Ivy Goes Ministering

For those who don’t know, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has an initiative we call “ministering.” The name has changed over the years, but it’s always been essentially the same thing. The concept is simple. Minister to one another, teach one another, visit with one other, check in on one another. Christ’s church should be a family and the ministering program is the way that the Church tries to keep its members connected, like a family should be connected.

Ivy recently went with me on a ministering visit. This wasn’t Ivy’s first rodeo. She’s done her fair share of ministering in her years on this earth. What was interesting about this ministering visit was what happened after.

One Saturday Ivy and I joined the missionaries meeting with a new friend of the church. He was on his way towards baptism. This was my first time meeting him. This person went on to get baptized and has since become a very good friend. So this was a significant visit with the missionaries.

Afterward, Ivy and I dropped by a family’s home to say hi. I had never met this family. They didn’t know who I was. This was a true “cold” drop-in. They had two young boys under the age of ten and a brand-new baby girl.

I knocked at the door and heard the normal shuffle going on behind it. The door was opened by two shirtless boys.

“Hi, my name is Brayden, is your mom or dad home?”

The younger one ran off yelling, “Dad!”

The father came to the door, and I introduced myself. I then introduced Ivy to the two boys. We small-talked for a couple minutes, invited them to church, and that was it.

On the way back to the car Ivy was, as is normal, full of questions.

Why did we visit them?

• Because they’re in our church and we want to check on them.

That home was their church?

• No, that was their home. But they go to our church, and we just invited them.

When will they come to our church?

• Hopefully tomorrow.

On and on. Anyone who has been around a toddler knows what I’m talking about.

The next day we went to church and Ivy was very disappointed when her new friends weren’t there.

After church, we were preparing for our Sunday afternoon nap. As consistent as Ivy’s numerous questions is her desire to avoid a nap. She was giving us her normal fight before lying down.

I finally said, “Ivy, you’ve been so good today, if you go take a good nap, when you wake up, we can do whatever you want.”

I immediately worried about this open-ended promise I had given. What would she request? Surely her most common requests: a trip to Six Flags or Las Vegas.

Ivy shocked me with her reply. After her nap, the thing she wanted to do more than anything – go see her new friends.

I’ve thought a lot about this.

What was it about that visit that made Ivy’s day?

You know what I think. I think her little, pure spirit realized she just got to do something special. And she wanted to do it again.

She wanted more than anything in the world, whether she fully realized it or not – more than a trip to Las Vegas to see family or a fun-filled trip to Six Flags – more than either of those things, she wanted to go ministering. Ivy’s spirit knew the importance of ministering.

Sometimes I wish we adults could remember the purity of that desire – to minister to one another, teach one another, visit with one another, check in on one another, love one another.

I saw in Ivy what we all seem to forget. Supporting those around us – ministering – is more important than anything. Even a trip to Six Flags.