Conference Address

I have been much impressed, as I read in the history of the Church, by the simple faith and desires of the men who began things over a hundred years ago. When they discovered that Joseph Smith the Prophet had access to their Heavenly Father, there were many men who came to him and asked if he would inquire of the Lord what was desired in their behalf. ¶

The Word of the Lord to Early Members

I suspect this importuning sometimes embarrassed the Prophet and at times made him impatient, but he did many times go to the Lord on behalf of his friends and his brethren, and he invited the Lord to tell him what they should do in the kingdom of our God. His father, Joseph Smith, Senior, inquired. Oliver Cowdery invited instruction. Hyrum Smith, his brother, Joseph Knight, Senior, David Whitmer, Thomas B. Marsh, Ezra Thayre, and Northrup Sweet were among those who received reply. Nearly all of these brethren, in the course of the Lord's instruction to them, were told that if they wanted to serve God, they were called to do the work and that now was the time. They should thrust in their sickles and reap while the day lasted, for there were many souls that were ready to be harvested. The main burden of the refrain which I catch from the spirit of the Prophet Joseph's utterance is that if men desire to be called, they may be called. I believe that is the way it has always been. ¶

The other day in the Tooele Stake a sister came to me and said that a certain member of the stake wanted to> go on a mission but that the family concerned was sitting back waiting for the inspiration of the Lord to tell the bishop of this particular person's desire. Well, I think the Lord will eventually inspire the bishop to feel that way about it, but it would be a lot easier if the person concerned would go to the bishop and express his desires, thereby putting himself in line with what these brethren did over a hundred years ago. ¶

What does the Lord want in our behalf? He wants us to serve him and do all things which his servants, the leaders of the Church, ask. ¶

The Special Calling of the Seventies

May I say a few words to the seventy concerning this matter? It is that particular group which I have a desire to help. The seventy are the missionaries of the Church, if I read the Doctrine and Covenants correctly. I do not mean by that that they are the only missionaries but that they are called especially to be missionaries. When a man becomes a seventy and is ordained as such, he ought to begin immediately to develop his powers of expression, to understand the principles of the gospel, and to seek every opportunity he can to express himself, that he might some day be able to fill his calling and do missionary work. I can recall about fifteen or sixteen years ago when President J. Golden Kimball came to Ogden and asked all of the seventy assembled in the Ogden Stake how many would go on missions if they could. All raised their hands. Then he wanted to know further how many would be willing to die for the gospel's sake, if necessary. Again all raised their hands. I thought at that time, how in the world can all these men go on missions? They work; they have families; there is no way they can leave their dependents behind and let the Church take care of them. How can they fill that particular call? Now it is easy to see. There are missions in the stakes of Zion. Each stake has its mission. From these missions the missionaries are prepared and are sent to the non-members of the Church who should hear the gospel, should have it preached to them, should be given an opportunity to accept it. Any man who is a seventy, who wants to do missionary work and thus fill his calling as a seventy should waste no time in reporting to his stake president that he so desires to do it, and in the due time of the Lord, as these brethren are inspired, they will call this seventy to the work of the ministry and to the mission field. Let it not be thought that this work is not important. One of the most fruitful places that we do missionary work is among our people right here at home. There were two brethren in my stake who went out on a missionary call. Before they went out, they said to themselves and to the Lord, "We shall give every minute of our time away from our business to this work," and so they did. Soon they were spending five evenings a week of their time visiting people and teaching the gospel to them. Within sixteen months after holding a series of cottage meetings and promulgating the truths of the gospel to their neighbors, they had baptized, after conversion, the unbelievable number of twenty-two adults — twenty-two adults in sixteen months! You can find no more fruitful field than that in this day anywhere, and those brethren told me that as they went down the street to do their tracting, very often they felt the whisperings of the spirit saying to them, "Turn into this place," and having turned into that place, they were able to convert the family. I cannot recall ever hearing my father or any of my relatives telling any better stories of missionary experiences than that. That happened right at home, right among our own people. These brethren did not spend any money going into the mission field. They were right where they could be every night with their families after getting through with their evening's labors. The Lord blessed their labors, and he will bless your labors. ¶

So, brethren of the seventies' quorum, (there are about somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty thousand of you), when you say to the presidency of your stake, "What may we do?" when you inquire of the Lord what he desires of you, perhaps the reply will be, "We shall call you to a mission, as your office requires; and we shall ask you to spend what spare time you have in teaching the gospel to our friends who do not belong." If such a call should come to you, it is my personal hope that you will accept and go forth with your might and reap while the day lasts. I believe that is the call to us as seventies. It matters not whether we go far afield or whether we stay at home, so long as the call comes, and our brethren who preside want us to do it. ¶

I have only a desire to preach the gospel personally. I am to be sent away from you for awhile. All I can promise in that respect is that I shall do my best to build upon the foundations laid by those who shall have been my predecessors, and to teach the people of the New England States, through your lovely missionaries, the gospel of Jesus Christ, for I know it is true. It is an honor to me to be sent to do this thing with your boys and your girls, who are so anxious to tell the world, as they know and I know, that Joseph Smith was a Prophet; that through the power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith was able to bring back the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth. This is my hope and my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶