East Central States Mission Report

I do not know that I have ever recognized the truth of the statement of King Benjamin to the ancient Nephites more fully than I do at the present time, wherein he told them to. remember the greatness of God and their own nothingness. ¶

I feel very humble and very weak in this great work that I am called to perform in the East Central States Mission. I feel that we have received, this morning, help for us as we return to the mission field. I am sure that if other mission presidents are as I am, we often sit in with our own individual thoughts; we wonder, we think and meditate, we pray and consider the plans and the methods of procedure in the mission field. We are alone, only as we consult with our Heavenly Father and receive his inspiration in the things we are to do. ¶

Coming to these wonderful conferences we meet, as it were, in a great clearing house of ideas, doctrine, and principles. I think now of St. Paul's admonition in the scripture wherein he said : ¶

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: ¶

Why all of these things ? ¶

That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. ¶

I rejoice in the fact that we can meet together in these conferences and hear scripture from our living prophets, our living leaders, who speak under the inspiration of the Spirit of God. To me it is scripture, even though it is orally expressed. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, were oral gospels for many years before they were committed to writing. Why should not we as Latter-day Saints, knowing as we do that these men have been called of God, that they speak under the authority of the Holy Priesthood, and under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, I say, why should not we members of his Church in conference assembled accept these statements of theirs as scripture to us ? ¶

I rejoice in the remarks, the doctrines, the instructions, the corrections and the reproofs that we have received in this conference. Brethren and sisters, and friends who are here today, I feel that Saint Paul of old had, at times, difficulties the same as we mission presidents do at the present time. Likely there came into his soul times of depression, times of discouragement. I recall a statement of his which I should like to read here this morning. As he was encouraging the people of Philippi, the first place in Europe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was introduced, he held up to them the thought, as President Grant did here last night, that worldly things sink into insignificance in comparison with the values and the beauties of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He said : ¶

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. ¶

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. ¶

In my opinion this conference has sounded that keynote. There is no return, there is no backing up in the things we have attempted to do. Our vision points towards the future, and if there is any one thing that I am trying to eliminate and eradicate from among the members of the East Central States Mission, it is some of those things that were discussed a moment ago by Brother Stephen L Richards, especially dissension, and disunity within the Church. ¶

Brethren and sisters and friends, the war in heaven was a war beween the "brethren" and the "accusers of the brethren." Satan is here in our midst, this is his dominion, he is the accuser of the brethren, and when we find ourselves accusing our brethren, belittling them before men, we are fighting Satan's battles that he is hoping will be victorious. ¶

I am glad to report that the East Central States Mission is in a healthy condition. Our baptisms this year are almost a hundred per cent more than they were last year. We have one hundred and four missionaries in the field at the present time, seventy-nine Elders and twenty-five lady missionaries. Their health has been good in general, although we have had some few who have been afflicted during the summer months. They are happy in their work, their development is pleasing to me, and I am sure it is pleasing to the members of the Church in that mission field and to our Heavenly Father. ¶

My hope and prayer is that we shall continue to train our boys and girls in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe that we should understand that a knowledge of the Gospel and a testimony of the same are not hereditary, they do not come to us by reason of the fact that we have been born of goodly parents, unless we have accepted the teachings and the training those parents have given unto us. Religion without education has often degenerated into superstition, but theology that leads to religion, if accompanied by education, may result in the exaltation of man to the highest degree in the celestial kingdom when he applies it in his life. ¶

•May the Lord bless us; may we carry into our fields of labor the instruction, the inspiration, and the great enthusiasm that we have felt in these conference sessions, I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶