This is a very sweet privilege I have today, brothers and sisters. William D. Cook and I have been in this work together almost since we were introduced to it. About three weeks ago, Brother Johnson came to me and said the Spirit dictates to me, Brother Hammond, that Brother Cook should be ordained a patriarch.

I said, well, that's certainly in harmony with my feelings. I feel it's the right thing. And so we're happy to announce to you, brothers and sisters, today that Brother Cook has been properly ordained and called by revelation to act as a patriarch of his people. And Brother Johnson desires at this time that he should be our first speaker. Dear brothers and sisters, I feel very humbled.

occupying this position here this afternoon. Since my early childhood, when I had to be called upon by those who guided me, to direct me, to respond, and do the best I can in the way, in my weak way, of fulfilling that calling. I appreciate, beyond words to express, my opportunity in associating with the service of the Lord, Even in my late teens, I was called on a mission at 17 years old under President Joseph F. Smith. Before I left for my mission, he called me with the other elders, not at the same time, to a room privately, and he asked me personally, privately, in regard to my character, my association, especially.

with woman time. The first question he asked me was so direct and so pregnant. He brought quite a shock to me and I answered him immediately. He said, Frank, he put his arm around me. He said, God bless you, my boy. He said, I know you're speaking the truth. He said, he will bless you in this nation. And you will return home at safety. And he said, yes, he'll agree to this. Deep love for that man, although he's gone beyond.

I studied his life history. I know the part that he played as church president. He really and truly is a servant of the Lord. Since then, I've had equally brilliant, if not greater, opportunities. I'm thankful for my father in heaven, Peter. Father, my first prayer to his brother, Mary, in here, is when the gospel, the very day the first piece of magazine came out.

I think I'd had three copies of the speech magazine, and by the way, the Lord was good enough to send me those copies. I don't know how they ever got a hold of me. I read them. I said to my wife, Myrtle, that's the crookedest man in the world, the author of that magazine, or else he's the most right. She says, what do you mean? I said, every word of it sounds creepy. It speaks truth to my soul.

I said, but I realize the fact that a real, more educated man can read a word out, put a word in. That's the thing that I don't know. Less than a month, a dear old gentleman comes to my door. One Sunday afternoon, knocked on the door. He felt a little reluctant, I would say. I knew he'd come for a definite purpose, but he felt a little reluctant. Tell me what his business was. Quite blood in my speaking.

I wanted to relieve him. I said, well, now, what's on your mind? If I can help you anyway, spit it out. I said, don't be afraid. I thought, come to me, there's some truth. He pulled out the truth magazine out of his pocket. He said, have you ever read one of these? I told him, yes, sir. I had three copies. What do you think about it? And I told him the same as I told my wife. He said, come here. Come here, brother.

He took me out to his car. He had one of these old-fashioned wheelie seat cases. And he opened it up and showed me more books than an ordinary man could carry. And then he told me about his library. He said, Brother Cook, although you're a stranger to me, you can say anything that I own in the way of reading material that you have access to. Keep it as long as you want it. Schedule it as long as you want it. And then return it.

I said, open this magazine, and I seen it. And I said, could you find out from any of us, sir? He turned immediately to it. He was very keen on it. And before he got halfway through, I knew those articles that were published there had been run through to me, dear to me. Most of you who were here heard Uncle Marion speak.

our earlier association, and how my wife, she being a nurse to one of our daughters, Horace, they immediately looked at us. I met Brother Marion, Brother Joseph, Brother Dockstader, he was a brother from down there, eventually Uncle John, and they were God's children. I couldn't conceive of them. They were making mistakes. Their language is my language. The thing that they taught was the thing that thrilled me.

It brought joy, peace, consolation to my soul. We were eventually called to maybe one of the great undertakings of the day, and that is to come to church. And you know how closely we've been associated. You know that through that association, it is very sentimental to your heart whether they were good or whether they were not good, we're supposed to be. Like we're living as one family.

And I've had another great lesson to learn, brethren, sisters, and I even still see the Lord's been merciful to me. And that is through this experience, this experience in short term. I think it's some 15 or 17 years since we came here. And I'm just beginning to learn this one lesson, that I can't judge my brethren, my sisters, or even those of the world.

from my own individual standards. I realize that while we're in this mortal place, that we have the weaknesses of the place to contend with. I've learned to my own satisfaction that our mission here in life, our purpose in life, when we took upon these mortal bodies, was to learn that the Spirit might govern this place. That is our promise. And the Lord is under covenant to fulfill that promise.

That if the Spirit governs the flesh, that we will get our just reward. That if we let the flesh govern the spirit, it will be our downfall. It's increase or decrease with us, it's the same. It's eternal progression or retrogression. Why the Lord has been merciful to me, I don't know. But I feel, as Brother Marion expressed the coin, that through the grace, My father in heaven, I'm here not to see my good works, but to see his kindness toward me. Not so long ago I had a wonderful visit with Brother Dale. I said, Brother Dale, if I could live with these boys and girls, establish a gospel image for them, know that they were living that gospel, I'd be the happiest man in the world. I'd be willing to lay down my life.

He got a smile. He looked at me and he said, we've got a cook. Contemplations are high. He said, your ideals are high. You're looking for some great things. He said, Brother Joseph didn't do it. Brigham didn't do it. John Taylor didn't do it. And he said, I don't think it's in the providence of the Lord that all of us will be saved. And it made me think. It made me study. It made me pray. You know, I think I failed that mission even before.

These were the highest ideas that I could conceive of, family life. And I wondered, and when you come to prepare the Latter-day Saints as a group, know their mission in life, and the truth to direction, you can't hardly wonder that there's so many falls to the right side. Even men who have had the same opportunities that we have. So it behooves us each and every one of you.

Go to our Father in Heaven. Respect each other in their various callings. Learn our relationship to one another. And respect that relationship. I read a sermon just the other day with Brother Taylor. Because when a man is called upon to speak, he says, I listen to what that man has to say. He says, I'm judged from what he says.

Not the man in and of himself, but what he says and the right that he has to say. It has established another wonderful thought in my mind. And as I mention these things, that I might bear testimony to you people, that these are the great things that I'm striving for. As I say, the Lord has been very kind to me in bringing me along this journey. I feel the honor.

But thanks to the best of my ability, those who are associated, I pray the Lord that he would help me to focus terribly around my brother and sister, where we don't understand a life, see a life, because I need that same help from them. May the Lord bless us. May these testimonies increase from time to time with my prayers.

For it's all in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.