Report on the Central States Mission

President Joseph F. Smith called the meeting to order. ¶

The choir sang the anthem, "Gospel Restoration." ¶

Prayer was offered by Elder David K. Udall. ¶

The choir sang the "Hallelujah Chorus." ¶

(President of Central States Mission.) My brethren and sisters, my heart is full of gratitude to our Father in heaven, for having the privilege of meeting with you in conference this afternoon, and expressing myself, according to the light that I have, concerning our work in the Central States mission. I sincerely desire an interest in your faith and prayers, that I may be enabled to talk as I would like to do concerning the work we are doing. ¶

As most of you, perhaps all of you, are aware, our headquarters are located in Independence, Missouri, to which place we moved last March. It became necessary, it seemed, for us to have permanent headquarters for our mission, and we communicated about this matter with the brethren at home, the First Presidency, and they instructed us to go to Independence. I can say that we were received by the people there with open arms. The business people, the Christians of that town, are friends of the Latter-day Saints. In an article, published in the Kansas City Star, a short time ago, it was stated that "the 'Mormons' who were driven out in 1833 have returned, and we welcome them back." This was a source of pleasure to me, for I realized how our people, according to history, had been persecuted in that country, when they were there before. As I have said, we have our mission headquarters at Independence, and we are taking steps to economize the affairs of the mission and properly use and take care of the property which the brethren have purchased there. We have also established there the Liahona — Elders' Journal — the mission paper of the United States missions, which is published every week. I suppose that most of you are aware of this. We have a circulation of fifteen to eighteen thousand copies every week, and this after a run of but a few months. We are pleased with the support we are receiving, and the amount of good that we believe this paper is doing in the missionary field. We are in receipt of hundreds of letters praising our paper as a missionary magazine among the people who are scattered through the United States, Mexico and Canada. The people are welcoming the paper to their doors, in the absence of the Elders. We are short of Elders in the United States. Many times our people do not see an Elder for months, for the simple reason that the Elders cannot get around — they have so much to do that it is impossible. We are advocating the plan that the Elders, when they go among the people, are to try and induce them to subscribe for the paper, that, in the absence of the Elders it may come to their homes and keep them alive in the faith. The Saints in the stakes of Zion have teachers visit them weekly or monthly to keep them alive to their duties, but the Saints in the world do not enjoy these privileges. We believe our paper is accomplishing good, and it has met with the approval of the subscribers at large. We are thankful to our heavenly Father for this, and for the blessings He has bestowed upon us, in various ways, in the Central States mission. ¶

Recently, in connection with some of the other missions, we contracted for the publication of 100,000 copies of the Book of Mormon, which we expect to dispose of among the people, and we believe we will be able to do this in a short time. Our Elders are meeting with success everywhere. There is some indifference, it is true, but among the people where they travel they are generally received with open arms ; and they are traveling mostly without purse or scrip, through the country districts, wherever they can travel that way. The people are manifesting an interest, and we feel to rejoice in the work of the Lord; we know that it is His work. ¶

I coincide with the sentiments expressed by Brother Wells this morning, that the Latter-day Saints should use the means our Father in heaven has given them — after they have paid their tithing — for the building up of His Church and kingdom here on this earth. The man or woman who will do this will be prospered and blessed. They will be rich in this life, and will receive eternal life in our Father's kingdom — a reward that we are all seeking. The thought has appealed to me that, if we will use the funds our Father in heaven has given us for the good and benefit of His work, it will make us strong in the faith; and if every man and woman will do this, how much stronger will the work of our Father be. Our lives should be consecrated to this work. We can support those who have been given unto us — there is no question about that, and also help to make the work of the Lord on this earth a success. ¶

I believe that we will be more active in this work in the future than we have been in the past; my experience in the missionary field has given me this belief. I have never wanted for anything needed. Where I preside, and among those with whom I labor, I have never heard one complain about their conditions. Sometimes the people at home say they cannot afford to support their sons in the mission field. I think the simple reason is that they haven't the faith that those boys have while out in the mission field. Yesterday a lady approached me who said: "I am a widow; I have seven children, the oldest is in your mission ; we want him to stay there until the Lord sees fit to release him." I tell you, my brethren and sisters, those are the sentiments that make this Church strong; that is the kind of support we need. Our people should have that spirit animate their souls, and we want that spirit in their sons that will make them men of God, on whom we can depend. When they come out into the mission with that feeling, we send them out to labor, and they are a success ; they work faithfully for the building up of the Church of the Master here on the earth. I am thankful for the support that we receive from our friends, and the missionaries. The Elders, as a rule, are loyal to the cause they represent, working hard for the building up of the kingdom. ¶

I was thinking, a short time ago, that if this body of people were as actively engaged in the work at home as the Elders are in the missionary field, how great we would be. We all should be loyal to the very letter, standing up as a body in support of the Church, and lift up our hands and say : we will help this cause as long as our Father in heaven requires it of us. I am thankful unto the Lord for this privilege, the privilege of associating with men who, I know, have the authority from our Father in heaven to administer and to direct His work. They are men of God. ¶

Before I sit down, I want to bear my testimony that I know that God lives; it is not a mere belief, but it is a knowledge with me. I know Jesus is the Christ, and that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God. I know we have men who are Prophets of God in our midst; the man who stands at the head of this Church today is an inspired man of God. As a people we should support him, that he may be able to accomplish the work that His Father has sent him to do on the earth. May we, all Israel, be loyal to the cause we represent, from this time on, more than we have ever been, I ask it in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶