I am ever impressed with a talk that President Spencer W. Kimball gave in 1974 entitled “When the World Will Be Converted” (from an address delivered at a Regional Representatives Seminar, Thursday, April 4, 1974, Ensign, Oct. 1974, 3).
In it, he prophesied many things about the future and about how the Church would use technology to communicate the gospel message to the world. President Kimball said:
“I believe that the Lord is anxious to put into our hands inventions of which we laymen have hardly had a glimpse…. The Prophet Joseph Smith declared: ‘The truth of God will go forth boldly, till it has penetrated every continent, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished.’
“A significant revelation states: “For, verily, the sound must go forth from this place into all the world, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth—the gospel must be preached unto every creature. …” (D&C 58:64.)
He then went on to talk about using communication technologies to reach the billions of people on the earth. He talked about the technologies in 1974 and prophesied about discoveries that “stagger the imagination…. discoveries latent with such potent power, either for the blessing or the destruction of human beings as to make men’s responsibility in controlling them the most gigantic ever placed in human hands. … This age is fraught with limitless perils, as well as untold possibilities.”
He reminded us that when King Benjamin wanted to talk with all his people, he constructed a tower. He said, “Our Father in heaven has now provided us mighty towers—radio and television towers with possibilities beyond comprehension—to help fulfill the words of the Lord that ‘the sound must go forth from this place unto all the world…. Even though there are millions of people throughout the world who cannot read or write, there is a chance to reach them through radio and television.” He talked about the transistor radio available at that time as a device that could be mass produced inexpensively. He said “These could be carried by people in the marketplaces of South America,… [in] Russia, the vast mountains and plains of China, the subcontinent of India, and the desert sands of Arabia and Egypt. Some authorities claim that this tiny miracle will be recorded by future historians as an event even greater than the invention of the printing press.”
Think of the devices we have today that so far surpass the capabilities of the small radio of 1974. President Kimball also talked about supplying missionaries with small portable cassette tape players. He talked about the power of communication satellites, the first of which had been launched just 12 years previous to his talk in 1974. He said, “With the Lord providing these miracles of communication, and with the increased efforts and devotion of our missionaries and all of us, and all others who are ‘sent,’ surely the divine injunction will come to pass: ‘For, verily, the sound must go forth from this place into all the world, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth—the gospel must be preached unto every creature. …’ (D&C 58:64.)”
He encouraged the Church to use all the inventions and equipment available at that time, and that which would be invented in the future, to preach the gospel message to the entire world. He said, “If we do all we can, and I accept my own part of that responsibility, I am sure the Lord will bring more discoveries to our use. He will bring a change of heart into kings and magistrates and emperors, or he will divert rivers or open seas or find ways to touch hearts. He will open the gates and make possible the proselyting. Of that, I have great faith.”
The miracles of technology and communication that President Kimball talked about 32 years ago continues today at an ever increasing pace. We are in the middle of the biggest technology changes ever in the history of the world. Years from now, our grandchildren will read our stories and say, “Wow, grandma and grandpa really lived in pioneer times. They were born before Internet.”
Just think of the changes that have happened from the pioneer days until now. The world changed from very primitive times to modern times. In 1847, pioneers had the horse and wagon and buggy and barely the telegraph. It wasn’t until 50 years later that they got the model T car (1908), the radio (1901) and the airplane (1903). And it was 80 years until the TV (1927). In 1962, the first communications satellite (Telstar) was launched into space and in 1969, Neil Armstrong talked on the moon. The first handheld calculator was sold in 1971, the first video game in 1972 (now wasn’t PONG an intriguing game, with little rectangles that bounced back and forth). The first word processor (WordStar) was released in 1979. Cell phones weren’t sold to the public until 1983. Although rough versions of the Internet began as early as 1969, the modern Internet (a TCP/IP network) really began January 1, 1983. The computer operating system Windows was invented in 1985. The Worldwide Web was created by Tim Berners-Lee in 1990 (with Internet protocol HTTP and WWW language HTML). We’ve only had DVD players since 1997.
I am in awe of the possibilities for communication in the world today. The Internet has already made huge changes in the way people get information, communicate with each other, and do business. And it will continue to improve our way of life in dramatic ways in the very near future.
• We already see our financial information tied together—from credit card companies, to banks, to credit bureaus.
• Companies do business globally. The computer you buy today was probably designed by engineers living in half a dozen different countries, built in another country, with parts from several more countries, and supported by people in yet another country. And that computer you bought will be replaced by something better, faster, and cheaper in 18 months.
• Today, you can use your cell phone to call someone, send a text message, access the Internet, or watch TV or a movie. Rural farmers in India are using inexpensive $15 cell phones, to apply online for small business loans, order fertilizer, and sell their crops on the market.
I believe this modern explosion of inventions and technology really puts us in “new pioneer times.” In 1862, President Brigham Young said, “Every discovery in science and art, that is really true and useful to mankind, has been given by direct revelation from God. … We should take advantage of all these great discoveries … and give to our children the benefit of every branch of useful knowledge, to prepare them to step forward and efficiently do their part in the great work.” (Deseret News, 22 October 1862, 129)
President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “I am so deeply thankful that we have the wonders of television, radio, cable, satellite transmission, and the Internet. We have become a great worldwide Church, and it is now possible for the vast majority of our members to participate in [conference] meetings as one great family, speaking many languages, found in many lands….” (Ensign, Nov. 2001)
So what does this mean for us? How can we be pioneers in these rapidly-changing modern times? Let me suggest a few things:
• Are you using the Internet, cell phones, and other communication devices just to manage schedules and information, or are you taking advantage of these god-given miracles to share your stories and your testimony of the gospel with others? In pioneer times, to share the gospel, missionaries got on a boat and sailed for months to a foreign country. In today’s modern world, we may have many chances to meet and interact with people from other cities, states, or countries. There are modern-day ways to be a pioneer by sharing your story and your testimony with others using modern technology.
• In today’s world, we can meet millions of people on the Internet. Did I just say, “meet people on the Internet?” Isn’t that bad? Aren’t we supposed to stay away from that? Yes, we need to be cautious. Satan can take any good gift that God creates and tempt people to use it in evil ways. It’s been that way since the beginning of time. But there are good and wholesome and useful ways to use the Internet.
• Are you using the miracle of computers to write your family history and about what you believe? Then do you post it on your family Web site so others can read it?
• Are you writing your testimonies in blogs? Millions of people use blogs to post their thoughts about all kinds of topics. And millions of people read them and post their comments back. There are hundreds of discussions going on every day about gospel topics. You could find one that interests you and join in the discussion.
• Posting your thoughts, testimony, and views on life on the Internet is a way to share them with millions of people. Your story may be read by someone in a high-rise apartment building in Chicago where missionaries can’t get in. Maybe it will be read by a young person in China who is desperately seeking an answer to the purpose of life.
• If you use MySpace, I hope you’re not doing what a lot of other teenagers are doing by posting risqué pictures or chatting about subjects you shouldn’t. I hope you’re standing up for what’s right. I hope you’re encouraging other youth to Be Smart. (To read President Hinckley’s ideas on how to “be smart,” see “A Prophet’s Counsel and Prayer for Youth,” Ensign, Jan. 2001, 2.) I hope you’ve posted the Young Women Values on your home page. I hope you’re talking about why seminary is so awesome and about why you want to go on a mission.
These are ways to be a pioneer—to use the God-given miracles of technology to share your testimony with the world without ever leaving your home. No one at any time in the history of the world has been able to do this. But you can do it, if you want to be a pioneer. May we all be modern pioneers and use the God-given miracles of technology around us to fulfill the Lord’s purposes.
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