On one occasion, I was invited to the home of a priesthood leader for the purpose of meeting the members of his family. The hour was late when we arrived at the house, well beyond the bedtime of the younger children. As we walked into the living room, I saw seven weary children, dressed in their Sunday clothes, waiting for their father and a stranger from Church headquarters (me). A quick glance about the room convinced me that no one was impressed by my entry and that most wanted to be elsewhere.

The father invited me to instruct the family. I did so in two or three short statements, knowing that the children were tired and bored to death by the formal proceedings. Afterwards the father announced that we would engage in the daily family prayer with Tommy serving as the voice. Slowly and awkwardly the group assumed the position of a kneeling prayer. All of a sudden, one boy about twelve years of age blurted out, "What is this all about?"

It was obvious that the family gathering and prayer was a staged performance to impress me. Therefore, the boy’s spontaneous outburst blew the father’s cover and revealed the hidden motive. I do not know what went through the minds of the children on that occasion. I do know, however, how I felt about the inconsistency of the model set and the feelings of disappointment in the father that entered my heart.


Carlos E. Asay, Family Pecan Trees: Planting a Legacy of Faith at Home [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1992], 15.)