The Sunbeams stood in a wiggly line behind the podium, and my Sunbeam reached up to grab the microphone and speak right into it. “I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God,” he said, and grinned when he finished, relieved and proud of himself. It was the first time he had dared to say his part, in spite of prodding from his mother (me) and his teachers. Even the allure of speaking into the microphone did not convince him, not until the actual day, in front of everyone.

I was relieved and proud too. I wrote the program this year. Every year as I’ve listened to Primary programs I have wanted to take a turn writing one. And this year, as a newly called second counselor in the Primary (I’m no longer ward choir director), I got my chance.

And it was hard.

God humbled me, reminding me that no program’s inspiration comes from my own heart, but only from Him. And the sheer logistics of the thing felt daunting too–making sure each child in each class had a part, that the parts were suited to the child’s reading and performance abilities, trying to make it flow. I felt, as I typed, that instead of channeling the Spirit as I have occasionally when writing a talk or a program, I was chiseling out tiny chips of stone and hoping that the result worked okay.

Which it did. Of course it did. We offered cookies to those who memorized/worked really hard on their parts. We had a Saturday practice with a pizza party after, which led to a very good turnout. We did try hard. But the overriding lesson for me was that yes, I did need to put in the work to write the program, but in the end the program had nothing to do with me and everything to do with the children.

When they sang with joy and gusto, the Spirit came. It spoke to the ward: behold your little ones. And it spoke to me: you have helped write the words of the restored gospel on their hearts. Now listen, as they write on yours.

Is your program coming up? What has helped you run your Primary Program well? I’m interested to hear what so I can take notes for next year.

(image from LDS Media Library)