A few weeks ago our son Benjamin returned home from his mission to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Just before leaving for the airport we checked his flight to see if it was still going to be on time. We were surprised to learn that it was going to be ten minutes early. We jumped in the car and began our trip to the airport. As we neared, we got online and checked one more time. Now the schedule was saying that the flight would be fifteen minutes early. We arrived at the parking garage to find it very full. Knowing that we were cutting it close on time, I jumped out of the van with the children and Jerry went off to park. He would meet us inside. We hurried down to baggage claim where we would meet him. It was absolutely filled with people. We found a spot and stood there waiting, grateful that we hadn't missed his arrival. Jerry found a parking spot and found us. Then came our son and his wife, and another son and his fiance. Everyone was here.
When Benjamin got on the escalator and started his descent he couldn't get there fast enough for me. Despite the fact that he was carrying a couple of bags, I was wondering why he wasn't walking down as fast as he could. No wonder the airport security guy had warned us missionary Moms that we were by no means allowed to run up the escalator to greet our missionary sons. We all laughed when he said that but he told us in all seriousness that it had really happened before. That hug when he finally got there was wonderful. Hugs went all around the family and David shyly said hello to his brother that he hadn't seen since he was a year old. Cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents all hugged and said hello.
Five years have passed for our family, with having one and sometimes two missionaries in the field. A baby was born during that five years. And now we are finally all together at last. What a great feeling.
But the following Sunday as we all sat in church together listening to Benjamin speak was when my emotions really caught up with me. I felt so much joy as I looked around to see all nine of my children, my husband, my daughter in law, and a very soon to be daughter in law, along with lots of cousins and grandparents, all sitting together in church… all grateful and happy to be there worshiping together.
3 John 1:4 says,
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
That is so true. Seeing your family striving to keep the commandments and live the teachings of Jesus Christ does bring so much joy.
While I was gone at Girls Camp, the kids found a dead robin on our front lawn. We were talking about it and they said that no one had moved it yet. I asked David not to touch it because dead things are full of germs that can make you sick. He surely needed this reminder. Earlier this summer he found a small meadowlark that our cat that killed and left in the playhouse one morning. He came out of the playhouse carrying the bird, and said, "Mommy, this is my new pet bird." Ughhhh! I grabbed it from him and disposed of it….then explained.
Anyway, after the germ conversation, Sophia and David and I had a talk about death and what happens when a person or an animal dies. Sophia already understands so much and she helped David to understand. She knew that when a person dies the spirit goes back to Heavenly Father. Sophia added, "And to Jesus." She understood that the spirit is what makes the body move. She told David, "When you touch the robin with a stick it can't move because its Spirit left."
She also understands what the resurrection is, even though it is a hard word for her to say. She told David that we would see the robin again someday..and also our chicken that got eaten by an animal a couple of weeks ago.
After a pause she then said…"And someday, when all the people are done coming here, Jesus will come back. And David and me will ride our bikes down the hill to Jesus and we will say, "Come to our house! Come to our house!"
What simple faith and testimony. Gospel truths are so simple that even three and five year old children can understand them.
In a blog post from March 16, 2016, there was a statement from the Primary General Presidency (Sister Rosemary M. Wixom, Sister Cheryl A. Esplin, and Sister Mary R. Durham) that reads:
"Children are drawn to the plain and simple truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ and are far more capable of comprehending them than we think.
When we teach children plain and simple truths in a way that they can understand, we not only build a foundation for their testimony, but those very truths influence their behavior."
