A Spiritual Feast: Four Years in the Swiss-German Mission

My brethren and sisters: I am very grateful to my heavenly Father for the opportunity that I have had of fulfilling a mission among the German-speaking people. I am also very happy to have this privilege of being home again and enjoying the association of my brethren and sisters here in Zion. My spirit has responded to the treatment received during this conference. I feel that we have had a spiritual feast, for which I have longed, a number of years. I mean by that, I have longed for the opportunity of meeting again with the brethren and sisters in general conference assembled. ¶

I should like to state, briefly this morning, just what we have been doing in the mission field during the last four years. It is now just a little over four years since I left, with my family, on this mission. Elder Charles S. Hyde, who was called to preside over the Netherlands mission, and a group of elders, went with us. We left Salt Lake City on March 16, 1923. On the evening of our departure from this city it was raining, and by morning we were in the midst of a very cold and violent snow storm, which made our train eighteen hours late by the time we arrived in Chicago. I became ill with grippe the first night out of Salt Lake City, and I believe because of the cold train and lack of hospital accommodations, this cold brought on a very severe case of inflammatory rheumatism with which I suffered very severely on the whole trip, and a month after my arrival in the mission field. By the time we reached Liverpool I could hardly walk. Only with the greatest of difficulty was I able to move about, and when we arrived in Cologne, which is about two-thirds of the way from Liverpool to Basel, I was rendered so weak that it was impossible for me to go on. We remained there five days. During all that time I was confined to a bed which was furnished by a family of Saints. In fact, they gave us the best accommodations possible. They turned over to us several rooms, which we appreciated very much. When I arrived in Basel I was almost a physical wreck, but I soon found a place to rest and expected to be well again in a few days. In this, however, I was very much disappointed, as I was bedridden for nearly a month. I did not have the privilege when I arrived in the mission field of visiting in all the branches and conferences with Elder Serge Ballif, who was presiding over that mission, and whom I was to succeed, for within an hour of my arrival in the mission field, in Basel, I was confined to my bed. When I had recovered sufficiently to leave my bedroom, conferences were arranged for all of the sixteen districts in the mission. About two weeks before I was to start on my trip I suffered a relapse and was forced to return to bed. My condition became almost hopeless, and I began to wonder how long it was going to last. Discouragement had not set in yet, for I knew positively that the Lord's purpose in calling me on this mission was not that I should spend my days in bed sick. ¶

That faith and assurance had been given me before I left this city, thanks to the Lord, but I became very anxious to meet the elders and the Saints. I began pleading with my heavenly Father to render me physically fit, and to enable me to accomplish the desires of my heart. While I lay there so helpless, the second time, I gave every consideration to the advisability of calling off these conferences. I consulted with our mission secretary, Elder Kasteler, and we both were agreed that I would not be able to fill these conference appointments. So he was asked to give the conference presidents notice of the postponement. As he was leaving my bedroom — he was not entirely out of my sight — the Spirit of the Lord enlightened me, my brethren and sisters, and reminded me of an experience which I had had two or three days before. I asked Brother Kasteler to return, and I said to him: "It will not be necessary for you to write the conference presidents, for I am going to be well in time to attend those conferences." ¶

What do you think happened? The Spirit of the Lord gave me to understand that if I really wanted to I should be able to fill those appointments. Elder Kasteler marvelled about it, and in spite of my pains, I felt like shouting hosannas to the Lord for his goodness unto me. Did I really want to be out in the field? Yes, in very deed. I knew positively that I was going to be well, for I wanted to be among those elders and Saints; and so it came true! The Lord heard my prayers and granted me the desire of my heart. I hope I shall never be found ungrateful to the Lord by forgetting this incident and a number of others of a similar character which I experienced during this last mission. ¶

The physician warned me not to leave on this trip. It was the rainy season. It had rained almost incessantly. He felt I was going out too soon after such a siege of illness. He turned to me and said: "Mr. Tadje, if I had complete control over you, you would not go away, but you would remain right here and take baths and other treatments; because a recurrence of that rheumatism through the same cause might incapacitate you for life." He was in earnest, but I smiled and assured him that nothing like that was going to take place, and it did not, for I never had another sick day on my mission. My health improved from day to day, and it appeared that traveling during the inclement season did me good instead of harm. When I returned from my first trip, which lasted approximately three months, I had completely recovered. ¶

The mission made progress by leaps and bounds. The Spirit of the Lord touched the hearts of the honest seekers for the truth. No man living can rightfully claim credit for the success the mission enjoyed. During the last four years over five thousand souls were baptized in the Church in those countries. It was a joy to hold conferences because of the host of people who would attend. Frequently there were a thousand and more people in attendance, of which four hundred, five hundred, or six hundred, were friends eager to hear our message. It was a common occurrence during the years of 1923 and 1924 to have a good-sized baptism after each conference. We baptized possibly from twenty or thirty to forty within a week or two weeks after this conference. We held these conferences every Sunday. ¶

It might interest you to know that we have splendidly organized Sunday schools in the mission, also Relief Societies, Mutual Improvement associations of the Young Men and Young Ladies, and before we were released the Primary organizations were already functioning in a few of the larger branches, but they were not known by that name. This work was done in connection with the Sunday schools. Also a very remarkable work is done in the mission by our choirs. Organizations of one hundred voices, or more, would furnish the music at our special meetings and conferences. Our local members in the mission are very diligent in spreading the gospel. I have in mind a widow in the city of Chemnitz, who used to bring over twenty children to Sunday school each Sunday morning. These were children of her neighbors. Several rows of chairs were reserved for her each Sunday morning by the superintendency, and a similar work was done by these brethren and sisters throughout the whole mission. ¶

Due to the phenomenal success in the mission, as to making converts, it became apparent that more efficient work could be done and many new members could be taught the principles of the gospel more efficiently, and the priesthood and auxiliary organizations could be looked after better, if the mission were divided. The presiding brethren saw fit to do this, so the division was effected in 1925. President Hugh J. Cannon was appointed to preside over the western part of the former Swiss and German mission, and I was transferred to preside over the eastern part of the mission with headquarters at Dresden. ¶

Many new fields have been opened up during the last year, and I am sure that thousands will yet accept the gospel in that country, provided the conditions remain as favorable as they are at the present time. Germany is in very deed a fruitful field. Our missionaries are enjoying perfect freedom; and let me assure you they are doing a good work. Some of them will even do a better work if no opportunity is given them by our good parents here at home to spend money lavishly, comparatively speaking. Some elders get along with less than fifteen dollars a month in the mission, others spend twenty-five and a number of them, possibly the average, thirty dollars a month. I think the parents should not send more than about thirty dollars a month unless these elders are assigned to labor in new fields. Remember high expenditures lessen the spirituality of the elders. The German people are very hospitable, and the members of the Church even more so. They give food, shelter, clothes and money to the Lord's servants. You have read what the revelation says about such people. We read in Section 84 of the Doctrine and Covenants as follows: ¶

"And whoso 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 you may know my disciples." ¶

I feel that there are many disciples in the Swiss and German and the German-Austrian missions, for they do feed the elders of the Church, they give our elders money, and they look upon them, as real servants of the Almighty. The Saints do more than this; they observe the law of tithing in a most remarkable manner, and they fail not to donate liberally to the fast offering account. The mission ranks very high in these activities. I should like to show you just by one or two incidents, for I haven't time for more, how the attitude of the people toward the Church and its members has changed in Germany. Professor Thomas A. Beal, of the University of Utah, was invited to deliver a lecture on Utah and the "Mormons" at the University of Berlin, on the night of December 15, 1925. There were from three hundred to four hundred people in attendance, and the address was well received. Before 1914 this would have been an impossibility. Also Elders David O. McKay and James E. Talmage, myself and many other elders have had the opportunity of preaching the gospel in the school halls of Prussia and in the City Hall of Berlin. This would have been simply impossible prior to the time of the Great War. ¶

I could relate other incidents to show you how the local members are respected now in the mission, whereas formerly they were despised by city officials. I may possibly be permitted to relate an incident that took place at the unveiling of the memorial tablet in honor of Karl G. Maeser, so that it will go into the record. The present owner of the property where Karl G. Maeser was born did not object to our erecting a tablet in his honor. I made a number of visits to the place, and each visit resulted in a religious conversation. He was always glad to see me and welcomed me in his home, but of all things in the world religion interested him, the least. He said: "Mr. Tadje, I simply cannot believe in the existence of a God. I have heard and seen too much of ministers who are insincere; therefore, the churches do not interest me. I cannot and will not trouble my mind about God and religion." I would hear that story every time that I conversed with him. At the close of the dedicatorial services I noticed that his little garden, in front of the house, had been trampled on by our people, and it did not look very good. I told him how sorry I was that we had ruined his little garden, but he said to me in all sincerity: "Mr. Tadje, our kind heavenly Father will let it grow again, I am sure." He added: "You may be surprised at hearing me talk that way, but, Mr. Tadje, I tell you my heart is full, my feelings almost overwhelm me; because, what I have seen and heard, today, convinces me that there is a just God in heaven." So impressive, my brethren and sisters, were the services incident to the unveiling of this memorial tablet. ¶

In conclusion, I wish to bear my testimony that I know positively that the gospel is true; I know positively that the supernatural elements, to which our esteemed President referred in his opening remarks, exist in the Church today. The Lord has been with us, and may he continue to bless us; may we abide in the faith continually by observing his commandments, I ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶