We begin this blog with a reference to Romans 8:28 which states that "all things work together for good to those that love the Lord." The idea of a spontaneous family reunion all started with my daughter Rachel telling us last month that she had some work-related training in Orem the first part of January that her company was flying her here for. We had said our goodbyes to her in Vancouver and the rest of our children back in August but with our interim assignment here in Salt Lake, here was one more time to see her before we jet off to India. So then Cassy, another daughter decided she could break away from Seattle for a weekend and join us too. With Maddy, (yet another daughter) and Franklin, her husband both living here in Salt Lake, suddenly it was a family reunion we never could've planned in advance but it just sorta fell into place, kinda like it was MTB! Maddy and Franklin live 5 minutes away in the Avenues from our apartment downtown while they are attending Ensign College and the U of U. How blessed we felt to have this once-in-a-mission opportunity to gather with 3 of our daughters after so many years apart, and some family members meeting for the first time face to face. Miraculous in our opinion!
Knowing we only had one day together, we tried to seize the day. We started in the morning at the Family History Center, working on our family trees,
looking at memories of ancestors, printing off family fan charts, and doing some of the fun activities at the Discovery Zone.
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Everyone was pretty beat after all the exertion, so we all agreed napping was the next activity we should anxiously engage in so we could come back together fresh for a night of game-playing and an Indian meal at our apartment. Gratefully, we were able to find something tasty and agreeable a second time for everyone with special diets that wanted to avoid meat, gluten, and carbohydrates. After dinner, we played games and just had such an enjoyable time laughing and being together. They all just left our place, but the 3 daughters plan to have a sleepover at the hotel. I'm so glad they can carve out a little more time together! Our plans on Sunday are to go to Music and the Spoken Word and church and then our time together is over. Wah! Too fast! But such happy memories will last us for awhile, hopefully the girls and husbands can meet again a few times while we're gone, and our numbers can increase.
Our little family minus 2 husbands, 1 daughter, and Rob's 4 kids
The last experience I want to share happened earlier this week, which strengthened my testimony of the eternal nature of families. I was helping a young woman from Georgia work on her family tree. Once they're able to connect with their first deceased ancestor, their ancestral lines just literally populate before their eyes! It is always a mind-blowing moment to see all the people that came before you that have a hand in shaping the person that you are today. This young woman wanted to see how far back her lines would go and so she just started clicking away. Her clicking took her through Wales and soon we were beyond the Middle Ages, connecting her with Lords, Barons, Princes, and various royalty. This also amazes people when they realize they have royal blood lines in their heritage. She kept going and soon she was in the Meridian of Time and even Before Christ. She just kept clicking and soon I started recognizing names we had studied this past year in the Old Testament; Eliakim, Jehosephat, Mahalaleel are some I remember. When we got to Methusalah, I realized, "Oh my goodness, we are going to get her back to Adam!" Noah... Enoch...Seth...And there it finally was, staring her in the face- Adam and Eve... I had never had this experience before myself so I was equally in awe and amazement.. Wow! We were both a little stunned. Then after she had taken that in, she said, "what will it say if we click on after them?" This is what she saw:
It was a very cool moment. Not only did she realize in a very visual way that she was a daughter of earthly Kings and Queens, but that more importantly, she is a daughter of God. It's moments like these that are truly rewarding and faith strengthening. I was just basking in the glow of that experience, when a few hours later, a young man from Alabama came and the exact same experience happened to him. Twice in 1 day! What are the odds? I've been trying on my own lines and I just keep running into dead ends. I noticed however that his lines took a completely different route through different countries than the young lady's. His Adam and Eve names also looked slightly different too.jpg)
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All roads lead back to Adam & Eve
It is my testimony that we are all literal brothers and sisters, yes, every person that has ever lived on the face of the earth throughout the ages. We all descended from the same earthly parents and our spirits are born from our Heavenly Parents, thus once again making the Human Family true siblings in every sense of the word. The Holy Scriptures, Ancient and Modern-Day Prophets bear record of this truth too, don't just take my word for it, and nowhere is it felt more keenly than when you are immersed in Family History and Temple work. We are so glad we can share this truth with others as missionaries and let them learn it for themselves, when they feel the Holy Spirit stirring inside them, telling their hearts it is true. 
Take a moment to study this painting and see what truths it teaches
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