Conference Address

I hope that none of you good people are shivering like I am. This is a wonderful privilege that has come to me to stand before this vast concourse of people and look into your faces. It has been nearly seven years since I returned from my mission. You brethren who have not yet given your report do not get discouraged. ¶

When I think of the missionary work that has been done by this Church, I can see that great things have been accomplished by the elders. As mentioned yesterday by Elder Spencer W. Kimball, a great missionary work has been done and can be done amongst the dark-skinned people — the Mexicans, the Indians, and the natives of the Pacific Islands. In the days of the Prophet Joseph Smith and when Brigham Young was president of the Quorum of the Twelve there came into the hearts of the brethren a desire to do missionary work among those peoples, and with that in view they selected four humble elders to go to the South Pacific, presumably to the Sandwich Islands. They engaged passage on a sailing vessel leaving New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1843. They proceeded on their way, and having run out of foodstuffs and water, they went ashore after six months of travel. And having rounded the Horn they came up into the Pacific and stopped at the little island of Tubuai in the Society group. The elders went ashore, and the natives were so glad and happy to have missionaries come amongst them that they received them with open arms. The elders built up branches of the Church on those islands and did a great work. It was not long after they had established these branches of the Church that persecution came upon them. The elders were finally banished from the midst of the people, but the natives continued their faithful duties, and I have often thought since then where could we go to any branch of the Church, to any stake of Zion, having been left for 40 years without white elders from Zion and find that they had continued their organizations of the Church. They continued holding their meetings, their quarterly conferences, their fast meetings, their advancements in the priesthood, all during this time of 40 years when there were no white elders from Zion to encourage them and to cause them to be active in the Church as they were in the days when the elders were there. Great credit is due them. They are a people that we can learn to love, whom we do love, wonderfully gifted in many ways. One's heart goes out to them when he visits with them and partakes of their hospitality. ¶

May the blessings of our Heavenly Father continue with us in this conference. May we be impressed with the good works of these people. I bring to you, even at this late date, the expression of love and good feeling of those wonderful people and assure you that the sustaining power of our Heavenly Father is amongst them. May God bless them and us, I humbly pray, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶