Eternity with Them, My Family

Chapter 32 "The Eternal Family: A Plain and Precious Part of the Plan of Salvation" 

"The family is central to the creator's plan for the eternal destiny of his children…In the pre mortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped  God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress towards perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life."

Being members of this wonderful church, we have the privilege of knowing about the plan of salvation, the plan our Father in Heaven has created for us in order to help us return to him one day. 

Thankfully, in my family, thus far I have not lost a close family member or relative yet. I have not had to struggle with death or loss in my life at this point. But, I have had a life changing experience with my family that helped me better understand the Plan of Salvation at a young age.

When I was eleven years old, my little brother Scott was born. My younger sisters and I were so excited to finally have a little brother! We had waited and waited for him. After visiting him in the hospital, our father told us that Scott would be staying for a little while longer in the hospital because he had become sick. This sickness turned into more and more issues, and our little Scott was not able to come home for quite some time. He became very close to the face of death, multiple times. Being a young eleven year old, and trying to be strong for my sisters, as well as trying to help my parents bear this large burden, I knew that I had to find some answers. I had to turn to my Father in Heaven and find the faith to accept his will. I was scared and nervous. I hardly knew how to handle myself at times, all I knew was that if I was upset my sister would follow suit and that wasn't going to get us anywhere. With many prayers and conversations with loved ones, I came to understand that our little Scott had come to our family for a reason. We may never know this reason as to why he joined us, but there is good to it. He was able to come to the earth, and gain the body that he needed to house his spirit. I was able to better understand the love that our Father has for all of his children here on earth. I knew that the Plan of Salvation was real and that no matter what happened, my family would be together forever. We would be able to meet again in heaven no matter the circumstances. Thankfully, ten years later, our little Scott is healthy and strong, and has moved forward and far away from his wrestle with death. I was definitely able to learn a wonderful lesson about having faith, prayer, and the plan of salvation during these nerve-wracking times in my life. 

Meet our "Scotty"

He has continued to teach our family so much about the gospel and Father in Heaven.

Now eleven years old, he is a happy and healthy little boy who loves trains, trucks, and dirt. We definitely love him and are so thankful that he was placed in our family!