By Lincoln Gordon
I was to present the next Messiah's Mansion tour. I glanced outside to check on the group, and saw, to my surprise, a bus full of high school students. This was the largest group I had ever led and they were all people my age. I didn't know if they were going to listen to me or not.
Rachel, a tour guide in training, gave the first section of the tour while I stood silently in the back. Moving into the courtyard, I was both excited and anxious, as I took over the tour. It took me a few moments to get a feel for the group. They were not excited, so I tried to intrigue them or relate with them on some level other than as a stranger.
When I demonstrated the sinner’s sacrifice, I asked for a volunteer (not my brightest decision). A guy near the back raised his hand. I feared that these next two minutes would be a waste of time…...they were. I didn’t expect much from this group at this point. I couldn't capture their attention at all. We moved to the Holy Place. Nobody was in the front row. I continued presenting and recognized that I had a few people’s attention which made up for the lack of care I perceived from them as a whole. Some students were actually sitting on the ground behind the back row of chairs, picking grass.
After the Holy Place, we moved into the Most Holy Place. Now all the people that had been paying attention had moved to the front. They wanted to learn more. Excited, I thought to myself, this is why they are here. A whole bus of kids came for the few I am speaking to. As I explained the Most Holy Place, I could see the looks of understanding and agreement on their faces. In the last tent, I described the High Priest’s garments, then we passed out the surveys. Their questions and responses revealed their attentiveness.
I now hoped that the students were inspired to study the Word a little more and that they might think of the plan of salvation in a different light. I was blessed to share this message with my peers especially because most people my age don’t know the message of the sanctuary.