The work of the Lord knows no boundaries and is now touching the lives of people across the earth, said President Gordon B. Hinckley during the opening moments of the Church's 173rd Semiannual General Conference Oct. 4.

Photo by Ravell Call

President Gordon B. Hinckley, left, stands at the pulpit with 97-year-old Elder David B. Haight of the Quorum of the Twelve as he waves to members of the Church during the Saturday morning session.

"We are engaged in a work for the souls of men and women everywhere," he said. "Under the providence of the Lord it will continue. . . .

"To the Latter-day Saints everywhere, as we gather in this great conference I say, may God bless you. Keep the faith, be true to your covenants. Walk in the light of the gospel. Building the kingdom of God in the earth. The Church is in wonderful condition and can and will improve. It will grow and strengthen."

Speaking during the Saturday morning session, President Hinckley spoke of the Church's missionary program, humanitarian efforts and the Perpetual Education Fund.

"Now and again I quietly reflect on the growth and impact of this work," he said. "Our people have passed through oppression and persecution; they have suffered drivings and every imaginable evil. And out of all of that has come something which today is glorious to behold."

President Hinckley told the worldwide congregation that there can be no doubt concerning the Church's responsibility to the peoples of the earth. "There can be no doubt that we are moving forward in pursuing that responsibility," he said. "As I speak to you today most members of the Church, regardless of where you live, can hear me. It is a miracle. Who in the earlier days could have dreamed of this season of opportunity in which we live?

"We now have strong congregations in every state of the United States and in every province of Canada. We have such in every state of Mexico, in every nation of Central America and throughout the nations of South America. We have strong congregations in Australia and New Zealand and the Isles of the Pacific. We are well-established in the nations of the Orient. We are in every nation of Western Europe and in much of Eastern Europe and we are firmly established in Africa."

The Church, he said, is also being recognized for the tremendous virtues of its programs and the vast good which they do.

Reading an excerpt from a positive newspaper article on missionary work, President Hinckley said praises could be written about any of the missionaries currently giving their time and testimonies to the world.

"I recently met with a group of missionaries who were to be released the next day to return home. They were from various nations across the earth, from Mongolia to Madagascar. They were clean and bright and enthusiastic. They bespoke love for the Church, for their mission president, for their companions. What a marvelous thing is this unique and tremendous program of the Church."

Other Church programs, he said, are likewise impressive.

President Hinckley called the Church's recent $3 million donation to vaccinate children against measles in Africa "a marvelous and wonderful thing," and noted that the donation came from contributions to Latter-day Saint humanitarian efforts and not tithing. "And so it is with each of our humanitarian programs."

Next, President Hinckley offered a brief update on the Church's Perpetual Education Fund, which helps returned missionaries and others gain education and training in areas of the world where opportunities are limited. "Because of your generous contributions, we have been able to keep current with the growing needs for loans. . . , he said. "To date about 600 young men and women have completed their training. The majority of these have found good employment."

The plan, President Hinckley said, is working well and expanding.

"It was said that at one time the sun never set on the British Empire. That empire has now diminished. But it is true that the sun never sets on this work of the Lord as it is touching the lives of people across the earth. And this is only the beginning. We have scarcely scratched the surface."

Speaking of the broad reach of the Church, President Hinckley said it is his faith, belief and testimony that the work will continue to expand. "Those nations now closed to us, will some day be open," he added.

"We are ordinary people who are engaged in an extraordinary undertaking," he concluded. "We are men who hold the priesthood of the Living God. Those who have gone before have accomplished wonders. It is our opportunity and our challenge to continue in this great undertaking, the future of which we can scarcely imagine."

President Hinckley thanked members for their faith and faithfulness. "We live in the world," he said. "We work in the world. But we must rise above the world as we pursue the work of the Lord and seek to build His kingdom in the earth."