I Sincerely Trust My Brethren And Sisters...

I sincerely trust, my brethren and sisters, that I might enjoy an interest in your faith and prayers during the few moments that I shall stand before you. I have the high honor and privilege of laboring with the youth of the Church; and it is a distinction and an honor to associate with Bishop Richards and Bishop Isaacson, who have the welfare of the young people at heart. ¶

Paul's Admonition

The admonition of the Apostle Paul to his younger associate Timothy is so applicable to youth: ¶

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. ¶

(I Timothy 4:12.) Through the great youth program of the Church, the admonition of Paul to Timothy is being adhered to. On every hand we see the evidence in the lives of these young people of their belief, faith, charity, and purity. ¶

Faith of Young People

Sometime ago while I was visiting in the southern part of the state with Sister Wirthlin, we decided to remain overnight at Bryce Canyon. We arrived in the afternoon, meeting some of the young people who were employed there. They came to our cabin and held what I would call a fireside chat. These young men and women told us of ambitions and objectives to be achieved and of their great faith in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I remember one young man who told us that he come to Bryce Canyon with the hope of earning enough money to pay his school expenses for the coming year. He was promised a certain salary, but later the manager indicated that the salary could not be paid in the amount first mentioned. The young man was deeply worried, knowing that the income for the summer would not be adequate. He said he worried about it for several days and wondered whether or not he should seek employment elsewhere. ¶

"Finally, one day," he declared," as I was driving out among the cedars to gather firewood for the lodge, I said to myself, 'Why not ask the Lord about it?' So I stopped the truck and walked out among the cedars, knelt down, and talked to my Heavenly Father. And there came to my heart a feeling of assurance that I should remain at Bryce Canyon and things would work out. A few days later the manager came to me and said, 'We have decided to give you the salary promised you in the first place.' " ¶

You couldn't convince that young man that the Lord hadn't answered his prayer. He believed implicitly in God, and because of that great faith he took his problem to the Lord and found the solution. ¶

The next morning when we went to the lodge for our breakfast, I noticed on the table the name of the waitress, an old familiar Latterday Saint name. When the young lady came in, I asked her where she lived, and she answered, "I live in Bountiful." ¶

I asked, "I suppose you are a member of this so-called Mormon Church?" ¶

She replied, "Yes, I am. ¶

Then I asked, "What kind of church is it?" ¶

She declared rather emphatically, "It's a good church." ¶

And then I put the next question quite strongly and asked her if she thought it was the only true church. In a very positive way she gave me to understand that it was the true church. At that point Sister Wirthlin told the young lady who I was, and that ended it. ¶

But the thrill of the whole thing was that this young woman, talking to a stranger, was willing to bear testimony to the fact that she belongs to the restored Church of Jesus Christ. ¶

Faith of Serviceman

Some four weeks ago I had a rather interesting and inspiring experience. A young man whom I have known since he was a boy came into my office. He said, "I'm a reserve officer, and I have been called into the army." ¶

He had been married only about four or five years and has two lovely children, and I sorrowfully replied, "Paul, I'm sorry, in a way." ¶

He said, "Brother Wirthlin, don't worry about me, I have come here this morning to get some tracts that I might do some missionary work among my companions in the army; and furthermore, I have a promise, which I look upon as a divine promise, that I shall live to see the day when my father, who is not a member of the Church, will join it. I'm so impressed with that promise, I'm not worrying about the experiences that are immediately ahead of me." Such faith — so simple, and so profound! This young man will enjoy the blessings of our Heavenly Father because of his sweet, clean life and his faith in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the priesthood. ¶

We often hear young people bear their testimonies to the divinity of this great work, and what a thrill it is; although, at times, there are evidences of a negative attitude on the part of older people. They say these young people cannot stand up and testify that they know this is the Church of God, that God lives, that Jesus is his Son, and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. Brothers and sisters, young people, even a child at the age of eight who has been baptized, can stand up under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost and bear sincere testimony that he knows the Heavenly Father lives, that Jesus is his Son, and that Joseph Smith was his chosen instrument. There is no question about that in my mind. ¶

Day of Pentecost

Go back to the days of Peter, the Apostle, after Christ had left the disciples, and they had received the Holy Ghost. They stood before a great multitude of people on the Day of Pentecost and preached to them the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The throng of people were so pricked in their hearts that they arose as one man and asked, "... Men and brethren, what shall we do?" ¶

Peter answered them and said, . . . Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. ¶

For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. (Acts 2:37-39.) Any child who attains the right age, who has faith and repents of his sins and is baptized for the remission of sin under the hands of authorized servants of God, can receive the gift of the Holy Ghost; and under the inspiration of that sweet spirit, he can bear his testimony. Did not the Christ declare: ¶

But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me. (John 15:26.) ¶

Spirit of Testimony

I recall a friend of mine who had a great sorrow to bear. He had sought solace in many places. Finally, one fast Sunday he said to his wife, "Let us go over to fast meeting." He hadn't been too active in the Church. In the fast meeting he saw many of the young people bearing their testimonies. The spirit of testimony took hold of him, and he stood up and bore his testimony. That same afternoon he asked another associate of mine if he could have some place in the activities of the Church, and he was called to serve. Today he is a loyal, devoted, and fruitful servant of our Heavenly Father. ¶

Now, what about the young men who are being called into the armed forces of the nation? After all, we use this axiom: Old men for counsel and young men for battle. In the bloody struggle of war, it is youth who suffer. Their blood is spilt; their lives are sacrificed; and many are denied the blessings of having a companion and rearing a family. We owe much to these young men. First, we owe them encouragement. We owe to them letters in a constant stream to keep them encouraged, to keep their faith built up. Then, if death should come, because of their sweet, clean lives, they will regardless of what happens to them if death should come, because of their sweet, clean lives, they will be able to meet the great Judge who will extend his hand to them and give them that heavenly salutation: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." ¶

Aaronic Priesthood Program

The Aaronic Priesthood program of the Church is most vital. It is a training field for the young men of the Church. And what a grand and glorious thing it is to know that a boy at the tender age of twelve can receive divine authority from on high and become a servant of God. Whenever I think of these twelve-year-old boys, I always think of another one who lived nearly two thousand years ago — the boy Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. At the age of twelve we find him attending the Feast of the Passover with his parents in the city of Jerusalem, and in the course of events he found his way to the temple. There he was discussing the problems of the day with the great, the wise, and the learned. Later his mother missed him, and in looking for him, found him in the temple. ¶

In effect, she said to him, "Do you not know that you have caused your father and me a good deal of sorrow and grief?" Then he gave her that memorable answer, "... wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" (Luke 2:49.) That should be the slogan of the Aaronic Priesthood, in which every boy at the age of twelve commences his ministry in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Aaronic Priesthood affords opportunities that young boys cannot afford to miss, if they will take advantage of them; just as Paul said to Timothy, Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. ¶

(I Timothy 4:12.) ¶

Auxiliary Organizations

Then, too, we have the great auxiliary organizations of the Church. We have the Sunday School which provides lessons covering the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ; we have the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association and the Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association. We have our seminaries and institutes. We have our great welfare program, too, which should play a pertinent part in training our youth to be thrifty, ambitious, and willing to sustain themselves by the sweat of their brows and the toil of their hands. The Primary Association of the Church makes a great contribution in the spiritual, vocational, and recreational training of our children. It is the Primary that takes the child at a tender age and guides his footsteps in the paths of prayer and faith; and it teaches him how to use his hands effectively. The Primary Association is closely related to the young men who become holders of the Aaronic Priesthood, as it provides a preparatory course for all young men of the Church who anticipate receiving the Aaronic Priesthood. May I say, emphatically, the Primary Association has been one of the great factors in giving young men a vision of their responsibilities in the future. May God always bless and sustain the fine sisters who have been and who are carrying on this splendid work. ¶

Boy Scout Program

Another great and very important project of which little is said is that of the Boy Scout program. I want to say to you, as the vocational and recreational program of the Church for the Aaronic Priesthood, there is nothing finer than scouting. I say this because I have three sons, two of them are Eagle Scouts, and the other one a Life Scout. As I have observed their work in scouting, to me it has been almost comparable to a college education. Many times there are those of us who feel scouting is strictly a recreational program, but that is only a part of it. We are faced today with a big problem in knowing what to do with the leisure time of our boys, especially during the vacation period. The scouting program will take up all of this leisure time, provided we encourage our boys to participate in it. ¶

About a year ago a Scout was sent to me for an oral examination covering the project of producing beef. I asked many questions of the scout pertaining to the production of beef, and I was quite surprised when he answered every one of them correctly. ¶

With the knowledge he has accumulated through the merit badge project in scouting, he will be able to go forward in the beef industry on his own, although he is tender in years. ¶

There are many other projects which can be most helpful to young men in working out their future vocations. ¶

As a father of three sons, and all of them Scouts, if I were to choose someone to supervise their recreation, I would choose the scouters of my own ward, because I know they would be in good hands and nothing would happen that would be detrimental to their character. ¶

Where we have the right kind of Aaronic Priesthood work, we will have the great scouting program supplementing it; and where there is good scouting, there is good Aaronic Priesthood work. I plead with you to support the Boy Scouts. ¶

Missionaries

I haven't forgotten the 5800 young men and young women out in the world, meeting people far beyond them in age and experience. With the sword of truth in their hands for defense and offense, they are convincing men they have a great message, and as a result thousands of people are accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ in this nation and all over the world. ¶

Support of Youth

So, we plead for your support, for your help in encouraging the youth of the Church to participate in the great Church youth program, with the aim that they may be prepared when the time comes to take over the responsibilities that we older people now have. Returning to Paul's admonition to Timothy, "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." Impress every young man with his responsibilities and obligations in the priesthood, that when temptation crosses his path, he may remember the answer of the boy Savior in the temple when he said, "... wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" This I humbly pray, will be the blessing of every young man and every young woman in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Amen. ¶