Saplings and Sunflowers

I am just starting the process of sending my six boys out on missions.  But here are some ideas that I have gathered and have tried to implement over the years that might be helpful to others working towards the same goal. 1. Build a Testimony Hold your family scripture and prayer.  Hold family home evening. Make sure they know the importance of reading scriptures and saying prayers on their own.  Keep them clean and worthy to serve a mission.  But also let them make decisions.  Don’t force.  Give gentle reminders or use consequences when necessary. 2. Teach them to Teach others The best way to do this is to give them opportunities to teach in your own home.  Have them give family home evening lessons, Come Follow Me lessons or devotional messages.   3. Serve Others With Your Family When you go ministering, bring your child with you.  But more importantly look for neighbors and those in your community who need a helping hand....

    As I have learned about my ancestors I have appreciated more and more the value of the ordinary life.  The life as one of the ninety and nine.  A life where sacrifice and service take precedence over wealth, glamor or ease.  A life that is a composite of tender touches, work worn wrinkles, dusty shirts and dinner time conversations.  A life where success is sacrificed on the altar of integrity.  A life where ambition melts in a compassionate glance.  A life where a child’s call is answered.  In this type of life we don’t get seen much.  These lives become yet another plain cotton thread in the fabric of a very warm, very soft blanket.  A family.  A community.  A nation.   My Little Place “Father, where shall I work today?” And my love flowed warm and free.  Then He pointed me out a tiny spot And said, “Tend that for me.” I answered quickly, “Oh no, not that!” Why no one would ever see, No matter how well my w...

A while ago I was trying to make an important decision about a significant opportunity in my  life. It would have been a dream come true for many people and it seemed too good to pass up. The only problem was that no matter how I tried to make it work, it would require a significant amount of time away from my growing family. I prayed, stewed and turned it over in my mind. One day I was driving home and I looked up to the mountain. Something caught my attention that I had never noticed before. Going down the mountain was a line of trees surrounded by brown – brown being the common color in our arid climate. I knew they were following a water line and that that was the only way for trees to grow in this mountain desert. And then suddenly I had a thought flash into my mind:  “where mother is, children grow.” This was a decision maker for me. I knew that as much as I wanted this opportunity and as much as it “made sense” in every conceivable way, it was not right because I would ...