He Chasteneth Those He Loveth

Last night was the first Stake Leadership meeting since our released from Young Women.  Except I didn't realize it was the Stake Leadership training until I got there.  I thought it was a Primary teacher meeting.  Which, I guess, it was too.  And just by being there, I have turned a corner in my attitude about my Primary calling.

When I came into the chapel and realized that all three auxiliaries were meeting, it dawned on me, and I felt very pouty,  to be honest.  I sat by myself on the back row and grumped to myself in my head.  I missed being in a presidency; I missed the ladies I had served with and I missed having something worthwhile to teach others. But then the meeting started and the music was beautiful and Miss H played the piano--again, beautiful!--and President Phillips spoke to the group.  He nailed it.

Using the scriptural backdrop of Christ speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well found in John 4, he talked to us about putting the effort into our Spiritual needs first and the temporal things will take care of themselves.  Knowing my personal turmoil about getting a job--not wanting to work, I realized that I have become much less willing to listen to the Lord's guidance because I have been too obsessed about my own perceived needs right now.  I listened to the Spirit tell me that the right job will present itself and I'll know what will work for my family situation right now and it might not even be anything to do with the school.  Good to know.  I should have been listening.  Boy, I love President Phillips' masterful way of cutting to the chase for me. He always seems to know just what to ask, say, or guide me to figure out on my own. He is good at that!

Then we broke into the separate auxiliary sessions and I felt my heart break a little bit when the YW friends walked by on their way out of the chapel. But I put on my happy face and moved up to the Primary teachers group.  I was obedient, if not in it with my whole heart yet.

Sister Stinson, the Stake Primary president, is a lovely woman.  She was called a while after we were serving in YW and the few times we worked with her I was really impressed.  Last night was no exception.  She talked about things we need to do as teachers to be successful in Primary and for the children we teach to be successful.  Here is her list, as we discussed each point:

1 -- pray to be filled with love.
2 -- Serve those you teach.
3 -- Look for the good in the children.
4 -- Live in a way to feel the Spirit and live what you teach.
5 -- Don't focus on your weaknesses (see Moroni 10:17).
6 -- Use your talents and share the things you like, personal experiences, testimony.
7 -- Take an active role in Sharing Time.
8 -- All kids respond to music so use it.
9 -- Visual aids will help children remember what you teach,
10 -- "Liken the Scriptures" to the children we teach.

She concluded by saying to all of us that we should never consider ourselves "just a Primary teacher" but that little children were so dear and precious to the Savior that He called them to Him and blessed them one by one and taught them at His knee.  We were the best He has to offer His little ones.  So we'd better do our best to uphold that confidence.

Then Sister Francom talked about what we can do as teachers to reach out to inactive children,  Now, for the record I thin I do pretty well with this.  I have for some time--even from YW days--written notes (snail mail, Facebook, texts, etc) depending on how each person would receive them to let those in my charge know I was thinking of them  outside of the "assigned hours".  This is why I still am writing a dozen or so missionary letters each month.  I still do this for "my kids".  But Sister Francom's points were these:

1 -- Pray for a way to notice those who aren't active
2 -- Celebrate them individually
3 -- find ways to come together outside of Sunday
4 -- Include all in age group within our boundaries to participate (especially Activity Days & Cub Scouts)
5 -- All of our callings begin on our knees.  Trust that you'll receive revelation for each child you teach.
6 -- the Lord's blessings are not just for a select few.

Then the High Council member over Primary, Brother Hoopes, spoke to us about"How can we show the kids we love them?"  The evenings whole discussion had really covered this point.  But he added that each child we teach is different and so we need to love them enough to figure out what works fro each one.   then he quoted President Joseph F. Smith, who said something along the lines of: If you want your children to feel the Spirit, live the Gospel, gain a testimony, then you must LOVE them. (I can't find the exact quote, but it was good.)

Then they shared a message from Sister Wixon, the Primary general President who in General Conference some time ago spoke on what we want the kids to know in 5 years depends in large part on what we do NOW.  If that is the case, and I agree it is, in 5 years these little Primary girls will be turning into Mia Maids.  Mia Maids were my assignment, my age group, my people!   All of a sudden it felt like the clouds had parted and I saw my job in Primary to prepare these girls for YW.  I knew that before--for all my joking about teaching the Pre-Beehives, but it hit me in a new way last night.  that made me feel so much better.

And I got one more little boost from being in that meeting last night--and it came after the meeting was over.  When we finished I realized that I had been sitting in front of two lovely sisters from another ward--both of whom I was privileged to work with when they served together as ward YW president and camp director, who also happen to be sisters in law, and whose husbands I admire a great deal too.  Through my tears I talked with Jana and Sarah about how I just haven't loved this calling.  They both LOVE being in Primary.  then Jana said that she learned something once from her brother, Sarah's husband that made her feel better when she was the YW president, a calling she never felt comfortable doing.  He told her that she could hate a calling until the bitter end, but by being obedient and doing was was asked of her she could still magnify that calling in an acceptable way.  That was revelatory to me!  That gave me hope, rather than the guilt I felt for really not liking my calling.  Sarah added to this by saying that given enough time, I would come to love Primary just like I loved YW too.  I joked back to her that I hope I'm not in this calling THAT long.  It would probably be the Millennium before that happened.

I felt so much better.  I was glad to miss the planning commission meeting that was discussing a rezoning of the rest of the "field" behind our cul-de-sac, most likely for a condo or apartment zone.  Ugh.  I felt blessed to have the Lord trust me with any calling, especially one with children.  Any aged children.  And I deeply felt the Spirit teach me what I needed to know.  Now I just have to put it into practice.