Primary

To our Primary Children: Each of you is so beautiful to me! How I love what you shared and how I miss hearing you share each week in Primary! Each one of you taught me something. I am so grateful for you and for your families. I love all the Primary children in our ward, both those who shared and those who didn’t share. Sometimes it’s scary to share, but each of you has something to give. Your questions are important to share. Sharing your love with your family is most important, and we know you all do that. We love you and miss you!

Love, Sister Funk

Here are some comments to you from some of the ward members who saw the program:

Thank you children for preparing your sweet, thoughtful and happy thoughts about the Book of Mormon.  We greatly enjoyed your stories about the Brother of Jared, Samuel the Lamanite, Nephi, Lehi, Teancum, and others.  We also loved hearing your testimonies and your experiences of feeling the Holy Ghost, whether at the pool, at your baptism, in the dark barn, or when helping others. It was wonderful to see you using their musical talents already to bless us in the Church (both by singing and by using instruments).  We look forward to more . . . and especially anticipate Jakie leading the ward choir down the road! Thank you for sharing your thoughts, talents and gifts with us today.  We love you all.

Keith and Linda Wilson

To the Children:

My wife Sachi and I just finished watching the Primary Program. Thank you so much for sending in your pictures and words and videos of you sharing your talents. Jesus says for us adults to be like little children, and to learn from the children.

Lucien Briscoe

Today I wanted to be more like you guys. And I definitely learned a lot from you as I watched the video! Thank you for helping me by sharing your testimonies with me.

To the Adult Leaders:

Thank you so much for putting effort into the children of the ward. It was such a wonderful experience to see their testimonies shared in this special way this year. It's no easy task to put something lime this together, nor to wrangle the kids enough to teach them bits of goodness over the years. Thank you for both of those things! It is wonderful to hear their testimonies and to learn from them. Thank you.

Thank you so much for the beautiful Primary Program Spectacular! I loved listening to the testimonies and stories, and was so impressed by the many musicians. Our Primary has so much talent, insight, and love, thank you for sharing!

Sachi Bricoe

We just finished watching the Primary program featuring our amazing 7th Ward children.  We were impressed by the genuine feelings of love for Jesus you expressed in unique ways, sharing your many talents.  Thank you for bringing those warm feeling of love into our home and for sharing your gifts of art, music, story- telling and believing.  You made us feel the Savior’s peace and left us smiling.    Cole and Louise Durham.  

Thank you, and all of those involved in putting together the primary program. I'm so glad you all were able to find such a wonderful way to still have the program and share it with all of us.  Thank you to all of the sweet kids who shared their testimonies through stories, pictures and musical talents. I felt your sweet spirits and you helped bring the spirt of our savior into my home.

Thank you,

Shauna Jones

Dear Primary 7th Ward Primary Children,

We really enjoyed seeing and hearing you share your testimonies through words and songs.  I love how you are developing your artistic talents and musical talents and are so confident in sharing your piano, flute, ukulele and voice skills.  I especially loved Olivia's "Gethsemane" song and all of you singing of "I Am A Child of God."

Thank you so much!

Brother & Sister Tidwell

So beautiful ! There was something special about watching our children all together. The spirit was so strong. Thank you to all the children, families and leaders who put this together for us. I enjoyed this program so much I’ve watched it three times now. 

Sister Haddock

Thank you to all you children for the music and messages you shared.  We felt our Heavenly Father's love for each one of you and were so glad we could see your faces so clearly on our screen.  You brought a warm, sweet feeling to our Sabbath Day! We loved the Virtual Primary Program! We feel like there was a spiritual connection between the children, their primary leaders and parents. As viewers, we felt it. Thanks to everyone who put in a lot of work and effort to make this happen!

Wonderful!

Rob & Gayle Gardner

Please let the primary children know that I loved their music, stories, and shared talents.  They are amazing!!!  I am so glad that through this technology we were able to partake of their sweet spirits in such an individual and personal way.  Love you children! You will grow up to be even more spiritually sensitive than your parents and help the world be a better place because of your faith and your love for Jesus. 

Keep up the awesome faith, 

Sister Sandy Allen

The kids did so great on the primary program! We had so much fun seeing all of the children share their testimonies and talents! We have an amazing group of children in our ward family! I’m so grateful for their light!

Dear Primary Presidency--the primary program was so lovely and uplifting! Thank you for all your time and effort to put it together. We really enjoyed watching it as a family and learning from the faith of all those sweet children.

-Linsey de Guzman

This is Lynne Harrington! I just wanted to pass along how fantastic that program was. Best one yet. I loved all the music and stories and testimonies from the children. They all did a phenomenal job. And bravo to the presidency and Sister Oliphant! I know that that took a tremendous effort to put that together. It was absolutely fantastic! ❤️

Thank you primary children for warming our hearts today as we listened, read, watch and felt your testimonies as you shared about our Savior Jesus Christ and your love for the Book of Mormon. I know Jesus loves each one of you. I know because of what I felt as you spoke, sang, played music and showed your art. Thank you so much for sharing your testimonies today.

Love, Bishop Walker

What a wonderful primary program! Please thank the primary children, their parents, their teachers and all of our wonderful primary leaders for helping put this together! We all loved it including grandma and grandpa! A truly inspired idea that was very well executed. Positive and unifying for all age groups. Thanks to all who made it happen.

Bob & Robbie Drewes

It was so fun to see the beautiful faces of all the primary children. I have missed your smiles and hearing your voices during singing time. Thank you for being brave and sharing your thoughts, pictures, songs and talents today.

Sister Crandall

The kids did so great on the primary program! We had so much fun seeing all of the children share their testimonies and talents! We have an amazing group of children in our ward family! I’m so grateful for their light!

Maria Elmer

Elizabeth,

I used to tell my students to never under estimate the intelligence of a child. You will be wrong every time you do. The children were delightful. This was a wonderful and inspiring program and a great use of technology.

The Hanson’s

Hi Elizabeth, 

I'm so glad you put together a lasting memory for the Primary Program this year. This video will probably be lost on some, but the few pictures we now have when our children were children in our ward are becoming greater treasures as we grow older. 

I hope you can share some of our thoughts with the children and their teachers to encourage them. 

We want to thank the Primary for doing such a great job with their recorded program. It was the best we’ve ever seen in many, many years of watching Primary programs. Here are some of our thoughts about the contributions of each child and family. 

Lucy Church’s story about Teancum was impressive because not too many people know or remember that important story.

Hazel Church’s story of Samuel the Lamanite was super clear about how he was protected from arrows and stones.

I liked Levi Bott’s favorite story about when Nephi built a ship because Heavenly Father told him to. I hope Levi always tries to do what Heavenly Father tells him to, just like Nephi.

I liked Henry and Christian Payne’s pictures of the boat and the tree of life.

It makes me happy to hear that Rhetta and Hazel McDonald love learning about Jesus.

I was happy to hear Grace play “How Gentle God’s commands.” That’s one of my favorite hymns. I also liked her picture of the boat.

I was impressed that Sienna was able to memorize and recite such a long scripture. I hope you will always memorize scriptures, Sienna.

I liked Lydia Oliphant’s picture of the house that was built on the rock and the one that was built on sand. She did such a nice job with the artwork.

Tessa Elmer’s story about suggesting to her cousin that they should pray was a wonderful story and reminded me that I should probably pray more whenever I need something.

I liked Micah Tiddlefitz’ “We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet” a lot. When I was his age I was just learning to play the piano too, and when I turned 12 I got to play for priesthood meeting sometimes. It’s too bad Micah won’t be able to do that. But he will get to do that a lot when he’s in Seminary and when he goes on a mission.

Julia Oliphant’s picture of President Nelson was really impressive. It’s wonderful to have such a fine talent and express your testimony through art.

I loved Ben Foss’ discourse about the seed and the tree and how the fruit of the tree will make us happy. I can tell that Ben will be great at teaching gospel principles throughout his life.

Eleanor de Guzman’s explanations of the miracles of Jesus was so filled with innocence and faith that I wanted to be more like her and want to take advantage of Jesus’ miracles.

I really liked how Beau and Stone Tandy shared how they do things that make Jesus happy. I also liked Stone’s testimony about how God helped him have courage to jump off the diving board.

Brooke Tiddlefitz’s talent on the ukulele will come in handy as she gets into Young Women’s and goes to Girl’s Camp.

Thank you Evelyn Billings for sharing the big picture of Jesus.

I’m glad that I get to live across the street from Logan Haddock, and that he knows that Jesus gave him his body. That body is going to be a great tool for Jesus throughout Logan’s life.

I liked Sophia de Guzman’s excellent piano number, “Teach Me to Walk in the Light of His Love.” It helped me remember how important it is for me to walk in His light.

I was amazed at how Sam Brinkerhoff was able to tell the story of the Brother of Jared and get all the facts straight. That has been a hard story for me to tell sometimes.

I’m with Hyrum Balluff, I’ll be really glad to go back to “real church” where I can see everyone. I’m also glad that he’s reading scriptures a lot.

It was great to hear Autumn play “I Am a Child of God.” It was wonderful getting to know Autumn when my wife and I were in the nursery and she was much younger. It’s great to see her turning into a wonderful young woman. 

I liked Ander’s story about God helping him learn to read and do math just like He helped Nephi build a boat.

I liked Lizzie’s story about praying before swimming across the pool. I wish I had tried that when I was a child. I know God helps me do hard things when I ask Him.

I thought Amelia’s ukulele number, “I Feel My Savior’s Love” was wonderful. That’s one of my favorite hymns.

I liked Asher’s testimony about feeling the help of the Spirit when he started to drown. I’ve felt that sometimes too.

I’m like Nate Walker. I love listening to General Conference and trying to follow the prophet.

I loved Olivia’s song about Gethsemane. That’s such an important song to me. It will be wonderful for you to remember the words to that song throughout your life.

I’m with Grayson, I hope we will never be rude. There are too many people who forget that, and sometimes I even forget to not be rude. Thanks, Grayson, for reminding me.

I thought Samuel James' flute solo was wonderful. I love the song, “Love Is Spoken Here.” That was a wonderful choice.

Thomas, I’m glad you made the decision to be baptized as well. That will be one of the most important decisions of your life.

I think you had Hazel Church on the program, but it was actually, Hazel McDonald. I liked her metaphors. She’s clearly a philosopher in the making.

I like Jake’s confidence in talking about the Book of Mormon and how Jesus loves each of us, even sea turtles.

I enjoyed Charlotte de Guzman’s testimony about receiving the Holy Ghost and feeling the Spirit.

I liked Violet’s talk about how Jesus helped people in pain and how he held their hands.

Thanks again for sharing such a wonderful Primary program. And thanks so much for the leaders, teachers, parents, and children for preparing such a lasting treasure.

Much love,  Bill & Patty Fifield 

Jan. 23, 2021

Dear Edgemont 7^th Ward Primary Children, Moms and Dads, Primary Teachers, and all Primary Workers,

We are excited for the children in the Edgemont Stake to participate in a weekly virtual singing time! Each week there will be a new video for the children to watch. It is available to watch anytime and is a great option during the second hour meetings. This week there are two videos. The first one was done by Sister Brandalee Streeter, our Stake Primary President. The second video was done by Sister Brooke Hoopes, the Primary chorister in the Edgemont 6^th Ward. In a few weeks, you’ll see our Primary chorister, Sister Emily Oliphant. Watch for her!

Below you will find a link to the singing time videos. The videos will be about 20 minutes each. You can use the same link every week, but there will be new videos labeled with the corresponding date. Children can watch them as much as they would like throughout the week.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs32YSbs-LMUTStLeOes89A

Thank you for your help and support in this wonderful effort. We hope the children will feel the love of their primary leaders, and most importantly of their Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ as they participate in singing time.

With much love and gratitude,

The Edgemont Stake Primary Presidency The Edgemont 7^th Ward Primary Presidency

Brandlee Streeter Elizabeth Funk

Kim Shields Tandy Haddock

Maren Kirwan Becca Tittelfitz

Tesera Tierney Caryn Crandall

Hello Primary children, parents, teachers and leaders,

We have some important information that we hope you will participate in. Here is the official invitation from our leaders. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/broadcasts/face-to-face/friend-to-friend?lang=eng

The first ever Virtual Friend to Friend event February 20th at 11 am will be available to view on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, YouTube, BYUtv and other media. After the initial broadcast, the event will be archived on face2face.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, the Latter-day Saints channel, Gospel Media and gospel Library for streaming or downloading.

Children ages 3-11, parents, teachers and leaders… please participate in this upcoming historic Face to Face-style virtual event with the Primary general presidency with messages from President Russell M. Nelson and Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. There will be music and activities as part of the event that you can participate in. Have paper, drawing utensils and scriptures nearby.

Parents are encouraged to watch the event with their children at their convenience---during the live broadcast on the 20th, during home evening, on Sunday or at another time. The event is made up of short segments designed to be watched over and over again. Each segment will be a great asset to home gospel study and help with inspired family conversations.

In a Church News interview with Sister Joy D. Jones, Primary General President, she shared her thoughts…“I am so excited for the children to experience this very special Friend to Friend event. I hope they will feel valued, needed and loved by Jesus and Heavenly Father. This will be a memorable opportunity to feel connected to other children around the world as they learn and sing together about how they can help like Jesus.” ( Church News, January 30, 2021, pg. 2.)

We hope you enjoy this wonderful event and know that we love you and pray for you often!

E7 Primary Presidency

Sister Funk

Sister Haddock

Sister Tittelfitz

Sister Crandall

Dear Primary Children,

Are you excited to start school this year? I know my grandchildren are so excited to see their friends again! We hope you have also had an opportunity to attend Sacrament meeting this past month. This is such an unusual time, something you will remember for the rest of your life. We miss seeing you every week, and look forward to a time when we can meet again.

This year, the general Primary Presidency has encouraged us to do the following: “Instead of holding the presentation in sacrament meeting, [we can] invite families to have a home-centered presentation. Older children can choose to present what they have learned in a Primary activity held via technology. Such presentations could focus on what children have learned this year from the scriptures, music, and Come, Follow Me.”

We are encouraging families to have a home-centered presentation in September where you, our primary children, share things you have learned from the Book of Mormon and/or how you #HearHim, in the same way our young women and some of our Relief Society sisters have shared this summer. In addition, we’d like you to learn two Primary songs during August and September, “I am a Child of God” (pg. 2 in The Children’s Songbook) and “Nephi’s Courage” (pg. 120) which Sister Oliphant and Sister Prestwich will record and post, similar to what was done for Father’s Day. We invite you to do the following:

• Practice the two Primary songs with your families in August and September. Have your parents film you singing these songs to the track Sister Oliphant and Sister Prestwich post and send it to Br. Oliphant, russmusicman@gmail.com, sometime between Sept.20-27. The recordings will be posted in the Edgemont 7^th Ward Bulletin this week at https://sites.google.com/view/7thward-digitalbulletin/

• We invite each of you to share what you share with your families with our ward family by sending those things to Becca Tittelfitz (rtittelfitz@gmail.com) by Sept. 27. Sister Tittelfitz will create a slideshow of what is sent in, which will be shared only with our ward family. We especially encourage our older primary children to use this to fulfill one of your goals in your Personal Development plan.

• Here are some ideas of what you could do. These are just a few ideas. We hope you think of others!

  • Tell one of your favorite stories from the Book of Mormon. You can either write it down and/or have someone record you telling the story as if you were giving a talk.

  • Tell about a time when you felt the Holy Ghost was prompting you or when you received an answer to a prayer.

  • Describe how you felt when you were baptized and received the Holy Ghost.

  • Draw a picture of your favorite prophet or story in the Book of Mormon.

  • Write a poem that expresses your testimony or a principle you’ve studied in Come Follow Me.

  • If you are learning an instrument, consider recording a hymn or Primary song.

  • If your family likes to sing together, you could choose one of your favorite songs and record that to send.

  • If you’d like to write down or type up your testimony, you could send that in.

We are excited to learn from you and look forward to hearing from each of you! We love you and miss seeing each of you!

Much love and appreciation,

The Edgemont 7th Ward Primary Presidency:

Elizabeth Funk,

Tandy Haddock,

Becca Tittelfitz,

Caryn Crandall

Hello Primary Children!

Did you know that “you were born for such a time as this?” Did you know that “when a wrong wants righting, or a work wants doing, or a truth wants preaching, … God sends a baby into the world to do it.”

George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and the founding fathers of our nation were born to help write the constitution of our country giving us important rights and freedoms (D&C 101:80). Now we can be free to believe in God and go to church. The Prophet Joseph Smith was born at the right time to help restore the gospel to the earth and to bring us the Book of Mormon which gives us another important history testifying of our Savior Jesus Christ and his atonement. What a blessing! The restored gospel helps us learn where we came from and why we are on earth, that we are sons and daughters of God and what we need to do to find joy in this life and in our life after earth. Important musicians were born to bring us special music to comfort us and teach us. Our prophet President Nelson was born to teach and guide us in preparation for the second coming of Jesus Christ. There are more. “And who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2020-06-26/elder-tad-r-callister-the-founding-fathers-coincidence-or-providence-187267

You will be headed back to school soon. Be looking to learn about people like this in history and today. Isn’t it wonderful to read and think about your life and to know that you were born to your parents at this exact time for important reasons. Heavenly Father will help you become a person that can help others too as you learn his ways and develop talents. Most of us won’t be in history books, but we can do amazing things to help our neighbors, friends and family right where we are. When we follow what Jesus taught in the scriptures and follow what his Prophets teach us, we can become our best person and he will help you know what to do in your life. “God is in the details! Just as the Lord knows all of His vast creations, He also knows and loves each and all of mankind!” (see 1 Ne. 11;17) https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2002/10/encircled-in-the-arms-of-his-love

That means you too! You are loved and treasured by your Heavenly parents and your Savior Jesus Christ. The Primary songs we sing help us to remember this. As you learn these songs and sing them, they will help you know and remember how important you are and how much you are loved and what you can do in your life to stay strong!

It is Primary Program time! You will have an opportunity to record yourself singing two Primary songs for our Primary Program that will be organized into a video by your music leaders. If you have brothers or sisters in Primary, they can sing with you too. This will be so fun to have your singing joined with all the other primary children in our ward to watch with your family. You will also be able to share what you have learned this year studying the Book of Mormon or how you #HearHim. You may write a poem or a thought, sing or play a song on an instrument, draw or paint a picture, anything that helps you share your experience. Be thinking. Someone will be calling you soon to talk about what you would like to share.

We hope you are well and look forward to seeing you again soon!

We love you and think of you always!

Sister Haddock

and Primary Presidency:

Sister Funk

Sister Tittelfitz

Sister Crandall

Congratulations:

Kenley will be baptized Friday, August 7, 6 pm.

Lua will be baptized Sunday, August 9, 6 pm.

Dear Primary friends,

We love you and are still missing you! We hope you are having a happy summer, and had a great 4th of July.

I wanted to tell you about something that happened to my family a few weeks ago. Have you ever hiked the Y and looked down at the valley below? Could you see a big lake? Well, my kids have a grandma and grandpa who live right on the other side of that lake. One Sunday, they came to visit us and we had sacrament together. But a few hours after they left, we went outside and noticed it was really smokey and clouded. We could tell it must be from a fire! So we checked the news to see where the fire was, and guess what--it was coming from right by our grandparents' house! We called them to see if they were okay. They were safe at that time, but they were quickly gathering their stuff up and loading it in their car in case they needed to drive away from their house. Then they got a message that they did need to leave their home because the fire was right down the street! We were pretty nervous for them! But we weren't allowed to go help. We wondered what we could do. So, we gathered together and knelt down. We prayed and asked Heavenly Father to please protect them and their home. We asked Heavenly Father to help their neighborhoods be safe from this scary fire.

A few minutes later, we heard from them! They were still okay, and they actually had some good news! When we and a lot of others were praying for their safety, the wind changed and all of a sudden started blowing the fire AWAY from their homes instead of TOWARDS them. They were safe and they didn't have to leave their homes.

In the scriptures, we are told that "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass," and that "all things denote there is a God." Every single day we can notice Heavenly Father in our lives! Sometimes the miracles He sends seem small or not important, but they are real. When we have faith, we can recognize that Heavenly Father has protected us, or listened to a prayer, or sent His spirit to help us feel happy or peaceful. Can you notice Heavenly Father in your life this week? When you feel happy or loved, can you remember those feelings are from Him? When you are protected or helped, you can know Heavenly Father is there. And, even if something is hard or seems bad, He is still there for you and can help you. I know that when we pray with faith, miracles can happen--both big and small!

Love,

Sister Tittelfitz

Elizabeth Funk

Tandy Haddock

Rebecca Tittelfitz

Caryn Crandall

For our teachers:

Here is a great video resource. Please take a few minutes to watch. Thanks!

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/member-and-leader-responsibilities/primary-leaders?lang=eng

To our Primary friends,

We have especially missed hearing your beautiful voices singing Primary songs. Sister Oliphant, one of our Primary choristers, had a great idea to have our Primary children sing together for Father’s Day later this month. We’d love to have every Primary child join us! Here’s what to do:

Attached are video files of Sister Oliphant, conducting “Daddy’s Homecoming” and “My Dad.” (If for some reason you cannot open the files, feel free to text Sister Oliphant at 480-343-8857.)

As soon as you can, practice singing to the video.

When you are ready, have your parents or an older sibling film you on their phone, singing along with the music on the second part of the video. (Be sure to SMILE when you sing!) Brothers and sisters can sing together or separately!

Have your parents send the video of you singing to Brother Oliphant at russmusicman@gmail.com any time between Sunday, May 31 and Sunday, June 7.

Brother Oliphant is going to put all of your videos together in a Primary choir mosaic, and we will give it to your dads on Father’s Day!

We are so excited to hear you singing again! And we are excited to have your Dads know how much they are loved, too.

Love,

The Edgemont 7th Ward Primary Presidency

Elizabeth Funk,

Tandy Haddock,

Becca Tittelfitz, and

Caryn Crandall

To our primary friends,

We love you and miss you all so much! We hope you are feeling well and that your families are doing well too. Are you excited for school to be finishing up? We are so proud of you and all the hard work you've done with homework, online school, or helping around your house! You are so valuable and special to your families and your Heavenly Parents.

This week, I took my kids down to ride their scooters on a trail next to the river. As we were playing by the river, we saw a mama duck with 4 tiny, fluffy chicks! They were so adorable, and they followed their mom in a line, wherever she went! If she waddled down the bank to a big stump, 4 little fluff balls followed right behind her. If she swam into the fast current, 4 chicks swam as fast as their little feet could paddle, trying to stay near to her. It was so fun to watch! But soon we realized, there was one little duckling who couldn't keep up with all the others. It was on the rocks, and looked like it might be hurt. As the mom duck started to swim into the water and the 4 others followed, we noticed that the 5th little duckling couldn't make it! "Oh no!" we thought. "Is the mom going to leave the last duckling all alone on the shore? Did she forget about that one?" But then, guess what happened? The mom swam down a little ways, and immediately turned around and swam upstream to where the duckling was waiting. After that, she didn't leave very far at all. We were so happy that she hadn't forgotten her little duckling, even though it looked like that duck was all alone!

Have you ever felt lonely, like that little duckling? Have you ever thought that maybe no one knew you or remembered you? Sometimes we feel that way. But I hope you know that you are never, ever forgotten! Your families love you very much, and most importantly, our Savior, Jesus Christ can never forget you. He said, "yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands..." (Isaiah 49:15/16). That means that He suffered and died so that we won't be forgotten and lost. In D&C 10:65, He even compares Himself to a mother hen! He says that "I will gather them as a hen gatherers her chickens under her wings." That means you are not alone, and you have a loving Savior who watches over you.

I am so grateful we have a Savior who remembers us all the time. Please pray to feel His love! I know He is there and wants you to feel His Spirit.

Have a wonderful week!

Love;

Rebecca Tittelfitz,

Elizabeth Funk,

Tandy Haddock,

Caryn Crandall

Primary Children and Parents:

Welcome month of May. YAY!! We miss you and hope you are all well.

Happy Birthdays celebrated in April:

10 – Sam James

22 – Levi Bott

22 – Essie Schmidt

25 – Bo Christensen

25 – Lucy Hammer

25 – Sophia deGuzman

26 – Evelyn Billings

Don’t forget to keep singing the Primary songs in your home, car, on a walk, etc… The music leaders have provided this link for you. There is also a beautiful Mother’s Day song. Sister Oliphant wants you to remember to sing a song to your mom and give her a hug with lots of love! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLd5yYtK_Cq01x9SpzJRpYPqLXZX9d4Sl5

It has been nice being with your family so much these past few months hasn’t it? “Connecting” with our families has been a focus these past weeks. Have you enjoyed activities together? Here’s a good thought... “It does not matter how you connect with each other, it just matters that you do it. Some connect through art and play, another family might play board games, someone else might throw a ball or play a game of soccer, some may read together or make a meal together or go for a walk. Connect in a way that feels most authentic to you and your family, not the ones you see on social media. For parents: When our children are acting out, tantruming, nightwaking, they are often asking for connection in the best way they know how. Take five minutes off your phone, shut down the computer, set a timer. Do something that is fun for you and your child, not anyone else’s child.” (@theworkspaceforchildren)

One of the most memorable and strengthening ways for you and your family to “connect” will be as you pray and learn about Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ together. Studying scriptures and the words of our Prophets in the Come Follow Me lessons and online videos and activity suggestions will prove life changing over time. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/come-follow-me-for-primary-book-of-mormon-2020/intro?lang=eng If you have been struggling to “connect”, now’s a good time to start again. Every day can be a new beginning.

We love “connecting” with you too! Let us know what you have learned or experienced these past months. You can email us at Elizabeth_funk@byu.edu.

We love you,

Sister Funk,

Sister Haddock,

Sister Tittelfitz,

and Sister Crandall

Dear Parents, Primary Children, and Teachers,

We hope you had a lovely Easter and that you’ve had a chance to enjoy some time outside as the weather gets warmer. This week in Come Follow Me, we’re excited to learn about King Benjamin, a righteous king and prophet of the Nephite people in Zarahemla who lived about 130 years before Jesus Christ was born. He led his people in many battles against the Lamanites (Words of Mormon 1:13), and eventually with the help of other holy and righteous men, was able to establish peace in Zarahemla (Words of Mormon 17,18).

King Benjamin loved his people and they loved him. He sent a proclamation throughout the whole land for families to bring their tents and set them up around the temple in Zarahemla (Mosiah 1:18). I imagine this was like the General Conferences we have today. King Benjamin got on top of a tall tower to talk to everyone, but even then, because there were so many people, not everyone could hear him, so he arranged for his words to be written down and taken to everyone (Mosiah 2:8). The talk King Benjamin gave is recorded in the Book of Mormon in Mosiah 2 -5. You can see a film the church has created about this event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZHzsOd_jUk

One of my favorite things that King Benjamin taught his people at that time was that, “…when you are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God.” (Mosiah 2:17). Isn’t it amazing to know that when you help your mom do the dishes or help your dad wash the car, that you are actually doing something for Christ, too? I think this is because Christ loves his children so much that whenever something kind is done for them, He feels it has been done to Him. I hope you’ll think about this whenever you help your brothers and sisters, friends, parents or grandparents. Can you listen for other important messages the righteous King Benjamin told his people?

We also wanted to let you know about two exciting things that have happened to some of your friends in Primary. Last month on Saturday, March 21, Lua, Bo, and Messer Christensen welcomed a new baby sister into their family, Cece Marie Christensen. She weighed 8 lbs. 12 oz. and was 20.5 inches long. Her mom is Sister Sydnee Christensen and her dad, Br. Ken Christensen, teaches the Valiant 10 class.

This week, on Tuesday, April 14, at 4:30 pm, Lydia, Julia, and James Oliphant welcomed a new baby brother into their family, John Russell Oliphant. He weighed 9 lbs. and was 21.5 inches long. His mom is Sister Emily Oliphant who leads our singing time, and his dad is Brother Russell Oliphant who plays the piano for primary.

We are so excited for these families to have a new sister and a new brother! If you are a friend to someone in these two families, you could write a note to them. Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ planned for each one of us to come into a family so that we could be loved and taken care of. Remember all the things your parents do to help you. They feed you, they give you a warm bed, they give you clothes to wear, and they give you hugs and smiles. They love you so much! When you are kind to them and to your brothers and sisters, I’m sure they feel the same way King Benjamin felt, “When you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in the service of your God.”

We love you and miss seeing you! Stay healthy and know we think about you and pray for you often.

Love,

The Edgemont 7th Ward Primary Presidency

Elizabeth Funk

Tandy Haddock

Rebecca Tittelfitz

Caryn Crandall

Dear Primary children,

We love you and miss seeing you every week! We hope you are doing well, and are enjoying your time at home.

A lot is going on right now! General Conference, spring break, worldwide fasts and Easter all in one week! Wow! This would be a great time to write in your journal so you can remember how you felt. Here are some ideas to write about.

If you listened to General Conference, did you hear some good stories? Or maybe some songs you knew? Most importantly, did you hear the prophet speak to us?

One of my favorite things he talked about was how we hear the Lord’s voice. Can you pay attention this week and try to learn how you hear His voice?

Maybe you feel Him when you’re on a walk and you see a beautiful tree or flowers that are blooming. Or when you hear peaceful music. Or when you’re playing with a sibling.

Maybe you feel his spirit and love when you get a hug. The Lord can speak to us in our minds and in our hearts!

Thank you for being so friendly and full of light! You are so special and so loved. Have a great week!

Love,

The Edgemont 7^th Ward Primary Presidency,

Elizabeth Funk

Tandy Haddock

Rebecca Tittelfitz

Caryn Crandall

Hello Primary Children and Parents,

A few thoughts as we try to enjoy these last days of March and welcome April...

• We think of you constantly and pray you are all safe and well.

• Congratulations to Noah Loveridge! He was baptized and confirmed at the Stake Center by his father today. Our Stake President, President Jackson, gave permission to have the meeting broadcast on Zoom so cousins and grandparents all over the United States could attend. We are so happy that he has chosen to make this important covenant.

• Don't forget this Sunday, March 29, our Prophet, President Nelson, has asked us to join with him in a day of fasting (for those whose health permits) and prayer to plead for help and relief from this global pandemic, COVID-19. You will be a part of history as members of the Church, as well as those in all religions, have an opportunity to unite their faith together at one time for one reason. Pay attention to the spiritual feelings that come to you as you participate and record them in your journal.

• Goal ideas for this next week...

  • Spiritual: Do Family History. Call or write a letter to a grandparent, aunt, or uncle. Ask them to tell you a story about when they were your age.

  • Have a parent or sibling help you get on Family Search or Family Tree. Look up your ancestors.

https://www.familysearch.org/en/

https://www.ancestry.com/

• • Physical: Go outside and move your body every day. Enjoy the outdoors. It's a great time to help plan a garden. You can plant cold crops like lettuce and carrots and strawberries outside right now. You can start other seeds under lights or near a window to plant when the weather gets warmer. Here are some awesome sites to help you...

http://kidsgardening.org/garden-activities

https://www.houzz.com/magazine/15-ideas-for-a-childrens-discovery-garden-stsetivw-vs~25052790

https://joegardener.com/

Stay Safe! We love you!

The Edgemont 7^th Ward Primary Presidency

Elizabeth Funk

Tandy Haddock

Rebecca Tittelfitz

Caryn Crandall

Dear Primary Teachers, Workers, Choristers, and Pianists,

Even last week, we could not have predicted where we are this week! We are so grateful to each of you for your dedicated service to the children in your classes. We have loved hearing about the lessons you have taught and seeing you interact so patiently and lovingly with the children in Primary.

Our bishopric has reminded us that, “even though we are not meeting in person, we have not been released from our callings, so we need to find creative ways of reaching out and blessing the lives of others. …Through this time, we want to strengthen each other by sharing positive news and other uplifting spiritual experiences.” “Limiting contact is the key to preventing a situation in which cases overwhelm our medical resources, and we should take seriously both the letter and the spirit of the encouragement we have received to self-isolate or otherwise engage in social distancing. One of the worries we have is that members, in their zeal to assist others, will inadvertently expose them to risk. As we communicate with the ward, please emphasize the importance of limiting in-person contact (even if you’re feeling healthy), and instead focus on how we can reach out to others via …. other resources.”

We invite you to think of ways you might be able to reach out to members of your Primary classes while still maintaining the social distancing encouraged by our circumstances. Messages of hope and love can be so appreciated and needed in situations that can be scary for children. Below are a few ideas, but you may be able to think of other possibilities.

• Send a letter.

• Initiate a video chat.

• Make a phone call.

• Text them a positive message through their parents’ phone.

• Drop off a small gift or note at their door.

In addition, our primary choristers, Sisters Oliphant and Prestwich have put together a playlist of all the Primary songs we’ve learned so far this year. You can find it here: Youtube playlist We have sent this to all our Primary children. We hope you will access this often and sing along!

Please feel free to contact any of us in the Primary Presidency if you have concerns about children in your classes or with someone in your family. We’d love to help you in any way we can.

With much appreciation and love,

The Edgemont 7^th Ward Primary Presidency

Elizabeth Funk

Tandy Haddock

Rebecca Tittelfitz

Caryn Crandall

Dear Primary Children and Parents of Primary Children,

You are in our prayers and we think of you often. We hope you will encourage and support your families in meeting together on Sundays and learning about the Book of Mormon in Come Follow Me. Someday, you will be able to tell your children about the year 2020, when the schools closed down and we had to hold church from home! We also hope you’ll write down your feelings about this time and some of the things you do every day so you can remember this unusual time.

Our primary choristers, Sisters Oliphant and Prestwich have put together a playlist of all the Primary songs we’ve learned so far this year. You can find it here: Youtube playlist We hope you will access this often and sing along!

Remember that the Edgemont 7^th Ward Bishobric has also asked everyone who would like to write down their testimony, particularly about the first vision of Joseph Smith. How do you know the gospel is true? We encourage you to write down your feelings about this or draw a picture if you would like. If any of you would like to share those with the rest of the primary, please feel free to reply and send what you have written or drawn to this email.

Please know we and your Primary teachers are thinking of you! We love you very much and want you to know of our testimonies and love for Jesus Christ. We will stay in touch with you!

Love,

The Edgemont 7^th Ward Primary Presidency

Elizabeth Funk

Tandy Haddock

Rebecca Tittelfitz

Caryn Crandall