Louis’s Talk

By Ann W. Moore

Louis ran shouting down the hall. “Mommy! Mommy! Guess what!”

“What?” Mommy bent down and hugged him.

“I’m supposed to give a talk next week in Primary. Just like the big boys and girls!”

“Your very first talk!” Mommy said. “You certainly are growing up!”

“Let’s work on it today, OK?” Louis asked.

“OK.”

When lunch was over and the dishes were washed, Mommy and Louis sat down at the table.

“What do you want to talk about?” Mommy asked.

Louis thought hard. He remembered some of the things that he learned in Primary. He remembered some of the stories that Mommy told him. “I know!” he said. “I’ll talk about the prophet Abinadi warning the people and about wicked King Noah.”

“That would be a good story to tell the other Primary children,” Mommy said. “Let’s read the story again, and maybe we can draw a picture for you to show the children while you tell the story.”

“Yes! Let’s do,” Louis said happily.

After they read the story in Mosiah in the Book of Mormon, Mommy got a large piece of paper and the crayons. She and Louis drew a picture of the brave prophet Abinadi standing before King Noah. Louis used lots of red and blue, his favorite colors.

“There!” he said when he had finished.

“That’s a good picture,” Mommy told him. She propped it up on the windowsill, where Louis could see it every day.

Louis practiced telling the story of Abinadi all week long. On Saturday he stood straight and tall in the living room and held up the picture, as if he were already giving his talk in Primary. Mommy sat in front of him on a chair, pretending to be all the Primary children.

Louis used a good, loud voice. He held the picture high. He told the whole story, and he remembered to say “In the name of Jesus Christ, amen” when he finished.

Mommy kissed him. “That was wonderful!”

On Sunday Louis sat up in front in Primary because he was giving a talk. He held his picture carefully. Mommy sat in the back row. She had come to Primary especially to hear him.

Finally it was his turn. Louis got off his chair and stood up. He held up his picture, just as he’d practiced at home. He looked at all the boys and girls. They all looked back at him. Louis looked at the picture. Then he looked at the boys and girls again. He opened his mouth but couldn’t remember how the story began.

“Louis!” someone whispered. It was Mommy. She gave him a big smile. Louis smiled back. He held the picture up again so that everyone could see it, and he talked in a loud voice so that everyone could hear him. He told the whole story exactly right.

When he finished and sat down, the Primary president stood up and said, “Thank you, Louis. That was an excellent talk.”

Photos by Marty Mayo