Sealed

A little over seven years ago Derek was baptised a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Almost five years later his parents began listening to the missionaries and decided to be baptized as well. At the time Derek and I were dating. Having been a member of the church all my life I felt very blessed to have the opportunity to sit with Derek and his parents as they listened to the discussions, asked questions, and began to develop their own testimonies of the truthfulness of the doctrines and principles being taught. A few short months after Derek and I were married, we had the amazing opportunity to again listen to the missionaries with his brother, Chad, and attend his baptism.
On Saturday, I was again blessed to witness the sealing of Jim and Teresa as eternal companions and to also see Derek sealed to his parents. I do not say say I because I was the only one touched and blessed by this experience. I know all who were in attendance were uplifted and edified. But I feel especially blessed and grateful to have been able to be a part of this wonderful experience and journey. As I sat in the temple and pondered the significance of what was taking place I was overcome with gratitude. Not everyone gets the chance to see their in-laws sealed together and their spouse sealed to his parents. Several members of the church are "born in the covenant," meaning we are already sealed to our parents because they made those covenants before we were born. However, I was blessed enough to have met and fell in love with a wonderful man who joined the church as a teenager. I was blessed enough to come into his life at a time when his family opened their hearts to the Gospel. And I was blessed enough to have been welcomed into their family. As I stood in the temple with Derek, Jim, Teresa, her brother, and his wife, I was filled with love. Love for my family. Love for God. Love for the Gospel. Because of this experience my understand of eternity has been deepened. My understanding and testimony of gospel ordinances and covenants (especially sealings) has increased. My relationship with my husband has been enriched. And my relationship with my mother and father-in-law has also been enriched. I will forever cherish the opportunity I had to witness this glorious event. I am so grateful for my in-laws. They have welcomed me into their family and loved me like their own daughter. I am so grateful for this time I've had to live so close to them and build such wonderful relationships with them. I am also grateful to my Heavenly Father for placing me in their lives and allowing me to have these opportunities to learn and grow. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn to love another family as much as I love my own. I am grateful for the Gospel. For repentance and baptism. For sealing ordinances. And most especially for my Savior, Jesus Christ, who has made it all possible. I look forward to the day when we can all enter the temple again as a family and have Chad sealed to us as well.

Rachel, Chad, Jim, Brody, Teresa, Derek, Ariane