It had been 12 years since I had left my beloved California home and ward to remarry.  With the Lord's help, I had slowly rebuilt and achieved new goals.  But I longed to visit dear friends who had shared the joys and the challenge of living in an area where Church members were a minority.

"Sometimes it isn't good to relive the past," my family members said.  Nevertheless, I made the trip.  At my old house, I marveled that the seedlings I had planted years before were now large trees shading the property.  Overwhelmed with emotion, I left the spot and drove down the street. Old landmarks were hazily familiar.  What was I doing here?

Then I sighted the spire of the local Church meetinghouse, and I drove to my favorite parking spot.  Though still not sure exactly what I was looking for, I began to feel more peaceful as I strolled through the church grounds.  Rounding a hedge, I nearly bumped into a young man who was pulling weeds.  He jumped to his feet and I noticed that he had a fresh missionary haircut.

As I apologized, he looked at me strangely and said, "Aren't you the mustard-seed teacher?"

I looked at him in puzzlement.

"Yes, I think you are," he said.  "You were my first Primary teacher.  I could never resist coming to your class because of the clues about the lesson you always taped to the door.  The picture of the jar of mustard was my favorite.  I remember obediently carrying home my bag of tiny mustard seeds after your lesson about the parable.  After that, I always thought of you as the mustard-seed teacher."

The memory flooded back to me of a recently baptized woman bringing her seven-year-old son, Chandler, to my CTR classroom.  Here was the same boy, now a young man.

"Your lessons made me want to be a good Latter-day Saint," he said.

I was thrilled to hear that Chandler had recently submitted his application for a mission.  As we spoke, I realized that his testimony was another tree that I'd help plant and nourish.  When he was a young boy, his testimony had been embryonic, perhaps even "less than all the seeds that be in the earth" (Mark 4:31).  Now the strength of his testimony made him a mighty tree in the Lord's vineyard.

Silently thanking the Lord, I vowed to keep sowing grains of faith and to trust in their promise and strength.
 

HANDOUT IDEAS:

Faith of a mustard seed handout
Faith Seed Pouch from lds.about.com
"Good seeds, planted by loving teachers, flourish for a lifetime".

LESSON HELPS:

What is the significance of the mustard seed?

POEMS:

Faith of a Mustard Seed