Messages from the Missions

MESSAGES FROM THE MISSIONS The Past Year in Australia The past year was a most successful one in the Australian mission. Two new chapels were completed and dedicated, one at Hobart, Tasmania, and one at Perth, West Australia. We now have a chapel of our own in each of the capital cities of the six states. The elders have been energetic in their labors, and through the blessing of the Lord have seen the fruits of their labors in the baptisms performed. We have very little real op- position to meet. Our greatest problem is in overcoming the indifference of the people and getting them interested in anything religious. President and Sister Hyde are real parents to the elders and Saints, and are surely loved by them. Missionaries of the New South Wales conference, left to right, front row: James R. Webb, conference president; Charles H. Hyde, president of the Australian mission; Carolina S. Hyde, president of mission Relief Societies; Esther Stanford, outgoing mission secretary; Rulon Knell, outgoing conference president; Lewis D. Robbins, mission secretary. Second row: Elders Francis, Storrs, Cottrell, Lillywhite, McQuarrie, Christensen, Creer. Top row: Elders Pilkington, Smith, Simmons, Bennett, and Weeks. Sunday School Improvement Contest During the last six months of 1925, an Improvement Contest was con- ducted among the fifty-eight Sunday schools of the Northwestern states mission to see which school could make the greatest increase in enrollment, attendance, punctuality, officers and teachers meetings, etc. The Butte,

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496 IMPROVEMENT ERA Montana, Sunday school won this contest, increasing from 50% efficient to 86% efficient. Here are some of the things that they have accomplished: Increased their enrollment from 62 to 130. Increased their average at- tendance from 55% to 83%. Organized a teacher-training class, and are holding all other supplementary Sunday school meetings. During the period of the contest, a very active missionary campaign has been carried on by the officers and teachers among the members of the branch, and this campaign, together with the splendid harmony that exists in the school and branch, is responsible for the Butte Sunday school winning the contest. Several of the schools of the mission were close behind Butte in the improvement work. Chief among these were the schools of Snohomish, Washington; Vancouver, Washington; Great Falls, Montana; and others. The contest resulted in a very substantial advance in Sunday school work throughout the mission. In fact a general improvement of about 15% resulted. Every phase of the work showed an increase over 1924. During the year 1925, twelve new Sunday schools were organized, and nearly eight hundred new pupils were enrolled. Over four hundred non-members are regularly attending our schools. The Lord has greatly blessed us in our labors so that 1925 has been the most prosperous Sunday school year in the history of the Northwestern States mission. — Abeam W. Conover, Mission Superintendent of Sunday schools, and M. I. A. Local Elders Laboring as Missionaries Elder Wilford O. Peterson, Goteborg, Sweden, reports that there is still opposition from the state or Lutheran religion in that district. Notwith- standing, the work of the Lord is progressing very nicely. Several new missionaries have arrived, and these are ably assisted by local elders, who have been called and set apart as home missionaries. "We are determined that the message of the Lord shall be heard by every soul seeking for light." 1 1 ' R s» mM . ; Hy§a ■■ . bi~y&. .i?::':>'. '. '^V'ljfiS UJL \ S ™3&j^$&&wfn&M Elders laboring in the Goteborg branch, Sweden: left to right, Franklin S. Forsberg, Salt Lake, branch president; C. Paul Holm, Roberts, Idaho; J. Douglas Swenson, Salt Lake; Wilford O. Peterson, Sandy, Utah.

MESSAGES FROM THE MISSIONS 497 Elder Stephen L. Richards, in Michigan The Saints and missionaries of the Michigan conference held a con- ference on October 24 and 25, at Detroit, Mich. Elder Stephen L. Richards of the Council of the Twelve, in company with President John H. Taylor, mission president, and Rachel Grant Taylor, president of the mission Relief Societies, were present. Elder Richards gave inspiring talks to the mission- aries on Saturday, on the call of a missionary and functions of the Priest- hood; and the missionaries were instructed as to duties by President Taylor. Special sessions of the Relief Society were held by Sister Taylor. On Sunday, October 25, three sessions of the conference were held at the Danish Brother- hood Hall at West Forest and Twelfth streets. At all three of these sessions there were more people present than at any conference previously held in Detroit. The Saints and friends greatly appreciate the visit of Elder Stephen L. Richards, and are grateful and thankful to the Lord for the instructive sermons that he delivered. Through them the Saints are inspired to work more diligently for the cause of the great latter-day work. — U . Lyman Miller, conference president. 4fe - JM 'SB -nF mF- ■" W ~W Jr- It W J • * * 1 ^ y >| v T V % $ p J 41 t W J i % %, ■■1 ** . ; 4%- 1 . ■ " MISSIONARIES AND ELDERS, MICHIGAN CONFERENCE Back row, left to right: Ottis S. Rice, Lester W. Lee, Duwayne L. Henrie, Anthon V. Haynie, Clair S. Terry, Rulon D. Pincock, Alex. J. Hoggan, Leo R. Cottrell, Christopher Webb. Middle row: Julia Kunzler, Elva Orme, U. Lynn Miller, conference president; John H. Taylor, mission president; Stephen L. Richards, Rachel G. Taylor, mission president of Relief Societies; Zelda Keetch, Lena Youkstetter. Front row: S. Leroy Mitton, Warren S. Jones, Chester G. Page. President Hyde in South Australia Elder Zelph Y. Erekson, writing from South Australia, reports that the work in that part of the world is not hindered by active opposition, but

498 IMPROVEMENT ERA by cold indifference. The Saints in that district are strong, and through their efforts the gospel message is spreading. The Spirit of the Lord causes the elders to rejoice in their ministry. President Charles H. Hyde has just finished a two- week visit to that conference which is located some eleven hundred miles from the mission headquarters at Sydney. The President visits them about twice a year and the visits greatly strengthen the faith of the Saints and elders. The elders are preparing to carry on a vigorous Book of Mormon campaign. ELDERS OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA Elders from left to right: Zelph Y. Erekson, Murray; Edwin E. James, Rock Springs, Wyoming; A. Wendell Grover, conference president. Garland; William S. Geddes, Preston, Idaho; Sherman P. Bybee, Roy, Utah; Emil L. Roundy, Escalante. A Three-day Convention in the Northwestern States Mission "One hundred ten missionaries met Friday morning in the L. D. S. chapel at Tacoma, Washington, where President Brigham S. Young opened a convention which lasted from December 1 8 to 20, 1925. Each year the missionaries assemble from all parts of that mission to these annual con- ventions, where they receive advice and suggestions from the various con- ference presidents on the important phases of missionary activities, and instructions from President Young, pertaining to the coming year's work. The convention this year was the biggest and best ever held in the mission. We have had our ranks swelled by more than forty volunteer short-term missionaries. This materially added to the spirit of the occasion. Elder Ralph B. Stratford, the mission secretary, gave out the information that the missionaries of the northwest have baptized into the Church 286 souls, most of whom were converts; that is, they were not young people born in the Church. One session was devoted to mission Mutual convention, and was presided over by President Brigham S. Young, and conducted by Elder Abram W. Conover, mission superintendent of Y. M. M. I. A. It was the first time that a general mission convention of the Mutual Improvement As- sociation had been attempted in the northwest. Its success was phenomenal. There were present more than one hundred delegates from the various As-

MESSAGES FROM THE MISSIONS 499 sociations of the mission. Great enthusiasm prevailed throughout the entire missionary convention, and at the last session regrets were expressed by the missionaries to think the convention was at an end; but all departed to their fields of labor with renewed determination to make 1926 a bigger and better year for our Lord Jesus Christ." — Abram W. Conover, Supt. Y. M. M. I. A. MISSION AUTHORITIES AND CONFERENCE PRESIDENTS OF NORTHWESTERN STATES MISSION Bottom row, left to right: Elder Alma U. Jones, president of British Columbia conference; Sister Mary Winder, incoming president of Primaries and Y. L. M. I. A.; Elder Harold W. Brohm, incoming president of Oregon conference; Sister Anna Redd, outgoing president of Primaries and Y. L. M. I. A.; Elder J. Moroni Ward, president of Northwest Washington conference. Second row: Elder Joseph T. Allen, president of East Washington conference; Elder Brigham S. Young, mission president; Elder J. Kay Nelson, president of West Washington conference; Elder Abram W. Conover, mission superintendent of Sunday schools and Y. M. M. I. A.; Elder Wiley F. Hansen, president of Southwest Washington conference. Third row: Elder Orvill H. Stanfield, president of Southeast Wash- ington conference; Elder Evan W. Ashby, outgoing president of Oregon con- ference; Elder Ralph B. Stratford, mission secretary; Elder Richard C. Jensen, clerk; Elder C. Verl Benzley, mission clerk. (Sister Marie Young, mission president of Relief Societies, was not present at the convention.)