Emily's Talk

Emily has given many talks in Primary, and has been on the schedule for a talk many times this quarter. It's given her lots of good practice. Since she's older, we like to have her write her own talks, offering help when she's stuck or needs a different word for something. I gave her the two scriptures she used, but she wrote the rest, including a story about getting lost on the park trails that she told in her own words. I was proud of her for having the confidence to tell the story so well without reading it. I know that's hard for her, as it is for most of us; at least it is for me. Here is the talk she gave today. (I must note that she laughed as she wrote the part about praying for help in choosing which college to go to. She said, "What, like I'm not going to BYU or something?" I think she's a teenager sometimes, but I love her.

Pray Always
by Emily Ikeda
9-14-08

Heavenly Father wants us to pray to Him anytime and anywhere, when we need help, courage, or comfort.

2 Nephi 32:9 reads: "But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform anything unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul." This means that we shouldn’t make any important decisions without asking our Heavenly Father first. I haven’t faced any very big decisions in my life yet, but when I am trying to decide which college to go to, or who I should marry when I get older, I’ll definitely have to find out if my choice is the right thing to do.

Some easier choices I’ll need help on pretty soon are which activities I’ll be participating in at school, or what kind of friends I’ll make at new schools. Heavenly Father offers us a great blessing if we take the time to ask for His help. Moroni 7:26 says: "Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you."

There was a time when I really needed help a few weeks ago. Me, my mom and my brother went hiking in the Cameron Park trails. We were going good for awhile, and then we got tired and decided to turn back. Things started looking not-so-familiar and then we just started going around in circles, and we couldn’t read the map. Then I felt like we needed to say a prayer. We kept going for a little while more, but it was no use; we were still lost. Then I told my mom we should say a prayer, so we stopped and I said a prayer. Then Heavenly Father helped me understand the map, so I could figure out where we were going. I was able to lead us back to our car safely and quickly.

It’s my testimony that Heavenly Father helps us when we pray for help. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.