Forever Family

The youth in our ward by the fountain


Our ward

It was four years ago today that our family was sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. First of all, I want to say that what I am sharing is in no way meant to hurt anyone who has not had the opportunity to be sealed to a spouse or a family. I can say that I honestly know how it feels to love someone so much who has different beliefs than yourself. I also know how it feels to hope and pray for an Eternal family when it feels impossible and out of reach.

My husbands conversion was nothing short of a miracle. He was raised in a very catholic home as a child. When we married, he told me that I could take our children to church with me but he would never be a member and that he never wanted missionaries at our home.

People in my ward would ask me what they could do to get him to church and I would just tell them to be his friend, that's all. One day the missionaries came to our house with a man from our ward and I ran inside and closed the door. I was so afraid that Carlos would think that I told them to come over.
When I got the courage to peek out my bedroom door I noticed that Carlos had invited them in. My jaw dropped. That was the beginning of the longest missionary discussions ever I'm sure. He would never commit. Every time they left I felt more and more discouraged. I finally told him after months and months of discussions that
he was waisting their time. I also told him that he hadn't prayed like he needed to to receive his answer. While he was at work I cried and cried that whole day. As I prayed I told Heavenly Father that if he never was baptized that it would be okay. That I just wanted him to have peace with his decision. And to let the missionary's move on to someone who really needed them. Little did I know how much we really needed them.

That night when he came home from work he went in our bedroom and didn't come out for at least an hour and a half. When he came out he said, "I'm ready to be baptized, I know what I have felt is true."

He was baptized almost 6 years ago. The same day our oldest was baptized. Two years later we took our family to the Salt Lake Temple to be sealed. I can't even explain the feeling. To have the two children I adopted and the two children I gave birth to and my best friend with me at the altar was wonderful. I felt like I was in a dream. After we were done our ward surprised us and met us outside. They were in Salt Lake for youth Conference and thought it would be fun to be there when we came out. It felt so good to have all of those people who loved us and supported us through all of our challenges to welcome us.

You could say, perhaps it would have been much easier if I had just picked a worthy LDS guy. But at that time in my life I wasn't exactly living the way that I needed to. I was certainly not ready for a Temple marriage myself. But I am grateful, thankful and blessed everyday to have a loving Heavenly Father that knew and knows my weaknesses and has allowed me to and continues to allow me to repent of my mistakes and try to do better each day. And I'm grateful for a family that makes me want to be a better Wife, Mom and friend.

I have always had a special place in my heart for missionaries. I often think about where we would be today had they not followed the prompting they received. At that time, they were probably thinking about the conversion of just one person to the gospel. But through that one person they affected a family of six who are now a forever family. We will forever be grateful to them.