It Was the Best of Times
May 19th, 2008
When I was 20 I moved back home after living two years in Utah. Shortly after I got home, I was called to teach the 9 year old primary class. That class consisted of four boys and one girl. When I was set apart… well, I’ll never forget that blessing.
They’re all seniors in high school now. I was able to be there last night when one of the boys was honored for having received his Duty to God award. Afterwards, as I was congratulating him, he said to me, “It’s all because of you, ya know.”
I laughed. I knew he was joking. “Right, Roy. That was almost 10 years ago!”
He laughed too and then said, “Do you remember how you made me and Wally and Z memorize the Articles of Faith?”
I answered that I did.
He responded, “Well that helped a lot.”
I was speechless after that. I could only vaguely remember trying to get them to memorize their Articles of Faith. Later when I got home I thought some more about it and remembered that I had promised them the biggest and best candy bar, one of their choosing, for each one that they memorized and passed off. When they got to the end and had completed all 13, there was some other prize in store, but I still can’t remember what it was. Roy was the only one who got through all 13. He’s now graduating from Oceanside High School and will be attending BYU in the fall while preparing to serve his mission. I’ve always had a special place in my heart for him. He was the sweetest kid and has kept that awesome smile his entire life. I couldn’t be more proud of him if he was my own child.
Best of luck Roy!