Several months ago, our ward’s Primary president was planning for the annual Primary program when inspiration came for the children to sing one song in another language.
The Primary president had been thinking about a young family in the ward whose grandparents and extended family are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They often attend the Primary program, and Spanish is their preferred language.
What if we sang a song to them in Spanish — “Families Can Be Together Forever” — to help them feel more a part of our ward family, she thought.
The idea gained momentum when she realized that many of the children were already enrolled in their school’s dual language immersion program. With months of practice, all the children could easily learn the song by heart.
When the Primary president introduced the idea to the children as a sweet surprise for this family’s grandparents and other family members, everyone was thrilled to participate.
After months of practice, the big day arrived, and the children were ready. Before singing “Las familias pueden ser eternas” at the end of the program, the Primary president — a Spanish-speaking returned missionary — stepped to the pulpit and made eye contact with the grandmother. She gave a short, personalized message in Spanish so the grandmother and extended family would understand what was about to happen.
The children of this family then sang the first verse, and the rest of the Primary joined in.
The father of the family, a convert to the Church, spoke in sacrament meeting a few weeks later. He thanked the Primary for singing that “beautiful” song and said it greatly impacted his parents. He said his mother felt God’s love for her, and she is now encouraging him to invite their family members to more Church activities and meetings. He said the experience was a strong example of President Russell M. Nelson’s counsel to “think celestial.”
“I’m grateful that this Primary presidency and the children ‘thought celestial.’ Like the Savior, the Primary had a special message that they delivered to a specific family in their native tongue,” the father said. “As we look for inspired opportunities to serve in our homes and wards, those blessings will have a lasting impact.”
Not only did the song bless the one family, it provided a sweet spiritual experience for the entire ward. Many spoke of the warm, peaceful feeling that filled the chapel, and how their hearts were deeply touched by the Savior’s love when they heard the children sing that final song.
One member thanked the Primary for their voices and “sweet testimonies” of Jesus Christ. “I don’t speak Spanish, but the song ‘Families Can Be Together Forever’ in Spanish was one of my favorites today. Best sacrament meeting of the year.”
Another member said, “The program was inspiring, ... and the singing was really powerful.”
“The testimonies sung through music touched my heart. I felt the Spirit so strong,” another member said. “The song in Spanish was so neat. What a spiritual meeting.”
The Primary president’s simple decision to have the children sing a Spanish song demonstrates the different ways one can minister, as explained by Jean B. Bingham, who served as the Church’s Relief Society general president from 2017 to 2022.
“Sometimes we think we have to do something grand and heroic to ‘count’ as serving our neighbors. Yet simple acts of service can have profound effects on others — as well as on ourselves,” Sister Bingham taught in April 2018 general conference. “... As you have the privilege to represent the Savior in your ministering efforts, ask yourself, ‘How can I share the light of the gospel with this individual or family? What is the Spirit inspiring me to do?’ Ministering can be done in a great variety of individualized ways.”
These words from Elder Gerrit W. Gong, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, also show what can happen when we are mindful of those around us.
“Inspired ministering blesses families and individuals; it also strengthens wards and branches,” he said in April 2023 general conference. “Think of your ward or branch as a spiritual ecosystem. ... Ministering — shepherding — makes our vineyard ‘one body’ — a sacred grove. Each tree in our grove is a living family tree. Roots and branches intertwine. Ministering blesses generations.”
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEnJ%2BuqpOdu6bD0meaqKVfoba3tc2gZJ%2BZmam1cH6Pa2poaWJkfnd7kWxwcm9iZ4FwwNGepa1lpKS8r7GMoaawZaOeu6i1zaBkmmWjpa6vtdKhZKynnpx6qrqMrZ%2BeZaCntq6t0bJkqaqfnL%2BiuYybo56ro5qxbrnAp7BmpJmrsrQ%3D