Missionaries

Missionaries

BY GEORGE D. KIRBY

[The author was recently asked to prepare a farewell address to be given at an entertainment by the Seventies, to seven of their number who were leaving on missions. In sending it to the Era for publica- tion, he says: "1 cannot claim entire originality, as I read some ser- mons preached by different ministers, as well as by President Anthon II. Lund and Elder Nephi L. Morris; and the latter part of my re- marks is taken, with slight alterations, from a sermon preached Octo- ber 8, 1905, by Elder Rulon S. Wells."— Editors.]

The question of missionary work, or evangelism, is of the greatest importance, when considered in all its scope. It is the greatest work in all the world. What constitutes a missionary? Not only the one who bears the message of the word of God, but the one who bears the messsage most effectively and under- stands it and lives it thoroughly. The missionary must have a personal acquaintance with the Savior, love him, and also love his fellowmen. There are millions of people in the world who cannot be reached by the Church as a body, and this great mass of humanity must be reached by our elders through personal evangel- ism. God works for humanity through men and women. When he wants to warm a human heart, he takes another human heart and places it beside the one he wants to touch. In the work of missionaries, we have a great teacher in the life of Christ. He won many of his followers through his personal efforts, rather than in his talks to the multitudes. If you want to be followers of Jesus Christ, you must be workers for him. It may take sacrifice on your part to bear the message, but to the one who receives it, it means much. Self-control is one of the most conspicuous characteristics of missionaries. They accept poverty and adversity with serenity and cheerfulness, and pursue their purpose with an abiding sense of their personal responsi- bility. There are no limits to the possibilities of faith. The Savior invites us to a greater zeal God knows our ability and ;

what we do is done under the divine eye. If we are to realize certain results, we cannot minimize mis- sionary labor. Christ's last command was, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel." Three things must go with the preaching; humility, pure example, and aggressiveness as against sin holding up before the world the living God. ;

The question has been asked "What is the best way for :

a man to win his fellowman to an active and useful life for God and humanity?" I would suggest: The most effective way is that of personal missionary effort. The humblest as well as the greatest men are to be used by the Lord in this persistent propaga- tion of the gospel. I believe that according to the modern work- ing of God's providence will the world be saved, not so much by the striking efforts of great leaders as by the faithful toil of the rank and file of the men and women who follow Christ. Only one Niagara thunders forth its vapory anthem for one continent. 1 ut multitudinous meandering streams flow on their mighty mis- sion of fertilization all over the land. Every Latter-day Saint should be a well-spring of salvation, that flows over and out to all thirsty souls who come within their range of effort. The young men of the Church should be encouraged to look forward to a mission as an important event in their lives, and they should prepare themselves spiritually and financially to accept a call when it comes. One who gives two or more years of his life to the work of preaching the words of salvation comes back bet- ter equipped for the problems of life. He has been made stronger and broader-minded by his experiences while away from home. It is a blessing to a young man to be called upon a mission. He has an opportunity to visit other lands and other peoples. This has an educational value. It tends to broaden his views of life. Then again, he is prevented from becoming selfish, for he must leave at home the business of acquiring riches, and go forth, without pecuniary compensation, paying his own expenses, or rely-

ing upon his relatives or friends. '

It has been said that the Latter-day Saints are a peculiar reople and sometimes I have wondered in what did this peculiar-

ity consist. Wherever we go, we find that we are somewhat dif- that we are pointed ferent from the rest of mankind, so much so observed. In fact, we might say we are the observed out and world. Many times it of all observers, when we get out into the "Your men are different from has been said of our missionaries, ours- they seem to be a different class of people.' Why is it? not the effect the gospel of Jesus Christ is producing among Is it If we are living in harmony with the the Latter-day Saints? the gospel, will have the effect to make those teachings of it

peculiarities still more pronounced. There is an influence that Jesus Christ that is felt among the peo- o-oes with the gospel of I do not wish to con- ple of the world with whom we associate. advanced and become so perfect vey the idea that we have so far holier than the rest of mankind, but I do wish that we claim to be has been an effect wrought upon to convey the idea that there result of our religion It has opened the the world as a direct It has caused us to look at life eyes of our understanding. from an entirely different view. We have been enlightened In

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the power of the Holy Ghost conferred upon us when we entered into covenant with -the Lord. The peculiarity that is more promi- nent with us than all others is the spirit of love. The spirit of the gospel is the spirit of love, and there have been exhibitions of that love in the whole career of the Latter-day Saints. In pursuance of this quality, which so distinguishes us from other peoples in the world, our young men leave their fathers and their mothers, their wives and children, and go out into the world without remuneration to proclaim the glad message of great joy. Oh! what a wonderful manifestation of love towards their fellowmen. Where in all. the world can such a thing be found, other than among the Latter-day Saints ? There may be isolated instances of great devotion on the part of men who are sincere and honest in their motives but where, upon the face of the whole ;

earth, will you find a whole community who are willlirig to make this sacrifice, because of the love which they hold towards their fellowmen ? The spirit of this work, the spirit that impels these young men to go out into the world, distinguishes them where- ever they go, and manifests iself in the spirit of love. You do not hear of the missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints being full of hatred and venom and seeking whom they can destroy you do not find them laying traps, or disseminat- ;

ing falsehood, or doing that which will bring their opponents into discomfort. No you will find them laboring for the salvation ;

of the souls of the children of men. You will find them going from door to door, holding forth upon the corners of the streets, and encountering all kinds of opposition. You will find them pro- claiming the fact that God has- spoken from heaven and restored to earth his everlasting gospel. You will find them traveling without purse and without scrip, ofttimes going hungry, and sub- mitting to great indignities and privations. These are not acts of men filled with the spirit of hate, but they are impelled by the spirit of love, a spirit to benefit and bless their fellowmen. There is a spirit of peace that accompanies them in their ministrations ;

there is an influence which they carry with them of which they themselves seem to be unconscious. They do not realize the great force and influence that is with them when they go out into the world. The influence that impels the Latter-day Saints is the soirit of the gospel, which is the spirit of love. God is love, and if we possess his Holy Spirit it will manifest itself in acts of

love. The man who is in possession of the Spirit of the Lord carries with him an influence that is a strange thing in the world, and it will cause those who come in contact with him to recog- nize the fact that he is different from the majority of mankind. In the 121st section of the book of Doctrine and Covenants you will find these words

"45. Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts un- ceasingly, then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God, and the doctrine of the Priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. "46. The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy sceptre an unchanging sceptre of righteousness and truth, and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee for ever and ever."

If the Latter-day Saints will allow their hearts to go out in sympathy and love for their fellowmen, and especially for me household of faith, their faith will grow stronger, day by day; they will increase in the knowledge of God, and their confidence shall wax strong in his presence, and this doctrine of the priest- hood shall distil upon their souls as the dews from heaven. Their whole being will be lit up by the power of the Spirit of God, and this power will make itself felt among the people of the world. This is the great advantage we have received in yielding obedience to the gospel. It is in this regard that we are different from the

rest of mankind. This is not saying there are not millions of good people upon the face of the earth who desire to do the will of the Lord. But I would say to such that if they will also ac- cept the truth as it has been revealed from heaven, the same power, the same gifts, and the same influence, will distinguish them from the rest of mankind. It is the marvelous power of the Spirit of God ; the doctrine of the priesthood distilling upon the souls of those who allow their hearts to go out in sympathy and love to- going out ward their fellowmen, and who manifest that love in

world to proclaim the truth as it has been revealed from into the heaven It is the same love that imbued the Savior of the world salvation of men. Greater love than when he gave his life for the this hath no man, that he will lay down his life for his friends. It

Joseph Smith to lay down is that love that impelled the Prophet love that his life and to go as a lamb to the slaughter. It is that servants of the Lord in this day to take their lives impels 'the in their hands and go into the world, which is so full of hatred and prejudice against the work of the Lord. Those who rise up against the Latter-day Saints, what justification can they find m What spirit is it that imbues the men and women who that? disseminate falsehood and misstatements, which have the result toward the Latter-day^ Saints r of arousing prejudice and hatred What spirit is it that impels men and women to raise their voices

against men whom they know to be honorable men of virtue and blackening their lives and making integrity for the purpose of the eyes of the world as men of the vilest character i

them appear in animates our mission- Contrast this spirit with the spirit that the heritage of the Saints to be_ hated of aries It seems to be spoken against them the world and to have all manner of evil

falsely. It was so in the case of the Savior himself. It was so with the prophets and holy men who have spoken under the inspiration of the Spirit of God. It is that which has helped to distinguish them in the different periods of the world's history. They have always stood out prominent among the inhabitants of the earth, and their names have been had for good and for evil in all the world. The name of the Savior himself was had for good and evil. The prophets of God have been despised and hated and stoned to death. The Latter-day Saints in this day and age of the world are no exception. They are spoken evil of by those who possess an evil spirit, and they are spoken well of by those who are honest in heart. Having said this much about the peculiarities of our people, let us, my brethren and sisters, continue to be a peculiar people. Let our influence be felt wherever we go. Let it be said of us that we are indeed a peculiar people, in this, that the love of God abounds in our hearts, and that we seek to build one another up, not to tear down. When we come in contact with the people of the world let them feel that we have no spirit of hatred toward them, no spirit to tear down, but that in the depths of our hearts we desire to save their souls and to do them good. This gospel is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the power of God unto salvation through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph ;

Smith it has been restored to earth, never again to be taken away, and never again to be thrown down those whom God has chosen ;

to stand at the head of his people, today, are inspired of him and possess the spirit of their calling. I pray that God may help us all to attain this testimony for ourselves, and to uphold and sustain his servants with all our hearts. SUGAR CITY, IDAHO

Only Two' Elders Left, but the Work Goes on Elders Howard M. Andreasen and J. Frank Petersen, the former .of Tremonton, Utah, and the latter of Preston, Idaho, write from Rergen, Norway, March 10: "We are the only two elders in this dis- trict left to care for the Bergen conference of the Scandinavian mis- sion. — We have four branches to oversee, Aalesund, Haugesund, S'avanger and Bergen,— but manage to look after the Saints and at the same time to do some trading and visiting with friends and inves- tigators. Our meeting place here is not the best, as we cannot well accommodate strangers as we should. We hope the future will bring a change for the better in regard to our accommodations. We look forward to receiving several applicants for baptism in the near future. The Saints are helping along the work very much. We have a fully organized Sunday school. Relief society and Mutual in each of the f^ur branches, and all of these are doing a good work."