Primary Talk Finder

Henry B. Eyring, “Draw Closer to God,” Friend, Feb 1992, inside front cover
(Adapted from an April 1991 general conference address. See Ensign, May 1991, pages 65–67.)

Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you (D&C 88:63).

You can talk with people every day who say that God does not exist or is far, far away. A woman who sat next to me on a plane once told me that she believed God was “one of our distant ancestors.” The woman was right—in one way. God is our ancestor, but He is not distant; He is close. He is the Father of our spirits; we are His children. But, like that woman, we all at times feel far removed from Him.

…

God loves you and offers you the same opportunity to draw closer to Him as would a loving friend. And you do it in much the same way: speaking, listening, and doing.

Heavenly Father has not only invited you to speak to Him, He has commanded it. The Lord says in the Doctrine and Covenants, “Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing” (D&C 19:38).

After you pray, you need to listen with great care. The Spirit will bear record to your heart as you read the scriptures, as you hear the Lord’s authorized servants, and as God speaks directly to your heart.

You will act after you have listened, because when you hear His voice by the Spirit, you will always feel that you must do something.

Now, even the Savior, when He was on the cross, felt His Father far from Him. You will have moments, perhaps long moments, of feelings of separation. But the way to draw closer to God is to pray, and listen, and obey Him all your days.

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When Jesus died and was resurrected, He promised that He would come again. Have you ever wondered what that will be like? Jesus could not tell us exactly when He will come, but the scriptures tell us that it will be wonderful. It will be a happy time for us if we are prepared to meet Him.

Because Jesus wanted us to know how important it is to be prepared, He told us a parable, or story. It is called the parable of the ten virgins, and it is written in Matthew 25:1–13.

There were ten young women, or virgins, who were invited to a wedding supper. They had to wait for the bridegroom to let them in, but none of them knew when he would come to open the door.

The young women brought oil-burning lamps to give light so that they could see. Five of them were wise and not only filled their lamps with oil but also brought extra oil so that their lamps would burn for a long time. The other five young women were foolish. They did not bring enough oil.

Before the bridegroom finally came, the oil in all the lamps had burned away. The five wise women put their extra oil in their lamps and lit them. The five foolish women had to leave to buy more oil. By the time they returned, the bridegroom had opened the door, let the wise young women in, and closed the door again. So the five foolish young women could not go in to the wedding with the bridegroom.

Jesus is like the bridegroom. We do not know when He will come again. But if we prepare like the five wise women in the parable, we will be ready and happy to meet Him when He comes.

(Adapted from
Susan L. Warner, “Sharing Time: I Believe That Jesus Will Come Again,” Friend, Sep 1995, 12)

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In Joshua 24:15 we read: “Choose you this day whom ye will serve; … but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15).

Every day I make choices . I choose what to wear, what to say, what to read and watch, and how to act. The ability to make choices is a gift from Heavenly Father. It is called agency. Using our agency is an important part of Heavenly Father’s plan for me.

Heavenly Father will help me choose the right. I am a child of God, and He wants me to return to live with Him again. I can pray to Heavenly Father anytime, anywhere, and He will bless me with courage to choose the right.

Jesus Christ will help me choose the right. He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6) and the perfect example for me to follow. I will choose the right when I ask myself, “What would Jesus want me to do?”

Remembering Jesus helps me choose the right.

(Adapted from Margaret Lifferth, “Sharing Time: I Will Always Choose the Right,” Friend, Oct 2005, 21)

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Shortly before his crucifixion, Jesus gathered his Apostles around him in an upstairs room. He knew he would soon die on the cross. It was the last time he would meet with these beloved men before his died. Jesus wanted the Apostles to always remember him so they could be strong and faithful.

To help the Apostles remember him, Jesus introduced the sacrament. He broke bread into pieces and blessed it. Then he said, “Take, eat; this is in remembrance of my body which I give a ransom for you” (Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 26:22).

Next Jesus took a cup of wine, blessed it, and gave it to his Apostles to drink. He said: “Drink ye all of it. For this is in remembrance of my blood … , which is shed for as many as shall believe on my name, for the remission of their sins” (Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 26:23–24; see also Matthew 26:26–28; Mark 14:22–24; Luke 22:15–20).

After the Church was restored in the latter days, Jesus once again commanded his people to partake of the sacrament so they could remember him, saying, “It is expedient that the church meet together often to partake of bread and wine in the remembrance of the Lord Jesus” (D&C 20:75).

(Above from Chapter 23: The Sacrament, Gospel Principles, page 151)

Here are the words to a Primary song about remembering Jesus when we take the sacrament:

“To Think about Jesus” is from the Children’s Songbook, page 71.

It shouldn’t be hard to sit very still,
And think about Jesus, his cross on the hill,
And all that he suffered and did for me;
It shouldn’t be hard to sit quietly.
It shouldn’t be hard, even though I am small,
To think about Jesus, not hard at all.

I think of the miles he walked in the dust,
And children he helped to love and to trust;
It shouldn’t be hard to sit tall in my seat,
To listen politely, to quiet my feet.
It shouldn’t be hard, even though I am small,
To think about Jesus, not hard at all.

Talk Source:

My family has always been my greatest teacher. I was born in Sevilla, Spain; then my family moved to Paraguay and later to Uruguay. Because we moved around, I often had to say good-bye to my friends. I relied more and more upon my family to be my friends. We learned to enjoy being with each other. Today many children spend most of their day with their friends; I spent mine with my family. I am grateful for that time with my family, because they will be my eternal friends.

After meeting the missionaries, my family investigated the Church for three years. It was very important to my parents that we be baptized as a family. They knew that if we joined the Church, it would often be difficult for us to choose the right. But they believed that if we all decided to follow Jesus Christ, we could help each other when the times grew difficult.

When we joined the Church, my parents committed our family to sacrifice and service. I did not really know what sacrifice was, but I knew that my parents would give all they had to the Church. I saw that helping other people made my mom and dad happy. My parents were always serving, so I followed them around and tried to help, too. I was often too young to do much, but my parents’ example of service inspired in me a lifelong desire to serve.

In 1951, the branch my family belonged to started building a chapel. It was the first chapel in Uruguay. We had never met in a Church meetinghouse like many of you go to every Sunday. In fact, I did not know exactly what a chapel was, but I knew that it was something very important.

There were less than one hundred members who worked with my parents to construct the building. There were no cranes or construction crews like those that build many chapels. All of the work was done by the members of the branch. I knew that it was an honor to help because of the way my parents talked excitedly about the building and because they spent so much of their time helping to build it. I wanted to help, too.

Some members mixed cement. Some members dug holes, and some hammered nails. There were not many jobs for a five-year-old, so they gave me the job of straightening out the nails. I took a hammer and pounded old nails, trying to make them straight. I loved the clang of the hammer and the challenge of getting the bends out of the metal nails. Most of all, I loved just having a job. My parents reminded me that the chapel could not be built without nails. I felt thrilled that I could serve with my family.

After three years, the chapel was finally finished. President David O. McKay came to Uruguay to dedicate it. Having the prophet visit was a very special event for the Uruguayan members of the Church. Everyone dressed up in their nicest clothes to meet him. I remember President McKay standing in the chapel, and I was thrilled that he could see the building I had helped create. He put the cornerstone in place and dedicated the building. His white hair made him look like he had come from heaven. He went around and shook everyone’s hand. When he came to me, he bent down especially to shake my hand. It was my first experience with meeting a prophet, and when he spoke to me, I had a warm feeling in my heart. I felt glad that I had helped to build the chapel.

Twenty years later, I became the bishop and served in the very building I had helped to build. The branch had grown in those twenty years, and so had I. As a child, I had relied upon my parents’ testimonies. I later gained my own testimony as I served others.

My parents taught me how to serve by example. They never complained about sacrificing to build the chapel, attend church, or pay tithing. Some of my favorite memories are of kneeling as a family in prayer and of reading the scriptures together, especially the Book of Mormon. Nephi was my favorite person in the scriptures. He acted fearlessly in following the commandments of God. Nephi was obedient, no matter how difficult it was to serve God.

In Primary, being obedient meant being quiet and listening to the lesson. My mother was my Primary teacher and always brought a picture of Jesus Christ. She taught us to be reverent, to stop playing and making noise, and to think of the Savior.

When I was an Aaronic Priesthood holder, being obedient meant preparing the sacrament with reverence. I knew that I was doing something of great importance as I blessed the sacrament.

When I was a bishop, being obedient meant sacrificing to attend the temple. My wife and I were invited to attend general conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. We did not have enough money to make the trip, but we greatly desired to be sealed for eternity in the Lord’s house. We prayed to Heavenly Father and asked Him to provide a way for us to be obedient and answer His invitation to all Saints to go to the temple. We were blessed to find additional jobs. We earned enough to make the trip to Salt Lake City. Kneeling in the temple, all in white, with my wife, Cristina, was one of the most special experiences of my life. Our marriage was different after we had been to the temple and felt the Holy Spirit of the Lord seal us to each other for eternity.

Now being obedient means taking my family wherever the Lord asks us to go. It is often difficult for my children, Adrianna, Gabriel, and Silvia, to move around so much. Silvia was only seven months old when we moved from Uruguay to Argentina to preside over a mission. Every move means new friends for my children. They rely on each other as friends just as I had relied on my family.

I love my children, and I love the children of the Church. You are Heavenly Father’s sons and daughters. Love your families and learn from their righteous examples. Be a righteous example in your family. Wherever you are, be a helper and learn to sacrifice and serve in the Church.

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Miguel Cortez is filled with love for his family and for everyone he meets. He not only loves people, but he loves the gospel and wants to do what is right. He likes the Book of Mormon story of when Nephi and his family crossed the ocean. Miguel hopes that he will follow and obey Jesus Christ like Jacob followed and obeyed his brother Nephi. Miguel is fortunate to have a loving family who encourages and supports his efforts to live the gospel.

Miguel’s entire family loves their country, and each year they do a special service project for their community. Last year they received permission to paint Miguel’s school classroom during a two-week break. First they painted the room all white. Then they painted the ocean on the walls with whales and sunken ships and all sorts of fish. The class was really excited when they saw it. Miguel’s teacher helps the students learn their colors, counting, and sizes using the colorful walls.

But Miguel also does much service on his own. When someone in his family is sick, the first thing Miguel does is pray to Heavenly Father to bless him or her. Then he does all he can to help. When his sister Melissa (14) was very ill, he carried things back and forth for her. When his father was sick and was given a priesthood blessing, Miguel listened carefully. Then he leaned his head against his father’s shoulder, gave him a hug, and said, “Papi, you are going to get better.”

Miguel’s grandfather fell and broke his back a few years ago. Since then he has been paralyzed. He can’t use his hands much, so when he needs a helping hand, he rings a bell and Miguel comes to see what he can do. Once he heard the bell and rushed into his grandfather’s room and found him bleeding very badly. It frightened Miguel, but he knew he needed to stay calm and get help, which he did.

Sometimes Miguel seems to disappear, but his mother knows that he is probably reading and talking about the scriptures with his grandfather. It is one of Miguel and grandfather’s favorite things to do together.

Even when Miguel was only two years old, he was taking care of the sick. His grandmother had been against her daughter’s family joining the Church. When she became ill with cancer and moved in with them, he became her constant companion. He comforted and loved her. He would stay with her when she wanted someone near. He did small errands for her until she died. When she saw how the gospel had brought the family closer together and taught them to serve one another, she agreed to listen to the missionaries. Before she died, she wanted to be baptized. But she was too sick to do so. Miguel knows that even though she couldn’t be baptized in this life, she will accept the temple work done for her after her death and will be an important part of their eternal family.

Miguel likes to share and to care for people outside his family also. In La Paz there are many street children who have no homes or parents to take care of them. One of these children has been living in the street near Miguel’s home. Miguel saves food from his own dinner and whatever his family can spare to give to his new friend.

Miguel’s family has chosen a theme: “Hagamos en nuestro hogar un pedacito del cielo aqui en la tierra” (“We will make our home a piece of heaven here on the earth”). Miguel does his best to do his part.

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“Work goes faster if we work together,” said Vanessa Kaiser (10) of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. “And if we all work together, we have time to play together.” Last summer Vanessa’s family had job cards that told each person what his job assignment for the week was. The jobs were changed weekly—except for the job of tending Katelyn (1). That job goes to whomever Katelyn is happiest with each day.

Each child has his favorite jobs. Vanessa likes to vacuum the stairs, iron, and take care of the family’s two dogs, Cotton and Sandy. Jessica (12) likes to cook and tend Katelyn. Jonathan (8) prefers dusting, and Kenneth (5) vacuuming. Mostly they like to get their work done so that they can play.

Last winter they built an ice rink in their backyard. First they packed the snow down with a toboggan; then they sprinkled the snow with water to form layers of ice. When the ice was thick enough, they went skating. But soon they learned to use their slippery slide as a luge run. Sliding down it on a rubber mat, they’d fly across the iced backyard into a soft snowbank.

The family has a “basement business” to make money for a “magnificent” vacation. They make personalized boot clips (used to clip pairs of boots together so that they don’t get separated) and magnets out of plastic tiles. Jonathan and Kenneth peel the protective coating off the tiles and brush them clean. Mom, Jessica, and Vanessa engrave the tiles with people’s names or initials, bevel the edges to make them smooth, then bend the tiles to make boot clips or attach magnets to the tiles’ backs.

In all things the Kaiser family works together. Their father, Walter, owns a photo finishing lab. Their mother, Nancy, helps with the bookwork, and the children help clean the office. Then Dad helps out at home. “Whenever Mom says there’s nothing in the house to fix for dinner, Dad somehow finds a way to make a wonderful dinner. He’s a great cook,” Vanessa said.

Vanessa loves talking to Jessica about things that Jessica has already done. For instance, last winter Vanessa went to Winter Camp, a winter survival training course held in February for all fifth graders. Before she went, Jessica told her all about how fun it was to build “quinzhee” shelters out of snow and to play the survival games. It made Vanessa really excited about going and helped her not be nervous about the unknown.

Jonathan likes to play with Vanessa because she’ll take the time to work on his projects with him. Jonathan loves to build and create things. Vanessa’s favorite project with Jonathan was building a tricky course, much like a miniature golf course, out of Legos and Zaks and then blowing balls of crumpled up facial tissue through the maze of paths.

Sometimes after a hard day, Vanessa will go to her room and find her bed turned down and a note on her pillow. It will be from Kenneth. “He’ll print some letters on it and tell me that it says ‘I love you. You have been so nice to me today.’ ” It means a lot to Vanessa.

But Kenneth isn’t the only one who writes secret notes to make others feel better. “I do bookwork for my husband,” said Mom. “When it’s payroll, I have a busy, long night. But sometimes when I go down to my work after the kids have gone to bed, I find nice notes that Vanessa has left for me.”

Vanessa sets an example not only at home, but at school too. One day her class was drinking something that is against the Word of Wisdom. Vanessa passed it up and politely explained why she couldn’t drink it. Another time she told some children who were using bad language on the playground that she didn’t like those words and that they upset her. The other children respected her feelings and stopped using the offensive language.

Recycling has also become one of Vanessa’s major concerns. After her class did a project on it, Vanessa helped her family become involved. “Now every time I want to throw something away,” her mother said, “she says, ‘I can recycle that at school.’ ”

“If we don’t do something now,” said Vanessa, “we’ll have so much garbage that we won’t know what to do with it.”

Vanessa is a joy to her family and friends, and they bring her joy too.

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Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right (Eph. 6:1).

When President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) was a young boy, his father was called on a mission. Ezra, the oldest child in his family, had six younger brothers and a sister. He knew that his mother needed his help to make their home a cheerful and comfortable place. He woke up early each morning to milk the cows before he went to school. His younger brothers and sister laughed as he squirted milk into their mouths when they came into the barn to watch him. Ezra comforted them when they missed their father. He even dug vegetables from a storage pit under the snow so they would have enough to eat. Ezra tried in every way to make his home a happy one.

As prophet of the Church, President Benson taught us that “our Heavenly Father loves all of His children of all nations everywhere. Because He loves us so much, He has given us loving parents who care for us and teach us. Our mothers and fathers are our first and best teachers, and what they teach us can help us to grow up to be good and useful men and women” (Friend, July 1975, 6).

Our Father in Heaven has given responsibilities to each person in the family. He gave parents the responsibility to teach and care for their children. As a member of a family, you also have important responsibilities. Heavenly Father has commanded us to obey our parents (see Eph. 6:1). He has asked us to love and serve one another. Each family member should be helpful, cheerful, and kind to other family members. When we help family members, we are showing our love for them and for Heavenly Father. You can do your part to help your parents make your home a happy place just as President Benson did.

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One of the most [thrilling] moments of your life—when you were filled with anticipation, excitement, and gratitude—you are not able to remember. That experience occurred in the premortal life when you were informed that finally your time had come to leave the spirit world to dwell on earth with a mortal body. …

… You had been reserved to come when the fulness of the gospel is on earth. You arrived when His Church and the priesthood authority to perform the sacred temple ordinances are in place. You anticipated being born into a home where parents would be expected to love, nurture, strengthen, and teach you truths. You knew that in time you would have the opportunity to form your own eternal family as husband or wife, father or mother. Oh, how you must have rejoiced with that prospect. …

… Eve and Adam formed the first family. God declared, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave [cling] unto his wife” (Moses 3:24). They had children who also formed families. “And Adam and Eve, his wife, ceased not to call upon God” (Moses 5:16). The pattern of families essential to Father’s plan of happiness was established, and our need to continually “call upon God” emphasized. You are in the midst of living that plan. …

Throughout your life on earth, seek diligently to fulfill the fundamental purposes of this life through the ideal family. While you may not have yet reached that ideal, do all you can through obedience and faith in the Lord to consistently draw as close to it as you are able. …

Put first things first. Do the best you can while on earth to have an ideal family. To help you do that, ponder and apply the principles in the proclamation on the family. I testify that the Lord lives. He loves you. As you live worthily and honestly seek His help, He will guide and strengthen you to know His will and to be able to do it.

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He that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise (Prov. 12:15).

Throughout my life, I have received “golden nuggets” of counsel and inspiration from the people around me. Some of those nuggets came from Primary teachers. I was a rambunctious (lively and somewhat mischievous) child who spent many hours sitting outside the classroom door in the time-out spot. More than a few times, my teachers went to my mother, the stake Primary president, and said, “That Ronnie Rasband is a tough little kid.” But they never gave up on me. They showed me great love and always invited me back into class.

When I was called to the Quorum of the Seventy, Sister Afton Pedigrew, one of my faithful Primary teachers, was at a meeting at which I spoke. She told me, “If someone had told me thirty years ago that Ronnie Rasband would someday be a General Authority, I wouldn’t have believed it.” But tears were flowing from her eyes, and I could hear a quiver in her voice as she complimented me in her sweet way and said as my Primary teacher that she was proud of me. There were tears in my eyes, too.

Those teachers helped me to recognize some of the talents Heavenly Father has blessed me with. For example, they told me that I had a good reading voice. They often chose me to read a scripture or to be a narrator in Primary presentations in sacrament meeting. It was through Primary that I developed my love for the scriptures.

The scripture I best remember reading in a Primary program was 1 Kings 19:10–13 [1 Kgs. 19:10–13], especially verses eleven and twelve: “And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:

“And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.”

That was where I learned how we should expect to be prompted by Heavenly Father. We may not see a vision as Joseph Smith did. We may not see angels. We may not hear a rushing of great winds or feel an earthquake or see fire. We will hear the still, small voice of the Spirit. From then on, I knew that I would have to listen carefully for the voice of the Spirit and that it would be small and precious. What a wonderful nugget that was.

I grew up in a strong Latter-day Saint home. In my patriarchal blessing, I was counseled to pay particular heed to the advice of my parents and was promised that if I did, I would never be led astray. That promise—another golden nugget—has been fulfilled.

My father drove a bread delivery truck. All during my growing-up years, he got up at three or four o’clock in the morning and came home late at night and collapsed because he was so tired. By example, he taught me the principle of work.

My mother taught me the same principle by insisting that I work hard. She got me out the door, mowing grass, trimming the hedge, and doing other chores around the house. I would gladly have played basketball or football or played army or ridden bikes all day long, but my mother believed that work came first. I didn’t appreciate that at the time. I thought that I was being driven pretty hard. It wasn’t until I reached the mission field that I was grateful to know how to work. I had been given a priceless nugget.

My call to the Eastern States Mission was another golden nugget. My family had little money, and I was never quite part of the “in-crowd” at school. But in the mission field, I realized that it didn’t matter what side of town I came from or what my father’s income was. We were all servants of the Lord and equal. I learned that through the principles of hard work, prayer, and seeking to follow the Spirit of the Lord, everyone could succeed.

I have a golden nugget for you children: Follow the living prophet. Our current prophet loves children. He loves his own grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and he loves you. He cares about the direction of your journey through life. He cares about your family. The Proclamation on the Family was given to your parents to help them be better parents to you. At general conference time, listen to what our dear prophet is saying. And when that small whispering of the Holy Ghost tells you that he is speaking the truth, pay special attention. Follow the promptings that come through listening to the prophet of God. You are not too young to hear the promptings of the Holy Ghost or to follow the living prophet.

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