Missionaries....the Hope of Israel

THE RIOTS

Yesterday I was on line reading about the terrible rioting caused by youth gangs in England. It has been world wide news and you have all read or heard this news.

As I sat at my computer absorbing the whore of devestation in London, Liverpool, and Bristol I was taken by the young age of so many of these gang members -- the news reported that children as young as 7 years old were involved.

The copy cat effect has caused this bizarre movement to spread rapidly and last night they ravaged Manchester on the very street where we take the missionaries street contacting!

As I sat here musing over these terrible events, I looked up and saw a group of missionaries standing in the hall. There they were -- in their crisp white shirts, suits and ties, shiny shoes and short hair. They were the picture of angelic youth. A lump rose in my throat and two thoughts floated through my mind.

The first......how can we thr0w them out into that violent, evil world where sin is so prevelant it grips at you from every direction!

And then the second thought......how soon can we get them out there.....they are so badly needed! I thought of what Elder Holland said in an MTC devotional in January. He looked at those missionaries, leaned across the pulpit and with great emotion said,

"We have a world in trouble, and YOU are the hope of Israel! And you're only 19, or 20 or 21 years old!"

Missionaries are walking miracles and it is a privelege to walk among them each day.