by Erin Elton
About News Correspondent
"Be
grateful, Be smart, Be clean, Be true, Be humble, Be prayerful,"
was President Hinckley's advice to the youth of the Church in a satellite broadcast
at the Conference Center on November 12, 2000. For the first time in history,
President of the Church Gordon B. Hinckley prepared and delivered a special address
for the youth of the Church ages 14-25.
Young people and their parents and advisors traveled from all over Utah to
hear the inspired counsel from their beloved prophet.
"I
was so excited! As I was walking from the parking lot I thought, 'Look at
all these righteous boys and girls!'" exclaimed Megan Boer, age 16, from
Springville, Utah. Many shared the same excitement as the 21,000-plus dedicated
youth crammed into the Conference Center.
The spirit was invited into the meeting with a captivating medley of various
hymns such as
"As Zions Youth in Latter-days" and "True to the faith," performed
by the Salt Lake Institute Choir.
The inspired prophet then stood at the pulpit to deliver his address and began
speaking. "I want you to know that I have been on my knees asking
the Lord to bless me with the power and the capacity and the language to reach
into your hearts." These humble words opened a very powerful address.
The love that he had for the youth radiated throughout the Center and across
television broadcasts all over the nation as he continued. Quinn Sperry,
a recently returned missionary from the Florida, Fort Lauderdale Mission appreciated
the spirit he felt from the fireside. "The spirit is so strong whenever
you're in the building with 21,000 other people simply being in the presence
of and listening to a prophet of God speak."
President Hinckley's hope and advice for the youth centered on the six B's,
namely, "Be grateful, Be smart, Be clean, Be true, Be humble, Be prayerful."
Some words of advice to the youth throughout the talk were to "walk with
gratitude in their hearts" and to "be loyal to the church under all
circumstances." In an educational venue, he promised that your "worth
will increase as you gain education and proficiency in your chosen field."
On of the major challenges that the youth face today, and a topic that President
Hinckley stressed was the importance of remaining clean in all aspects of life.
He warned against letting filthiness enter the soul, whether through entertainment,
drugs, pornography, or tattoos and unnecessary body piercing, which "the
First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve are all united in counseling against."
Among those issues was one that those of any age face often. In President
Hinckley's words, "it is the relationship that you have with one another."
He counseled that it is best to "keep yourselves clean from the dark and
disappointing evil of sexual transgression." He stated again that
a way to avoid this is to adhere to the Church's strict dating policy against
early dating. Many of the youth in attendance felt that the emphasis on
sexual immorality was needed, being one of the most difficult challenges they
face. Jake Jensen, a 16-year-old for Sandy, Utah personalized the importance
of guidelines for the youth. "Only a prophet of God can set up guidelines
like that. It is something that I had to learn the hard way seeing
what happens when you don't obey it, and he has a lot better insight than I
do. It's nice that he has given a warning to other people so that they
will not make the same mistakes that so many people have made."
Of course, after laying down the law, the prophet closed the issue with restating
the doctrine that "where there is true repentance, there will be forgiveness."
At the end of his remarks, the prophet of God humbled the thousands of youth
listening to the fireside, when he offered a prayer to the Lord in their behalf.
Sara Gray, a 17-year-old attending the meeting from Alpine, Utah, summed up
the main feelings of love that were felt when she commented, "I think it's
amazing that he considers each of us as individuals. It just makes me
feel very special that he loves me."
