Even the Winds and the Sea Obey Him

"Even the Winds and the Sea Obey Him"

BY JAMES E. TALMAGE, OF THE COUNCIL OF THE TWELVE

In the year 1908 a certain pamphlet—No. 1 of the instructiveseries written by President Charles W. Penrose under the expres-sive title, Rays of Living Light—was translated into the Danish-Norwegian tongue, and a large edition of the Scandinavian versionwas printed in Denmark. Several packages of these tracts wereconsigned as freight from Aarhus, Denmark, for Bergen, Nor-way. The steamer on which they were shipped was wrecked onone of the small, rocky isles lying west of the main coast, withinabout fifty miles of Bergen.

A few months after this catastrophe, a small party of "Mor-mon" elders started upon a missionary tour through the fishingvillages and other towns on the rock-bound shores of the Nor-wegian fjords, and on the adjacent islands. In the course of theirhouse to house visits, in search of opportunity to converse withthe people regarding the saving principles of the gospel, thesedevoted missionaries distributed leaflets and tracts to all whowould accept. Prominent among the printed offerings was No. 1of the Rays of Living Light. Scarcely had the elders well enteredupon their labors on one of the small islands lying immediatelywest of the little city of Haugesund, between Stavanger andBergen, when they were greeted by the welcome assurances thatmost of the people living upon that island and along the coast ofthe adjacent mainland had read that particular tract and wereeager to secure others of the series. In nearly every house towhich the elders came they were made welcome, and were shownsea-stained copies of the printed tract. The good people of thosewave-lashed coasts explained that amongst the jetsam that hadbeen brought up from a wreck several weeks earlier had beenpackages of the leaflet in question, and that these had been distrib-uted up and down the coast and from island to island.

In 1913, I was addressing a large congregation at Logan, onthe occasion of a stake conference, and I related the little storygiven above. At the close of the meeting an elder who had servedas a missionary in Scandinavia came to me and testified to per-sonal knowledge of the facts, stating further that he was one ofthe missionaries who had been sent into the district where thepeople had obtained their first bit of "Mormon" literature fromthe sea. Later in the day the elder referred to handed me two

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copies of the pamphlet discolored from contact with sea-water.These he said he had obtained from the home of a fisherman in ex-change for clean, new copies.

Once at Cedar City I told the story, in the course of a publicaddress. Toward the close of the meeting an elder who had thenbut recently returned from service in the British mission wascalled to speak.* He stated that in his field of labor he had met acertain gentleman who described the manner of his first becomingacquainted with the gospel as follows:

The man had left his English home largely because of a feel-ing of general unrest, and more particularly because of differencesbetween himself and other members of his father's family onquestions concerning religion. Neither the teachings of the Estab-lished Church nor the doctrines of the many dissenting sects satis-fied his yearning for the peace of mind, such, as he believed, theChurch of Christ should afford. He came to the United States,and in time journeyed westward, and secured employment with asurveying party operating in Wyoming. One day, during thenoon rest, he sat outside the tent, which was pitched near therailway. He noticed a newspaper sheet blown before the wind;and, thinking that it might contain something of interest, per-haps something that would relieve the tedium of the hour, he ranto catch it. A gust of wind blew the paper into his hands. Thesheet was found to be part of the Deseret Nezvs, containing thefull report of a sermon delivered in the Tabernacle at Salt LakeCity, and dealing with the fundamental principles of the gospel.He read the sermon and re-read it.

He was conscious of a feeling amounting almost to convictionthat the people who professed and practised such doctrines aswere set forth in that address were those whom he had been hop-ing to find. His contract with his employer prevented him fromcarrying out his desire to visit Utah, at that time, and learn moreof the Church and its teachings. Soon after the incident of thewind-blown newspaper, he was summoned home by a bereavementin the family. A few weeks following his return to England, heheard our "Mormon" elders preaching on the streets of his nativetown. Their teachings were in tune with those of the sermonhe had read on the western desert. His heart was already pre-pared, and the seed of the gospel took root therein. The man ac-cepted the truth and became an earnest member of the Church ofJesus Christ.

Each of the foregoing incidents should be a means of en-couragement to readers engaged in missionary service. One ofthe characteristic features of the work of the Lord, in the last dis-pensation, and a specified sign of the nearness of the Savior's

*Elder Stewart Thorley, of Cedar City, Iron County, Utah.

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advent, is that the gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached toall people. In this world-wide diffusion of the truth the print-ing press is one of the most effective means. Through the me-dium of printed matter, even through unfriendly publications, peo-ple are put upon inquiry, and some of them, those who are honestseekers after the truth, will be led to investigate further. Todaythe message of "Mormonism" is so generally proclaimed thatpractically every one who will may read.

Even the winds and the waves serve the purposes of God.

The Joy of Living and Serving

BY ANNIE G. LAURITZEN

Who is he that is reaping the golden harvest of the joys ofliving? What is required by the Master of those who would ob-tain this joy, and eternal life which is God's greatest gift to man r

Not one short mission of a couple of years or so; not in theperforming of one evening's service at home, as a ward teacher;not the hauling of one load of wood for some widow or mission-ary's wife, will bring this joy and this gift. But it is living incontinued service that brings these rewards.

Jesus said: "Sell that thou hast and give to the poor, andthou shalt have treasures in heaven, and come and follow me.Follow the Master, how long? a day, or a month, or a year? No;it means to follow in his footsteps all the days of life. _

A nameless, soulful longing to do good, put into living action;a desire to know and to do God's holy will; to rise to sublime spir-itual heights, by spiritual effort, and to serve the poor and theneedy among one's fellow men—these are among life s greatestenjoyments! In these one finds rest, and a peace that passeth un-derstanding. It is what Christ promised when he declared: _ Comeunto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give yourest Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meekand'lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For myyoke is easy, and my burden is light."

SHORT CREEK, ARIZONA