A Good Week

A Good Week

February 29, 2016

    It has been a good week. We witnessed some life changing events take place for a dear family in our ward. This time last year Matt and Desiree Mulanazzi and three of their six children were baptized in the Blue Mills Ward. They also have three other children too young for baptism. We have been watching the calendar hoping we could teach them the Temple Prep classes before we left in April. It happened, and we witnessed their family sealing on Friday.
    This is one of those Ensign type families that took hold of the gospel and never let go. They are the ones who shake their head and say, "How can it not be all so true? It makes such sense for a Father in Heaven to love us and want happiness for us". We have loved, loved to watch their progress this past year. They were introduced to the gospel by young sisters serving in our ward before we arrived last year. As their teaching progress moved along, other sisters came and went through our ward. Even after their baptism, they have had a special connection to the sisters serving in Blue Mills. Part of that sweetness is because their oldest daughter, Mariah, is determined to serve a mission in a few years. She is the one who gained a personal testimony first by attending youth activities.
     On this special occasion, five sisters who had already gone home were able to come back to witness it. Sister Thompson flew in from Florida; Sister Alvarez traveled form WA; and Sisters Pistorius, Allan, and Webster came back from Utah. Then, add sisters who are still serving in the MIM who President Vest gave approval to attend. Can you picture how fulfilling it was for all of those young women to think they had played a part in uniting this family forever?
    Can I tell you a tiny bit about one of their daughter's, Aliyah? Sister Mulinazzi was raised in a big family here in the Kansas City area. She would tell you it was dysfunctional. I tell you her mother was a saint. Those kids were carted to gospel singing churches throughout their lives. Desiree knows her Bible. Her mother raised many children besides her own. Matt and Desiree have done the same thing. They adopted Aliyah when she was ten. Aliyah's mother is Desiree's sister. Through poor choices, she could no longer raise her daughter. In the temple on Friday, when the door was opened for the six children to enter the sealing room, I spotted Aliyah first. She is now 14. She was craning her neck to see what was going on in there. Her eyes were bright, excited, and oh, so happy! It was a witness to me that, yes, Heavenly Father DOES want ALL his children to be happy. And that sealing power is available to all.
    So, here's to a good week. It will go down as one of our highlights on our mission. My Seaman girls and son-in-laws.....I love you dearly. Stay the course. Go to the temple often. Teach your kids what a gift we have been given from a loving Father in Heaven.

My love, love to all of you,
Sister Seaman...aka Mom and Grams

The Tractor Pull

     Last night Sister Seaman and I attended a tractor pull.  I am sure you have seen these type of things on ESPN or some Ag channel.  This is, after all, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas, the farmland of all farmland. For those of you who have never witnessed such an event, it is about oversized very powerful tractors pulling a weighted sled that dives into the ground as the tractor pulls it.  These monsters have huge engines, many of them have more than one, or a jet engine, all of which develop monstrous power and noise (see pictures.)  Just the sound of these tractors shake the ground and vibrate your seat and ears.  We had ear plugs in and even then we covered our ears and laughed at the tickle in our ears as those monsters came down the track straight at us stopping only a few short feet from where we were sitting, hissing and puffing smoke and fire from their exhaust stacks.
     It was an exciting time for a while.  It got a little old after three hours.  The arena was filled with burned alcohol exhaust that stung the eyes and lungs.  They weren't through, but we left anyway.
     As I have thought about the events, that transpired Friday and Saturday, that we were privileged to witness, the temple events and the tractor pull, it was easy for me to see the stark difference in their meaning. On the one hand, an absolutely meaningless event, an absolute waste of time and money, even by the world's standards it would be hard to justify the expense.  On the other hand, a most sacred and life changing event that meant a family was sealed together for time and all eternity.  An event where the value is so great that it is immeasurable.  And as a witness to that event, I will tell you that to see six children holding hands over an alter in the temple with the parents at each end and a sealer with the authority to seal on earth and heaven, seal them together as a family, the feelings are more than I can describe.  My heart felt like it would burst from indescribable joy.
     Friends and family, beware of the time you spend on things that have absolutely no value in the long run.  We should all evaluate our lives and decide today, again, and again, what is really important.  Could we go on with our lives if we didn't get to watch the Super Bowl live or at all? Could we go on if we didn't get to see a tractor pull?  But when you make and keep covenants, you do get to go on.  Choose ye this day whom ye shall serve.  The sacred things are far more important to me.  Like keeping my family intact.  Love you.

Sincerely,
Elder Seaman