Week 22- Primary Tales

This last week has been an odd one. Because I serve a mission as a Church employee, I can't go in to work on holidays. Instead I serve from home. I don't mind this when it is only a day, but I've learned that it is hard to be a self-motivated missionary when everyone else is on a holiday for a few days. It's not that I dislike the work...it just doesn't feel very urgent and if I'm in a funk I don't feel like doing anything. This week though, I am going to rededicate myself to the work.

We also had the primary program last week. Oh boy. I didn't like all the practicing it involved as a kid, but I do enjoy watching as an adult. I sit somewhere in the middle as a teacher. This time, about 10 minutes into the program, Jimmy looks back and me and asks, "Can I go the the bathroom?" I shook my head. Of course he can't go in the middle of the program! He frowned at me. "When are we going to have a break?" And so I found myself explaining during the Valiant 8 lines, that we were not going to have a bathroom break in the middle of the actual performance... This is one of those things I never thought I would say as a teacher. You learn new things every day.

Jimmy also likes to tell stories. Before we began our lesson on forgiveness, I asked the kids if how they had practiced service last week, to follow up on the previous lesson. The kids all give their answers, telling how they helped clean and put their little brothers to bed, but Jimmy isn't done. I knew I might regret this, but I let him go ahead.  He starts "I served my mom by putting my little brother to bed and cleaning up his toys, and..." I looked at him suspiciously, "Jimmy...you don't have a little brother. I thought you were the youngest." Yep. He's totally spinning a yarn, but he's not done. He tries to convince us that he was really helping his mom put his big brother to bed. Uh-huh. "Thank you, Jimmy. Maybe you can serve your mom this week by putting yourself to bed." That funny kid. He wasn't trying to lie. He just loves to talk, and he'll do anything to spin a good yarn. I just had to laugh. At least this one didn't involve blood, puking, or the various changing colors of his cold sore...

After the primary program last week, we played a game of scripture charades. This was hilarious. One, because the sunbeams had noah's ark, but they all wanted to be the animals, leaving nobody to be Noah. And secondly, because my class is way too enthusiastic. We got the story of Jonah and the whale. Even our usually calm Suzie is jumping up and down to be Jonah because, "Whales are my favorite!" I'd already told Carson that he could be Jonah, so I said, "How about you and Annie be the whale?" I've never seen a whale bounce and squeal so much. Meanwhile, the rest of the kids played the sailors that threw Jonah overboard. Unfortunately, they got a little too enthusiastic and poor Carson when flying so far the 'whale' had to chase him down to swallow him. It was quite the charade.