Adrift in A Sea of Youth and Virtue

Last night I highlighted the missionaries, and yes, they are authentic heroes. Their counterparts--likewise heroes in their own right--are the young people who, with no formal rules imposed, follow their own self-chosen regimen using "rules" offered by the Lord God Himself. And without question or murmur they daily live God's way with scarcely any outside notice.

Take Family Home Evening for example. Tonight our young people held "FHE" here in the institute building. No outside supervision; no adult help, they simply go about their elective togetherness and have a great time doing it.

It goes this way--they gather in the Institute building, all twenty-five of them. Seated around one room's perimeter, one young lady was tonight's teacher. On the "board" she listed three scriptures that had been pre-assigned as "homework." Listed beside each scripture were associated questions. For the next hour the participants freely contributed thoughts and other passages of scripture. All was quiet; all was orderly; all was peaceful and calm. It was wonderful! (In a word, it was "heavenly.") After the discussion, the group adjourned to the playing field, and the sweet ambience erupted into energetic motion as lithe bodies raced full-speed while playing a game of "steal the flag!" It was fun for the old couple watching from a distance, but in the words of James Clyde O'Dell, "What a vulgar display of youthfulness!"

At times like these, Ranelle and I enviously watch and whisper to each other how blessed we are to be tolerated by some of the world's finest.