Which Dwelt First in Thy Grandmother

When COVID hit last year and we all hunkered down in our homes, one of the things we immediately missed was the opportunity for our children to go to Primary on Sunday. We did our best with church at home and had some good experiences taking the Sacrament together, but it was difficult with six kids 10 and under to know how to best keep the Sabbath Day with all of us home all day long. Let's just say that reverence was not our strong point with Sunday worship at home. So I was very grateful to my mom who offered to teach the kids a Primary lesson every week over Zoom. That proved to be almost a year-long endeavor and despite the challenges it presented, she didn't give up on teaching the gospel to my children every week while they were kept from Primary at church. 

My mom always said to us growing up, "If it is worth doing, it is worth doing well." That was certainly the way she approached this opportunity to teach my kids the scriptures each week. As is her nature, it was not something she did half-heartedly! She prepared songs, stories, and scriptures every week, complete with visual aids cut out with care that she would give me in advance whenever she was able to see me before the Sunday lesson. The kids loved to hear stories from her life both as a youth and an adult, and she shared with them her testimony and how she applied the gospel principles that she was teaching them. But they were no easy group to corral virtually and there were inevitably many disruptions during the lessons: someone would run off with the iPad, another would start jumping off the couch, and two of them would often start bickering and one would get offended and leave the lesson. But she never gave up on them and kept teaching whether there was only 1 or all 6 present to listen. As I think about her efforts this past year I am reminded of the Lord commendation of Nephi: “Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments” (Helaman 10:4). She indeed kept teaching them with “unwearingness” and did not fear the sometimes chaotic lessons where she would often be left saying, “Okay, I’m getting dizzy now” as the iPad went running out of the room….

When Paul wrote to the young Timothy he made this observation: “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also” (2 Timothy 1:5). I know that as my children go forward in the world, they will remember this experience learning the gospel from their grandmother. I pray that those who know our family will be able to say to each of them as well, “The faith which dwelt in thy grandmother… is in thee also.” And my children will surely be able to declare like the sons of Helaman, “We do not doubt our grandmother knew it” (Alma 56:48).  Thank you Mom for sharing your faith and testimony with my children!