All You Need To Do Is Ask

Last week in Primary to support our Ward Mission Plan (I can hear them saying it - "Feed My Sheep"),  I challenged those bright wee souls to do two things. I told them that they really didn't actually have to do anything, just open their mouths. Their challenge: 

1. Ask their parents if the missionaries can come over for dinner. 

2. Ask one of their non-LDS friends or someone who hasn't been to church for a whle to come over for dinner at the same time.

It's a task that many adults shy away from but I encouraged them that all they needed to do was ask. I warned that some people may say no, but that was fine - at least they asked. One of the teachers said that it usually takes someone up to 7 times to be asked before they actually say yes. 

Yesterday I was very happy to find out that my youngest daughter Eliana and her friend Kaitlyn had been doing a bit of missionary work for a few weeks now. They organised a playdate with their friend from school. A few weeks ago, Eliana gave their friend an invitation for a playdate. Kaitlyn gave Eliana an invitation including volunteering her Dad to do the BBQ! I haven't seen the invitation Eliana gave out, but her friend's mother said it was very detailed, including the date, time and address of the park we were all going to meet at. The playdate was set for today. Kaitlyn's mum Kaiserina and I found out about it last night around 9:30pm haha. I managed to get hold of their friend's mum and since the girls had organised us, we decided to go ahead with it. 

We had a great time and it wasn't just about the missionary work. It was about getting to know one of Eliana's friends better as well. It started off bumpy as we all went to three different parks, but we got there! 

I was talking to Bishop at the park, and he said something that hit home. I spent most of the time playing with the children and he said it doesn't matter where you are, you are always the Primary President. He said when he's out and about in the community either riding his bike or whatever, he realised that even though people aren't members, he is their Bishop. And that means for all the primary children in the area, I'm their Primary President. For the rest of the day, I looked at every single child that I saw when I was out and about with a bit more care and a bigger smile. 

Today seeds were sown and invitations for upcoming primary activities were extended. Kaitlyn asked if she could say grace before the children ate - what a great example! I'm grateful that we reacted well to this surprise playdate and went along with it because it was obvious that the girls had put a lot of planning into it and it was obvious that this had been a point of discussion in the playground for a little while. I'm grateful that they took on the Primary Ward Mission Challenge with such gusto! I know you're thinking there was no missionary dinner. I think of this as a prelude event. 

I share this with you because if two 6yr olds can do it so can anyone. 

All you need to do is ask!