Someone Said Yesterday That This Is a Frightening Experience...

Someone said yesterday, that this is a frightening experience. I want you to know that I can concur in that statement. Really, I am scared. ¶

I pray humbly that our Heavenly Father will bless me with his Spirit, and that each one of you will offer up a prayer in my behalf, that I may make this report satisfactorily to all concerned. ¶

Last October the Presidents of the Stakes in the Los Angeles Temple area received a commission by the First Presidency. We were called into session. President Richards instructed us that morning, and then at the close of the meeting, he gave out this information to the Presidents: That it is customary in the temple areas for people to make contributions to the temple and "we have decided that possibly a million dollars would be your fair share." Now, President Richards, you do not know how nearly you knocked out fourteen stake presidents with that statement. ¶

We kept our chins up and it was only afterwards when we got out, and we confided in each other that really we were staggered. But we had received the commission, and so our instructions before we left were to make a plan, organize, and submit the plan, and get the approval of the First Presidency and then we would be given the green light to go forward. ¶

We made such a plan, when we got back to Los Angeles, and we submitted it. The First Presidency made some changes and eliminated some of the suggestions we had made, and the plan was finally adopted and as a result we started to raise the million dollars. ¶

It was suggested that we indicate to the people, first of all, how much they should give, that is, how much it was necessary for them to give. We broke it down on a stake level and allocated the quota on a per capita basis to each of the stakes and missions in California. ¶

We put out the literature, the little pamphlet that aided and assisted in the raising of the money, and then we decided we would launch the campaign on February 4th. President McKay agreed to come and start that meeting. ¶

There were 1200 people, those were the leaders, the stake presidencies and the high council, the stake clerks, the bishops and their counsellors, and their clerks, in attendance from all of the stakes and the missions in the Temple area. We called upon each of the stake presidents, and when this plan was submitted to President McKay, he thought, maybe, knowing stake presidents, as he does, they would take too long to speak, all twelve of them or all fourteen of them, but they were given a minute and a half each and of course there was a little method in our moving in that direction, because we asked one or two that we knew were very enthusiastic, to speak first and they committed their people, and then, of course, we sandwiched in some of the others who were not too enthusiastic. By the time we got through they all committed themselves to reach the quota, and that was what we were after. ¶

Everything went along very smoothly, but I want the Priesthood of this Church to know, that with all of the organization and all of the planning that the stake presidents did, the whole thing would have fallen flat if it had not been for the soul-inspiring discourse of President McKay. He electrified those 1200 people, and they went out of that meeting with a determination in their hearts that they were going to consummate that commission that was given by the First Presidency. ¶

I talked with any number of them, and they said, "We just can not fail. ¶

We will raise the money." ¶

In the plan was this method, that each stake president first would give his fair share. To sell a program you must sell yourself, and the stake president naturally would have to give and if he expected the people over whom he presided to give generously, it was necessary for him to do so. ¶

And then his counsellors and then the stake clerks, and then we called in the members of the high council, and each in turn gave his generous fair share. ¶

We called in the bishops and their counsellors, and their ward clerks. We had the leadership, and then we said, "Go out into the wards, and sell this program and give the people the opportunity of receiving great blessings by contributing generously to the Temple." ¶

And they did. ¶

We told President McKay in April we would be to Conference and report to him and that we hoped to be able to report that we had raised the million dollars. I think he was quoted in the last Conference as saying that we had raised, that is we had pledged and promised to pay one million six hundred fifty thousand dollars at that time. ¶

Since these pledges have been made, some people seem to be a bit apprehensive as to whether when a person gave a generous pledge he would live up to his pledge. It is our responsibility to follow it up and see that they do in every ward. In every ward in every one of these stakes there is an assistant ward clerk, who has a record of every giver, and a record of how much he has paid. When a person gets behind, he is tactfully reminded of the fact that he is a little behind, and that he is depriving himself of a lot of blessings when he fails to pay the things that help to move the work of the Lord along, and the money comes in. ¶

This organization is set up in every ward. I should like to report now to you, that we are ahead of schedule in the Temple area. We have paid in excess of a quarter of a million dollars in cash, and we are better than $40,000 ahead of the schedule. ¶

I want to assure the First Presidency and the General Authorities of the Church and the Priesthood of the Church, that our people in the temple area will continue to respond as they have done, and we will pay every dollar of the $1,650,000. and not just a million. Not only that, but we have issued ten thousand pieces of literature to pass out to the newcomers into the area and to the converts that have been made. ¶

We want everyone to have an opportunity including the individuals who did not give as much possibly as they would have liked to give at the time, together with the inactive ones who felt at the time that they could not give. So we feel definitely that we will raise the $1,650,000. and if any of the brethren have had any fears or apprehension in regard to that, we should like at this time, to allay those fears, because we feel that we are going to raise that amount of money. ¶

In regard to the temple itself, progress is being made, the excavations have been accomplished, the cement is being poured for the foundations; Incidentally, some of you may not know where the temple is located; it is located on the old Harold Lloyd estate, on a hill that overlooks all of Los Angeles, very close to Santa Monica. It is on Santa Monica Boulevard and Selby Avenue. We are in the process of completing a retaining wall completely around this property. ¶

It is high enough that it will overlook the whole city. A very beautiful site. ¶

.The old building that was there has been renovated, offices have been made out of the building, and they are very comfortably situated. ¶

Soren Jacobsen is the superintendent of construction, and this is something else I should like to say, that possibly no section in the Church is blessed with a greater number of expert mechanics than we have in that area, and they are very anxious, our people are, to contribute of their time, and their talents, in addition to the money they have contributed. We hope they can be given that opportunity, we appreciate there are difficulties in connection with it, but I hope the situation will not get so serious that our people will be deprived of the opportunity and the blessings that will come to them by getting their hands in the mud and plaster and working as they would like to work in the construction of the temple. ¶

I am sure that the way will open up so that our people can contribute of their time and their talents in the construction of the temple. ¶

All of the employment, all of the labor is handled by the employment placement counselor. Dakon Broadhead, who is the employment placement counselor under President Hunter of the Pasadena Stake, is in charge of that work, and all of the employment placement counselors are assisting him. ¶

We can supply all of the labor that they will want and that they will need. ¶

President Broadhead is doing an excellent job. ¶

We are enthusiastic, my brethren. We are very happy and very proud, and we are very thankful that the First Presidency and the other General Authorities of the Church are building a temple in our area. I am sure it is going to do a great deal of good in Southern California. ¶

I vision a spiritual renaissance in that area. Our people will be spiritually uplifted. It will be a great blessing. We want you people to know that we are happy. We are enthusiastic. We are resolute in our determination to fulfill the commission which was given to us. ¶

Unflinchingly and unhesitatingly, we shall move forward doing everything in our power to see that everything goes in accordance with the plans of the First Presidency of this Church. ¶

In closing, I should like to bear my testimony that I know that this is the work of the Lord, I know that we are being guided and directed by men of God, and all we need to do, brethren, is to follow the counsel and never become so wise that we think we know more than those who give the plans for the direction of this great work, and if we get into line and follow the counsel, there is no question as to the outcome. ¶

God help us to be true to the faith, to magnify the Priesthood that we bear, and to assist in rolling the work forward! May God bless us in our determination to do this, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶