| Show OVER IN AUCKLAND new zealand january 1896 the nort northern herft annual conference ot of the australasian mission of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints has been D een looked forward to with pleasurable anticipations by the elders and saints of this th is land with such an event in maori land are associated the fond expectations of meeting and greeting friends 1 ing in bounteous repasts and partaking ot of the blessings ot of god in the fruits of the holy spirit the heart of every saint is gladdened by the prospect of m mingling ingling with brethren and sisters and receiving from the lips of the servants of the lord instruction and encouragement in the precious principles of the gospel on the morning of january 2nd and might have been seen a happy company of elders and native saints laden with luggage wending their way to the railway station president gardner arranged with the railroad authorities for a special car that the whole company might remain together at a m the tram train I 1 hufled away for te aroha the place appointed 1 for the conference A happier crowd never traveled the twenty natives from the hawkes bay district chanted their maori songs as the long string of aars cars glided smoothly on the passengers on board were pot a little interested and cou cluid id scarcely keep from trespassing tres passing on the reserved rights of the mormon excursionists on reaching the am company ir 1 any was joined by elders Joh johnson naon browning nelson and waters besides twelve of the saints of the N branch in Wai hato at huntly and succeeding stations many more were added until when reaching te Aroh athe abe saints and elders eiders numbered about abdat seventy five they we were re met at the station by na natives tives who had brought horses and carts carts to convey the luggage to the village more than a hundred from the various branches of the haurani district had already assembled nearly all ot of whom came out to welcome those who had just arrived on the train thi the familiar maori call could be heard long before ap pro preaching aching the village there were waving of handkerchiefs chanting of baia tas ta sand 1 I and the tangi of love amidst cheering cries of haere mai according to native custom the resident saints all formed themselves into a semicircle while the visitors and elders passed round and indulged freely in the friendly bongi what feelings of joy thrilled every heart what a happy meeting the countenance of each was aglow with love and the spirit of the gospel filled every soul only those who have witnessed similar experiences can realize fully the joy ot of zions elders when they meet at conference though at first strangers the spirit of brotherly love soon banishes all strange feelings the appointed cooks and waiters were not slow in the performance of their parts two long tables under a tent roof were soon spread with the delicacies of Ma onland and the cry haere mai hi te hail hai was heeded with much alacrity though one hundred persons could be waited upon a second and sometimes a third table was necessary the most elaborate preparations had been made for the accommodation of all visitors there were eatables ot of all kinds in abundance and good beds were provided for everybody After tea the vast concourse of people repaired to the newly erected church to engage in in evening services after the usual exercises the resident members greeted and welcomed welcomed their visiting brethren and sisters and ere all had spoken it was well nigh midnight and quiet re reigned n ed throughout the caniga Ka niga 1 the h e conference commenced on jianu ary 3rd ard at io 10 a m with president william gardner presiding besides there were present on the stand the following elders from zion andrew jenson C B bartlett L G hoagland joseph C jorgensen F W christian petersen james S bbott abbott james M folkman T J morgan J W linford john johnson willard goff R L bird hial B hales david packard 1 joseph markham heber C jex william liam W mcdonald moroni lazenby chash chas H embley T J obrien schuyler tr E white J I 1 derbidge george burn ham jens K nelson P A waters and T S browning various districts were represented as 16 follows allows hawkes bay ba 20 20 tam camanga anga 22 agare 1 ibay of f islands ila d S i 1 and a sufficient number from Hai to make a total of 2 00 the house wa was r crowded boits to its utmost capacity the attention of the audience was wa called by the president and all joined in singing hymn no the opening prayer brayt r was offered by elder hoagland after which the congregation sang the hymn president gardner greeted the saints in ih the love of thie the gospel his heart was full of gratitude for being permitted to meet with his brethren and sisters under such favorable circumstances he gave a brief account of the tondi condition tion of the mission as a whole there being so many to speak he warned loose who were called against making lengthy discourses elder andrew jenson our esteemed historian was the next speaker elder jorgensen acted as interpreter he ex tended unto the saints a most cheer cheerful fut greeting and portrayed the ob object eject of the mission to which he had been called it had been his pleasant privilege to meet nearly all of the elders before meeting them in this land Gree greetings dogs ip behalf of all the church authorities were kindly expressed and in a most feeling and forcible manner he told their love tor for and interest in the maori people A thrill of joy had filled their hearts since so many of of the he natives had accepted the gospel the speaker then traced the history of the ancestry of the maoris laoris since B C when lehi and family left jerusalem the dealings of god with them were vividly port portrayed raved also the introduction of the gospel amongst their remnant he dwelt quite extensively upon the necessity of keeping correct genealogies and records that when the time came for the maori people to works work in the temples for the salvation of their dead kindred they might be able to make their labors complete he warned the natives against changing their names I 1 alter after they had been baptized the meeting closed by singing hymn no 99 and the benediction benedicti was pronounced by karene kerei of mailato mai kato at the afternoon meeting president gardner presided singing the 96 h hymn prayer pouana of waikato taki paki singing no 64 elder willard goff was the first speaker he referred to the mission of john the baptisti baptist following with a portrayal of the life and ministry of jesus christ the teachings of primitive christianity were compared with our present system of religion the coming alorth and divine authority of the book of or mormon were clearly evinced from the scriptures showing that no antagonism existed between its teachings and those of f the bible arapata arapatra melia president of the wai pawa branch in hawkes bay district then spoke the teachings of of the servants ot of god had been interesting to him and he knew they were true the power ot of the priesthood was manifested through the elders of the church wicked men in this age of the world were taking unto unta themselves authority to administer in the ordinances of the gospel they practiced on the sick VL a d deceived the ignorant the gospel n its fullness lull ness with its gifts graces and blessings had bien been restored to earth and it was the duty of every latter day saint to live in accordance with its requirements the speaker closed close d by bearing a faithful testimony to the truth of mormonism elder embley said that the teachings of servants of the lord were that men should evade all evil and do right al ways wisdom was promised to all who would seek in faith and great blessings were held out to the enduring faithful bakana counselor to lo the president of the branch of the hawkes bay district said it ft was a law in the primitive church that men and women should be born of water and of the spirit that same law was binding on mankind today the same principles which were taught by christ and his apostles were advocated by b joseph smith and modern apostles the he gos pel taught in olden times had been restored in this dispensation great rewards were held out to the faithful children of god even great promises had bad been made to the maoris laoris it was wa declared in the book ol of mormon chati provided they would ou id keep the command ments ot of god not many generations should pass away before they should become a whai while e and delightsome delig people he exhorted his brethren and sisters to be firm to the end elder james N linford president of the wairau kairau district reported the condition of the saints under his jurisdiction the great majority were true to their covenants and endeavored to lead a christian life the subject of prophecy and spiritual gifts was briefly but plainly dwelt upon closing prayer by te evening meeting owing to the heat being so oppressive in the house it was decided to meet in the open air A lovely lawn just in front of Apera hamas house was chosen the porch serving for the stand it was a beautiful picture to behold our duska brethren and sisters all pleasantly Elea pleasantly seated on the grass eager to hear ear the inspired teachings of the servants of the lord after the customary opening exercises reha Ape rhama was called to speak As president of the te aroha branch he reported the condition of its members he said the christian world possessed posses sd much faith but were awfully ignorant of the true gospel he treated upon the divinity of the mission of the prophet joseph showing that god had revealed his mind and will unto him for the guidance of his church baom hofere president of the ngam arabia branch of the waikato district referred to the early appearance of ministers amongst the maoris laoris these had inculcated false doctrines into the minds of the natives which had no tendency to make the people better or to draw them nearer to god he said many professed modern christians had centered their faith in a god without body parts or passions and were worshiping hini him instead of the true and living god the character and attributes of the god of the bible were then nicely portrayed much scriptural evidence being adduced he urged the saints to be faithful in the performance of every duty and not to give away to evil practices elder C B bartlett president of the bay of islands district reported briefly the condition ot of his conference though some had bad been dilatory the great majori or ay iy y w were ere endeavoring to live the life of saints the speaker referred briefly to salvation for the dead he urged the saints to be firm and immovable in the laith faith which they had espoused singing hymn no 86 prayer by J M folkman second day morning meeting P ident gardner called the attention of the congregation as they had assembled a again ain on the lawn after singing b by y the contre congregation gation and prayer bv Tami hana te raupo elder joseph C jorgensen was called upon to speak he reported the condition of the district of which he was president he had experienced much joy and satisfaction in his efforts among the maoris laoris and as his labors were now completed and as he was about to return to zion he desired to thank his brethren and sisters for the kindness they had manifested towards him he exhorted the saints to give heed to the counsel of the elders and live in accordance with the requirements of the gospel fader elder hoaglind hoagland president of the T te e mabia babig district said it would be the last time he would ligne have the privilege to address the sai saints fats there ai as ht he was about to return 16 utah his heart was I 1 full of gratitude to the maoris laoris fortha lor the interest they had shown in him and his earnest desire was to continue to labor babot for their welfare he implored the blessings of almighty god upon all who were manifesting an interest in the establishment of the cause ot of truth otene of Koron gata hawkes bay spoke in power upon the principles of the gospel he declared that a per sistena indulgence in in evil practices would call down the displeasure of god upon the sinner it was only through compliance 1 bance with the laws ot of god that men would inherit his king kingdom dorn elder christian petersen president of the district spoke at this juncture the rain began to pour down in torrents and the assembly were compelled to move inside when all were quiet again the meeting proceeded elder petersons peterson Is labors in were also at an end and it was with reluctance that he bade adieu to 10 his maori friends the most p pleasant I 1 easa il t hour of his life had been spent in their midst though often he be had passed through hardships he urged the saints to hold fast to the truth and continue to work for their exaltation he closed by giving a brief report of his bis district apau a young native orator delivered a powerful discourse on the subject of church organization bringing much scriptural evidence to bear upon it he closed by testifying to the restoration of the gospel authority delegated to man to official ciaO in its laws and ordinances elder abbott president of the maus mana aatu conference made a few closing remarks he also was among those who were released to return home HIS heart was full of love for the maoris laoris and he sincerely trusted that they would prosper in good works and so live that they could lay claim upon me he blessings of god he spoken spoke briefly upon the destruction of the wicked after singing pronounced the benediction the afternoon meeting commenced with the usual opening exercises after which haura catene of and toko president of the te horo branch bay of islands were called upon to speak they bore faith ful testimonies to the truth of the gospel they were desirous of keeping the commandments of god elder jens K nelson of the district then represented the condi condition of his conference some of the mom mem bers were dilatory and slack in attending to their religious duties many were doing well and taken on the whole there was a spirit of progress manifested nine new members had been baptized and ten children had bad been blessed he urged the saints that notwithstanding they should be persecuted they should be unwavering in their de termination to serve god elder frank kerp president of hawkes bay district gave an encouraging report of his labors and the condition of the saints in his district thirty new members had been baptized and the prospects for more in the near future were very encouraging having been released to return home he felt to tear hear his testimony to his brethren and sisters and encouraged them tp to be faith lul jul and true to their covenants elders johnson joanson and obrien and a native brethren grethren taratara Tar atara te wei paki bore bor theirs their testimonies and were desirous s of labori laboring tig cpr th the cause cac of truth evening meeting atter after singing and prayer payer the time was occupied by elders morgan hales packard and waters and d by bonuie kapu kerei te and te haada of the native breth jn all were earnest in their exhortations and were actuated by the spirit of god in their remarks the closing prayer was offered by hori bakari third day morning meeting it was a beautiful sabbath morning it being ahe a first sunday in the month it was OD toi served by all as fast lay day A spirit of peace prevailed among the saints and amona all seemed to be 0 of one heart and p jocund 1 i nd after the usual opening ceres mes aes president folkman of the askak ui aki district spoke briefly relative 1 the he condition of his conference the abts has manifested a spirit of unity in are oaring for the hui the speaker ose for his subject the goshell Gos gospel jell r its I 1 establishment in the days of hist christ and maits its restoration in this |
