Modern Day Stripling Warriors

I am so impressed with my son and his friends at Church. I was thinking about them today and had to write down my feelings. After Sean moved in, there were finally two Priests in the Ward, so the Bishop had them start going over to member's house to give him the Sacrament every Sunday after Church. The boys did it faithfully. Then a third Priest was added to the Quorum and all three would go every Sunday. This member has not attended Church for years and is frail and elderly in his 90's. His wife is not a member, nor any of his family. They opened up their home every Sunday afternoon to these boys. For the past few weeks this elderly member has been in the hospital after he had a stroke. The boys went over to the house one Sunday and the wife told them he was in the hospital, so they visited with her for awhile then drove back into town to the hospital to see the old man. This past Saturday I got a phone call from one of the son-in-laws saying the doctors felt he would pass away soon and they were making arrangements. The old man hasn't eaten anything in over a week. The son-in-law was asking me about a "robe" that he needed for the member's burial. I told him they were temple clothes and I would talk to the Bishop about getting him some. I told the gentleman how sorry I was and that my son was one of the boys that goes to the house every Sunday. He said the family has really appreciated all the boys have done. I told Sean about my call. At the Saturday night Priesthood Session, Sean told the others about the condition of the member in the hospital. They were all concerned.

On Sunday morning, Sean asked to take the car between the two sessions to pick up Jared and Todd because they wanted to go see this member in the hospital. I was awestruck, that they would want to do that on conference sunday and gave him our permission to take the car. It was general conference.... no sacrament today.... these boys didn't have to or were expected to visit this Sunday, but on their own, they wanted to go see this elderly member who they have grown to love over the past 7 months. As the last speaker concluded in the Sunday mornining session, Sean asked if he could leave before the closing song and prayer to drive up to the church to get Todd (who was watching conference in the ward building) and then out to Jared's house (who lives outside of town)to pick him up. He had also gotten into his church clothes to make the visit (as we were all sitting in the livingroom in our PJs). So off he went.

He got back just in time for the last session of conference. He said they had a nice visit but that the old man was having a hard time talking, but they were able to visit for awhile. They also went to visit the non-member wife who lives in the next town down the highway from where we live- over 10 miles away. The doctors don't think he has much time left and that might have been their last visit with him.

In the scheme of things, the world probably doesn't care that there are three young men who care about this old 90-something year old man in East Texas. But to that old man and his family, they sure mean a lot. What makes three 16-17 year old boys feel the need to visit this man week in and week out, rain or shine, to visit with him, to bless and pass the sacrament to him? These boys honor their priesthood! They have the light of Christ within them! I am so proud of Sean and his desire to do good works.

Today when I was in the car thinking about them and thier loving acts, the thought came into my mind: "these are modern day Stripling Warriors". My son is a Stripling Warrior....