The same day that this latter person had hands laid upon her, we had
a meeting at a place called Waiehu. After the meeting was over, three
persons requested to be administered to, one of whom was a blind man.
He had been blind for upwards of thirty years, but his sight was
restored to him. He began to amend from the time hands were laid upon
him, and the next morning, he was able to see. He was afterwards able
to go about without any guide; and I have frequently seen him come into
meeting, winding his way among the people, without any aid, to a seat
which he was accustomed to occupy near the speaker. His restoration
caused a great stir in the neighborhood, for his blindness was well
known. He had a son, a mature man, who could barely recollect when his
father was able to see and go about without aid.
I will relate another instance of which I was not an eye witness;
but which I have every reason to believe occurred as I will relate
it. I have mentioned an Elder whose name was Uaua. He was a man of
considerable faith. His wife had been stricken down in his absence and
had been, to all appearance, dead for some three hours before he had
arrived at his house.
In that country when a person dies, the friends and relatives of the
family assemble together and manifest their grief by wailing. They were
indulging in these lamentations and outcries when he returned, every
one supposing that she was dead. He was, of course, very much shocked;
but the first thing he did was to anoint her and lay hands upon her;
and, to the astonishment of all who had assembled, she instantly
recovered.
I might multiply instances of this kind without number; but I write
these, to show you that the same works and power of God, which were
manifested anciently through the faith of the servants and Saints of
God have been shown forth in our day and under the administration of
the people of God, who now live.
The natives of the Sandwich Islands had great faith to lay hands on
the sick, and also to have hands laid upon them when they were sick.
It was not contrary to their traditions for them to believe in this
ordinance, for their old native priests, before the missionaries came,
had considerable power which they exercised, and in which the people
had confidence.
Many Elders desire, when they are called as missionaries, to go to
enlightened and cultivated nations. They think their experience among
such people would be profitable to them, and that they would became
polished and learn many things which they could not obtain among a
people, for instance, like the Sandwich Islanders or the Lamanites.
Such Elders forget that the Lord sends His Elders out to teach and not
to be taught. Missionaries should not have the idea of self-comfort and
self-indulgence in their minds; but the salvation of souls.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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