You may laugh at me, but I am so grateful for a tender mercy today. When we walk to the institute it saves us at least 10 minutes to walk through the LDS Primary School instead of on the road. Right up front we asked Principal Qaqa (ngan gah)if it would be alright to walk through. It was not a problem.
Recently the school has had a problem with the general public walking past the institute, through the parking lot we share with the primary school, and through the school to get to the road our house it on. Not safe for the primary students. So about three weeks ago Principle Qaqa locked the gate that separates the institute and the school which means we have to walk two long blocks around the school to the institute. It is so inconvenient.
With that background, today we drove to the institute and while Scott was organizing his lesson, I was doing some minor changes in our office. I had not come prepared; I needed several items from home. I dreaded losing the time it would take to walk the long way home. As I was leaving, I decided to check the gate and it was unlocked. What a blessing. I hurried home, collected the items I needed, and speed walked back to the school, but I was not fast enough. Someone had locked the gate. Rats! Now I had to walk all the way back through the school to the one open gate, and then walk around to the institute. As I was buoying myself up for the walk and the lost time, a grey van pulled into the parking lot, and as it turned to park, Brother Nuatu (New ah two), the school custodian, waved to me to stay where I was until he could come with the gate key. Tender mercy. Heavenly Father is so much more active in our lives that we recognize. The only excuse we have, I guess, is that life is so busy we do not notice His help.
The Eternal Marriage class was so good last night. Note: I did not say I taught well. I had spent so much time on the Doctrine and Covenants lesson I taught on Tuesday that I did not look at last semesters E.M. lesson to see if it would work, need tweaking, or needed to be thrown out until yesterday morning.
When I read over the old lesson, I did not like it much, because I felt the students in this semester's class were beyond the lesson. I spent the entire morning reading lessons I had not taught last semester and rereading the church's outline for the lesson I thought I was teaching today. Nothing seemed right. I then spent hours looking for inspiration. I even printed copies of Pres. Benson's talks to the single women and the single men. By three o'clock I should have been panicked, but strangely was not. I finally stopped sat for a minute and ask out loud, "What do these YSAs need?" The answer came. "Ask them." So I did.
The lesson was supposed to be on preparing to marry in the temple. All but one student in the class are returned missionaries who are endowed and attend the temple regularly and often.
So I asked. "Why does one want to marry in the temple?" or in other wards "What are the advantages of a temple marriage?" I put them in groups of two and told them the group with the most appropriate answers would earn a treat. The winning group had 15 answers--wonderfully insightful answers. I then asked the other groups if they had answers on their lists that were not on the board; I offered them a treat if they had at least one to add to the board list. We ran out of time at 24 answers. I am so sad they got erased before I could copy them down, however one answer really hit my heart. "With a temple marriage I will not be alone for all eternity. I will not be lonely." I had the hardest time not weeping. I was overcome with sorrow for those of my brothers and sisters on this earth that will be in the telestial or terrestrial kingdoms.
I then asked them what keeps Fijian LDS youth from marrying in the temple. Again they discussed this in groups (of four). We had the best discussion although we did not have time to hear all of the reasons that the groups had listed. The reasons we heard were: clubbing, parental/friend objections, cost of receptions (so they live together), men too busy getting an education. We had a great discussion about what happens to men or women that choose not to marry.
The Spirit was so strong. All I did was facilitate the discussion. THEY taught the lesson. They knew this stuff. They just needed a place and time to review and remind themselves.
Oh I am so grateful to have been part of this!!!
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