Kim Guymon, Canyon View Ward
“In the Book of Mormon, we read in Alma 37:6 that “by small and simple things are great things brought to pass.” That scripture quietly unfolded in our home through a simple practice that became sacred to our family—our own testimony meetings.
When our oldest children were young, my husband and I began holding family testimony meetings each Fast Sunday. It took time to become consistent, but eventually it became our pattern. Before changing out of church clothes or breaking our fast (in the days before online donations, as we waited for the teachers to collect fast offerings), we would gather together. One of the children offered the opening prayer.
The younger children eagerly stood on the fireplace hearth, feeling the full attention of the family as they learned to bear testimony of Jesus Christ. Our 12-year-old was hesitant at first, but within a few weeks she, too, spoke with confidence. After each testimony, the speaker chose who would go next. When visitors were present, the children often invited them to share. Very few declined. Grandparents sometimes spoke at length, and our children learned both reverence and listening. They also learned that a testimony need not be long to be powerful.
Our home became a safe place to recognize and speak by the power of the Holy Ghost. Over time, faith in the Savior deepened in quiet but measurable ways. One son later reflected, “I don’t think I felt the Spirit anywhere else like I did in those testimony meetings.” That repeated witness anchored him in his relationship with Jesus Christ. Another said, “I was never afraid to bear my testimony because I knew I had one and knew how to share it.” A daughter expressed, “The testimonies of my parents and siblings are written on the fleshy tablets of my heart. They still strengthen me and help me continue on the covenant path. The testimony meetings united us in one faith.”
Now our grandchildren think family testimony meetings are simply normal—especially knowing their cousins are doing the same. One nine-year-old granddaughter recently said, “I know what they were saying is true, and it strengthens my faith in Jesus Christ.”
When children left home for missions, college, or marriage, these meetings became sacred moments of expressed love and counsel centered in Him. We always ended kneeling in prayer, usually followed by hugs all around.
We practiced this small and simple tradition for over three decades—even during COVID, when only a returned missionary son and I remained at home. The meetings required no elaborate preparation and usually lasted about thirty minutes. I don’t remember specific words, but I remember that our faith in Jesus Christ grew stronger, our home felt holy, and love bound us together in Him.
It was through this small and simple practice, the Lord gently bound our hearts to Him-and to one another-on the covenant path.
On the hearth of our home, as simple testimonies of Jesus Christ were shared, the Lord quietly brought great things to pass.”