Brother Alfred Olszewski, will you come and speak to us? I was just contemplating that it would be wonderful when the day comes that I'll quit being surprised when I'm called. Just then it hit. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be here, still following the servants of God, and to be numbered among you. I was contemplating that we all have acquaintances over the city at work.

The things that we experience with these acquaintances. On Friday, while I was at the office, someone called me in. We had a three-way conversation because some young man in the church couldn't reach an agreement with his teacher in a quorum meeting concerning items of priesthood. Some of my acquaintances seem to think that I'm still a good member in the church.

For I don't recall that I've done ever anything to discourage anyone from going to church and being a good member of the church. And yesterday while at the office, a young man came in and after a while started talking about church and gospel and then revealed to me the influence that Annalise Cairn had in his life.

So these things happen and you hear from all places and all people. And most of them will uphold the church at the same time that they are far away from them. And I don't know what we do the same thing. Something or other seems to tie us to that church and it's been on my mind for some time. It's been made clear to us for a long time that the church is the mother.

Our mother, to be sure. But never in the life of the gospel has a woman been permitted to hold a priesthood. You might reason why and what for for yourself. The fact remains that she has not been blessed with holding the priesthood by herself. And yet we keep on being tied to her apron strings. We grant her authority which she does not possess. We go crying on her shoulders.

When we feel down and out and we long for the day that we can return to a fold. You feel that I'm stating the case too harshly? As I said, I have always encouraged the children who want to go to mother to stay with mother. But I'm here for but one purpose. And I feel that there are only two things that are expected of me while I'm standing before you. And that is to have the spirit of our father upon me.

to speak the truth, and to bear testimony that we are governed by the priesthood of Almighty God, as Brother Rich has just got through saying. I don't know of anything else that is expected of me at this time, and I desire to get the Spirit of God. For if there is one thing that I know that is hard to obtain, it is that Spirit. And I have said and I'll repeat, that sometimes I have to smile at all the things that we blame on the Spirit of God, all the little things that we do, but have nothing whatsoever to do with the gospel, and yet we blame it on the Spirit of God, say that we were prompted. If we were but prompted in all our doings by the Spirit of God, we would be the people that the servants of God expect us to be.

I speak this way because I can say that I have enjoyed the Spirit of God. I remember 19, 20 years ago, we were holding a testimony meeting at the home of Brother Barlow on 4th East. It was in the early months of the year, and we had considerable sickness among our people. It wasn't too long after I had come from the East, and I was but a youngster in the work. Brother Joseph was conducting the meeting and in the middle of that meeting he arose and asked the people to unite their faith that the sick might be healed and he called on me to be mouth and prayer and on behalf of the people I pled with the Lord in a spirit that I will never forget. I don't know what I have been capable of receiving this spirit and

such a measure since. But I know the workings of the Spirit, and I have learned not to blame everything on that Spirit, but take the blame myself for the things that I do that are not acceptable to the Father or His servants. I have heard men preach before you, before me, quoting the Bible and asking for a double portion of the Spirit.

I remember that some years ago down in Phoenix, I attended a fireside meeting. Apostle Callas was the speaker, and he spoke on the double portion of the Spirit. And after the meeting was drawing to a close, he permitted questions. And I asked him to further explain this double portion of the Spirit. He looked at me and he says, everyone who's been in the mission field knows what the double portion of the Spirit is.

Well, just having been a stake missionary in the church, I haven't found out what a double portion is. But I know this much, that it is hard enough to get a single portion or any portion of the Spirit of God without desiring a double portion. And if it should be a point of doctrine, I want to say that if any man is entitled to a double portion of the Spirit of God, it's the man who holds the apostleship.

For the only record that you find of any man having had the double portion of the Spirit was Elisha. And it was given to him for the purpose that the rest of the priests and elders who were assembled in the city might know that he had been chosen to succeed Elijah. And I think that we ought to be content to strive with all our might to get the Spirit.

In the abundant capacity, we are able to carry it. And in our prayers, pray that the chosen servant of our Father might enjoy that double portion to teach us, to lead us, to govern us according to the mind and will of God. As Brother Ridge indicated, maybe we are the people that come closest to accepting the government of God.

And it is up to us to accept it. The government of God has been here. It gathered me and my family out of the East. It gathered others out of California. It causes people to come from the North and the South. I have never heard that since the days of the Prophet Joseph that the saints and people of God had ever been without a government. But they did not wholly accept it.

And with all our pretensions, I'm not certain that we are accepting the government of God as we should. I would admonish you, as I admonish myself, that if I claim or desire to be faithful in all things, that it is paramount that I be faithful to the government of God as it is constituted, as it is in our midst.

As it is, in fact, sitting in front of you at this very moment, I would admonish you, as much as it hurts, to forget your mother. Let father take care of her. I don't know that he has appointed me or anyone else to help her or to counsel her. In fact, you cannot counsel anyone unless they seek counsel. Every parent should know that. Then I would suggest...

that we pray daily that our testimonies be strengthened, that we become more diligent in listening to and adhering to the counsels and the commands, and place ourselves holy, and I mean holy, under the government of God as it is constituted in his priesthood council, the men that hold the apostleship, which in itself is the government of God.

Yet it's just that simple. Sure, the Savior commanded us to pray, Thy kingdom come. And considering what that kingdom is, it will be beautiful. But it might not come in our lifetime, despite all the signs and the closeness, because we might be called tomorrow or today yet. And so we may not experience the beauty of the kingdom of God on this side.

But that kingdom is not that important if we are willing to place ourselves under the government of God. And as I've said, it's never left us since the days of Joseph. I bear you my testimony, short as 20 years can be, that I've been grateful for all of these years that I have learned and found that the principles of the gospel are still in operation. The principle of...

Gathering brought me from the East, and the principle of government of God has kept me on the straight and narrow to this hour, and I praise the name of the Father for it. Let's gather our strength and courage for what is ahead of us. Pray, as I suggested, that our testimony may be strengthened day by day. Try sincerely to live by the principles of the gospel.

and place yourself under the government of God as it is constituted at this hour, and you will enjoy the blessings of our Father in fullness and in richness and in beauty. May this be our lot, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.