April 25, 2016

Dear, to all it may concern,

This has been a very spiritual week for me and has brought me much happiness. I have not the time to explain all the happenings but I will explain a little about the best part of my week which was Saturday! 

I got an email this last week from Craig Moore. Craig is a man I was blessed to help in Grantsville to become active and temple worthy. He had a huge journey to go through and succeeded! He truly learned what the Atonement of Jesus Christ can do for us--that unending love which allows us to draw from the powers of Heaven. He went from 20 ish years of inactivity in the church and some difficult hurdles such as smoking to overcome, to receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood, becoming the executive secretary in the ward, and becoming temple worthy to do baptisms with us! It was so awesome to see him be baptized in the Salt Lake Temple! I cried seeing him having gone so far and I truly felt the Spirit. I didn't think that it could get better than that, and that that was the highlight of my mission. Then low and behold, I received that email this last week from Craig saying that he and his family were going to the temple on Saturday to be sealed as a family and asked me to come! AHHHHHH!!! I was so extremely excited because I had never been a part of someone's life like that and I had never seen a sealing before. It just so worked out that I could only go so we arranged for Craig to pick me up and be my "companion" and we called and found various people to be Elder Maldarizzi's companion for the day. Craig came by in the morning around 10:00am and we drove to the temple. His son Damien was in the back and needed food so we swung into Arctic Circle for a morning chicken and fries. Damian is so awesome! He is a funny guy. He is 12 years old and he also got to participate in the proxy baptisms last year with Craig and Veronica and I. We got to the temple and we went into this special place where the children were left to play and have snacks while Craig went through to take out his own Endowment. The Endowment is such a special and spiritual gift from Heavenly Father. It truly gives us strength beyond our own capacity. I was privileged to be invited to go through the same Endowment session as he. It was very full! There were many, many people there to support the Moore Family. It was nice to see so many beautiful, familiar faces from the wonderful Grantsiville Stake. The Spirit was so strong in the temple!!! After the Endowment session we all went up to the sealing room where I witnessed a man I had come to love as a brother be sealed to his wife and children for time and all eternity. Death will not separate their family ever! It was such a wonderful experience that filled my heart with such sweet emotion and tender feelings of love for our Savior who made these ordinances all possible through His great and everlasting sacrifice. Their two little girls that were also there were dressed in their cute, little white dresses and I was so happy to see them! Aizlee hugged me so much that day, almost every 2 minutes because I said she could because it was a special occasion. Alivia grabbed my pinky finger, squeezed it with all her might and wouldn’t let go, and that's the happiness they brought into my life! :) I was overjoyed to see their faces and hear their voices again. I was just so filled with the Spirit this weekend! I was so happy and so full of joy that I didn't ever want to leave! I wanted to stay in the temple forever. But you can't do that so I left peacefully. We then proceeded outside to a very dark and rainy evening. The weather did not dampen our spirits though! We were all still as happy as could be! I gave my suit jacket coat to Aizlee to wear outside so she didn't get too wet and cold. We all went to Chuck-a-Rama afterwards chosen by Aizlee. Haha I loved feeling a part of their family that day and being so close to those wonderful feelings the Spirit gives to us. I then had to go back to the temple because Craig left his iPad there, and then he kindly drove me back to our home where I met up with my companion again. It was the happiest moment of my life and it wasn't even my own family! Haha I can't even begin to imagine what it will be like to have the blessing of going to the temple to seal my own family together for time and all eternity! :) But I look forward to that day with extreme happiness and hope! 

I know that this is the gospel of Jesus Christ--That He came to this earth to atone for our sins and appease the demands of justice so that we may ALL be afforded these eternal blessings and opportunities; that our families may be sealed for time and all eternity through the love our Savior willingly offers to us! I know He lives!!! I make many mistakes in my weakness, and I struggle with many things in life. Sometimes I feel I am moving backwards in my spiritual progression. However I know and have felt the never-ending love that He brings into our lives. It is there when I don't deserve it. It is there when I least expect it. It is there when I don't want it. But I know it IS there! I know the Book of Mormon is true and testifies of Christ, and tells men and women what we must do to gain peace in this life and eternal life in the life to come. I know we are blessed and led by a living prophet today, Thomas S. Monson, and he receives guidance and revelation for the world in this, our time of need. I know that Joseph Smith restored this gospel through our Savior Jesus Christ. I know that this is the true church of Jesus Christ. I know that families can be eternal and last beyond the trial of death. I love you all so much! I look forward to when I can see you all again someday! :) Have a great week! 

Love Elder Patterson 

This is that beautiful Moore family. They are the ones in white! ;) (Craig, Veronica, Damien, Aizlee, Alivia)