In one of his addresses at the April 1977 general conference, President Spencer W. Kimball spoke of drought conditions that earlier in the year had been developing in the West and the cold and hardships in the East.

"With varying weather situations all over the world, we felt to ask the members of the Church to join in fasting and prayer, asking the Lord for moisture where it was so vital and for a cessation of the difficult conditions elsewhere," President Kimball said."Perhaps we may have been unworthy in asking for these greatest blessings, but we do not wish to frantically approach the matter but merely call it to the attention of our Lord and then spend our energy to put our lives in harmony.

"One prophet said:

" `When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them:

" `Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk, and give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance.' (1 Kings 8:35-36.)"

President Kimball said, "The Lord uses the weather sometimes to discipline His people for the violation of His laws. He said to the children of Israel:

" `If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;

" `Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

" `And your threshing shall reach into the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time; and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.

" `And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: . . . neither shall the sword go through your land.' (Lev. 26:3-6.)

"With the great worry and suffering in the East and threats of drought here in the West and elsewhere, we asked the people to join in a solemn prayer . . . for moisture where needed. Quite immediately our prayers were answered, and we were grateful beyond expression.

"We are still in need and hope that the Lord may see fit to answer our continued prayers in this matter. . . .

"Perhaps the day has come when we should take stock of ourselves and see if we are worthy to ask or if we have been breaking the commandments, making ourselves unworthy of receiving the blessings."