Mission Blog: Rome West Zone Conference

September 24, 2014

After a busy week of departing missionaries and new arrivals, it's time to start on the next round of zone conferences. President Waddoups started off by talking about some quotes about Italy given by former church leaders.

* * * * *

Quotes by Church Leaders

The Church in Italy has a very bright future. This has been forseen by three apostles who later became presidents of the Church. First, Elder Lorenzo Snow on 25 January 1851; on November 10, 1966 by Elder Ezra Taft Benson; and later by Elder Gordon B. Hinckley.

President Snow said in a letter to Elder Orson Hyde on 25 January 1851:

O Italy! Thou birthplace and burial ground of the proud Caesars . . . land of literature and arts, and once the centre of the world’s civilization—who shall tell all the greatness which breathes in the story of thy past? . . .

Here reposes the dust of millions that were mighty in ages gone by, and flooded the earth with the fame of their deeds . . .

But is there naught here save the tomb of the past? O, Italy! Hath an eternal winter followed the summer of thy fame, and frosted the flowers of thy genius, and clouded the sunbeams of glory? No! the future of thy story shall outshine the past, and thy children shall yet be more renowned than in the ages of old . . . . Truth shall yet be victorious amid thy Babylonish regions. Where triumphant warriors were stained with gore, and princes reigned in the pomp of tyranny, the sure, though tardy working of the Gospel now weaves a fairer wreath, and will wear a brighter crown.

I see around me many an eye which will, one day, glisten with delight at the tidings of Eternal Truth—many a countenance which will adorn the assemblies of the living God . . . . (Autobiography of Lorenzo Snow, pp. 175-176)

In his dedicatory prayer, Elder Snow also pointed out the Lord’s willingness to assist in the work and the importance of introducing the Gospel to as many as possible:

From the lifting of this ensign may a voice go forth among the people of these mountains and valleys, and throughout the length and breadth of this land, and may it go forth and be unto thine elect, as the voice of the Lord, that the Holy Spirit may fall upon them, imparting knowledge in dreams and visions concerning this hour of their redemption. As the report of us, thy servants, shall spread abroad, may it awaken feeling of anxiety with the honest to learn of thy doings, and to seek speedily the path of knowledge. (Ibid, pp. 130-131)

In his re-dedicatory prayer, Elder Benson said in part:

Father in Heaven, we feel in our hearts under the inspiration of thy Spirit that this, thy work, has a great future in this land of Italy. We feel to predict under the authority of the Holy Priesthood and under inspiration of heaven that thousands of thy children in this land will be brought into the truth and into membership in thy great Church and kingdom that has been restored to the earth.

We pray that Thou wilt bless the saints with a spirit of missionary service that they may join them to their friends and neighbors and associates and loved ones that the message of the gospel may spread into the hearts of thousands upon thousands of thy children in this blessed land.

A quote from Elder Hinckley is as follows:

These people have the blood of Israel in their veins. I’m sure of that. Many of them have what we used to speak of as the believing blood. Now they don’t want to let it come to the surface but there will be large numbers join the Church here. I’m just confident of that. The Lord didn’t open this work in Italy to have it fade and dwindle into nothing. The Lord opened this work in Italy to bring the light of the gospel into the lives of thousands and tens of thousands of His children who live and will live in this beautiful land. (Torino, Italy, 1972)

* * * * *