“Ten times ten thousand missionaries and more have left farm and factory, shop and store, and the halls of higher learning – voluntarily and at their own expense – to devote three hundred thousand man years of service in preaching the gospel.
“Ten times a hundred thousand and more have believed their message.
“Ten times ten million and more have heard the warning voice.
“But with it all, we have scarce commenced the assigned labor. We have yet to preach the gospel to the ten times two hundred million people in Russia, China, India, Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia, and so on.”
– Bruce R. McConkie, 1969
It was interesting and sort of fun to listen to a little old lady outside of Butler, Pennsylvania talk about Bruce R McConkie when he served as a missionary there 40 years earlier. The details are fuzzy but, safe to say, he remained who he was.
Well, Elder McConkie, in the intervening 50 years, we’ve made progress. There are five missions in Russia, stakes in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and a temple soon to be built.
There are 10 districts in mainline China (approx 10,000 members), and temples in Hong King and Taiwan.
Mormon newsroom reports 13,000 members in India, with a temple announced in Bangluru (Bangalore).
The other regions –Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia–all have productive missions, dozens of congregations, and membership in the thousands.
Indeed, the “truth of God is rolling forth boldly, nobly and independent.”