The teachings of the Proclamation of the Family has blessed my life immensely from the day I was born. I was born to a single mother who was in her teen years. Her boyfriend at the time was not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and he wanted to help raise me and care for me. My mother knew that his intentions were good, but she knew that I would not have been brought up in a stable environment. My mother was a member of the Gospel her entire life and she knew and understood the importance of family. She wanted what was best for me, and she knew that she couldn't provide that for me. The Proclamation to the Family states "Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity." My mother could not provide me with that type of a situation. She acted selflessly as she made the decision to give me up for adoption, so that I could have the opportunity to be raised in this Gospel. She performed this act out of love for me, and I am able to feel that love from her in my life.
I was adopted into a loving family with the best parents anyone could ask for. My parents were unable to have children so they decided to adopt. I was the 4th, and last, child that was adopted. A few years after I was adopted a miracle happened, my parents were able to conceive a child. They went on to add 2 more children to the family. My parents, as well as 3 of my siblings, are Caucasian while 2 of my other siblings are Korean, and I am Tongan.
Growing up in a diverse family, I never felt like I was different even though half of us looked nothing alike. My parents showed love to all of us and they exemplified the Family Proclamation when it states "Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another.." My parents, especially my mother, always loved me regardless of the choices I was making.
Growing up in a diverse family, I never felt like I was different even though half of us looked nothing alike. My parents showed love to all of us and they exemplified the Family Proclamation when it states "Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another.." My parents, especially my mother, always loved me regardless of the choices I was making.
As I grew older, I started falling away from the church. I came home dishonorably from my mission after serving one year. For 5 years I struggled with the church and my testimony deteriorated. Even though I was losing my testimony, I never forgot about the importance of family that I was taught while growing up. I misused my agency countless times during those 5 years and I know that my choices disappointed, saddened, and even hurt my mother as well as other family members. My mother never came out and told me but I could tell. I could also feel the love that she had for me even while I was doing wrong and it didn't make sense to me. I mean how could my mother love me when I was making her experience negative feelings? I will never fully understand the love that my mother has for me, but I do know that it is near to the love that my Heavenly Father has for me.
Because of the love that my mother and the rest of my family showed me, I was able to come back into full activity in the church. A miracle happened and I was able to go back out and finish my mission 5 years later.
I know the importance of family, because I have experienced the importance of my family in my life.
My family has been crucial to who I am and who I will continually become. I know The Family: a Proclamation to the World has never been more relevant or needed than in this present dispensation.
My family is the most important unit that I will be apart of in my life. My family is far from perfect, but as long as we do our best to follow the teachings of "The Proclamation to the Family" we will be able to overcome the trials that come our way.
I received a letter from my biological mother not long ago, she wrote it for me while she was pregnant with me. I read it for the first time about 5 months ago and I want to share a quick excerpt from it. My biological mother was going through a difficult and scary time in her life and in her own words she wrote, "I can truly say that the only thing that has kept me going is the church and my family. I hope you understand how important both are."
My mother didn't want me to be adopted by rich parents, or a family that was esteemed in the eyes of the world. My mother wanted me to be raised in a family were I would be taught the gospel. I am grateful that my biological mother loved me enough to give me a chance to experience what a family is all about.
For me family is about loving the people that God has put in my life regardless of how crazy they might be. I'm excited to live out the rest of mortality with the people that I love most, and I'm looking forward to spending eternity with them. I love my family, and I love this gospel.
Because of the love that my mother and the rest of my family showed me, I was able to come back into full activity in the church. A miracle happened and I was able to go back out and finish my mission 5 years later.
I know the importance of family, because I have experienced the importance of my family in my life.
My family has been crucial to who I am and who I will continually become. I know The Family: a Proclamation to the World has never been more relevant or needed than in this present dispensation.
My family is the most important unit that I will be apart of in my life. My family is far from perfect, but as long as we do our best to follow the teachings of "The Proclamation to the Family" we will be able to overcome the trials that come our way.
I received a letter from my biological mother not long ago, she wrote it for me while she was pregnant with me. I read it for the first time about 5 months ago and I want to share a quick excerpt from it. My biological mother was going through a difficult and scary time in her life and in her own words she wrote, "I can truly say that the only thing that has kept me going is the church and my family. I hope you understand how important both are."
My mother didn't want me to be adopted by rich parents, or a family that was esteemed in the eyes of the world. My mother wanted me to be raised in a family were I would be taught the gospel. I am grateful that my biological mother loved me enough to give me a chance to experience what a family is all about.
For me family is about loving the people that God has put in my life regardless of how crazy they might be. I'm excited to live out the rest of mortality with the people that I love most, and I'm looking forward to spending eternity with them. I love my family, and I love this gospel.
My name is Tyler Hill and I'm 27 years old. I live in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I'm number 4 out of 6 children, and I'm an uncle to 3 nieces and 4 nephews. I will be attending BYU Hawaii this January and will be studying secondary education. I love my family.
If you enjoyed this post, thank Tyler, and feel free to share it on Facebook! Be sure to check out the other host blogs today for more wonderful posts and testimonies about family.
You can also share your love of family by sharing photos online this month under the hashtag #ILovetheFamilyProclamation. Here are links to the other blogs:
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What a beautiful story! Thank you for sharing this.
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