A Mission President's Testimony

Former President of the Northwestern States Mission ¶

I desire to take this occasion to express the gratitude that Sister Nibley and I feel for the opportunity we have had to serve as missionaries in the Northwestern States Mission. This was my second mission, and it was her first. I can say that we enjoyed every minute of our time. ¶

We were sent out, according to President McKay, for two and a half to three years, but we remained there three years and eight months. ¶

Oregon was not a new country to us, as my father had been there many years previously, and I had been there as a child. We have thousands of Latter-day Saints in the northwest, and many more are migrating out there on account of business and other opportunities. Besides the Portland and Seattle Stakes we have some ninety-two branches and Sunday Schools. We left 130 missionaries, whom we dearly love. ¶

When I received my release from the First Presidency, I did not know whether I wanted to come home or not, I felt so interested in my work. I remembered what my father told me about his mother when she was dying; she turned to him and said: "Charlie, this dying is no doings of mine." (Laughter) ¶

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One of the things which has pleased us has been the fine leadership we have had from President Grant and his Counselors. As Bishop Richards said, so I say, that the Latter-day Saints have the finest leadership in the world, our First Presidency. I express my loyalty to them. No one wrote me more frequently than President Grant, kind, loving, encouraging letters. I received many from him. When I opened his letters and read: "Dear Preston," and found that they closed, "Yours affectionately, Heber J. Grant," I felt close to my President. He was my President thirty-five years ago when I was a missionary in Europe, and now he is nearing his eighty-fourth birthday, and I thank my Heavenly Father that he has been preserved to us. ¶

President McKay has been all that a brother and leader, could be, and we have loved him and his leadership, and we love him now. I did not hear from President Clark so frequently, but President Qark, I always knew you were there, and I knew you were back of us. ¶

Brother and sisters, we tried to look after your missionaries. We never took our eyes away from them; we watched them by day and by night, and encouraged them so that they would return home and be an honor to you. We watched their health, we watched everything pertaining to them. ¶

I think our converts are being made in the northwest principally through the Latter-day Saints who reside there. They bring their neighbors to Church, and we are baptizing the neighbors of our Saints. Many hundreds have joined the Church. During our presidency over 2,000 were baptized in the Northwestern States Mission. ¶

Now, with the other mission presidents here, I do not know whether I should say it or not, but during the first six months of this year the Northwestern States Mission led the Missions of the United States in tracts distributed and Gospel conversations, and in baptisms per missionary. ¶

I am grateful that we received an honorable release from the First Presidency. We are happy to be home, and we shall continue to serve in any capacity to which the Brethren call us. ¶

I bear you my testimony that this is the work of God, that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, sent to restore the Gospel in this last dispensation. I leave you this testimony, and I do it humbly, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶