Heavenly Father's children kneel down to pray

I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormons. Each Sunday, I discuss some things related to my faith and what I believe. Regardless of your own beliefs, I hope this gives you a chance to get to know me and my religion a little better. For previous installments, click here.


Primary is the organization for the children of the church, ages 18 months through 11. Today's memories come from my own time in Primary.

1.    What teachers do you remember?

        The Ards, an older married couple, were my teachers the year I turned 8 and was baptized. As each child in the class was baptized, they gave them a basic CTR ring (CTR = Choose The Right). They made each of us feel so special and shared the love they had for Jesus Christ. 

2.    What were your classes called?

        Each class, divided by age, had some sort of name. For example, I remember the 11-year-olds were called Blazers (the boys) and Merrie Miss (the girls). I think the 9-year-olds were called Valiants? Either way, those names were changed when I was about ten. The younger kids were all CTRs and the older ones were all Valiants, like CTR-6 for the 6-year-olds.

3.    Recall a lesson.

        I honestly don't recall any specific lessons. I do remember enjoying Primary a lot, whether it was in the individual classes or in the group Sharing and Singing Times.

4.    Tell about giving a talk.

        My parents have a book on their shelves called Talks for Tots. I remember preparing at least one talk by referring to that book. I'm sure one of my parents would help me actually deliver the talk by whispering in my ear when I was younger, but I'm also sure that as I got older I insisted on doing it by myself, whether reading it or memorizing it. Probably memorizing.

5.    What were some of the activities that you did?

       I remember paper bag puppets. I remember at least a few children's parades. The Activity Days program, the young girl's equivalent to Cub Scouts, started when I was of that age (9-11), and I remember really enjoying those and filling out my little activity charts.

6.    What ward were you in?

        I don't know which ward I was in while we lived in Murray, Utah, but from age 6 on, we were in the Beaumont 1st Ward.

7.    Tell about your Daddy/child dates or some special primary activities.

        While usually not part of official Primary activities, Daddy-Daughter dates were very important. Daddy made it a goal to take each of his children out for something special, just the two of them, at least once a month. One date, we walked to the Black-Eyed Pea restaurant down the street from our apartment. It was around the time of my birthday, so he had the staff sing to me and I got a brownie for dessert. One couple saw the waiters singing to me and gave me 50 cents as they wished me a happy birthday and walked out after their meal.