baby steps or giant leap?

A couple of months ago I started talking with Cristian about sharing his testimony at church in front of the whole congregation. I know how to set him up for success (he's a real easy sell most of the time) so I began real gradual.

I laid out the end result first. I thought he was old enough to share his beliefs about our church. This was pretty daunting for him. I have several friends that still as adults are unable to do this due to anxiety and fear of public speaking. I want all my children to feel at least semi-comfortable speaking to groups so this was the ideal venue.

We got out his journal. I asked him what he thought his religious testimony was. He gave me his ideas and I jotted them down in his journal. We then went to the dictionary and looked up 'testimony'. We simplified the definition, talked about its meaning, and wrote it down in his journal. From there, I asked, "So what do YOU believe or know to be true about our religion?" He immediately rattled off these 4 things: 1) families can be together forever, 2) Jesus will someday come back to earth, 3) Joseph Smith restored the Book of Mormon and the church, 4) I love my family to the furthest galaxy and back.

Be.Still.My.Melting.Teary.Overflowing.Heart.
Darling, right?!

I told him that was perfect. That was all he needed to say if that's all he had to say. He was surprised, he thought it had to be a lot longer. We wrote it out on an index card and tucked it away.

Every week I would remind him of the countdown until he would be able to speak in church. He seemed chill. The day of, I had him practice reading his card three times. I told him to speak loud and clearly (he mumbles a ton).

At church he went up to the stand, took his seat, and waited. He got to his turn and beautifully read his four sweet lines and closed his testimony. He did a fantastic job. I was so vastly proud of him. He is such a superstar!

His actions inspired little Miss Cora. This past Sunday was a month after Bug's testimony. Cora whispered into her daddy's ear and they both walked to the front of the chapel. Carlos gave his testimony and sat down. Cora bravely took to the podium and said two things. They were that she loves her family and that she knows our church to be true.

It amazed me how calm, confidant, and assured she was. Cora has always been our sugar and spice, our yin and yang, our salty and sweet. This year has been very emotional for her. She is often very sensitive. She's been easily hurt. Daily come home drawings and letters of love for family members. This year has been her sensitive, shy self taking force. I was blown away at her assertiveness to get up in front of all those people - like 150 people.

A month ago I gave my testimony (same day as Bug). When I sat down Cora handed me a note that she had just written. It said, "That was sweet. Thanks Mom. Love Cora"

Be.Still.My.Melting.Teary.Overflowing.Heart
What freak'n amazing, wonderful kids I have! I adore them to pieces!!