It Was My Great Pleasure Fiftytwo Years...

It was my great pleasure fifty-two years ago to be met by the President's younger brother, William M. McKay, in Zurich, Switzerland. It was he who was the district president at that time in Zurich, and it was also he who taught me a good deal about missionary work that has stayed with me until this day. At that time my mission president was Thomas E. McKay, under whom I served throughout my mission. ¶

I was very happy last evening, or the evening before, to pick up the April issue of The Improvement Era and find that the father of these three great men went on a mission in 1881, when President David O. McKay was seven, and his brother, Thomas E. McKay, was five. He also left his beloved wife. ¶

Near the conclusion of his mission he wrote a letter. It was dated February 12, 1883, and was to John Henry Smith, president at that time of the European and of the British Missions. I am sure that that letter, which was published at the time in the Millennial Star of March 12, 1883, is as inspirational to us this evening as it was when it was written by the wonderful father of these great men. ¶

I read but a part, because I want you all to read the entire article: "The spirit of gathering appears to be increasing among the Saints, causing them to draw near to their Heavenly Father and to each other. This manifest increase of faith and good works among the Saints is being felt for good, throughout the circle that the worthy Saints move in, among the honest in heart. Baptisms are becoming more frequent. The number of our traveling elders has been reduced somewhat, but no doubt President Smith will remember Scotland when wisdom dictates to send us more help." That is one of the classic sentences in Mormon literature. I want to read it again, and I hope everyone of you will develop within your heart that sort of spirit, that sort of attitude toward the leadership of the Church, and assume just as David McKay back in 1883, when this letter was written, assumed, that the Brethren know what they are doing. ¶

"The number of our traveling elders has been reduced somewhat, but no doubt President Smith will remember Scotland when wisdom dictates to send us more help. We need elders of strong faith, or with some money in their possession. Both is best, providing they have wisdom to exercise both at the same time; but our experience has conveyed the idea to our mind, that, with cash in the pocket, faith in a measure is allowed to take a rest." (Improvement Era, April 1961, p. 278 citing Millennial Star, Vol. 45, p. 173.) Well, I have been very much tempted to read more, but I want you all to read it for yourselves. It is a marvelous letter, and the letter which the Era published, which David McKay wrote and which was published in the Ogden newspaper on his return, is another classic. ¶

Now I have a distinct and definite purpose in my mind tonight to read the appraisal of President David O. ¶

McKay as a missionary. This has been written at my request by a former mission president. He says that since beginning his world travels in 1920, when under direction of President Heber J. ¶

Grant and counselors and the Quorum of the Twelve, President David O. ¶

McKay and Elder Hugh J. Cannon were assigned to visit missions and various lands around the earth. President McKay has undoubtedly traveled wider and farther than any other missionary. ¶

Speaking of these beginnings, President McKay says: "When we left home December 4, 1920, we looked forward with no little misgiving and anxiety to the trip ahead of us. It was no simple matter to contemplate traveling to the Orient, hence to the Antipodes, much of that distance to be spent on the water. ¶

The keen sense of responsibility adequately to fulfill the desires of President Grant and his Counselors and the Twelve who had honored us with that call, made us seek the Lord as I have never sought him before in my life, and I wish to say this afternoon that the promise made by Moses to the children of Israel just before they crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land has been fulfilled in our experience, as we sought the Lord with all our souls. ¶

He came to our guidance and assistance. ¶

It may be that the realization of our dependence upon him made more prominent what seems to me to be a deplorable tendency of the world to disregard, even to disown, their relationship to our Heavenly Father. It is our privilege to hear educators and other prominent men speak in different places and upon different occasions, and to mingle with different classes of men and women on boats, for we spent a total of five months on the water, sailing in about 23 different vessels, each vessel well crowded with all classes of tourists, most of whom were confessed Christians. ¶

"Frequently we were grieved to note the attitude of apology that these Christian men and women assumed concerning God, their Creator, and his Son, Jesus Christ." ¶

Upon this trip, and many subsequent ones, he had many and varied experiences; for instance, he rededicated the Holy Land for the return of Israel there, and to the preaching of the gospel. He also dedicated the land of China for the preaching of the gospel. He himself preached the gospel on the high seas, near volcanoes, in waste places, on mountains, and in the earth's beautiful valleys. He lived intimately with natives in most of the European countries, in the Holy Land, Armenia, China, New Zealand, Australia, Tonga, Samoa, Hawaii, in South American countries, and in others, but he lived, not only with natives in these places, but also with educators, professional men and women, statesmen, officials, and others. ¶

In all these relations did he ever have any serious contention or strife? He spread the spirit of love and respect and received the same in return, and his name is held as a symbol of love and peace in the countries where he has traveled. The spirit of inspiration was heavy upon him, so that through him miracles were performed as in the days of old by Peter and others of the apostles. ¶

Of this spirit President McKay says: ¶

"Inspiration was given to us on our world tour of the missions of the Church. ¶

"I want to testify to you that God was with us when we stood beneath the old tree in China when we dedicated that land to the preaching of the gospel. My words may not convince you of the fact, but no disputant can convince me that our souls were not filled to overflowing with the Spirit of God on that occasion. . . . ¶

"I knew of his protecting care in the Tongan Islands; for when the vessel was submerged by a mountainous wave, we felt peace and security. ¶

"At Papeete, Tahiti, we knew his guiding hand and acknowledged his overruling Providence, when replacing our judgment by his inspiration, he moved us to do something which our own judgment had told us not to do, subsequent events proving that the inspiration came in rich abundance in the priesthood meetings with the missionaries. ... ¶

"Again, when among the Samoans, we felt his presence on several occasions, especially in that memorable farewell at Sauniatu." (Cherished Experiences, pp. 134-135.) He then relates how they were directed to Elder Joseph Wilford Booth in Armenia, and he was directed to meet them — Brothers McKay and Cannon — with no suggestion of time or place suggested, yet they did meet in a miraculous way. ¶

He also relates how a Chinese brother whom he knew was transformed from a would-be murderer to a man of love and peace, who dedicated his life and fortune to the gospel, was made happy and spread his happiness like a contagion through the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ. ¶

The above-mentioned experiences reveal the spirit that accompanied and prompted President McKay as he pursued his extended missionary work. In these experiences he has witnessed the degradation and suffering because of a lack of knowledge of gospel principles. ¶

In contrast, he has seen the blessings, joy, peace, power, and happiness, even miracles, resulting from the acceptance and living of the gospel. Because of these experiences he has come to realize that the world's greatest need is the hearing and the living of the gospel of the Master. ¶

Indeed, it is this realization that has impelled his late extensive travels that have fired him to construct numerous meetinghouses and temples throughout the world, namely that the gospel may be more effectively preached and taught to the world, and, I might say, he has a deep-seated desire in his heart that all of these members who are baptized after their conversion, and who are fellowshiped into the Church should have the blessing of the full Church program. ¶

It is not difficult to follow such a great leader, and such a great missionary. I want to take just a minute to say that this direction, of which Elders Petersen, Hinckley, and Richards have spoken of tonight, has come from the heart of this great missionary. I have heard many say that they wonder if there has ever been a greater missionary in the Church. It has come from his heart and so has inspiration from the Almighty that every member of this Church should be a missionary, and especially that every man holding the Holy Priesthood of God should be a missionary, and that now extends itself to one other thought, which I want to leave with you. ¶

That is, that every family in the Church should be a missionary family. ¶

If ever the time existed upon the earth when we need to solidify and unify and strengthen the family circle, it is today. ¶

You go into the home of a Latter-day Saint family which is a missionary family in the true sense of the word, and you will find a family filled with love and unity and with the choicest blessings of the Lord showered down upon them constantly. ¶

My, what we could produce in this Church today if we would follow the admonitions of President McKay, the great missionary that he is. This, so far as my feelings are concerned, is just the same as though the Lord had spoken, because to me he has spoken, and I know as I live that he has spoken to the world through his mouthpiece, his prophet, in this day and age, telling all of us, the children of our Heavenly Father who have espoused membership in his Church and kingdom, to become missionaries. How can any of us afford not to do so? ¶

I pray God to bless us all that we may unite as one in carrying on this great work, and never let a bishop be heard to complain about the work of the missionaries in the mission field, or never let a missionary complain about what a bishop does as he presides over his ward, for there must be unity in the priesthood, and particularly among those to whom keys of the priesthood, keys of presidency, have been given. To that body of men, above all other men on earth, there must be an absolute unity of purpose. Be assured that whatever the missionaries do in the full-time missions of the Church, they are doing it under the inspiration and the direction of President David O. McKay, and when we fail to sustain them, we fail to sustain him and to sustain the Lord. ¶

God bless us to put our hearts and souls and those of our families to this work, I pray in Jesus' name. Amen. ¶