Help the Seventies and Stake Missions

Brethren, I believe this is the first time I ever stood before a congregation of this many men that didn't have a good number of seventies in it to give it color. You have seven of us on the stand, but we feel perfectly inadequate. ¶

I wish to send, through you stake presidents, to all those seventies out there, our regrets that they are not here with us, and our good wishes. We are just a bit worried about them. Brother Merrill has told us what he expects them to do in a quorum capacity. They have been told that they can't drive their automobiles to get together. They are scattered all over from Dan to Beersheba. There are only about twenty-six quorums out of one hundred which are confined to but one ward. Those twenty-six will be able to hold their council meetings and their quorum meetings without much difficulty. The other seventy-four are scattered over from two to eight or ten wards. ¶

Now, we hope that you brethren will remember that when they divide up into groups and go into their various wards, that they are still a quorum, under stake jurisdiction conjointly with that of the First Council of the Seventy, that you will try to retain your interest in those seventies, and provide ways that they may occasionally get together in full quorums. ¶

I imagine your high priests will have the same difficulty that the seventies will experience. In many of the stakes where I have visited I fear that the monthly quorum meeting is going to be next to impossible. The leadership meeting does not provide the opportunity for more than a quorum council meeting. I hope that some time, at least, in the quarter, that we can get all of our seventies together, so that they will still remember that they are a quorum, and that they have a responsibility to the stake organization, as well as to the First Council. ¶

Brethren, if you will help us I am sure that you can open up the way for them so that they can retain their interest in their quorum, and function in a quorum capacity. ¶

Now, we have another thing that bothers us. We have already noticed, in the report for January of this year, that there has been a very definite and distinct let-down in the missionary work of the stakes. We hope that in view of this recent instruction that missionary work may be reorganized so that it can carry on without too much hindrance and too much obstruction. To you, brethren, you stake presidents, we give that responsibility to see that your stake missions and your seventies' quorums function naturally. ¶

We have faith in you. We believe in you. We know that many of you, if not most of you, have passed through our organization, and we hope that you will be able to retain an interest in the seventies, that you will help them, and in doing that help us. ¶

I am happy for this opportunity to bear my testimony. I feel that we are in the hands of the Lord, and I feel that regardless of the obstacles that may come our way, this great work will go forward. I believe there is nothing under heaven that can interrupt its progress, although we may meet serious difficulties at times. ¶

God bless you. Amen. ¶