I am deeply grateful, brethren and sisters

(Retiring President of the Northern States Mission.) ¶

I am deeply grateful, my brethren and sisters, for the privilege of bearing my testimony to you concerning the work of the Latter-day Saints. It is my testimony that this work has been established by our Father in heaven, that he has selected men on the earth to fulfil certain positions, and they have been acknowledged of him inasmuch as they have done their duty. I have now had the pleasure of filling two missions. I remember well when called to go upon my first mission, how I looked forward with great joy to my labors in that field. ¶

I remember from that field of labor I was shown in vision that I would not be home very long until called upon another mission, and despite, perhaps, my own efforts toward another line, that call came, and when one of the prophets of the Lord said to me that I was wanted ¶

as a missionary in the Northern -States mission, I told him I would go, and I can feel now the joy and happiness that filled my heart. Before going upon that mission, in fast meeting, one of the good members of the ward manifested in tongues: "My servant German E. Ellsworth has been called by my authority, and acknowledged of me, as a missionary to the Northern States." That much was given to the congregation in the interpretation, but there was a part of that manifestation that was never given to the congregation, that has always been a source of joy and happiness to me during the past sixteen years. It has been a great help to me in talking to young missionaries, who sometimes had the idea that they had been called just by some bishop, to go on a mission. I have without hesitation told them that every single one of us has been called by men, bishops, stake presidents, apostles and others in the Church, but our call had come finally from the president of the Church of Jesus Christ, who was God's mouthpiece in the earth, and that all who are called would be acknowledged by the Lord wherever they went, if they would go and do their duty. ¶

As I stand before you now there comes to my mind a dream of my boyhood, wherein I might have desired many things and planned many things, but I can remember that my prayers always ended : "Father, above all thy blessings, grant me the privilege of being a teacher of righteousness and a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ." That desire and prayer has largely been fulfilled, having had already eighteen years of pleasure and happiness in preaching and teaching the gospel in company with hundreds of the best men and women of the earth. I remember one time standing in the dusty road of California alone, hungry and weary, having almost gone to the limit of my strength, when my eyes opened, and standing by my side was a messenger of our Father, and if the influence of his presence had not been strength enough for me to lean upon — I was close enough to have put my hand upon his shoulder. I have known other missionaries in the field who have been weary and discouraged who have likewise had their eyes opened to see the fulfilment of our Father's promise that he will send his messengers before our face and lead us to the doors of those who are prepared to receive us. I bear witness, my brethren and sisters, that our Father has fulfilled this promise in my life and in the lives of the missionaries who have labored with me. There have been one or two special lines of missionary work that have been sources of great joy and happiness to me in my labors. ¶

Shortly after going to the Northern States Mission I received an impression of the Lord concerning the Book of Mormon, of which I would like to bear testimony before the Latter-day Saints. It came to me as strong as if someone of my fellow missionaries had told it to me, that the Book of Mormon had been given of the Lord as a witness to this generation and that if we would remember it, that we would come out from under the condemnation that, as we are told, rested upon Zion; and then I recalled reading in the Doctrine and Covenants in the 84th section, beginning with the 54th verse, wherein the Church and some of the early leaders of the Church, because of their unbelief in the Book of Mormon, I take it, were under condemnation and would needs remain so until they repented and remembered the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon. It was not long after that until, with the co-operation of two other missions, we published 10,000 Books of Mormon in Chicago, followed the next year by 12,000, and the following year by 27,000. The interest had so grown that bids were secured from New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, London and Japan for a 100,- 000 edition, with Chicago the lowest bidder. This perhaps is the largest number of that sacred, record to be printed at one time. In all, 250,000 Books of Mormon were printed in Chicago before it was taken over by Zion's Printing & Publishing Co. We have distributed 130,000 Books of Mormon in the Northern States mission, 90,000 of which have been sold, and it is my testimony that every man and woman who has taken to heart the distribution of the Book of Mormon, taken to heart the teaching of . the Book of Mormon, and the pointing out of the gems in that record to the people of the earth, have made a more wonderful growth than any other missionaries in the field. I can look back now over the mission and call to mind the young men who have taken hold of it with a vim and gone before the people, bearing witness of it, that the Lord was with and blessed them above all other missionaries. ¶

I remember while standing on the Hill Cumorah, of hearing these words, "Push the distribution of the record that was taken from this ¶

hill, for it will help bring the world to Christ;" and as the Bible has "Christianized," as we term it today, many nations, so also will the Book of Mormon bring the world another long step towards membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I went immediately to Palmyra and secured postcard pictures of the hill and sent one to each of my missionaries, writing on each one the words suggested to my mind and the missionaries caught the real spirit of it and made that year one of the largest in Book of Mormon distribution we made in the Northern States. ¶

One other feature of missionary work in the Northern States from which we have drawn a great deal of joy and satisfaction has been the genealogical work among the Saints. Seventy per cent of the families in the mission have been induced to make and keep a family record, and many families have contributed in the last four years, through the Relief Society, under the direction of Sister Ellsworth, about ten thousand names for temple ordinances. This work has brought a wonderful spirit of unity and good feeling one toward another, and has drawn the hearts of the Saints nearer towards the gospel than anything that has been done. ¶

I am happy to have had the privilege of associating, so closely, with the men whom God has honored in the earth to be the leaders of his people. I can feel now the hand of President Smith upon my back and hear his words when I 'was going away upon this mission. When I told him that I had desired from a boy to become a physician he said : "Never mind, my boy, you ¶

go on this mission, and we will make you a minister of righteous ness and a savior of the souls of men, instead of the body." And his "The Lord bless you, my boy," which was repeated last October, has been worth more to me than the treasures of the earth. ¶

I now bear witness to you, my brethren and sisters, that President Heber J. Grant is the prophet of the Lord ; for my Father in heaven bore witness to that fact in my soul ; so that my heart could easily follow my hand from President Smith to President Grant, as the man to stand at the head of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and all those who will follow the counsel of those who are called now to preside over them shall be acknowledged of the Lord in their labor. ¶

It has been a source of happiness beyond my language to describe to labor with 1500 young rnen and young women who have been appointed to labor in that mission. Out of that number only three have stumbled in the path, and even they have been reclaimed to lives of honor and integrity in the Church. We have had sorrow in the death and burial of five : two in the last year, from this dreadful malady, influenza, the other three over the remainder of our time there. ¶

I rejoice in my testimony of the gospel. I rejoice in the power and influence of my Father, that I have felt in times of need. I rejoice for the measure of success that has attended us in our labors, and for the privilege of laboring so closely in connection with the brethren who have been honored of God to preside over the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know that God lives, I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, beyond all shadow of doubt. I have known that from my boyhood, and there is no witness in my soul so great as that Christ is the Son of God, and that this is his work. My testimony is that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, called by our Father to be the instrument in his hands in establishing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is my testimony to you that the sweetest thing in all the world is to be a witness of the truth or an instrument in the hands of God in bringing men and women to the light that has been restored to the earth for the salvation of the souls of men. God bless Zion. Help us, in this hour of darkness and distress to arise and magnify our callings, and be a light set upon a hill that all the world will rejoice in this dark hour. God bless those who preside over the Church. Give them power and influence, and may they feel our sustaining influence and our uplifted hands supporting them, until the glory of God rests upon Zion, I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. . ¶