Remarks

I feel that the time remaining belongs to Brother McMurrin. I am sorry we cannot give him longer; we all like to hear President McMurrin bear his testimony and preach the gospel, which he has done ever since I can remember. ¶

Like the rest of you, I always feel it my duty to respond whenever called upon. I have listened with interest to the testimony of the elders and the beautiful music rendered, and I rejoice also this morning in hearing the presiding authorities, as far as they spoke in the Tabernacle, especially when we were told by the First Presidency that each ward should furnish one missionary to go on a short-term mission -- brethren with past experience. ¶

I come from Canada, as was mentioned by Brother McMurrin, the land of the north. I bring you glad tidings from some of the lost" Ten Tribes, and we are pleased to report everything in very good condition we think, in our three stakes in Canada; and also that the temple work is progressing very favorably. We find the person who goes to the temple most regularly is the one who goes to the Sacramental meetings and pays his tithing more regularly than anybody else. So my advice is that we always take a little time to go to the temple and work for the dead as well as the living. As always, I was delighted to be in the company of Brother Shepherd; I have felt for years the spirit of temple work. ¶

Speaking of the missionary movement, I feel keenly the value of temple work and missionary work this afternoon. I do not believe for a minute that the Church built the temple in the Hawaiian Islands only for the benefit of a few of the Sandwich Islanders. I have been on the Islands three times, also to the Samoan and Navigator Islands, and I love that people very much. I have heard President Smith say.he did not think that Utah and Idaho, or any manent dwelling place of the Polynesian Islanders. I know how he felt. When I heard that Brother Ballard was appointed to open up the South American mission, with Brother Rey L. Pratt of the Mexican mission, and President Rulon S. Wells, I thought then of the many times that I heard President Smith say we have got to do something for the benefit of the Polynesian Islanders, to prepare them for the future, without assisting them or encouraging them to emigrate to Utah. When I heard of the building of the temple, this is what I thought: I think I see the stopping place for the Polynesian Islanders, a place to prepare them for some future work. But just as soon as I heard of Brother Ballard's being called to Buenos Ayres, South America, I thought, there is my hope. I believe firmly that the great hope and faith of the Latter-day Saints regarding the home of the ancient inhabitants of North and South America, the Lamanites and Nephites, will receive blessings on the Sandwich Islands, prepare the Samoan, the Maori, the Tahitian, the Hawaiian, and the Tongan in that temple to get ready for the opening up and the preaching of the gospel to their own countrymen in South America. It is just a delightful thought to me to feel that way. ¶

In the first section of the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord says: ¶

"And the rebellious shall be pierced with much sorrow; for their iniquities shall be spoken upon the housetops, and their secret acts shall be revealed. ¶

"And the voice of warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples, whom I have chosen in these last days. ¶

"And they shall go forth and none shall stay them, for I the Lord have commanded them." ¶

In 1916 I was called to make my third trip to the Islands. The company, my old acquaintances and others were leaving Salt Lake. President Smith told me to be here at a certain time, that we might leave San Francisco on a certain boat. But I am a CanadianBritish subject, although born in Salt Lake, and they never knew it. I did not tell them. Let me tell you what happened, through the power of faith and prayer. There are a good many young people here, and though I do not like to mention myself, I want, above all things, that the young people, our boys and girls, our future missionaries, shall believe firmly in prayer. I was to leave at a certain time. I had sent to Ottawa, the Washington of Canada, for ¶

my passport, and it had not arrived in Cardston in time. We were fourteen miles north of the international boundary line. What should I do? The First Presidency requested that I be here at a certain time to report, to leave San Francisco at a certain time. Well, I told the Lord. Of course he knew it, but I always think, like any other father; he enjoys being told. If your children ever get anything they long for, they do not get it, generally, by asking just once or twice to show their parents they want it. It is not what we want but what we need. Our heavenly Father is willing to grant us, I believe, what we most need. I told the Lord I did not have my passport and I was to leave at a certain time. The Spirit said, just get ready and go. I did. I went to the boundary line, met the emigration officer, and he said, "How do you do, Mr. Wood? Where are you going?""I am going to Salt Lake." "Where is your passport?""I haven't any? "Why didn't you get it?"I said, "Ottawa did not get it here in time." He said, "All right, when you get it, send it to me." I came to Salt Lake. The passport was to be in Salt Lake by the time I was to leave, giving three days grace between the time I got here and the time I left. The first day it didn't come. I waited until the morning of the third day to be set apart. I did not tell President Smith or any of the presiding brethren that I did not have a passport. I was afraid they would say, "You had better wait and go on some other steamer." President Smith, when he set me apart, said, "Brother Wood, you will go with this company." When he said that a thrill went through my whole being. I did not have my passport. How could I go with the company? He said, "You will go with the company; you will perform the mission for which you are sent, and.you will return in safety." So we got ready. They all thought I had my passport the same as the others. We arrived in San Francisco, where I would have to present my passport to get my ticket, and then again on the steamer. We went to get our tickets. The emigration officer was very busy. He said to me, "Mr. Wood, you are in charge of this little company?""Yes.""Sit down here and give me some assistance." I sat down and helped him take the passports from all the other passengers. We did not get through that day. Tomorrow came. We met early in the morning. "Mr. Wood, you were here yesterday. All right. You are a British subject? Go right on board. Thank you very much. I have your passport." I thonght, "You haven't, but it is all right." ¶

I went on board the steamer. Two days out from San Francisco the purser said, "Mr. Wood, better come in and give me your passport with those of the rest of the company." All right, I said. We went into the purser's office, got talking about the gospel, when he said, "Well, if all you have said is true, you do not need a passport to go to preach to the nations of the earth." He never asked me for it. I read him what I read to you. ¶

I thought then, I am on the steamer,' but it may be harder to ¶

get off at Samoa., where I was to land. Out of about four hundred passengers there would be only fifteen or twenty for Samoa. "What will I do to get off?"So I prayed with the company that was going to the Samoan Islands, just a few of the elders. I told the Lord we had gotten by the Canadian officials and the United States officer at San Francisco, "and now comes the most severe test of all, the immigration officer on the Samoan Islands, where there are only a few, nothing to take up his time." When the steamer came up to the wharf there were the natives with whom I had been acquainted years before, when four of us were pioneers, and then later the same good old faithful Latter-day Saints. One of our elders had a Samoan band, one of the finest bands in the Islands, which came to meet me, and here I was: I could not get off. Could not? I knew if they learned I did not have a passport I would either be deported or taken on to Australia. Samoa is 2,100 miles south of Honolulu, Australia is 2,000 miles away from Samoa. I would have to be taken to Australia if I could not present my passport, and here were the natives trying to reach my hand, delighted to think I had come back the third time to visit them again, and some were crying, so overcome with joy, as their love is very great indeed for the elders from Zion. They will give all they have to help a missionary. They were making way, so that I could come down and shake hands and rub noses with them. Wouldn't it be a disappointment if I could not get off! So I told the Lord, "You have said, 'My messengers will go to the four corners of the earth;' here I am, no passport; help me now." Well, we lined up. Here was one immigration officer and there was another, and a lot of people in front of me. I did not know whether to come first, last, or where. So when we got right up to within the last man, the other immigration officer said to the man he was examining, "You are an anarchist." The man with me jumped up and went oyer and sat down and they had a few moments talk, and I was praying. After he got through he was very much irritated, very much out of patience. He said, "Mr. Wood, I have your passport; thanks very much; go right on." ¶

Brothers and sisters, I know it pays to pray. Young folks, attend to vour Sacramental meetings, go to the temple, perform work for the living and the dead. God bless all Israel, wherever they may be, is my humble prayer and testimony in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶