Oh, How Great Is Our Joy

The author of “Oh, How Great Is Our Joy,” Andrés C. González, was among the first native Mexicans called to serve a full-time mission in Mexico. Elder González had a fine singing voice, and one day in 1910, while preaching on a street corner in Mexico City, he and his companion decided to sing a hymn to draw more listeners. They chose “In the Sweet By and By,” a well-known Christian hymn about returning to our beautiful heavenly home. But instead of attracting people who were interested in hearing their message, Elder González and his companion soon found themselves surrounded by a group of angry people who demanded that they stop singing. These people felt that the hymn belonged to them and that the missionaries shouldn’t be singing it. They brought the police, who threw the missionaries in jail.

Not knowing when he would see his wife and family again, Elder González pleaded with the Lord for protection and deliverance. During that dark night, he felt inspired to write new lyrics for the hymn, expressing the joy of sharing the Lord’s love and light as missionaries. After they were released, Elder González and his companion returned to sing at the same street corner. When the angry people came back, they found the missionaries singing the familiar tune with completely different words. This hymn has appeared in the Church’s Spanish-language hymnal since 1912—first as “Despedida” and later as “Placentero nos es trabajar.”