A Righteous Patriarch

"By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families." - The Family: A Proclamation to the World

Somewhere between 1969 and 1970 my father-in-law was assigned to work artillery in Vietnam.  He left behind his wife and baby to fulfill his military duty.  One night while sleeping in his cot, he was awakened by a powerful impression to "get out of bed."  He sat straight up and then wondered what on earth he was doing. He shook his head and began to lay back down.  But before he could, the impression came again;  This time it seemed as if it was almost shouting for him to not just sit up but to GET OUT of his bed. Immediately he jumped out of his cot and fell to his knees at his bedside.  No sooner than he did so, a chunk of shrapnel, the size of a tennis ball, came blazing through the tent roof, right through the center of his cot and embedded itself inches into the ground below.  Had he not moved when he did, no doubt he would have been killed.

Just over three years after that experience (now the father of four), my father-in-law had the impression to finish his schooling in Wales and become a professional genealogist.  Much of his ancestry was in Wales and it would be a perfect opportunity for study.  He knew the Lord was giving him specific direction in his life, so he and his wife packed everything up along with their four kids and bought six one-way tickets to another country... even though he had not been accepted to the school yet.  How could he have followed an impression to pack up like that not even knowing if the University was going to take him?  It was pure, absolute faith. The day before the flight was scheduled to take off, his acceptance letter for the school in Wales finally came in the mail.

Conditions were difficult in that foreign place.  The little house they moved into didn't have heating or a refrigerator.  Winters were rough.  My mother-in-law had to walk to the markets to buy fresh food every-day with all her little ones in toe.  She bore two more little ones while living in that country (my husband being one of them) and when my father-in-law finished his schooling they returned to the United States with six children.

It took incredible faith and courage for both of my husband's parents to do what they did.

Living by the Spirit and acting on faith is a defining characteristic of my father-in-law. He studies the scriptures deeply, he seeks for guidance prayerfully, he listens and then he acts!  No fear! I love and admire him with all of my heart.

Ever since I joined this family he has treated me like one of his daughters. (He has seven girls and two boys.)  I was his only daughter-in-law for over ten years but you'd never guess I was part of his family by marriage alone.  By the way he treats me, you'd think I was one of his very own girls.  I absolutely adore him!

I've been so impressed at how he has righteously presided over his household through the years. And even though his children are grown and gone, living in different states, he almost annually gathers us all together to teach us.  He expounds from the scriptures and the words of the living prophets and bears personal testimony.  He desires to prepare us for the things which are to come in these last days.

This first week of July was a reunion week for my husband's family.  We played on wave-runners at the lake, zip-lined in Park City, made up family skits and entertained one another on a stage in the canyons. The kids had cousin sleep-overs every-single night.  It's was exhausting but totally awesome!  I've never witnessed a family so tightly knit, especially one this large.  I thoroughly enjoy my husband's reunions! The highlight of this one for me was a very special gathering with my father-in-law, his kids, and the in-laws.  We had almost all 18 of us children there as we listened to his counsel.  He spoke for over an hour teaching, expounding scripture, and sharing his testimony.

My father-in-law feels as if this fall we will witness things unravel for good and ill in astonishing ways and he has felt an urgency to prepare his family. With the way he has learned to live by the Spirit, I believe him.  As a family, we counseled about a couple of the missing siblings who have denied the faith and decided to have a special fast together on their behalf.  We also prayed for special blessings to be bestowed upon each of our own families, our marriages, and our children.  We ended the evening opening our fast with this wonderful family prayer. The feeling was amazing as we all knelt together in the small little church room of my in-law's ward building.  Tears were streaming down each of our faces and we all took turns embracing and expressing gratitude for one another.

I wish every family could have a father like my husband's.  He truly "presides in love and righteousness!"  He's deeply humble and completely unassuming (two attributes I treasure in both him and my husband.)  I feel so blessed to be a part of his family!

-Alicia