"President Monson has reminded youth leaders that "We are builders of boys and menders of men. In doing so, we remember that the greatest verb in the vocabulary is to love; the second is to help." I can think of no great ways to love and help our youth than to bring those who are less active back into full church activity and give them a vision of who they are and the blessings that are in store for them as they fulfill their priesthood duties.
At a recent Scout training, Scout leaders were invited to share experiences of bringing boys back into church activity through the Scouting program. Several leaders volunteered to share their experiences with the group. As I listened to these faithful leaders, common elements emerged from their stories.
First, each leader sought out the inactive boy and his family and made a personal invitation to the boy to join in the troop activities. Often, the parents were happy to encourage the boy's participation whether they, as parents, were active in the church or not. Their encouragement resided in the trust they felt in the Scouting program.
Second, it was obvious that the leader grew to love the boy as the leader became invested in the boy's progress and success in the Scouting program. Often this part of the story revealed a lot of effort on the part of the leader to keep the boy engaged and connected to the troop.
A third common element in these activation experiences was that, as the boy participated in Scouting, he also grew in faith, came back into Church activity, participated in his priesthood duties and became committed to missionary service. Often the activation of the boy strengthened the whole family and the parents returned to church activity as well.
Most of the Scout leaders who shared their stories of activation did so with great emotion. It was easy to feel the love they felt for each boy. It was remarkable to know that they knew that the greatest blessing of Scouting was that, through the activities and programs, they could help build faith in Jesus Christ. Each leader was grateful for the experience of touching a boy's life with increased testimony. He knew that he had not only changed the life of that boy….and possibly his parents….but he had changed the lives of generations to come.
Scouting is one of the great activation tools for leaders of youth. It provides a setting for friendship, fun activities, leadership skills, character building, advancement, and interaction with leaders of faith. We hope that every leader will get to know all the boys on his roster and reach out to each one with the goal of building faith and testimony. He will be successful as he reaches out in love with the desire to help.
Thanks to each of you for your committed work in behalf of our boys".
