By LATRICIA NELL
latricia@newsroom.byu.edu
A BYU professor has recently compiled into book form the history of the first missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in India.
R. Lanier Britsch, professor of history, has researched and written the book, 'Nothing More Heroic: the Compelling Story of the First Latter-day Saint Missionaries in India.'
'The book tells an accurate story of the early missionaries in India, but it scratches the surface of all that could've been written -- there is so much history in India,' Britsch said.
Britsch said he has an admiration for the courage, the faith and the dedication of the early missionaries in India.
'Sometimes we count our missionary successes in terms of numbers. We don't know the end of our work -- the seeds we've planted -- or the ultimate difference our labors make,' Britsch said.
He said the early missionaries in India are a perfect example of not seeing the fruits of their labors.
From 1851 to 1856, when the first 17 missionaries were in India, they saw about 100 baptisms, Britsch said.
He said almost all of the converts were British military personnel who were in India on assignment. The missionaries focused on the British military personnel because they were most accessible and spoke English, he said.
He said the missionaries also learned the native languages of India. They eventually converted about 180 Indian people, but were disappointed when most of the converts fell away.
Britsch said the missionaries felt they had failed to convert the people of India and compared the numbers of converts in India with the numbers of converts in Great Britain and Denmark.
He said the feeling of failure by the early missionaries in India is unjustified.
'I wish to emphasize that what appears to be a failure is sometimes the greatest success -- only time and eternity reveal the greater truth,' Britsch said.
He said after the book was published, he was contacted by a descendant of one of the people converted to the LDS church by an early missionary in India. The man said he was one of many strong members of the church in his family.
The descendant also said several members of the family had served missions, Britsch said.
He said an important note is that all 17 of the missionaries who went to India returned home safely.
'Our elders suffered miserably with malaria, dysentery and fevers of diverse kinds, but they were blessed to survive and return home to their loved ones,' Britsch said.
He said the main message of the book is the importance of accepting the assignments the Lord gives to his children.
'Our responsibility is to accept assignments and do them. It is up to the Lord to determine their value,' Britsch said.
He said he enjoyed writing a 'little-known chapter in church history.'
The book is available where Deseret Books are sold.