Truth of God has gone forth boldly
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Through His prophet, the Lord announced to the world that "the standard of truth has been erected," and that "no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing."
"That is undeniably, indisputably true," said Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve. "We have seen it for ourselves, in decade after decade, from the time of the Prophet Joseph Smith to the time of President Thomas S. Monson.
"Persecutions have raged. Calumny, lies and misrepresentations have attempted to defame. But in every decade from the time of the Restoration forward, the truth of God has gone forth boldly, nobly and independent. The little church that started in 1830 with just a handful of members has now grown to more than 13 million Latter-day Saints in many different nations of the world, and we are well on our way to penetrating every continent, visiting every clime, sweeping every country and sounding in every ear."
Elder Ballard chronicled the key role that missionary work has played since the early days of the Church. Missionary work began in the United States, Canada and Great Britain before moving to areas such as Scandinavia, Western Europe and Hawaii. Many faithful converts from Scandinavia and Britain were baptized during the decade of the 1850s and journeyed across the sea and land to join fellow members in the Rocky Mountains.
In 1875, the first missionaries were called to Mexico, and the work there flourished even amidst great challenges. In 2004, the Church reached the milestone of one million members in Mexico.
In 1925, Elder Ballard's paternal grandfather, Elder Melvin J. Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve, dedicated South America for the preaching of the gospel. He prophesied that South America would become a power in the Church.
"Anyone familiar with the growth of the Church in South America knows the fulfillment of that prophecy," said Elder Ballard. "Today, Brazil alone has over one million members."
Major missionary efforts in Asian lands such as Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and the Philippines have also borne fruit. Over the past two decades, the Church has experienced unprecedented prominence in the worldwide community of faith. Simultaneously, the Church has also experienced unprecedented ideological attacks on its people, history and doctrine through the media.
"And yet the Church continues to grow," he said. "Membership has more than doubled again — from about 5.9 million in 1985 to more than 13 million today. And last year, the one millionth missionary to serve during this dispensation was called."
Many challenges remain and the institution of the family is under attack.
"This is not a time for the spiritually faint of heart," Elder Ballard said. "We cannot afford to be superficially righteous. Our testimonies must run deep, with spiritual roots firmly embedded in the rock of revelation."
