On Sunday, we had a rare event in our ward. Three children bore their testimonies. In a ward with only about 15 children in it, this does not happen very often. It started me thinking and wondering if my children had heard the word testimony and if they knew what it meant. It made me wonder if they had one of their own? Remember, they are just 3 and 5 years old.
So, I started off by reading a scriptures on testimony in D&C. I asked them if they had heard that word, and they had. But, when I asked them if they knew what it meant, they didn’t have an answer for me. So, I explained that a testimony is when you tell someone about something that you believe in or know to be true. My daughter’s face lit up and she said, “I Know Jesus and Heavenly Father are true.” It melted my heart. I asked my 3 year old if there was something he knew about church and he said, “I know Heavenly Father wants us to be reverent”.
It is amazing how small children are and yet, how they are already developing a sense of testimony and what they have learned as truth in their short lives. We took turns bearing our testimonies. They were very simple and they both basically said what they had just told me, but ended it by saying “In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.” They had fun taking turns.
Then we talked about what it is that we are supposed to say in our testimonies. We talked about prophets, and scriptures, Jesus, and the gospel. They definitely got it. I told them that if they felt like they should go up on fast Sunday and share their testimonies, then that was the Holy Ghost telling them to do it. My 3 year old said, “Ghost? oooooh. Scary!” I explained that the Holy Ghost was Heavenly Father’s helper that helped us know when something was true.
In the end, we made little books for them to color that had a few things that they could share in their testimonies. Keeping it short and simple is vital with two little ones this age, and it made me happy to know they are already sharing their testimonies, even as simple as they are.
Other FHE Ideas:
Family Home Evening for a New Arrival