Young Men and Scout leaders throughout the Church enjoy renown as doctors, dentists, lawyers, engineers, craftsmen, salesmen and in other endeavors. But whatever their occupation, each is engaged in the building trade — the building of boys.
That was the message shared by President Thomas S. Monson, first counselor in the First Presidency, at the conclusion of a historic training meeting for Aaronic Priesthood and LDS Scout leaders. Broadcast to meetinghouses throughout the United States and Canada on May 12, the program centered on the importance of enlisting the Scouting and Duty to God programs to help young men enjoy the privileges and preparatory opportunities offered during their Aaronic Priesthood years.
President Monson spoke of some dangers facing young men in a time of immorality and filth: "Where there is one man who is willing and able to build a boy, there are many more who, through greed, selfishness and lust for power, lurk in the shadows of gloom, away from the light of truth, to tear a boy down. I speak of those who peddle pornography, who belittle morality, who violate law and for filthy lucre sell a boy those products that destroy — those who put sin on a pedestal, who conceal truth, who glamorize error, who look upon a fair-haired boy as a commodity for exploitation."
The priesthood is a commission to serve and lift others from the world's many troubles, President Monson said.
"We who have been ordained to the priesthood of God and have been called to work with young men can make a difference. When we qualify for the help of the Lord, we have the privilege to build boys who will eventually become the leaders of tomorrow. It is vital that they bear the standard of morality and integrity and courage."
Miracles can be accomplished in the Lord's holy service. It is vital, the Church leader added, that those who have responsibility with the young men of the Church be there to help guide their paths. It was Christ — the best Builder of all — who offered the formula: "He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."
Builders of boys can be partners with God in bringing to pass His work and His glory — namely "the immortality and eternal life of man," President Monson said.
The Scouting program is the activity arm of the Aaronic Priesthood and helps build and strengthen young men. In 1913, the Church established its affiliation with the Boy Scouts of America, acting on a motion by Bryant S. Hinckley, a member of the YMMIA Board. Decades later, Brother Hinckley's son, President Gordon B. Hinckley, called Scouting "a program which the Church has sponsored for 80 years, to the blessing of hundreds of thousands of boys and young men."
President Monson reminisced about visiting London's Westminster Abbey 25 years ago while on an assignment in England with his wife, Frances. He described how they read the inscriptions marking the tombs of royalty and other famous people buried there. Then they came to the plaque of honor dedicated to the memory of Scouting's founder, Robert Lord Baden-Powell.
"I pondered the thought, 'How many boys have had their lives blessed — even saved — by the Scout movement begun by Baden-Powell?"' President Monson said. "Unlike others memorialized within the walls of Westminster Abbey, Baden-Powell had neither sailed the stormy seas of glory nor founded empires of worldly wealth. Rather, he was a builder of boys, one who taught them well how to run and win the race of life."
The boys of today will become the men of tomorrow, President Monson declared. Scouting, he said, teaches boys how to live, not merely how to make a living. Through Scouting, young men can learn the lifelong virtues of work and duty, he added.
A member of Scouting's National Executive Board, President Monson related an account that demonstrates the international brotherhood found in Scouting: Several years ago, a group of Scout leaders met in the mountains near Sacramento, Calif., for Wood Badge training. After days of eating their own cooking, the Scout leaders enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by a professional chef named Dimitrious. One of the men asked him why he returned each year at his own expense to cook for the Scout leaders.
Dimitrious spoke of his boyhood in a small village in Greece. After Nazis occupied the country during World War II, villagers destroyed a hydroelectric dam. In retaliation, the Nazis gathered all the men and boys and announced a drastic penalty: every fifth one was to be shot. The fateful count commenced and the first designated group was executed. When the count reached Dimitrious' row, he realized he would be designated for execution. A Nazi soldier spotted the Scout insignia engraved on the boy's belt buckle, which he had earned as a Boy Scout for knowing the Oath and Law of Scouting. The soldier pointed at the belt buckle, raised his right hand in the Scout sign and spoke three unforgettable words: "Run, boy, run!"
Dimitrious did run, and lived. "Today," the chef told the men, "I serve Scouting, that boys may still dream dreams and live to fulfill them."
It has been said that the greatest gift a man can give a boy is his willingness to share a part of his life with him, President Monson noted.
"Aaronic Priesthood leaders, Scout leaders, may you make the commitment to share your lives with our precious young men," President Monson concluded. "They depend on you. Their very salvation may be at stake. You can build a bridge to the heart of a boy and can help guide his precious soul back to our Father in Heaven."
E-mail to: jswensen@desnews.com
