Amber gave her first sacrament meeting talk at church today! She was asked to speak one week beforehand. We talked about it on the way to school back on Thursday, and Amber already knew which conference talk she wanted to use for her talk. But then it flew out of all our brains, and I forgot to write it on the family calendar. Working all day at the busy track meet yesterday fried even more brain cells.
In our church pew after the opening song, Amber looked over at me with wide eyes and whispered "I'm supposed to give a talk today!" My initial thought was maybe she just shouldn't do it--how could an 11 year old be expected to give a talk without any preparation? Jeff said "just go up and bear your testimony." Rose remembered which conference address Amber liked best, so she found it on her phone and showed it to Amber.
That kick-started a quick talk prep session for Amber. I had Rose and Amber switch spots in the pew so I could sit next to Amber an help her. We whispered ideas back and forth during the sacrament hymn (and also during the sacrament -- sorry! I had to prioritize helping my sweet daughter with her first talk!) Amber said "this is so stressful!" I gave her a few tips and reminders.
"You've written talks before. You can do this!" I whispered. "Make sure you say something from your heart."
"I'm so thankful for primary, because I have experience writing talks." Amber whispered back. I felt this sweet rush of love, for my daughter and from the Spirit all at once. I felt grateful that I was a "harsh mom" and always made my primary age kids write their own talks, from the very beginning--with help, but it was always up to them. All those years of doing it the hard way paid off.
As Amber and I whispered together during church, she impressed me, just like every other time she wrote a talk for church back in primary. She impressed me with her clear idea of what she wanted to say. Her one concern once she had organized her thoughts was "do I have to talk up there for 5 whole minutes?" I told her to just say what she had prepared and it will be plenty; nobody expected her to stand up there for 5 minutes no matter what. We also told her NOT to say "I forgot about this talk," because that's the worst way to start a talk.
When Amber left our family pew and walked up to the front of the chapel, MY heart started pounding FOR her! My heart pounded a little bit for me too-- as a parent, I wondered what on earth would actually come out of her mouth up there at the microphone, haha.
Amber impressed us all. I felt tears come to my eyes while she spoke without any notes or script. She took my phone up with her, so she could read a quote from the general conference talk that she chose. She chose the quote and I helped her think of a personal story to relate to it. She did the rest from her own mind and heart. I turned on the voice recorder app on my phone before Amber went up front to speak, so we could remember her first ever sacrament meeting talk (since it wasn't written down anywhere). Here's the transcript:
Amber's First Sacrament Meeting Talk
I was asked to give a talk today on General Conference, and I chose the talk by President Belle Freeman, young women general president: Best Days, and Worst Days. Yesterday there was a track meet, and I was helping out my grandpa with the javelin throws. I felt really good because, I was getting exercise, and I was helping. And plus, I got pizza.
[congregation chuckle]
Then when I got home, I figured out that I got a lot of sunburn, as you can see.
[another congregational chuckle]
Also, the talk does say something about this:
"In Matthew 14, Peter and the other disciples were caught in a storm when Jesus approached the ship. Peter cried out, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.” And Jesus answered with an invitation: “Come.” So Peter stepped out of the boat. “He walked on the water, to go to Jesus.”
"Best day.
"But in the very next verse, we read that Peter saw the wind, became afraid, and began to sink.
"Worst day in a matter of moments.
"Have you ever accepted an invitation from the Lord and then felt unequal to the task? We all know what it is to doubt, to experience sinking moments. But notice where Jesus was when Peter accepted the invitation that seemed too big. He wasn’t shouting instructions from the shore or offering advice from the safety of the boat. He was in the water—with Peter. Within reaching distance."
This, I can sympathize with from yesterday. Best day and worst day.
I believe in Christ, and I think we can all walk with him this year. As we accept the Lord's invitations, we can get the best days and the worst days, but with every experience, our faith will grow stronger. In the name of Jesus Christ amen.
Amen, Amber!!
[Amber impressively paraphrased a sentence from the conference talk to finish her talk. This is the original quote: "As you accept the Lord’s invitations, on both your best days and your worst, the same will be true for you."]
Later at church, when I had my youth Sunday school class go around the room and share a time they each felt the Spirit this week, I shared this story of Amber's talk prep. The teenagers were impressed with Amber. Jeff and I were totally blown away. Our Amber! Rising to the occasion with strength, thoughtfulness, humor, and her signature zest for life. We love our Amber.
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