The missionary work of the Church is a "remarkable miracle" that is occurring around the world, said President Gordon B. Hinckley as he addressed mission presidents and their wives on June 24, the concluding day of the annual Seminar for New Mission Presidents.

At the seminar, President Hinckley was accompanied by his counselors, President Thomas S. Monson and President James E. Faust, eight members of the Quorum of the Twelve, members of the Presidency of the Seventy and other General Authorities. The 90 new mission presidents and their wives were trained June 21-24, with most beginning their service about July 1."You're part of a great miracle that's occurring over the earth," President Hinckley said. "I never get over the fact that what we are doing is in very deed a remarkable miracle: to send out young men and young women into a world that is unreceptive, generally, to their message, and to teach that world and to have one here and another there give attention."

President Hinckley thanked the new leaders for accepting their calls and "for your willingness to leave what you've been doing, set it aside, and go where you've been asked to go in the service of the Lord."

He recalled a visit some time ago by then-U.S. President George Bush, who asked Church leaders about the process of the Church becoming established in another country.

"We said that when a member goes out to a strange place, he immediately wants to gather people around him. First we have a family, then we have a little group, and then we have a larger group, and then we have a branch of the Church, and then we have a congregation and the Church is well-established."

President Hinckley quoted the first section of the Doctrine and Covenants about the purpose of missionary work:

"That every man might speak in the name of God the Lord, even the Savior of the world;

"That faith might also increase in the earth;

"That mine everlasting covenant might be established;

"That the fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and simple unto the ends of the world, and before kings and rulers. . . .

". . .that they might come to understanding." (D&C 1:20-24.)

"We are among the weak and simple," said President Hinckley. "I believe that. We're ordinary people with ordinary capacities, who have been given an extraordinary assignment - to teach the gospel to the world, which will save the world, if the people of the world will hearken unto the message we have to give.

"And to see what's taking place! Ten years ago we never would have dreamed that we'd have missionaries and congregations in Russia and Latvia and Albania and Mongolia, places of that kind."

President Hinckley discussed ten spiritual gifts that would bless the lives of the mission leaders as they go forth to do the Lord's work.

These gifts are:

Health and safety

"This is a rigorous work," he said. "You're going night and day. We pray that the Lord will bless you with strength and vitality, to handle all that's expected of you. . . .

"We pray the Lord will bless you with the gift of health and safety, which I think is so very important - your physical health, your physical safety."

Leadership

"I don't care where you go, you're going to lead a great group of missionaries, the best in the world. You're going to feel your own inadequacies as you face them and watch them in their zeal and their anxious and willing desire to build the kingdom."

He referred to Moses, who described himself of a "slow tongue."

Moses was told by the Lord to "go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say." (Ex. 4:10-12.)

"A great statement - leadership. Moses went with his shaft in hand and cast it before Pharaoh, and the shaft became a serpent. Pharaoh finally consented after a series of threats to let Israel go."

Wisdom

"You'll need it - prudence, understanding, good judgment. You'll be constantly making decisions. You'll be faced with them every day that you are in the field. I bless you that you may have wisdom and judgment in those decisions, and in all that you do."

Humility

President Hinckley quoted the words of the Lord to Thomas B. Marsh: "Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answers to thy prayers." (D&C 112:10.)

He said this verse is among his favorite scriptures. "There is no room for arrogance in this work," President Hinckley said. "There's no room for egotism in this work. There is a need for humility, and the leading hand of the Almighty as we seek to serve Him."

Patience

Mission presidents and their wives will need lots of patience, said President Hinckley. To their wives, he said, "While your husbands are interviewing, you'll be sitting patiently, patiently, patiently."

He said sometimes mission presidents may want to lose patience with missionaries but "you can't do it. The gift of patience - so very important in your lives."

Testimony

"Speak out of the convictions in your hearts concerning the knowledge of the things of God," he said. "People can argue with you about the declarations you make on the doctrine based on scripture. But when you say, `I know . . .' there is no argument against that. . . . They can't refute you when you bear your testimony. And that is worthy of constant expression. So very, very important - testimony."

Love

President Hinckley said the spirit of love is important - "Love for the Lord, love for His servants the missionaries. Missionary work is a work of love and trust, and it has to be done on that basis.

"A mission president must love his missionaries as much as he loves himself.

"Love - power of the priesthood, power of our message, power of our call. Love - love for the Lord, love for His people, love for the message, love for the missionaries."

Happiness

"I hope you enjoy this work. I really do. Notwithstanding all the problems, this is a work of happiness. This is the good news! This is a work of joy! I hope you can laugh and smile and be happy and rejoice before the Lord over the great opportunity that you have to serve as a leader in carrying forth the work to the world wherever you may be assigned to go. And I'd like to say, concerning that, it doesn't matter where you go. A soul saved in Provo is as valuable as a soul saved in Copenhagen, or anywhere else in the world. We're out to save the sons and daughters of God by teaching them the gospel. Find your happiness doing it."

Faith

"You will need faith," said President Hinckley. `Faith and courage to move out, to step ahead into the dark a little - with the confidence and assurance that it will grow light as you walk in that path - and move your missionaries ahead, and to show faith in them. It will make such a tremendous difference if they know you have faith in them."

President Hinckley told an account of being sent, as a missionary, to visit a publisher to protest a book that purported to be a history of the Mormons. After his visit, the publisher recalled the books and included a statement that the books were fiction, not history.

"My mission president had faith in me. I didn't have faith in myself, but he had it in me. And the Lord rewarded it in a wonderful way. Faith - looking ahead into the dark and marching with a complete assurance that your feet will be on firm ground and that the light will grow before you."

Revelation

"Revelation - you're entitled to it - for your work in your capacity as president of the mission," he said. "You'll need it: the power of revelation, the power of discernment, the power to see into the hearts of your missionaries, the power to detect what's going wrong with them.

"Listen to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit."

President Hinckley concluded with his testimony.

"My brothers and sisters, God our Eternal Father lives. He's the governor of the universe. But somehow, He is also my Father, to whom I can speak with the assurance that He will respond. Jesus is my Redeemer, my Savior, who gave His life for all mankind, and through His gift will come resurrection for the dead for all, and a greater and more enlarged opportunity for eternal life for those who will walk in obedience to His commandments. The Book of Mormon is true. It carries with it the power of conversion. I believe that. I know it. The priesthood is upon the earth. . . .

"I pray that you may come back when your missions are over with joy in your hearts, and have done that which the Lord would have you do, and done it faithfully and well, to your everlasting happiness."