In the mission field, I have often said

In the mission field, I have often said to the missionaries that in this Church things do not happen by chance but by appointment; and I add to that the statement that God rules and reigns; that this is his work; that he is at the helm and that his work, established here upon the earth, is for the purpose of bringing back to him his children who are away from home, out on missions in the world. I feel that we are away from home in this earth; that we have been sent, at an appointed time, into the world to prove unto the Lord what we will do under certain conditions and circumstances. I appreciate more fully every day of my life the fact that I have been so favored of the Lord as to come into the world when his gospel is here and his holy priesthood is in force among the children of men; when he has prophets and apostles and officers in the Church appointed by his divine command and under his direction, so that there could be no mistake, and that men who desire to serve him might know the truth. ¶

The Priesthood of the Son of God is sacred, and that man who holds it has been entrusted with a charge that he cannot treat lightly and enjoy the blessings and the testimony of this gospel. This is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, revealed from heaven in the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times in which we live. Men have received it by direct revelation; men have received a knowledge of it in the dreams of the night; men have been visited by angels until there can be no question as to the stand of this Church of our God here in the earth. ¶

A short time ago I received a letter from a young man, in one of the states in the mission over which I have had the privilege to preside for some time, asking me to send a missionary to baptize him. It was at a time when missionaries were very scarce. I think we had only four in that state. I wrote him a letter, stating: "We will send you the elders just as soon as they can go there." I encouraged him in what he had said in his letter, telling him to continue to investigate, and in the own due time of the Lord the elders would baptize him. He was a stranger to me. I sent the letter to the president of that conference and I said to him: "When it is convenient for you to do so, either visit this gentleman or send one of the elders to baptize him." Shortly after that we had a conference in that state; I had forgotten the incident entirely, but the conference president had notified the young man that we were going to hold a conference and invited him to come to the city where we would hold our meetings. The young man attended our priesthood meeting, and his tears flowed freely. He enjoyed the Spirit of the Lord as the testimonies of the elders were given, until the last one had spoken, to a degree I presume that few men have had the privilege of witnessing. He told me that he had prayed earnestly to know which church was right. He said: "I made it a matter of prayer for weeks, and I desired to know which church was right, and the name of the Church. I awoke one night with these words before me, in my mind — the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I had never heard of the Church. I remembered having met some of the 'Mormon' elders several years before, when they left some of their literature with us. I hunted it up, and I found the name of the Central States mission upon it. That is why I wrote you that letter." ¶

I know, my brethren and sisters, as I stand here, that he spoke the truth; that God had revealed unto him the truth. It was an answer to the prayers of a righteous man. He was away from home, out in the world, struggling for a living, in poverty, but he borrowed the means to come to conference. The Lord had revealed the truth unto him, and he was brave enough, notwithstanding the fact that his wife told him if he was baptized she would leave him — he was brave enough to stand for the right, to go down into the waters of baptism, and another witness of God's power was given unto the children of men in this dispensation. ¶

I have witnessed some remarkable manifestations of the Spirit and power of God in my calling as a mission president. I want to say to the young men who happen to be in this conference that when you are sent to a mission or to a conference you must bear in mind that God rules and reigns and that he knows you; that you did not go into the mission field by chance, but under the inspiration and power of God you were called by the men who stand at the head of the Church. Some months ago four young men came into the Central States mission. We had received but very few elders for months past, on account of the influenza, and a certain portion of our mission was very much in need of elders, as we had only one or two in a great territory. I said to the secretary of the mission: "We will send these four men to such and such a place, away into the South, a thousand miles from Kansas City." He said: "I believe that is the place they ought to go. We need them there." But when I thought about it, I saw three of those boys sitting together and one apart, at one side. I could not get the vision of those boys out of my mind, and so I said to the secretary: "Elder Piatt, we will leave it until tomorrow. We can't send them out today anyway." In the morning when I met again with the young men, I was going to say we would send them all to this certain place; but in my mind again three of them sat together and one was by himself. I said to the three: "We will send you to Texas." To this young man I said: "We will keep you here, and you may labor in Kansas City." I did not know why I had come to this decision. I battled against it, because I wanted to send him away, but a month after that time, in a priesthood meeting, he bore his testimony and mentioned the fact that when he was a boy, ten years of age, he had been promised by a patriarch, in his patriarchal blessing, that he would grow up and fill a mission, and that he would be sent to the state of Missouri. Then I found out why I was impressed to keep that young man in the state of Missouri. ¶

At another conference I attended shortly after that, an elder bore his testimony in a priesthood meeting, in which he related the following incident: He was out tracting one day, and as he approached the home of a certain lady, she said to him: "Come in, you are the man I saw in my dream." She was a Turkish woman; her father was a Mohammedan. She had been in this country perhaps ten or fifteen years. She related unto him how she had been praying earnestly for the truth and the Lord had shown her in the dreams of the night this elder; so that when he walked up to her door, stood on the steps with that book in his hand, she recognized him and said: "Come in, for I have seen you in a dream." ¶

I want to say to you again, brethren and sisters, men and women have had blessings pronounced upon their heads before this world was, and they are being fulfilled here according to the faithfulness of those who have received them. I have lived in company with the best men and women upon this earth. I have associated at home with the leaders of this Church since the days of my appointment in the ministry some years ago, and in the mission field I have associated with boys and men and women who have been appointed to preach the gospel, and who have lived lives that give such radiance and influence as testify that they are sent of God and that there cannot be anything better on this earth. The influence of missionaries is heavenly. I want to say to you, my brethren and sisters, we are living in a precious time, and enjoying blessings that the world at large will never know. Happy is the man or woman who receives a call to go into the ministry and who fulfils it honorably and honestly, and who works for the good of the children of men. Many times when I have held conferences all day with the people, having later to leave in a few hours, I have said to the elders: "We will go out into the park of this city, as the night is hot, and I will visit with you, brethren; we will sit down upon the seats, draw them together, and I will spend my time with you until we have to separate." I want to tell you here today that I have received undeniable manifestations of God's power. I believe the angels of heaven have been with us; there is no influence, no spirit more sweet than that manifested when those boys sit down and talk to you as they would talk to each other, ask questions and say: "We are glad to be here. We love you. We love the work of the Lord." ¶

I have said to those elders: "When you go into the field there is only one thing to do, and that is to work and pray. If you will pray in the morning and pray at night and keep at work, God will inspire you so that, although you may be alone, you will be able to withstand the attacks of the adversary, with the power of a prophet, and with a power that has never been witnessed by you in all your life, and you will go home again clean and honorably released. It will be not only a pleasure to you, not only a gift of God unto you, but you will be a blessing to the people, to the boys and girls with whom you associate when you return." ¶

In my closing remarks I wish to say: If you fathers and mothers can extend the time of a missionary from twenty-four months to thirty months, and give that boy six months more training in the field, you can not make a better investment while you are here upon the earth. I pray the Lord to bless us in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶