Day 221--Cami's First Sacrament Talk

She may only be a couple of weeks past her 12th birthday, but Cami did a fantastic job on her first ever sacrament meeting talk today. My first talk was over and done before the Bishop could move the microphone down to my level. No one heard a single word of it (except maybe the Bishop). Cami, on the other hand, was prepared, confident, and poised.




Good Morning my name is Cami and this is my first sacrament meeting talk. I used to think that the bishopric waited a few months after kids turned twelve before calling on them for talks, but I’m standing here today having just turned twelve a few weeks ago proving that that’s not true.I was asked to give a talk today on the scripture 3 Nephi 11:36 -37. This scripture reads:

“And thus will the Father bear record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record of me unto him of the father and me, for the father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one. And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things.”

When I read this scripture it made me think of the words to one of my favorite primary songs, “I’m Trying to be Like Jesus”. The words are simple, yet powerful and I love the message that they share.

“I’m trying to be like Jesus, I’m following in His ways.”

With Christ’s perfect example of love, forgiveness, and service before us it can seem like really difficult task to become as perfect as Jesus. But then I thought of a recent experience with my little sister Ellie that made it seem a little more reachable. This past week one of my siblings accidentally slammed her finger in our screen door injuring her finger badly enough that it made her fingernail fall off. If the same thing had happened to me I would have been very upset at the sibling who did it, and most likely would have not let them forget it for years to come, but Ellie hasn’t even once mentioned again what that sibling had done and certainly has done nothing to make him feel any worse than he naturally did anyway. At four-years-old, my little sister is an example to me about forgiving like Jesus did.

The next line to the song is, “I’m trying to love as He did in all that I do and say.”

President Hinckley has said that “love is like the Polar Star. In a changing world, it is a constant. It is the very essence of the gospel.”

When I think of what it is to truly love like Christ did, I have to reflect on His great atonement where even as he was hanging on the cross he spoke words of love and forgiveness to those that had put him there. I think of that perfect love that was free from the judgments that come so easily to me and I know that I can do more to be loving in all that I do and say.

This past week my Mom’s cousin had a brand new baby boy. Since I’m twelve now I was able to go visit them in the hospital and hold little baby Sammy . As I looked at him, so tiny and helpless, it wasn’t too hard to imagine that just a few hours before that he’d been in our Heavenly Father’s presence. I only met him a couple of days ago and already I love little Sammy very much and it wouldn’t have mattered if he had green hair or three eyes I would love him the same. It made me think that if I could love this little baby after barely meeting him how much more must our Heavenly Father must love each of us.

It helps me as I go through my days to remember that everyone is a child of God –even my annoying big brother—and that I should treat them in the same loving way that Jesus taught us to.

“At times I am tempted to make a wrong choice, but I try to listen as the still small voices whispers, ‘Love one another as Jesus loves you, try to show kindness in all that you, Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought, for these are the things Jesus taught. “

When I was researching for this talk I found a quote from President Faust that really struck me. He was talking about being true disciples of Christ and that in the past that that often meant dying as a martyr. Then he said, “For most of us, it is not required to die for the Church but to live for it. For many, living a Christlike life every day may be even more difficult that lying down one’s life.”

Then he told of a heroic soldier who risked his life many times in the battlefields, then returned back home and couldn’t handle the everyday burdens of life. Soon he became enslaved by drugs and alcohol and other temptations.

I know that living for the gospel won’t always be easy. I have already experienced some temptations in life and I think that life is not getting any easier, except maybe for the relief that my talk will soon be over. I know I need to make my decisions now that I will follow Christ, so that when I am faced with temptations that I will not let people talk me into doing things that I know are wrong.

I would like to bear my testimony that I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that it is through Him that we can return to live with our Heavenly Father someday. I know that through the promptings of the Holy Ghost that we can always know what is right and wrong and even more importantly with our Savior’s help and example we can have the courage to actually DO what we know is right. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.