Our Annual Back to School Dinner: Grow Your Testimony

Last night we held our annual Back To School dinner for our family.  We’ve been going strong with this little tradition for almost 10 years now and it really has become a highlight for our kids as we wrap each summer up.

{Seriously….this was the fastest summer EVER and truth be told, I could use about 2 more weeks.}

A couple of weeks ago, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland released THIS short video on Instagram and it really caught my attention.  It got me to thinking about my own teenage children and how these are the years that their testimonies really need to start growing.  The ‘seeds’ of truth have been planted in their hearts from a young age beginning in Primary, but it is really up to them what they will do with those seeds.

Before we know it, our kids will be done with highschool and out on their own and Joe and I want nothing more for them than to have their own testimonies of our Savior Jesus Christ.  We want them to know for themselves that He lives!  And that He is there for them.  ALWAYS!

We don’t expect them to know everything right now.  Shoot, Joe and I certainly didn’t at their age and we still don’t! We just really wanted to encourage them with this dinner, to nourish those seeds that have been planted in their hearts and allow them to grow.

So our family motto for this school year is just that:  Let Your Testimony Grow

We talked a lot about how seeds grow and what is needed to allow them to thrive and bloom {sunlight, water, air…}. We likened that to ‘spiritual’ things that can help our own testimonies grow, too {daily prayers, scripture study, church attendance…}

Each place setting had a little succulent on it {found at Trader Joes for $2.99} and then a little jar filled with sunflower seeds.  {My kids are loving those right now!}   I bought lots of fresh flowers from Trader Joes {their prices on flowers are THE best} and decorated with those.

Our dinner menu was created around SEEDS.  We had: Sesame SEED chicken, SEEDED watermelon, green salad with sunflower seeds and dirt cups for dessert…..because you’re never too old for those.

Yes, I even included the gummy worms in the midle.  Just like I did when they were little 😉

At Target in the $ bins {for $3} I purchased each of my kids a little planter.  I myself, don’t have too much of a green thumb {sadly} and so I thought that this looked easy enough!

Each kid was in charge of planting their seeds last night and will be in charge of helping those seeds grow right in our kitchen where we placed the little pots, as a physical way to remember what we talked about at our dinner.

It was such a special evening for us.  Each year I keep thinking that my kids will have outgrown this tradition and be ‘too cool’ for it but each year….they’re just as excited as the year before.  They actually look forward to it and a couple of weeks before it even happens, they begin asking me about our theme and our dinner and what it’s going to be.  {I always keep it a secret until the night of}.

“Our testimony motivates us to live righteously, and righteous living will cause our testimony to grow stronger.” -Dieter F. Ucthdorf

“A testimony grows.  We become taller in testimony like we grow taller in physical stature; we hardly know it happens because it comes by growth.” – Boyd K. Packer

“Hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowlege comes.” – Jeffrey R. Holland

“Our firm personal testimony will motivate us to change ourselves and then bless the world.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf

**************************************

As always, I’m offering the printables that I created and used for our dinner, for FREE so that you can use them too if you’d like!  Start this tradition NOW.  {You won’t be disappointed that you did, I promise!}

{Just right click on each image below, save to your computer and then print! Or…drag the image to your desktop and open up and print from there!}