The Brazilian Mission

I am one of the derelict to whom Elder Thomas E. McKay referred when he inferred that some of the mission presidents in reporting their labors to the Quorum of the Twelve, did not pay due recognition and homage to the services of their wives. In a spirit of penitence I now undertake to make proper restitution. ¶

The other day I was seeking the home of a returned Brazilian missionary. I found the number and rang the bell. A lady came to the door with that indifferent expression on her face — you know what I mean, (laughter) I said: "I am President Seegmiller of the Brazilian Mission." She said: "Oh, President Seegmiller, our son loves you so much, especially Sister Seegmiller." (laughter) There are parents of 500 missionaries who feel the same way. So it seems to me that my puny efforts at expressing my appreciation of my missionary companion are all unnecessary. ¶

Brazil is a great country, an undeveloped country, resources everywhere untouched, the greatest iron deposit in all the world, a mountain of iron such as the Wasatch Mountains, rich from top to bottom in iron. It can be hauled to the smelter without mining, just pick up the rocks, blast them down and take them, but it is undeveloped. The deepest gold mine in the world, — So I will not be misunderstood again, not the richest — is in Brazil. The great Doce River Valley which furnishes quantities of water for irrigation and hydroelectric power where five million people could make their homes and be prosperous, lies untouched. American engineers have surveyed it. It seems that the day of its development approaches. ¶

The Brazilian people are kind; they are friendly to the United States. When I was ready to go to Brazil a friend of mine said: "Don't forget that the people of Brazil hate North Americans." I testify that that is not true. People of Brazil love to refer to Uncle Sam as Santa Claus, and maybe it is a good thing for us to be Santa Claus to that great people. ¶

When I was set apart for my mission, President Clark said: "Now, Brother Seegmiller, cultivate patience." And in a few moments he said again: "Do not forget to be patient." And after a line or two he said: "Please remember, Brother Seegmiller, with all your kindly disposition, you must cultivate patience." I did not realize fully what that meant until I became better acquainted with Latin America, and oh how I needed patience! I have now come from the "land of tomorrow" I hope with more patience, because every time I tried to get anybody to do anything they said amanha, and so now that I have come back to the country of today, I hope I have not so much patience that I shall always say amanha. ¶

When President McKay told me that I was to evacuate the missionaries from the Brazilian Mission, I said: "What will we do then?" He said: "Just do your best." I said: "I do not know the Portuguese language." He said: "That isn't what we are sending you down there for." After a few more questions I realized again, as I have many times, that I was expected to assume my own responsibility, as you are, and to do the best I could. Well, of course we profess to do our best. ¶

The day came when all the missionaries were evacuated and we went with our son and the last missionary to Rio de Janeiro to bid them good-bye. Sunday before they left, they baptized some people, and among them a man named Claudio and his wife Mary. In that last meeting before we took them to Rio de Janeiro, I could hear the members whispering in Portuguese and German, "Well, it is too bad we cannot hold services any more. President Seegmiller cannot stay here all the time." So I told them: "Services will be held as usual every Sunday." After I had said that I just wondered how, and I had already written to the First Presidency and told them that there was no prospect for presidency in the Brazilian Mission, there was no prospect for priesthood. ¶

But we came back from Rio the next Sunday and I asked the Saints: "Will you sustain Brother Claudio, who was baptized last Sunday, to be ordained as an elder?" They did. I said: "Now, will you sustain him as president of the Sao Paulo Branch?" — the most important branch in the Brazilian Mission. They sustained him. ¶

I ordained him an elder and set him apart as president of the Sao Paulo Branch and said: "Now, Claudio, select your counselors; that is your privilege." He said: "I select Jorge Vasaliedes for my first counselor," who had been baptized just a few weeks. And then he said: "I select Reuben Pellegrene for my second counselor." He had been baptized longer. So I ordained them elders and set them apart to their respective positions, and the branch was organized. ¶

We did this throughout the Brazilian Mission. After this was done I felt justly ashamed of myself for having written to the First Presidency and said: "There is no opportunity for presidency and priesthood in Brazil. We have no men. The few we have are not worthy." I forgot, as you forget, that God is at the helm, that all things under his direction are possible, and this work has been set up never again to be torn down or given to another people. I hope I shall remember that so that if ever again I shall be called to a position of presidency, I will remember that I am never alone. Sister ¶

Seegmiller and I were more than eighteen months alone in the Brazilian Mission — I mean no members of our family and no regular missionaries. But we were not at all alone in the true sense of the word. We would have remained there indefinitely and been happy had we not been called home by the same authority that called us there. But after the shock of reading that letter of release had cooled off, we paraphrased the song of Brother Ballard and said in our hearts: "We'll come where you want us to come." ¶

Notwithstanding the many friends we have in Brazil, and notwithstanding the great love we have for them and they for us, Brigham was right when he said: "This is the Place!" This is our home. There is no place like our own dear home. I wonder if we fully appreciate this fact. I read in magazines where young men are encouraged to go to Latin America. I have read in magazines where the wonders and opportunities of Brazil have been extolled and young men advised to go there. Now, my brethren, you younger brethren of mine, I advise you quite to the contrary unless you are called there, and then go with a heart full of love and patience. But in the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ among our people in this country is the best place for my boys, and I know it. There are good people everywhere. I love the Latin Americans. I remember when President McKay called me down to his office soon after we returned from Denver and he said: "President Seegmiller, have you any prejudice against the Latin American people?" I said, "No, I do not know anything about them." I did not even know that Portuguese was the language of Brazil. Did you? I do not know much about Brazil yet. I was almost totally ignorant about our Latin American friends, but I know something about them now, and I know that there in Brazil, with all the immorality, with all the sexual degradation, there are men and women who have resisted, they are pure and true, they are honorable and worthy, and we are sent out to find them, and not only to find them but to warn all others, and we have found many of them. ¶

We have only 417 members in that great nation of over forty million people, and that was our mission, all of Brazil. I remember when we arrived in Rio de Janeiro my predecessor was expected by the First Presidency to be there, and Brother Murdock had advised him to be there with money when we arrived, because we did not have any. We were in Miami so long our hotel bill was $350, and we three got on the plane with $20 in our pockets, and they advised the president to be there with money. He was not. The missionaries there were detained, and the president's wife, and I said: "Have all of you together got the equivalent of $9.00?" They did not have. I said: "I have a legal paper in my office written in English, which was given me by the court that says if I enter Brazil without paying $9.00 in school tax, I will be incarcerated. Now you had better rustle me $9.00." They could not. I said: "Well, we will go through the gates and see what happens." Nothing happened; it never has happened. So we went on about our business. I said: "Now I would like to stay here tonight with these missionaries.'' But the good sister said, "No, we have your reservations for Sao Paulo, and we must go." We got on the train, and oh, what a train! We rode all night. The next day when we arrived at the mission home, we said: "We will have a bath and a rest." And she said, "No, we have your reservations for Porto Alegre, the last city before the border of Argentina and Brazil. ¶

We were on that train — or was it a train? — for three days and four nights without getting off. And then we took a bus up the Atlantic coast for three days and nights with the waves of the Atlantic going through the wheels of the old shattered bus, and it was packed so firmly in the aisle and everywhere else with people that there was no chance to fall out, we just sat there, (laughter) ¶

When we got to the mission home, I said to my predecessor: "That is the last time." ¶

He said: "What do you mean?" ¶

I said: "I will never take a train or a bus on this trip again." "He said: "How will you do it?" ¶

"The Pan-American World Airways, I notice, have airports all along the line. That is how I will travel." ¶

He said: "Just wait and see what the First Presidency says to you about that." ¶

I said: "I have been working under their direction for many years and they have never reprimanded me very seriously yet." ¶

So we traveled by air for three years and a half and came home the same way. God was with us and we were safe always. ¶

I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I doubt it not. I hope that we shall have strength of character to serve him all our days because I know that if we do, he will be with us even to the end of the earth, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶