Gordon B. Hinckley
President, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

"The International Role of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints"

Well, I hope I’m among friends. Mr. Mack, Mr. Park and other members of the Board, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I’m here again. As was indicated, I was here two years ago and now I’m back. Didn’t I make things clear at that time? You do me great honor in inviting me to come back and I thank you for the privilege of meeting with you again. This very large gathering is somewhat intimidating. I see Larry King is here and if he were presenting this speech he’d break it every five minutes with a long string of commercials. You’ll get none of that tonight.

I’ve been asked to speak on the Church, and in particular its overseas operations. As Mr. Park has indicated, we now have more members overseas than we have in the United States, and that percentage overseas is growing, although we’re growing also in the United States. It was not too many years ago that we were largely a Utah church. Now our people are found everywhere across this nation and in Canada, including some seven or eight hundred thousand who reside here in California. We’re now operating in more than 160 nations and our worldwide membership is approaching 11 million. Mr. Park spoke of what the projection is in 80 years. I haven’t paid much attention to that. I won’t be here and I’m not greatly concerned with it. I’m concerned with what’s going on now. Of the 11 million members, approximately 4 million are women who belong to what we call the Relief Society of this church. I think it is the oldest women’s organization in the world and perhaps the largest. It has its own officers and board and these officers also sit on other boards and committees of the church. People wonder what we do for our women. I’ll tell you what we do. We get out of their way and look with wonder at what they’re accomplishing.

I think I might capsulize what we’re doing out across the world by telling you of an experience I had a few years ago. I was in Mexico City to speak to the graduating class of the school which we operate in that area. I was introduced to one of the graduates, a young woman. Her mother and grandmother had come for the exercises. The grandmother had lived in the bush, she had never learned to read or write, she was totally illiterate, she’d been baptized into the church and partaken of its programs, but she remained illiterate. Her daughter had received a little schooling, not very much. She could read a newspaper headline or something of that kind. Now came this beautiful young woman. She is of the third generation in the church. She was now graduating. I asked her, "What are you going to do now?" She replied, "I have received a scholarship to the medical school of the National University." That to me was a miracle. From the bush and total illiteracy to refinement and medical school in three generations. She spoke not only her native Spanish but English as well. She gave full credit to the church and its programs for what had happened to her.

We all know that education unlocks the door of opportunity for the young, and so we pour large resources into educating our youth. Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, is our crown jewel. It is the largest church-sponsored private university in America with an enrollment of more than 27,000. Its graduates are now found across the nation and even across the world. BYU graduates serve on the faculties of nearly every large university in America. They’re in business, in the professions and in almost every honorable vocation. We operate other schools, but as the church grows we face a very serious problem. There is an ever diminishing percentage of our young people who can attend BYU. We would build more universities but, as many of you know, universities are terribly expensive and we can never keep up with the demand.

In the early days of the church, when our people were gathering from the British Isles in Europe, our leaders set up what was known as the "perpetual immigration fund." The church loaned money to those who did not have sufficient so that they might gather to Utah. As they were employed, they repaid the loan and this became a revolving fund for so long as it was needed. We face a new challenge today. In the underdeveloped countries, we have young men and women, many of them of great capacity but without opportunity to improve their condition. They cannot do so without help. We are now assisting some and are working on plans to assist many more to attend universities in their own lands where we also operate what we call "institutes" where they can study and socialize together. We are providing a ladder by which they can climb out of the impoverishment that surrounds them to make something better of their lives. To occupy places of honor and respect in society and to make a contribution of significance to the nation in which they live. We are already engaged in micro credit undertakings whereby small amounts are loaned to those for whom $100 to $200 or $300 can spell an actual change in their future. When given such credit, these people become entrepreneurs taking pride in what they are doing and lifting themselves out of the bondage that has shackled their forbear for generations. From a bread shop in Ghana to a woodworking business in Honduras, we are making it possible for people to learn skills they never dreamed of acquiring and to raise their standard of living to a level of which they previously had little hope.

As the church moves out across the world and into the future we face two very serious problems. The first is the training of local leadership. All of our local congregations are headed by local people. Volunteers who work at their regular vocations and carry on as they’re called as bishops, for instance, serving those around them. Of course, we have not only converts who are poor and less educated, but also people of means and skills and influence. We take people of all kinds as we find them and then we train them and make them effective and wonderful leaders. I’ve just been down in South America and I am amazed at the quality of leaders we’re developing. These are men and women of strength and capacity. They’re quick learners, they’re devoted and faithful, they have become better husbands and fathers and wives and mothers under the family- strengthening programs of the church. They’re an asset to the society of which they are a part, as will be the generations who come after them. The beauty of this work is when you touch the life of a man of this generation, that influence is felt through many generations in the future.

The second problem we face is providing places of worship as we grow so rapidly in these areas. We’re constructing nearly 400 new houses of worship each year. It is a phenomenal task. It is a tremendous responsibility, but we must step up to it and accomplish it and will do so. Some of these houses of worship are relatively small. Many of them are large. They’re all attractive, they’re well kept, they have beautiful landscaping, they’re a credit to every community where they’re found, and they become a wonderful example to the people. They’re kept clean and beautiful and those of our people, many who are coming out of poverty, see their cleanliness and their beauty and strive to emulate this in their own homes. The whole community is blessed by reason of an LDS house of worship in their midst.

Thirty years ago I had responsibility for our work in South America. I recall the first time I went to Santiago, Chile. There were perhaps 100 members of the church in the entire nation. We had a little school of about ten students who met in a tiny building that was little more than a shed. Just two weeks ago, I was back in Santiago and spoke to a congregation assembled in a large football stadium with 57,500 people in attendance. I could scarcely believe what I saw. When the meeting concluded, some 57,000 white handkerchiefs came out and were waved with love and respect. How can you not love such people? They were well-dressed, clean and attractive. They do not smoke, not one of them. They do not drink, not one of them. They were there as families for the most part. Fathers and mothers and children. There is no generation gap among such people. There is love and honor and respect in the family circle. This is the result of church teaching and church family programs. Every good citizen adds to the strength of a nation. With that assumption, I do not hesitate to say that the nation of Chile is better for our presence, and the same thing is happening in every other nation in South America.

It is my philosophy that everyone who comes into this church should immediately have a friend who can help him make the adjustment towards responsibility in the church, under which he can grow as well as nurturing him with the good word of God. The genius of our work is that we expect things of our people. They grow as they serve and there are numerous opportunities to challenge them. We do not have a professional priesthood, none of us who serve as officers of this church was ever trained in a religious seminary. We may not have the polish of those who have been, but we bring to our service an enthusiasm for the work and the love for the people that are wonderful to witness and inspiring to experience. We believe in the old adage that many hands make light work. Every bishop of the church has two counselors, devoted and able men to assist him. None is a professional but all are dedicated, and marvelous and wonderful things happen. Bishops serve for a period of about five years, then they’re released and others take their place. The result is a constant development of leadership. Those who are released as bishops go on to other responsibilities. There is opportunity for everyone to serve according to his or her capacity.

Our tremendous missionary program builds leadership while men and women are still young. We now have nearly 60,000 missionaries serving throughout the world, every one on a volunteer basis. Most of them are young men, some fewer are young women, and we have a few retired couples. They serve from 18 to 24 months. I met two young women recently. They were both from Mongolia and they are missionaries of this church serving in Salt Lake City. We send missionaries from Salt Lake and elsewhere in the States to Mongolia and other places and some come here from such places and partake of the culture which we have here. They learn English, they see the church at its strongest, they will return to their native lands, greatly transformed from what they were when they came here.

As you know, the Winter Olympics are coming to Salt Lake City in 2002. We shall have no trouble in offering capable translators and interpreters for the many languages that will be represented. I can walk down the streets of Salt Lake City and meet people who speak a score or more of languages. Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Albanian, Czech, Slovenian, Serbian, Japanese, Chinese, both Mandarin and Cantonese, Mongolian, various dialects o the Philippines and what have you. I think it’s a tremendous phenomenon. All of them have learned these languages while serving as missionaries, and, as they have learned the language of the land in which they have served, they have had companions in missionary service who are natives of those lands and who in turn have learned English from them. This cross-fertilization of languages and cultures is a tremendous thing. Enmity grows out of ignorance and suspicion. As we learn to know and appreciate those of various cultures, we come to love them. The cause of peace is strengthened in a very real sense by this tremendous program which we foster. We now have 331 missions across the world. Each becomes a bridge to better understanding among people for greater appreciation for other cultures.

Now another thing. For a long time, we’ve tried to take care of our own who find themselves in distress. We operate large farming projects, not only in the United States but in other nations as well to insure against times of economic distress and catastrophes of one kind or another. We have dairies, bakeries, canneries, meat-packing plants and other facilities, modern in every respect to meet the needs of those in distress. We have bishop storehouses that resemble supermarkets, but they have no cash registers. They’re there to serve the poor. We’re trying to reach out to those who find themselves in terrible trouble because of wars, earthquakes, floods, droughts and other disasters. Human suffering anywhere among any people is a matter of urgent concern for us. We have our own Latter-day Saints charity organizations and we have worked with other non-governmental agencies in extending humanitarian aid. These include Catholic Relief Services, Mercy Corp. International, the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, and other groups across the world.

Recently, immediately upon learning of the Kosovo tragedy we determined to help. On Monday of a given week we considered what we might do. On Tuesday, we gave approval to proceed and food boxes began to be assembled at Welfare Square in Salt Lake City. On Wednesday, a huge freight plane was loaded with a shipment and left for Europe. On Thursday, it was en route there, on Friday goods were unloaded and taken to the warehouse and on Sunday food was delivered to needy people. Shipments have continued. When need arises, we can act quickly without bureaucracy and red tape. The lives of thousands of unfortunate people not of our faith have been blessed in those countries where there is terrible distress. Our humanitarian service has reached out to people in 146 nations with 3,474 projects. We’ve delivered tons and tons of clothing, tons and tons of food, tons of medical equipment, tons of educational material and millions and millions in cash. We’ve dug oil in African villages, fed people and supplied them with clothing and shelter. We’ve given aid in the Mexico fire of 1990 and the Bangladesh cyclone of 1991 and the Chinese earthquake of 1991, in the Bosnian civil conflict of ‘92 and in Rwanda in ‘94, in North Korea in ‘96-’98, in Central America in 1998, and now we are very busy trying to help the Kosovars.

Last week a Women’s Conference was held at Brigham Young University. Nearly 20,000 gathered from all over the nation. While they were there an invitation was offered to them to put together hygiene kits and other items for refugees in Macedonia and Albania. Women sat at desks in the law school and I can’t think of a better use for the law school. They packed 38,000 of these kits-- they’re on their way to the Balkans and [they] will be of such tremendous help to newborn babies, invalids and to many others as they help to make life liveable under the terrible circumstances in which these people find themselves. Politics has not been a consideration in assisting those who are the recipients of this help. In North Korea, we’ve supplied seed, fertilizer and experts to help the people help themselves in combating the terrible hunger that is found there. When Hurricane Mitch hovered over Honduras and Nicaragua for six days last fall, the destruction was unbelievable. We immediately began shipping supplies and I went down there myself to do what I could. I was amazed at what I saw. Others had sent in supplies, but initially there was difficulty, it seemed, in distributing it. Our local bishops, these volunteers of whom I have spoken, immediately went to work as did our missionaries in that land. Water had filled their homes to the tops of the windows. Everywhere there was mud and filth and suffering. There was a lack of food, a lack of clothing, a lack of medicine, a lack of hope. We quickly supplied that need for our own people and for many others. As the waters receded and mud remained, we sent shovels and wheel barrows, large numbers of them, simple things but so very very important in these circumstances. The mud was cleaned from the homes and people were slowly able to return.

I talked to a little girl in San Pedro Sula who survived the floods and with a young man who found her. Her mother had died a few months before the storm. As the wind blew and the rains fell, her father, who was sick, placed her on a stack of furniture in the home. He wanted to do what he could to save her. He died in the catastrophe. There she was, lying on top of that furniture, unable to move, the water all about her in the room. She had nothing to eat or drink. As the waters receded, a young man, a member of her local congregation, came along looking for survivors in the flooded homes. He heard a noise and looked up and there she was, alive. He brought her down and took her to the home of the bishop, whose wife cleaned her up and fed and clothed her.

When I returned home, I spoke of this in a public meeting. I told them my desire to send some money to give a little holiday candy to this orphaned child. When I told of this experience offers came in, offers came in from Nestle, Hershey, Bache’s, and other candy companies who wished to know how they could help. We couldn’t send chocolate because it’s so hot there it would melt, but we did send a great deal of candy from those who offered it and we thank them. Checks came in and money from children who wanted to assist. Thousands of pounds of candy and other items were sent to aid this little girl and many others like her. Now she’s been taken in by her aunt. The response to her needs and the needs of others was immediate and tremendous. Time will not permit me to speak of the efforts we have made to assist those of this nation who find themselves in difficulty. Suffice to say that we’ve been pleased to reach out to many Americans who have been victimized by floods, hurricanes or tornados.

One more item our family history archives in Salt Lake City are now the largest in the world. Satellite libraries are found in this land and others. They are open to everyone regardless of faith or religious affiliation. More than half of the people who use them are not of our faith. People everywhere desire to learn of their roots. Our family history website receives about 7 million hits per day. I think we have genealogical information on every man and woman in this hall today. We invite you to visit our family history resources right here in Los Angeles. They’re found in the Visitors Center at our Temple on Santa Monica Boulevard and several other locations. As you look into the microfilm reader, you may be surprised to find the names of your parents, of your grandparents, of your great-grandparents, and of your great, great, great grandparents. Those who have bequeathed to you all you are of body and mind. You will feel a special connection to those who have gone before you and an increased responsibility to those who will follow.

Now, I’ve had time to touch on only a few of the things we trying to do, but I hope that I’ve given some small indication of our activities as we move this work across the world. Our desire everywhere is to make bad men good and good men better. Wherever we go, we go in the front door, our representatives honor the laws of the nations to which they go and teach the people to be good citizens. I want to thank the Consuls who are here tonight for their hospitality in affording visas to our missionaries who go to their home nations. Our representatives honor the laws of the nations to which they go and teach the people to be good citizens. We teach, we train, we build, we educate, we provide opportunities for growth and development. We give hope to those without hope, and there is nothing greater that you can give a man or woman than hope. We give love, we bring peace, we do not seek to tear down any other church, we recognize the great good they all do. We have worked with them on many undertakings. We will continue to do so. We bear witness of the Lord, Jesus Christ, whose name this church carries, and whose example and teachings we try to follow. We acknowledge that we could not accomplish what we do without the help of the Almighty. We look to him as our Father and our God and our ever- present Helper as we seek to improve the world by changing the hearts of individuals.

Thank you very much, my dear friends. Now, if you have questions we’d be happy to entertain them.