Four-year old Olivia Karadjov and her mother Claire saw an opportunity for missionary work, as they prepared for their Primary presentation in the Worcester Ward, Cheltenham Stake.
Claire writes, “Olivia’s best friend at school is Ivy Rose. We had met up out of school a few times for the girls to play. I asked Ivy’s mother if she would like to come to Church and Olivia asked if she would bring Ivy to watch the primary presentation. Ivy’s mum knew we were members; we had spoken about it from the start of our friendship, but I hadn’t had a reason to invite her to ‘come and see’ before the week of the presentation. Ivy Rose’s grandmother also came to watch.”
Olivia described her part in the presentation: “For the presentation I brought a photo of my great grandma holding me when I was a baby and stuck it to a picture of the temple to show that I am sealed to her because of the temple. I showed my polar-bear toy which my great grandma gave me; it’s still one of my favourite toys. Then I sang ‘I love to see the temple’.
“My favourite song in the primary presentation was ‘I am like a star’.”
Ivy Rose and her family told Olivia and Claire that they loved the presentation. Claire expands on this, “They were amazed at how confident the children were at speaking in front of a large congregation and also at how reverent they were.”
They found it “a very positive experience with everyone being friendly to them”. Claire and Ivy were able to introduce them to a few friends at church, including the sister missionaries.
It can sometimes be daunting to invite our friends to church activities. But Olivia’s courage, at just four years old, shines as an example of how to reach out with Christ-like love.