MARACAIBO, Venezuela -- President Gordon B. Hinckley encouraged members in this nation to be more involved in missionary work and to double the number of members in this land. He promised that the Church will continue to grow on the South American continent.
Speaking at a special fireside here Aug. 3, 1999, President Hinckley addressed some 5,000 members and suggested that as the membership increases, so does the possibility of additional temples in this nation.The Church "will grow through all of South America," he declared. "Where there are now hundreds of thousands, there will be millions and our people will be recognized for the goodness of their lives and they will be respected and honored and upheld. We shall build meetinghouses, more and more of them to accommodate their needs, and we shall build temples in which they may receive their sacred ordinances and extend those blessings to those who have gone beyond the veil of death.
"There is no doubt about the future of this Church. . . . I feel a perfect peace concerning the future of this Church. We have never had a better generation of youth, notwithstanding all of the temptations which they face. God bless them."
President Hinckley was accompanied by his wife, Marjorie, President James E. Faust, second counselor in the First Presidency and his wife, Ruth, and by Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve and his wife, Dantzel. Elder Robert J. Whetten of the Seventy, counselor in the South America North Area presidency, and his wife, Raquel, also attended.
President Hinckley thanked the members for their goodness, strength and faith and for their practice of praying.
"I have no fear concerning those who pray," he said. "If people will pray more, there would be less trouble in the world and I compliment you one and all on your willingness, your desire, the absolute necessity which you feel to get on your knees and pray to the Lord."
He mentioned that a temple is under construction in Caracas, and that it is an eight-hour drive from Maracaibo to Caracas. "You really need a temple over here; I am not making any promises, but I feel satisfied the time will come when we will have a temple in this part of Venezuela. Make your plans to drive that eight hours to Caracas and eight hours back and then look forward to the time when you won't have to drive so far."
President Hinckley recalled speaking in Santiago, Chile, a few months ago when 57,000 members gathered, the largest congregation in one place that he has ever addressed in person.
"And that is the kind of growth I would like to see in the Church here in this great land. And you know, the responsibility rests largely with you. The missionaries are working very hard. They baptized 200 [here] last month and that is a great thing, but if you had been working harder with them that might have been 400."
He encouraged members to "hold on to every convert."
"I plead with you people that you will put your arms around those who come into the Church and be friends to them and make them feel welcome and comfort them and we will see wonderful results. The Lord will bless you to aid in this great process of retention of converts.
"You know what it has been like. Most of you here are converts to the Church. You know something of the loneliness that you felt when you came into this Church. Now will you please accept that challenge to warm up and be friendly to every man, woman and child who is baptized into the Church? It all depends on you."
He quoted 1 Pet. 2:9, "'But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.' "
President Hinckley emphasized that it is "a wonderful season to be alive" and that during his lifetime, the average life expectancy has increased 25 years.
"There never was a greater time in the history of the world to live upon the earth than this. How grateful everyone of us ought to feel for being alive in this wonderful time with all the marvelous blessings we have. . . And on top of all that is the restoration of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ with all of the keys and authority, with all the gifts and blessings, with the organization and doctrine of all previous dispensations all brought into one. And you and I are partakers of that marvelous restoration.
" 'A royal priesthood.' What a blessing we have that every man who sits in this hall tonight, if he is a worthy member of this Church, has had hands laid upon his head and he has been ordained to that royal priesthood. Why is it royal? It is the priesthood of the King of kings, of the Son of God, of the royal lineage, the Lord Jesus Christ. . . .
"I hope that every man who holds this priesthood will remind himself every day of what he has -- the power to govern in the affairs of the Church, the authority to lay hands on the head of another who may be sick and call down the powers of heaven in his behalf -- this marvelous and wonderful thing which we call the Melchizedek Priesthood."
President Hinckley said he believed the phrase "an holy nation" refers to the great family of God.
"Each of us is now part of a great family of 11-million strong reaching across the world with one Lord, one faith, one baptism. An holy nation standing before the Lord, seeking to walk in obedience to His commandments.
" 'A peculiar people.' We are peculiar. We are different in a very obvious way. We don't smoke. We don't drink. We don't even drink coffee. We are peculiar. We have a different way of financing the Church. It is the Lord's law of finance. It is tithing.
"I want to say to you this law of tithing is a miraculous and wonderful thing. We give back to the Lord one-tenth of what He gives to us and He opens the windows of heaven and showers down blessings upon us. And it happens."