Most pre-teens and teens like to pretend their families are a burden, even though they secretly love them. He didn’t seem to see any need to pretend. He talked about how his family worked hard to be a great family and how they planned to be a family forever—even after death. He had my attention with that one. I loved the idea of being a forever family.

Mormon Boys Were Trustworthy

In high school our drama teacher made a rule that only the Mormon kids could drive when we had club parties or field trips. He’d noticed they were the ones who never got drunk and that they tried to be responsible in our activities. They also tended to be the leaders. I noticed all that, too.

Then I moved to a new high school. It was a little school and my first day everyone just stood back and watched and waited, trying to decide which niche I belonged to before anyone spoke.

Only one person didn’t bother to wait around. He greeted me the moment I entered Spanish class and, learning I was new, invited me to join his friends during break and lunch so I wouldn’t have to be alone my first day. He didn’t know what niche I should belong to, but it appeared he didn’t care. I wasn’t surprised to learn he was Mormon. I’d noticed the Mormon boys were like that.

Soon he invited me to visit his church’s youth group and to go on a campout the church group was having. He said it would help me meet other students, who, as I quickly learned, also didn’t care what niche I should belong to.

It was at the campout that I really began to see how the Mormon boys were different from other boys I knew. They had beautiful manners and treated the girls with so much respect. When we exited the van, they took our hands to help us down. They carried things for us and waited on us hand and foot—not because they thought we were helpless but because they wanted us to feel special and cared for. They didn’t just reserve that for their girlfriends. All the girls got the same royal treatment.

Mormon Boys Treat Girls with Respect

I noticed how nicely the boys with girlfriends treated them. The girls never had to worry about the boys pressuring them. The girls told me they shared the same moral standards and the boys never tried to go beyond those appropriate limits. In my experience, Mormon boys and girls helped each other maintain their standards by setting and keeping rules for their relationship.

After a while, I understood that this was because they had bigger goals than enjoying high school. While they were definitely enjoying their teen years, they didn’t bother to spend them getting into trouble. The boys were all preparing to go on missions when they were older. (At the time, they could go when they were nineteen. Today, they can go at eighteen.) This meant they needed to keep their moral standards high and to spend time learning how to serve and respect others. They had spent a lifetime learning to treat people with respect.

Not all of them did, of course. There were some who hadn’t caught the vision yet and, even when they had, they made a few mistakes—who doesn’t? Overall, though, I found the Mormon boys I knew to be more mature, more responsible, more trustworthy—and more fun. It was a pleasure to be with a boy who treated you with respect, who paid attention to your needs instead of just his own, and who knew how to have the kind of fun that wouldn’t get you in trouble if your parents saw you doing it.

I liked them so much I ended up marrying one! It was this focus on eternal things that made the difference then and that continues to make the difference now.

The adult leaders who found the purse needed to find out who it belonged to so they could return it. There was no identification outside the purse, and they hated to snoop, but there was no choice. To see as little as possible, they reached in and pulled out just one item. They figured they’d see as little as possible before finding identification.

The first thing they found was a booklet called “For the Strength of Youth.” This is a booklet given to Mormon teenagers that remind them of the moral standards God wants them to live by. Even though there was no name on the pamphlet, the leaders realized it told them something important about the girl—she cared so much about living the way God asked her to live she even brought the standards with her to dances.

The next item they looked at was a notebook. They were sure that would have some identifying information in it. However, it turned out to have six pages of scriptures in it—it was a list of the girl’s favorite scriptures. Again, although they still didn’t know her name, they knew she loved to study her scriptures.

Every item they pulled out of her purse told them more about what kind of girl owned the purse. They found things that showed she was artistically creative, that she loved to serve others, that she was neat, and that she was domestic. She was prepared for emergencies. Finally they found her identification. They were happy to see what an incredible young lady she was, and they knew this by what was in a purse she never expected others to peer into.

If someone were to go through your purse, pockets, or backpack, if they were to search your school locker or your bedroom, if they were to read your journal…what would they learn about you? Would they find you to be the person you portray yourself to be, or would they learn you were not the person they had thought you were? Would they be excited to learn your standards—even when you think no one is watching—or would they be sad and worried?

Even if your parents or complete strangers never go through your private things, God knows what is in them. What does He see when He peers into your private life? Are you proud of the person you are? Are you one person when others are watching and a different person when you’re alone? Are you one person to your friends and another to your parents and religious leaders?

A lot of times we divide our lives into little categories and we live differently depending on where we are and who we are with. However, to become a real person, we must be the same person all the time under every circumstances. When we are always the same, living by the same standards, people trust us more. They know they can depend on us in every situation. We are more genuine, more real.

To be a Christian, we have to be Christian all the time, not just when important people are watching. Jesus wants us to be like Him every minute of every day, no matter who we are with.

When my children were younger, one of them had a church teacher for a while who was very popular. She had just graduated from high school and had been head cheerleader and a prom or homecoming queen. She told the children in the church class she taught that summer that she had never once lowered her standards in order to be popular. She hadn’t felt a need to dress immodestly, use inappropriate language, or live differently than her family and her church had taught her to live. Even though this meant she didn’t wear all the latest fashions (even though she was always fashionably dressed) and even though she sometimes stayed home when her friends wanted to do something she knew was wrong, even though she never swore, cheated, or did other immoral things…everyone still liked her. She was still the most popular girl in school because she was a wonderful person, kind to everyone, dependable, and herself. No matter what situation she was in, she was always herself and she was always who God wanted her to be.

Take a few hours today to look through your purse, your backpack, your locker, and your bedroom. Pay attention to how you behave in every part of your life. Are you always the person God wants you to be?

Mormon youth learn not to send mixed signals about Mormon beliefs.

The thirteenth is the longest but it gives a good summary of how Mormons try to live their lives. While no one is perfect Mormons try to keep their eyes on this goal. Here is the thirteenth Article of Faith:

“We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.”

That’s a lot to remember in one article—and you might be interested to know that Mormon children and teenagers are asked to memorize all thirteen. Let’s take a look at what is covered by it.

We believe in being honest.

Honesty is an important part of Christian life. Most of us were taught as children that we should tell the truth. Many of us also heard the old folk tale of the boy who cried wolf. He was in charge of watching the sheep but because the job was dull, he sometimes livened things up by yelling that there were wolves when there were none. After a while, people stopped running to help when he called, since there never were any wolves and they knew he was lying. But one day there really were wolves. The boy shouted and shouted for help but no one came and many of the sheep died.

This boy’s dishonesty cost the village a great lost. If he’d had a reputation for truthfulness, the people would have believed his calls for help and come to his aid. You may not be in a position of responsibility for an entire village, but everyday your word is put to the test and there are consequences when you fail. Lies have a way of being found out and once people see you are not trustworthy you will have a hard time convincing them you’ve changed. You’ll find it hard to get them to trust you when you need them to do so. Trust is something that has to be earned by proving, over time, you are trustworthy.

Another aspect of being honest is mentioned in the next part of the thirteenth Article of Faith: “We believe in being honest, true….” What does it mean to be true? Being true means we are live what we know is right. We keep our promises. We live what we believe. People who watch our actions will know exactly what we believe and what kind of person we really are.

Suppose you tell everyone you go to church each Sunday. You belong to a church most people don’t know too much about. Because of this, your friends, teachers, and others watch you to find out what your church believes. Sometimes they might ask you questions, but mostly they just watch. If you cheat on exams, make fun of unpopular students, or are rude to adults, the people watching you will decide your church has low standards and will not think much of its power to change lives.

Perhaps you notice this and start telling people what your church believes. “My church teaches me to dress modestly.” However, at the next party, you show up in a skimpy outfit. Will your friends believe your words or your actions? They will believe your actions. It is easy to talk about beliefs; it is harder to live them. It’s what you live that tells people what you really believe. You might want to believe in modesty, but unless you are dressed modestly they won’t believe you really believe in it. Being true means to live the way you know you should. If you know you should live a certain way, live that way. Be true to yourself, your family, and God.

The next part of the statement is to be chaste. This means you show respect for yourself and your body. You dress modestly, knowing that the kind of attention you get for dressing immodestly is not the kind you want. You want to be noticed for who you are, not for what you look like. A person who respects herself (or himself) doesn’t try to get attention through revealing clothing. She works to become the best person she can be and takes pride in her skills, her intellect, and her character. That is how she wants to be noticed.

Chastity also refers to our intimate relationships with others. God gave us our bodies and planned for us to be attracted to people of the opposite gender. However, he placed rules on that attraction. Young people are advised to avoid serious romantic relationships until they are old enough to marry and then to avoid intimacy until marriage. While this may not always be fashionable, it is a safer way to live, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Be the sort of person who can present a special gift of intimacy to your spouse that you have never given anyone else. The law of chastity refers to both boys and girls, who are held to the same high standards.

In the next article, we’ll talk about the other parts of the thirteenth article of faith.

Many of the teenagers in the area served by the Kiev Ukraine temple are from small countries. Some of them said they were performing because they wanted the world to know their country existed. Coming from little countries like Belarus, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, and Ukraine, they are very proud of their national heritage, but feel the world may not remember them among all the bigger countries. One teen also said they wanted the prophet to know there was a rising generation he could count on to do the Lord’s work.

Because the church has so few members in these areas, many of the youth are aware that they are pioneers in their country, helping to spread what is a new religion to most of the people in their country. They know their examples will help to decide the future of the church there. This performance was one way they showed their commitment to bringing a new faith to their countries. They dressed in traditional costumes and danced the traditional dances of their cultures. Youth provided the orchestra as well. These were just ordinary teens, not professional performers and for many dancing in public might have been a challenging new experience. However, the prophet came to see their performance and when he clapped, they felt all their hard work had been rewarded.

Many of the teenagers said their testimonies were strengthened during the week they spent at the temple dedication and cultural celebration. For some, it was where they first received a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. Although fun, it was also a powerful spiritual experience for them.

The building of a temple in the Ukraine is something of a miracle. The church was organized for missionary work only six years ago. In that time, membership has grown to five thousand people. The first meetinghouse was only dedicated there in June. (There must be enough people in one area to have a meetinghouse built.) The temple will serve a large portion of Eastern Europe, allowing people to attend without having to go so far from home.

A Mormon temple is different from a meetinghouse. A meetinghouse, or chapel, is used for regular Sunday worship services and weekday activities. Anyone can enter these buildings, even if they aren’t Mormons.

The temple is different. Only members of the Church may go there and they must first be interviewed by a church leader to be sure they are living the moral standards of the church and have a testimony. Teenagers can go to the temple once they are twelve, but they can only enter certain parts of it. While they are there, they are baptized on behalf of people who died without having an opportunity to accept the gospel. This does not make those people Mormons and they are not listed on the church records as Mormons.

Mormons believe a loving God would never punish someone for not being a Christian or accepting the gospel when he had never even heard of it. That wouldn’t be fair and God is always fair. They believe if a person dies without that opportunity, God will allow them to be taught the gospel when they die and then they have the choice to accept it or reject it, just as they would have if they’d learned about it on earth. Even if a person knows it is true because he is dead, he might still prefer not to live according to the Savior’s teachings. However, the Bible says a person must be baptized. In the Bible, Paul mentions baptism for the dead in a way that shows the people listening knew about it:

Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead? (1 Corinthians 15:29.)

They can’t be baptized after they die, so even then, it would not be fair. They would have learned the gospel, accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, and then not be allowed to have a part in it. Because God loves all His children, even those who have never heard of Him, he prepared a way for this to be taken care of. People twelve and older can go to the temple and be baptized by immersion (being placed completely under water for a moment, as Jesus was) in someone else’s name. They must have already been baptized for themselves, of course, in a regular font in a chapel. It is then recorded that this was done for the person, but they are not made members of the church.

The names come from Mormons who research their own genealogy and turn in the names of their ancestors. Teenagers can help to give their ancestors a very special gift of love by doing this research and then being baptized for their families.

Watch the video below and see how Mormon teenagers in Eastern Europe are celebrating their new temple.