Primary Children Serve "Missions"


By: Danette Turner


Primary children in the Catalina Ward learned about various cultures and people and more about what serving a mission entails as they were called to serve "missions" as part of a Primary activity. Some of the participants were front row (l to r) Peyton Ostler, Saydria Ostler; middle row (l to r) Walker Kitch, Dallin Schnepf, Anna Wright, Chase Williams, Jayden Gary, Jeremiah Sheridan; and back row (l to r) Savannah Ostler, Aubrie Gary and Brother Ben Flake. Photo by Cindy R. Williams.




Toward the end of the school year, 90 children of the Catalina Ward, Gilbert Greenfield Arizona Stake, received special letters in the mail. The letters were from the ward Primary, "calling" each child to a mission adventure in the Philippines, New York, Spain or Iowa. Children reported in Sunday dress to the ward building on Saturday, May 1, for a two-hour mission.

"Saydria carried her mission call letter around with her all week. She was so excited," says, Chelsea Ostler, mother of five-year-old Saydria.

"My mission was to the Philippines," says Saydria. "Being on the pretend airplane was fun."

Each child received a missionary tag to wear, which stated their name and mission. Many children have continued to wear their tags each Sunday to Primary.

Bishop Geoffrey Wright, who played the role of the mission president for this activity, greeted the children in the chapel. The children then received their tickets to board the "plane" in the chapel overflow, which was decorated with mock windows showing the sky and clouds along each wall. Brother Neal Switzer acted as the pilot as the children flew to their various mission destinations. The Primary president, Cindy Williams, and counselors, Tennille Riedlinger and Bente Cluff, and secretary, Tamiko Westover, served as flight attendants and passed out water and fruit snacks from a rolling cart they pushed down a center aisle.

The children exited the plane and were greeted by a former missionary as they entered their mission room. They rotated rooms every 15 minutes, giving them the opportunity to learn about each of the four missions.

Ben Flake, a former missionary to Spain, who teaches the CTR-4 class, told the children several stories about the culture and the people he taught. The children participated in a mock bullfight and sampled a traditional Spanish desert of vanilla pudding topped with swirls of chocolate over a graham cracker-like cookie.

Paul Trudeau explained about mission life in the Philippines. Sandra Brimhall shared several experiences of being a sister missionary in New York.

Nine-year-old Hunter Schnepf says, "My mission was to the Philippines. My favorite thing was when we went on the airplane. ... I liked the stories and the mangos we ate from the Philippines and the sweetbread from the New York Mission."

He says, "I learned that on your mission it isn't always easy. You can't watch TV or listen to rock and roll music."

Former Iowa missionary, Patrick Riedlinger says, "'Suey' was my favorite thing to teach the children," adding, "We served in farmland and, as you tracked, there were pigs to talk to." The children also tasted rhubarb pie, a favorite treat of Iowa.

Teralyn Schnepf, mother of four Primary children, says, "The day our children's Primary mission calls came in the mail was the same day their grandparents received their call to serve in Washington, DC. We took their letters with us to visit their grandparents and they opened their calls together. It was exciting and made it real for the children."