Family Testimony Meeting

My parents started this great tradition - every Fast Sunday, we'd come home from church and straight into the living room where we'd hold our own little family testimony meeting. Even though everyone was hungry and the wonderful smell of Sunday dinner in the oven would be wafting into the room and most of us likely started off the meeting hoping it would be over quickly so we could get on to eating, those meetings usually ended up being quite long. As each person stood up to express their feelings about the gospel and about each other, there was simply a lot to say. And a lot of people to say things (11 people in the family makes for a fairly long testimony meeting any way you look at it!). I think all of us have such warm feelings as we remember those Sunday afternoons with love so thick in the air it covered up that dinner smell quite nicely.

We've started this same tradition in our home now that our kids are old enough to stand up and bear their testimonies and listen to each other. Often the testimonies from the kids are very short and basic. But Jared and I love the opportunity to formally tell our kids what we believe and how much we love them and love each other. And once in a while, one of the kids will come up with some really precious stuff in their testimony. Here's Oliver's testimony from yesterday:
"Today I want to talk about how Jesus helps us. He will always help us but we have to help too. He won't do everything for us. He wuvs us a wot. He helped me yesterday on the hike so I only got a wittle owie and not a big one but if I don't be careful then I'm not doing my part of the deal. I wuv Jesus."