primary presentation 2014

(theme photo courtesy of latterdaychatter.blogspot.com)

a big sigh of relief, our primary presentation "families are forever" is over. phew. all the hard work that our kids have put in over the last year has come to this... and they were amazing! i am not just saying that... they really did put in a lot of effort and this big fat softie looked at them during one of the songs and got completely overwhelmed and emotional... and had to hold back the tears (which of course set off another one of the leaders...) i can't help it, i just love them all so much.

it was especially amazing to hear the two "music leader choice" songs that i picked myself "the things jesus asks of me" which you can buy here and "teach me about the temple" which you can get here. they are such beautiful songs and i am so grateful for people who spend their time writing music for us to sing praises to our father in heaven. there are very few things sweeter than hearing children sing. 

i am feeling so inspired now and couldn't wait to get into next years music and see what we'll be doing... one of the pick your own song themes is "jesus christ is the son of god, and he is a god of miracles" i did a bit of hunting and came across a song called "the miracle" by shawna edwards - which i have purchased for our primary to sing. it is amazing. i listened to it once and can't get it out of my head... go and have a listen here. i am so excited to teach it to them. i can't wait to get into the new music! :) bring on 2015!

i am a child of god

i am a child of god,

and he has sent me here.

has given me an earthly home, 

with parents kind and dear

lead me, guide me, walk beside me

help me find the way.

teach me all that i must do -

to live with him someday

(lds hymns 301)

this little girl loves to sing - and every day without fail will sing this song to her daddy and i. it is her absolute favourite and she will make sure you know. she sings it on the phone to her grandparents in qld and my parents in samoa and anyone else who will listen. so last week aunty dominique recorded her singing so my parents so far away, could see this little girl growing up before their very eyes. (you can watch it here!)

this song was always my favourite as a child as well - and when i hear her sing it so cleary, it brings such joy to my heart. i had no idea that someone i work with would confront me about it and try to use it to start something awful - but that's exactly what happened. this person came to me and said that what i was doing wasn't right and that teaching madeline about god and the gospel at such a young age would never allow her to choose for herself. i was shocked, because as far as i am concerned, that's my job! i thought for a moment, before replying very carefully and said, "when i made a decision to bring a child into this world, as far as i am concerned, i made a commitment to teach her the things that she needs to know. i was brought up correctly, by good parents, who taught me the gospel and taught me to love god. if madeline makes a decision to leave the things that are important to me when she is older, then that is a decision i will have to deal with, and i certainly will not love her any less if that's what she chooses to do; if that's the path she chooses to take. but my responsibility as a parent is to ensure that she is taught about the things that are important to me and my family."

i know they didn't agree with me, and certainly don't plan to, but they didn't take it any further and i must admit to breathing a sigh of relief as they walked away. and in all honesty, it simply made me more determined to ensure that she learns everything i can possibly teach her. to love the gospel, to love her heavenly father, to pray and to look forward to sundays with the same eagerness that i do. after all - as i parent, given a child from my father in heaven - that's exactly what i promised to do.