Remarks

I am not entirely surprised, my brethren and sisters, at being called to this position, as a number of other returned mission presidents have already spoken. But notwithstanding the sense of responsibility which I feel in speaking here this morning, I am very pleased to be able to report to you the labors which have been performed in the Netherlands mission, and to tell you something of that wonderful little country. ¶

The country of Holland is about one fifth the size of the state of Utah, according to area, and has a population of between seven and a half and eight millions of people. The Church membership in Holland at the end of 1925 was 3270 souls. There were 63 missionaries laboring in that land at the end of the year, in four conferences and 18 organized branches. During the year they performed a most remarkable work, and while we had only 93 baptisms, they distributed more than 400,000 tracts, held 31,000 gospel conversations, and visited the homes of 6,513 people on re-visits. While this may not be a very large number compared with other missions, I feel that it is a remarkable work to be accomplished under the conditions which prevail in that land. I am very happy to report that the elders are united; that they sense the responsibility of missionary service, and are seeking to bear witness of the divinity of this latter-day work whenever occasion presents itself. ¶

I believe some of the best times I have spent in my life have been in the missionary service, and especially on occasions where ordinances of the gospel have been performed. It has been my privilege to attend some very remarkable baptismal services, not only in Holland but in Belgium, which at one time was a part of the Netherlands mission; also in Switzerland, where I had the pleasure of attending conferences. I remember a very impressive baptismal service which was held in Lake Geneva during one of the sessions of the Lausanne conference, where a number of people were baptized in the lake upon a beautiful Sabbath morning, to begin the sessions of that wonderful conference. But I believe the most remarkable baptismal service that I have yet been privileged to attend was one held in the month of February, 1924, in the city of Liege, at the time of the official organization of the French mission. There were a number of candidates prepared for baptism and the service was scheduled to be held at ten o'clock on Sunday morning. It was a wintry day and snowing, cold and uninviting, and as we went to the baptismal place in the river I felt in my heart that it was a most uninviting day. Among others who were present were the elders of that conference, visiting brethren, myself, and the newly appointed president of the Netherlands mission, also President David O. McKay. As the elder who was to baptize descended into the water with his candidate, in the heavens a ray of light shone through, the clouds separated, it ceased snowing, and there just upon the spot where the elder stood with his candidate, a ray of light descended and shone upon those who were in the water, and remained there until all the candidates were baptized, and as the last person went up out of the water, that ray of light disappeared, and it began to snow again. To me it was a most remarkable manifestation of the divine approval of God upon that wonderful ceremony of baptism which was being performed by his authorized servants in the river. My heart was thrilled as I felt that God was smiling his approval upon that which was being done, and sanctifying to the people the ordinance which they were taking upon themselves, to keep his commandments and to walk in his ways. ¶

The elders who are laboring in that mission have received of the Spirit. They are united, and they are seeking to do that which is required of them. If I had received no other witness throughout my missionary work than the attitude of the elders, it would have been a remarkable manifestation. The fact that these young men are cleansed and purified, sanctified to the work of the Lord, is a most remarkable thing. I have had them come into my office with their disappointments in seeking to learn that language and to accustom themselves to the habits of the people, and they have poured out their souls to me in tears, expressing their feeling of inability to do the work which they had been called to do, of their unpreparedness, being disappointed in that they had not fulfilled every responsibility at home which they had been privileged to do had they been so inclined. But after speaking with them, and praying with them, and counseling them, they felt to go onward and receive the spirit of the work. ¶

Just before leaving to come home one of our new elders came into the office, and in tears poured out to me his soul; told me of his life and all that he had done, and his desire to do right, but with the feeling of inability to do everything that missionary work imposed upon him. After counseling with him and having prayers with him in my office, he went out feeling encouraged, and the day I left I received a letter from him, and at the top of it he had written these words: "There is sunshine in my soul today." That spirit is the spirit which characterizes their work -- sunshine in the soul, and a desire to preach repentance and to bear witness of the divinity of this gospel. We have sought to impress them with the fact that the Lord has made wonderful promises to his servants in the missionary field, that he would be with them and go before them, and prepare the way, that they might be able to accomplish that work. ¶

I desire to call attention to his promise as made known in the 84th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, and we have relied upon this promise, and have seen the truthfulness of it. We have realized that the Lord really brings to pass his promises to those who seek to obey him. In speaking to the missionaries who had returned from the Eastern States in the year 1832, he made known these words: ¶

"Behold, I send you out to reprove the world of all their unrighteous deeds, and to teach them of a judgment which is to come. ¶

"And who receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up. ¶

"Whoso receiveth you receiveth me; and, the same will feed you and clothe you, and give you money. ¶

"And he who feeds you, or clothes you, or gives you money, shall in nowise lose his reward. ¶

"And he that doeth not these things is not my disciple; by this ye may know my disciples." ¶

We have tested this word and found it to be true, for we have found in that land disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, men and women who have been and are willing to feed the elders and to clothe them and to give them money, and rejoice in this opportunity. In all of the organized branches of the Church in that mission where members of the Church reside the elders are fed, and in many instances clothed and given money by members of the Church; and last year, by practicing economy, we were able to reduce the average expense per missionary in the mission from $32.00 to $27.17; ¶

with this added testimony that the elders who expended the least amount of money in the missionary services were doing the best work and producing the most results, for they were relying upon the Saints, partaking of their hospitality, leaving their blessings, and the Saints were in nowise losing their reward. And we were able to determine the disciples of Christ from those who were not his disciples. Truly the Lord is going before his servants, is on their right hand and on their left hand, and is bearing them up, and his angels are round about them, and they are enjoying an influence that will sanctify their souls, if they continue faithful in the work. ¶

I believe I realize to a certain extent the feeling experienced by some of the Seventies in the time of Christ when they returned from their missions, and with joy reported that even the evil spirits had been subjected unto them by the name of Christ. I have also had a similar experience, when even the evil spirits have been subject unto us through the name of Christ. We had one in the mission field afflicted with an evil spirit, and his body tormented and tortured by the possession of that evil spirit. I came into the room upon one occasion, and the evil spirit sprang upon me and seized me by the throat with a grip of iron, shutting off even my ability to speak and almost to breathe, while the elders stood round about, also my wife with a feeling of fear in her heart that the evil spirit would overcome me. He shouted with a voice that was most terrific. He declared himself to be the devil. "My name is Satan," he declared, "and I have more authority than you." And again tightening his grip upon my throat he declared, "I have more authority than you." I could not speak, but I looked the person in the eye, and releasing his grip and falling upon the bed, that same voice declared, "No, I have not more authority," and he hid his face in the pillow and was subject to the power of the Priesthood. Elder Kooyman, who was conference president, anointed him with oil, and with other elders I laid my hands upon him, and I began to confirm the anointing with oil. When I reached the point in prayer, that "in the name of Jesus Christ," I was going to say, "we rebuke the spirit," he sprang from the bed, and pleaded: "Do not use that name, do not use that name." We placed him upon the bed, and in the name of Jesus Christ I rebuked that spirit and commanded it to depart from him, and the person who was afflicted fell limp upon the bed and slept for hours, the first peaceful sleep he had enjoyed for several days. One of the greatest witnesses that have come into my life was upon this occasion. ¶

I had been taught by my father and mother that there is power in the Priesthood. I had been taught it in the Sunday school and in the elders' quorum. I doubted it not, I felt that there was power in that Priesthood, but this was the first occasion which had come into my life where I had seen evil spirits subject to that power without even a word being spoken. I realize that those who are set apart and ordained to preside have authority to administer in the ordinances of the gospel and have power over unclean spirits. ¶

I might go on and relate to you many wonderful experiences, but the time will not permit. I rejoice, my brethren and sisters, that the opportunity came into my life, to enjoy the wonderful spirit of missionary work, to associate with the cleanest, most wholesome young men that can be found in the world anywhere, whose lives are clean, and whose habits are an example unto all the world, seeking to bring unto them the power whereby they may be saved. I thank the Lord for this Priesthood, the power whereby we may sanctify our lives unto the renewing of our bodies, and by enduring in faithfulness become the sons of Aaron and Moses, sons of the seed of Abraham and the Church of God, and of the elect of the kingdom. That we might sanctify ourselves by this Priesthood and continue faithful, and enjoy the Spirit of the Lord as long as we shall live, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶