"We have been born, As Nephi of old,
To goodly parents who love the Lord.
We have been taught and we understand,
That we must do as the Lord commands.
We are as the Army of Helaman, We have been taught in our youth.
And we will be the Lord's missionaries, To bring the world his truth." -Janice Kapp Perry
One powerful moment for me at Bud Wilson's funeral was the Los Gatos Ward Young Men singing "Army of Helaman."
As I watched this eclectic group of young men and their leaders sing (minus their YM President, Bud), it touched me how lucky these boys are to have men like Bud, Jeremy Walton, Dave Rodrigues, etc. who take such an interest in them.
I doubt the youth realize how much their adult leaders care about them and want them to be happy. When the youth struggle and make poor choices, their adult leaders struggle too. They sincerely want to help. I know this from experience, many times over!
I'll never forget being a YW President in LaJolla years ago, and one day out driving I passed one of my Mia Maid girls with her friends and she was smoking. My heart sank! I adored this girl, saw her potential and felt sick wishing I could keep her safe and innocent.
Sometimes I think teenagers feel like their choices only affect them. But that's a fallacy. Decisions, good ones and bad ones, affect everyone that loves them (their parents, their leaders, their friends & family). Of course, parents, leaders, and friends are the first to want to help when youth who've strayed from gospel principles want to put their lives back in order.
So, when our sweet Los Gatos Young Men stood in their matching Raiders ties to honor Bud by singing the guy's part from the EFY Medley my heart soared! These are good boys are they are so lucky to have scores of adults who really care about them!
