Hope For The Future

I had a heavenly time in Las Vegas. My daughter and son in law are working so hard to raise their sweet family, plus take care of church callings and do all the things a family needs: dancing lessons, scripture reading, library trips. They make a small budget appear to be a vast treasure because they make the most of what they have and the time they have. Quality. That's what it is all about. I watch as a mom and dad try to raise children in a world where so many parents are working so much that their time is taken away from rearing responsible children. I came home last week with feelings of concern for what they face as parents to raise these good and wonderful kids. I wondered just how they are going to do it. I prayed for them, as I do all my children and grandchildren each and every morning and night.

Today, at our ward, it was Fast and Testimony Meeting. It is a chance for members of the ward who are so inspired to do so that they can share what we refer to as a testimony: their feelings, their faith promoting experiences, their knowledge and how they came to it. Usually, we hear from many adults, with a few children and youth mixed in. Today, was different. Young Man after young man, young woman after young woman, sharing their love for the scriptures, their love for prayer, their experiences in learning to listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, their answers to yearning questions. One will leave for a full time mission in a few weeks. The rest, though, won't be old enough for years. They were strong. They were courageous. Youth after youth. I was literally in tears, overcome with their sweet testimonies. I don't know all of their names (our ward grows bigger each week: six new families this week!). They are the strength for the times that are ahead that will try everyone's faith. It was such a sweet and blessed experience!