My Dear Brothers And Sisters...

My dear brothers and sisters: ¶

Within the month Sister Tuttle and I stood in the mountain fastness of the Andean highlands. We were visiting among the Indian people, where recently we have established the Church. ¶

The Church of Christ in the Andes They live today much as they lived in centuries past — in the age of the hand scythe and the crooked stick for a plow. Acres of ground are still cultivated by a farmer using his foot plow with two handles, designed in the days of the Incas. ¶

High in the Andes the Indians cultivate small farms which, like a patchwork quilt, cover the mountains from the crest to the river. Adobe mud huts, with their thatched roofs showing shaggy-like, dot the landscape. Judged by our luxurious standards, their huts are pitiful indeed. For hundreds of thousands existence is bare. ¶

In many places in the Cordillera [Andean mountain range] they thresh as in the days of the Savior. Oxen tread the grain, and it is winnowed in the wind. Burdens are carried on colorful llamas or burros or, more likely, the human back. ¶

The women's blouses of bright hues are softened by the earth tones of their homespun skirts. Long black braids, often interwoven with bright strips of cloth, are topped by a white straw hat or a colored felt derby, denoting their clan or city. In addition to their manta, or shawl, they always carry a baby wrapped in a blanket deftly tied across their shoulders, with often another child or two trotting at their side. ¶

Men and boys wear knee-length trousers and plain short jackets of homespun, with undershirts of once bright colors. Knit caps with ear flaps and the necessary poncho complete their attire. If sandals are worn, they are cut from old tire treads. More often than not the men go barefoot. ¶

Their hillside plots produce crops of corn, small potatoes, grains, and vegetables. Everybody works. Old women tend the babies, spin and knit, cook the meager meals. Small children scantily dressed in oft mended clothing carry water and help gather herbs for food. Always there is the tending of flocks of llamas which graze with the sheep on the rocky hillsides or eat tethered in the fields. An occasional team of oxen and the ever present burro completes the landscape scene in the high Sierras. There is evidence of poverty everywhere. ¶

But it was not always so. ¶

The Book of Mormon from the Ancestors of These Indians

The Book of Mormon is the word of God and is a record of his ministry among the ancestors of these Indians. ¶

Columbus named them Indians. He thought he had discovered the Indies. ¶

In reality they are Lamanites. They are descendants of Joseph who was sold into Egypt. The account of their religious experiences was written in hieroglyphics upon plates and handed down from one generation to another, overspreading a 2,600 year period. ¶

The Book of Mormon recounts the departure of these Israelites from their homeland. It says they built ships; crossed the ocean; erected cities; constructed highways; engaged in merchandising, industry, and shipping. It tells of their growth from a few families to hundreds of thousands of people. ¶

It describes their destructive wars and warns of the decline of this once enlightened people. But their prophets foresaw a restoration of their former blessings after the restored gospel is taught to them. ¶

Christ Visited the People of the American Continent

Most important, however, this ancient scripture declares unequivocally that the Risen Christ walked and talked with the people on this the American continent. This religious record relates the calling of the Twelve Apostles and the establishment of his Church on this hemisphere. The Book of Mormon sets forth in clarity and plainness the teachings of the Resurrected Lord as he sojourned with these people for a brief season. It has rightly been called the Bible of the Western Hemisphere. ¶

Today Indian legends still contain fragmentary accounts of a great Personage who long ago visited among them. Known among different tribes by a variety of names, he is nevertheless always described in similar terms. ¶

Today these people, whose ancestors saw the Risen Christ, number in the millions. They range from Canada to la Tierra del Fuego. In North America many dwell on reservations. Thousands are scattered throughout Mexico and Central America. In South America they live in the jungle and on the tops of the Andes. The blood of this chosen people flows in the veins of many of those who live south of the Rio Grande. ¶

An Awakening from Subjugation

There is a gradual awakening of responsibility to the Lamanites. Their governments have helped. Roads are being opened to their formerly inaccessible retreats. Land reforms are becoming effective. Rudimentary education is filtering down to them. ¶

Private foundations such as the Ford and Rockefeller foundations, the Peace Corps, and some universities are working among them. ¶

Unfortunately their religion, the influence that should have been the greatest, rather than redeeming, has subjugated them. ¶

Our efforts among these Lamanite people in South America are just beginning, but hold great promise. They are ready to accept the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. They are disenchanted with their present subjugated conditions. They are eager and capable of providing their own leadership. They love to learn, to act, to speak, to teach, and to sing. They have an insatiable thirst for knowledge. But they have no books, no equipment, no notebooks, no classrooms, no teachers. ¶

The Gospel and the Priesthood Will Liberate

From our past short experience we know that we can provide much that they need. We have the plan and organization to meet their needs. ¶

Through the priesthood quorums the brethren have and can sponsor projects which demonstrate the practical application of theology to daily life — something these people have never seen. ¶

Simple projects like making windows in houses to let in not only physical but spiritual light, hanging doors, planting flowers, and erecting centers for education — this is religion in action. ¶

The women's Relief Society organization provides opportunity for girls and mothers to learn home management, baby care, cleanliness. It opens up vistas of service heretofore unknown. ¶

The Relief Society motto, "Charity never f aileth," gives ample opportunity for these women to participate in mutually beneficial activities. ¶

The Primary Association imparts to the children the one lifesaving bit of knowledge which lifts their lives and goals from the animal level to a spiritual plane. In these Andean communities, youngsters eagerly attend the classes taught by missionaries where they learn, "I Am a Child of God." ¶

The Mutual Improvement Associations afford opportunities unbounded to the scores of idle youth who roam the streets. These young people want to participate in drama, music, dancing, worthwhile classes, and various sports activities. They thrill to the leadership possibilities which activity in the MIA provides. ¶

The Sunday School gives all a chance to learn and grow. All have opportunity to give talks, practise reverence, and expand the depth and extent of gospel learning. ¶

Others could, if they would, supply the serums, and the seeds, and the tools. They could provide the educational opportunities and other things that our Lamanite brethren so urgently need. But they cannot supply the message of truth that we bear, for we declare with authority from God that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth; we declare that the heavens are again open, that a prophet lives today and directs the Church of Jesus Christ. We declare that the Book of Mormon identifies these millions of people who for so long have been anonymous — making known that they are a chosen people, eligible for the promised blessings of their Father. ¶

Their governments have recently accorded them citizenship in their lands, but our message makes them "no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens" (Eph. 2:19) in the Church and kingdom of God. ¶

The day of the Lamanite is at hand. ¶

I bear witness that this is the work of the Lord, that we are in his Church. ¶

I bear solemn witness that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that President David O. McKay is a prophet and the mouthpiece of the Lord to the Church and in the world, and that the Book of Mormon is true. May the Lord help all of us to aid our brethren, the Lamanites, in their striving to reach their destiny, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶