European Missions in Wartime

Successful Conference of Danish Mission

The one held at Copenhagen, headquarters of the Danish Mission, this year continued throughout the entire week. We quote from the acting President's report: ¶

We have now completed our tenth annual M. I. A. Convention which this time covered a period of one week. The convention was opened on June 22 with two very well attended meetings at 10 a.m. and 7 p. m. Many Saints and friends had gathered from near and far. In spite of the difficulties the Saints willingly responded to the invitation to attend the convention. The railway fares have been raised 25 per cent, it thus being a rather heavy expense on the young people. ¶

The program for the various arrangements included very wonderful meetings, music, dance, excursions, a theater evening where the King and Queen honored us with their attendance; this was a great experience for many of the visitors, who had never seen the Sovereigns. ¶

When our visitors left Copenhagen many of them shed tears for joy, expressing their appreciation for the privilege which had been theirs to attend the best and most spiritual convention in the Danish Mission. I am sure they went home to their Branches filled with this one thought: To do better in the future and labor with greater zeal and interest for the marvelous cause in which they are engaged. ¶

Conference at Liege

The following paragraph is taken from a letter from the French Mission: ¶

On June 8 we held the semi-annual District Conference in Liege. We held three meetings. After one, a light meal (soup, with meat, vegetables, and potatoes) was offered free of cost to each member and friend, thanks to members' gifts. This little thing is gold now. ¶

We welcomed eleven new members, who were baptized and confirmed-- four men, five women, one boy and one girl -- making a total of thirteen baptisms since January. It was a spiritual conference, and we all felt the Holy Spirit among us. ¶

This little meat that they had at this free meal was as gold to them now. You know, all their letters are censored, so they cannot write all they would like to. Those few words tell volumes. ¶

These two reports are typical of the encouraging news that comes from all our European Missions. Nearly all of them report baptisms. The amount of tithing and Fast offerings is quite generally maintained and in at least two of the Missions an increase is shown. Considerable missionary work is still being carried on, especially is this true in the British Mission, where, it is reported in a letter just recently received, there are twenty-seven regular missionaries working. Besides, over three hundred home missionaries have been called in the various Branches and are devoting at least one or two evenings each week in tracting, visiting inactive members, selling and obtaining subscriptions to the Star, etc. ¶

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First Dug ¶

Conferences in Belfast and Dublin

In this letter also we are given a report from our members in Ireland, from which we quote the following: ¶

Have just returned from a visit to north and south Ireland, and was able to hold two separate conferences in Belfast and Dublin. The Dublin Saints are all very fine, and are supporting continually one missionary in the field. ¶

The Belfast Saints have suffered somewhat badly in a recent air raid. None of them has suffered any injury or death; some of them, however, lost some of their belongings. In one case a complete home was destroyed. Some of our members have had miraculous escapes. Members in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland are all well. Slight damage was done by enemy action to premises No. 16. ¶

The district conferences held in the Swiss Mission were, considering the unusual conditions that prevail, especially well attended. At Zurich there were over 600 present; at Berne about 500; and at Basel, 650. The mission publications from the British, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Netherlands, and South African Missions are being received quite regularly. We also receive letters, but not quite so often, from the East and West German Missions, Czechoslovakian and Palestine-Syrian Missions. All letters come air mail, via the Clipper, and with the exception of those from the French-Swiss district and the Swiss Mission, all are censored. ¶

Praise for Acting Mission Presidents

The acting Mission Presidents, the District Presidents, and our brethren and sisters assisting them are all doing exceptionally fine work. We are proud of them. They express appreciation to all, and especially are they grateful to the First Presidency for what they have done and are doing in their behalf. ¶

They appreciated very much the visit of President Grant. Oh, how grateful I am now that he visited all of those Missions, that our people there had the opportunity, many of them, of meeting him and shaking hands with him, and all of them -- including hundreds of friends -- of hearing his wonderful testimony! What a comfort and what a strength that is to them now in this time of trial! ¶

Love of the Gospel in the Hearts of the European Saints

I believe sometimes that they even appreciate the Gospel more than we do here at home, the way they attend their meetings, their sacrament meetings, their testimony meetings. No time is wasted there, when they have an opportunity to bear testimony. They love the Gospel and are doing their very best to live it. They not only say: "We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men," but they are trying to live those principles in their lives. What a wonderful influence for good in the world it would be if all Latter-day Saints ¶

could not only say "We believe these things," but could truthfully say, "We are honest; we are true; we are chaste; we are benevolent; we are doing good to all men," if we could in very truth say, "If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things; we are keeping the Word of Wisdom; we are keeping the Sabbath Day holy; we are paying our tithes and our offerings." Such an example would do more good than all the preaching we are now doing. ¶

Oh, Latter-day Saints, where much is given, it is said, much is required. These principles have been given to us, and if we could only live them; you cannot estimate the good that it would do throughout the world if truthfully it could be said we are living these principles. They are given to us for our happiness here upon this earth. ¶

A Sincere Testimony

God lives, brethren and sisters. He is our Father. We are all His children. He loves us, even as we love our children, only He has a greater capacity for love. Because He loves us He has given us these principles to make us happy here in this life. "Man is that he might have joy," we are told. I want to testify to you brethren and sisters this afternoon that if we lived the Gospel of Jesus Christ as revealed in these days we would have joy in this life; we would have a heaven here upon this earth, because all these principles are given to us for our happiness and our joy in this life, and it is not necessary to wait until the life to come. We would have love at home, and "there is beauty all around when there's love at home." ¶

I testify to you in all sincerity that I know that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and that all those who have succeeded him have been prophets of God to His people in this day. How grateful I am for the association of President Grant! No one can estimate the good that he has done, not only here among his people, but throughout the world; the better public relations that have been brought about by his contact with thousands of business men in all capacities, at gatherings of all kinds, conventions, meetings, and banquets given by Chambers of Commerce, where after his talks all have arisen in a body and cheered at length because of his faith-inspiring remarks. I want to tell you, brethren and sisters, that he is appreciated and loved, not only here at home but abroad, and especially by our brethren and sisters in our European Missions. ¶

May our Father in Heaven continue to bless' him, our people in war-torn Europe, and all of us, I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶