By JOHN HOWE
R. Lanier Britsch, a professor of history, spoke at Tuesday’s Devotional about “The Nobility of Failure.” He said apparent temporary failures are revealed as successes through time.
Britsch spoke about his older brother, Todd, who was captain of the BYU College Bowl team in the early 1960s. Britsch said he considered the four win, one loss run of the team to be one of the most important happenings in the intellectual history of BYU.
Britsch said the team was greeted by a large crowd and he remembered his brother saying something like, “Why are you all here? We lost.” Britsch said a few days later, Elder Harold B. Lee gave a Devotional address and mentioned the team’s wins, and its final loss. Britsch said Elder Lee said something like, “Sometimes we learn more from defeat than from victory.”
Britsch spoke about the early mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in India between 1851 and 1856. He said one missionary, Elder Willes, had initial success. Britsch said Elder Willes had Indians seek him out and express interest in his message. He said Willes regularly wrote to church leaders in Liverpool regarding his successes. In January 1852, Willes reported church membership in India of 189 members.
Britsch said in August of 1852, the church sent nine elders to India and four to Siam. He said after 86 days on the sea, they faced disappointing news in India. He said almost all of the native Indian members had fallen away and that there was an apostasy among European Saints. He said only six or eight members out of 200 were left in India.
Britsch said the missionaries had little success and were eventually called home. He said they regarded their missions as failures. However, he said, “Probably the most important observation we can make in historical retrospect is that the mission strengthened the missionaries’ testimonies.”
“Among these elders, several announced publicly upon their arrival in Utah that they were ready to accept any future assignments from their priesthood leaders,” he said.
Britsch talked about the apparent failure of Joseph Smith lying dead in Carthage Jail, or the Savior’s apparent failure at Calvary. He said the apparent failure of Joseph Smith was a prelude to the growth of the Lord’s work and that the Savior’s apparent failure was the greatest conquest in all eternity — the conquest over sin and death, he said.
“I loved his point that time shows apparent failures are successes,” said Maria Pergler, 19, a junior from Farmington, Davis County, majoring in earth and space science. “It was a really good conclusion. What appear as failures can turn out successes.”
“I found it really interesting to hear about the missionary work,” said Roseanne Stoddard, 20, a junior from Tacoma, Wash., majoring in history. “Some of my favorite classes are church history. You don’t hear much about the church in India. It’s great to hear how hard the missionaries struggled.”
