Elder Nelson D. Hogan

(President of the Idaho Stake of Zion)

My brethren and sisters: I can say that I have been delighted with the splendid counsel that we have received at this and all the sessions of this conference; and if we can take some of the things home that we learn here, and put them into practice in our every day life, we will get something out of coming to conference; but, on the other hand, if we go home and pay no more attention to what we have heard here, and do not put it into our lives, I do not think we will get very much good out of it. So, I trust, my brethren and sisters, that what we have heard in the different sessions of this conference, we will try to take home and practice so that we will be benefited by meeting together.

I believe, my brethren and sisters, that we will get everything we earn. If we are faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord and that which he asks us to do, we will get the blessings for these things; and, on the other hand, if we are neglectful and careless and indifferent, and do not the things that the Lord has required of us, we cannot expect to get something for nothing. I often think of it this way, that if we start to work for a man, we generally know what we are to get out of it. We know just about what the wages will be, and if we are faithful in performing our duty, we will get a full pay. On the other hand, if we are careless, indifferent, lie around part of the time, when we come to get our pay, we will only get a part pay, and that is all we will ask for. I believe it is the same with the gospel. We know what we will get out of it, if we are faithful.

So, it is up to us to be faithful and try to do everything we can for the cause and for ourselves. This is an individual work. I can not work out your salvation, nor can you work out mine; we have each to work out our own, and work together and in harmony one with another. And if we can do this, our reward will be great.

I was very much surprised when I was called to take a part in this meeting, thinking perhaps they had made a mistake in calling upon me to come here to talk to the people; but if I should relate some of the circumstances in my life, you would say I should have no reason to stand back. I was reared in the Church, but I am sorry to say that quite a lot of my life I did not improve the opportunities as I should have done. Still, I have acted as a bishop for fourteen years, and obtained some experiences out of this work. I have acted in the capacity of a stake president for three or four years. I am thankful, my brethren and sisters, that I have been counted worthy of these responsible positions, and I trust that I may live worthy, so that I can claim the blessings in store for the faithful.

I ask the Lord to bless us, and cause that the things that we have heard at this splendid conference, will be taken home and incorporated into the practices of our lives; they will then be of benefit to us. I ask the Lord to help us, that we may continue faithful to the end; and I ask it in the name of Jesus. Amen.

The Swanee Singers sang, "Let the lower lights he burning."