Conference Address

My dear brothers and sisters, it is with fear and trembling that I stand before you at this time, with much gratitude and appreciation in my heart for the blessings which have come to me through my endeavor to serve the Lord in various capacities as I have gone through life. This is my third appearance on this stand, having reported once as President of the French Mission and twice as President of the Tahitian Mission. Having returned some little time ago from the Tahitian Mission, I shall now make a report of that mission. ¶

I was very happy to hear the remarks of Elder Spencer Kimball because he spoke of the people among whom I have labored some nine years, that is, the Lamanite people in the South Seas, in the Society Islands, Tahiti and the various islands of that group. Of all the people in the world I believe there are no other people who have more faith, more trust in God, than do the people of the South Seas who, we believe, are direct descendants of the Lamanites and the Nephites. ¶

I have often told those people that my love and compassion for them were so great that if the Lord would permit it upon the other side after passing through death, it would be a great pleasure for me to be a missionary to those of that race who had not had the privilege of hearing the gospel and accepting it, in this life. ¶

I love those people. They are a God-fearing people. They are a righteous people and God loves them. I am sure of that because among them many wonderful miracles and manifestations of the Spirit of the Lord are made. In fact, of all my missionary experiences I have seen more wonderful things performed in the Spirit of the Lord among the South Sea people in the land of Tahiti than in any other place in which I have labored. ¶

It is not difficult for the Spirit of the Lord to manifest itself among those people because they have implicit faith. It is either yes or no with them. They have no doctors among them. They have no need for doctors. They have the missionaries and the priesthood. If any of them become ill their faith is so strong that through the power of the Lord many of them are healed from various and divers illnesses. From the most difficult to the simplest, one might say, miracles have thus been performed among those ¶

people. The eyes of the blind have been made to see; the ears of the deaf have been made to hear; and those who have taken the path to the other world have been made to come to life again. I have witnessed these things among those people and can bear testimony that they are true. ¶

I was happy to learn that the Church recently is taking a very serious interest in the Tahitian people, since they are now building a very lovely mission home and a tabernacle for those people, which, I am sure, will do a great deal of good for the people there, and as a result many converts will be made, not because of the meetinghouse, not because of the new mission home, but because of the deep interest that the Church is taking in the people of the South Seas. ¶

In the various parts of the South Seas you see new school houses, colleges, and so forth, being built, and now with the deep interest the Church is taking in the American Indians, the time is fast approaching, I believe when prophecy will be fulfilled in its greatest measure. ¶

I am happy to report my missionary experiences in the South Seas. When I left the people there, they were in good condition. They were doing well. They were faithful in the Church. However, there were no missionaries except myself and my wife laboring on the Islands of the Society group, that being at the time of the recent war. It made it rather difficult to get around, but most of the time was spent between Tahiti and the various islands, traveling a distance of from 1600 to 2000 miles on small boats to the various islands. ¶

It was all interesting. The food, of course, was not plentiful, but notwithstanding, when one has the Spirit of the Lord, nothing matters save that you are trying to help the people who are interested in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Therefore, my mission in Tahiti was worthwhile to me and I believe worthwhile to the people of the South Seas. ¶

I have a strong testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I know that George Albert Smith and his Counselors and the Quorum of the Twelve are the present constituted authorities of the Church, and are inspired men of God and I love to serve them. I love to be obedient to their commandments, and I hope God will give me strength and power to be obedient to them, and to receive, when I have passed beyond this sphere of action, an exaltation in God's presence. ¶

As the other brethren have spoken of their wives, may I just take about two minutes to eulogize my beloved wife. I believe no Mission President has been blessed with a more faithful wife than I have. ¶

When we were called to Tahiti, President McKay asked us if we would go, without consulting Sister Rossiter I said, "Yes." When I returned home I told Sister Rossiter about it and she said: "Did you mention that I had asthma and that it is quite impossible for me to go?" ¶

I said: "I had forgotten." I said, "Shall I return and tell him that it will be impossible to go?" ¶

She said: "No. You have received a call and I will follow." ¶

Well, brethren and sisters, my heart bled for her from the time we left until the time we returned. She had asthma almost constantly. We arrived in San Francisco, and waited there for the President of the California Mission, our late Governor Blood, to return. He gave my wife a blessing. He was in tears when he gave her a blessing and said: "Sister Rossiter, you are in no condition to go on a mission. Return home and tell the brethren." ¶

She said: "I am going on a mission. I have been called and I will go if it is the last thing I do." ¶

We arrived in the Hawaiian Islands, and the Doctor on the ship said: "You cannot go any farther." He said: "I will not take the responsibility. You must get off here and be hospitalized." ¶

My wife said: "I'll not. I will stay on the ship and go to my destination." ¶

We arrived in Samoa and the same thing happened. I talked and counseled with her. She said: "Nothing will dissuade me from going on this mission. I am going and I am going to return safely." ¶

We arrived in Tahiti. She suffered with the asthma. If any of you have had that you know what it is, and I, likewise, suffered with her. She supported me in all my endeavors and without her my mission would have been impossible. I believe she has more faith than anybody that I know of, and I thank God, our Eternal Father, for giving her to me as a helpmate through this life. ¶

I bear you this testimony and I do it in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. ¶