Todd's First Talk in Church

Today Todd gave his first talk in Primary. Todd was so nervous when he volunteered to say the scripture and prayer a few months ago, that I didn't think they would ask him to do anything until he was five. But he did so well at the Primary program last month (and we have such a small number of children), that they decided to give him a second chance.

A few weeks ago the Primary secretary asked if Todd would be willing to do something. She said he could have his choice of scripture and prayer or the talk. I told her that we would talk it over at home and see what we came up with. It was a Friday morning when I talked to Todd about it, and he said he would like to give the talk (not what I was expecting!), but he did not want to do it "this Sunday but next Sunday". Todd wanted to call the secretary himself and tell her. We tried her at home, but she wasn't there. I told her husband what we were calling for and he gave us her work number, saying that she would be happy to hear from us. We called her at work with Todd on one phone and me on the other. I let Todd do most of the talking, and later she said that Todd's phone call was the highlight of her day. It meant so much for her to hear from one of the Primary children asking to give a talk at Church.

The Primary theme for November is "My faith in Jesus Christ blesses my life. I am thankful for my blessings." I gave Todd a few ideas that we could talk about, and ultimately he said that he wanted to talk about being thankful for his home and family. I gave Todd a few prompts, but for the most part he wrote his own talk. Here it is, with the photos we used as visual aids.

Todd's Primary Talk - Sunday, November 11, 2007

This month is November. We celebrate Thanksgiving in November. There are many things that I am thankful for.
God sent us down to Earth to live with families. I would like to tell you why I am thankful for my home and family.
I am thankful for my dog Copper, because I love him and I like it when he licks me. Licking is how Copper gives kisses and shows love.
I am thankful for my Mom, because I love her and she makes good food.

I am thankful for my bed, because my white covers are so cozy.

I am thankful for my dog Sandy, because I like to pet her.

I am thankful for my house, because it has pretty bricks.

I am thankful for my Dad, because I like to watch movies with him.

I am thankful for my brother Ryan, because he plays with me when I say he can.

Last week our family memorized the scripture John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

I can show Heavenly Father that I love him and that I am thankful for my blessings when I keep the commandments.

I can show him that I am thankful for my family by being nice to Mom and Dad and Ryan.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Todd did a pretty good job delivering his talk. He was a little nervous, but recited it into the microphone relatively clearly. The only thing he didn't do is recite the scripture. He has John 14:15 memorized completely, but felt awkward saying it in front of everyone. He whispered to me (in the middle of his talk), "Listen, Mom, can we go to this next line?" I gave him one more chance to recite the scripture at the end of the talk, but he wouldn't do it. So, that was that. Still, it takes guts to do what he did, and I was very pleased.

This was also the Sunday that the Primary children sang all thirteen Articles of Faith in front of the whole congregation. I mentioned earlier that we have been practicing in the car and around the house. Though Ryan's little class does not usually participate in the Primary performances, Ryan wanted to go up and sing with Todd. I thought, "Well, he probably knows them and will sing them as well as some of the other younger kids up there, so why not?" As it turns out, another little boy from Ryan's class (the Primary president's son) joined the other kids up there. I was glad that I was sitting close to the front. I was able to see the boys, and mouthed the words along with them while they sang. Todd didn't look to me as often for cues, but Ryan watched me rather closely to keep up with the words. Brett said that I looked pretty dumb, but I think it was worth it. I hope that Todd and Ryan continue to participate willingly in things like this. I think it is so good for them to have this practice in performance and public speaking, and I love being a part of the audience watching them. I'm a proud mommy today.