and I think I would be justified in mentioning the incident in this conference. I had learned from some Dutch brethren a few simple sentences, which enabled me to go around delivering tracts. As I delivered each tract I would say that it was a Latter-day Saint tract, and that I would call for it in a few days; but if the people wished to converse with me I could not understand them. One Friday, Brother B. G. Thatcher and I were out and gathered nearly every tract, leaving about 12 out. He was called to remain in the office at Rotterdam on the morning when this incident took place, and it occurred to me that inasmuch as I was able to ask for a tract, I might as well gather these tracts that were still out. The first house I went to, the lady opened the door, passed me the tract, and said, "Who are you?" I could understand that, and I had learned to say that I was a missionary, representing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She said, "Why didn't you say "Mormons?" I did not realize at the time what a change had taken place in my hearing through the power of the Lord, but I could understand every word that that lady spoke to me. She said many vile things against the Church, which I knew were false, and I was filled with a yearning desire to be able to speak to her, and refute the slanderous statements she made against an innocent people. I testify to you, my brethren and sisters, I did receive upon that occasion, through the power of the Lord, the gift of tongues sufficiently to bear testimony to the divinity of the work of God, and to defend an innocent people, so much so that the woman herself was impressed by the Spirit of the Lord, for she broke down in tears and said: "There may be bad people among the Latter-day Saints, but I know that you are a servant of the Lord." I mention this to show that though we may sometimes feel downcast and discouraged, the Lord will never forget His servants, and when they need His help He is always ready to help them. I bear testimony to the truthfulness of the Gospel in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶