Zion's Youth

by Anna Jones Buttimore

Last week I spent a whole day at the London Temple. I had to take a friend to Gatwick airport, and since it’s just five minutes from the Temple, I thought it was too good an opportunity to waste. So I took the day off work, and, having baptisms to do, arrived in the Temple baptistry at 8 am. with a few family names, each of which has attached a long and lovely story which will have to wait for another blog opportunity.

As usual, the baptistry was booked up by a group of youth, but I was invited to “tag along” in order to get my family names done. And so I found myself sitting in the waiting area with about 30 very good looking young people – all American. There’s a lot of waiting around to be done in baptisms and confirmations, but these youth were truly amazing. They regularly reminded each other to be quiet and reverent, and they sang. They each picked a favourite hymn and sang incredibly beautifully, with all the parts and harmonies. I commented to the young woman sitting next to me that if they had told me they were the youth section of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir I would have believed them. It turned out they were Theatre Studies Student from BYU staying in London for six weeks.

Occasionally as we sang one would comment that her grandfather had written the words to a particular hymn, or his great-great uncle had composed the melody. I came to realise that these truly were “Zion’s Youth”, and to understand why the Prophets and Apostles so often express admiration for the youth of the Church today. They were a great example to me and I wish I could have spent longer with them, or been somewhere I could have talked to them more freely. It was an honour to spend time with them, and I am especially grateful for the friendliness they showed me, in singing both my favourite hymn, “I Stand All Amazed”, and “God Save the Queen”.

Later that afternoon the youth of my own Ward went to the Temple – including my eldest daughter. I had returned home by then, but asked Gwen afterwards how the trip had gone. “Fine.” She said, “But there were only seven of us, and none of the Young Men went.” I asked what they did in the waiting area while others of the group were being baptised. “Me and Paige chatted about Britain’s Got Talent” she told me.

Those of Zion’s youth who don’t actually live in Zion have a lot to learn from those who do. Not least the harmonies to the hymns.