Families are Forever

Hey there!

Well, I had a great 20th birthday! Thank you for all the letters and packages :) they are the best! I love the Ringer family and the awesome package I got from them with the picture of Meesh's wedding with Blake and Jordan's cutouts haha Also, Ian and Lindsay, thanks for the Spanish scripture case! It is awesome and has already been used a lot! For everyone that sent things, I am trying to write back so please be patient and thank you!

 

As birthdays go, this was the BEST birth day every. Literally, the best September 28th I've ever had. Awake at 3am we met up with members and recent converts to drive to Nauvoo. We were with our branch president the whole way which was so sweet b/c he is awesome. We really strengthened our relationship. At 8am, we did baptisms for the dead in the temple and Elder Andreasen and I were the witnesses...so dope! Afterwards, we ate carne asada. (Whats a temple trip without some grilling?) Then, we saw the Nauvoo visitors center for a second and decided, with our branch president, to do a 1pm temple session! It was great and right after the session (with the sweet new presentation!), Elder Andreasen ran into a couple that he used to teach in Iowa City that was getting sealed in like 5 minutes....an absolute miracle/tender mercy. So we went to the sealing with a ton of members from that Iowa City ward and saw this great husband and wife be sealed together for time and all eternity with their 3 young kids. It was something else. I felt full of gratitude for my family and fully understood that as the purpose of this life: to have and experience true joy in our family relationships and to make those relationships ETERNAL!

I love my family! They are so awesome and I look forward to spending eternity with them...and seeing them again in a year too ;) but right now, I have the privilege to share the things I have learned from/with my family with other families that are looking for help and direction. As a missionary, that is what I do: help families stay together by teaching them what Jesus Christ taught :) simple enough right, but so profound. The temple is an amazing place and especially the feeling in Nauvoo is something that is hard to explain. I love each one of you and, like always, I want you to be truly happy! So I invite you to ask questions and seek answers to the questions you have. There are tons of wonderful Latter-day Saints ready and willing to help you! Ask, and you will receive :) Love you all!

Elder Seth McGinn

 

Here is a picture from the trip!

 

 

Great one for the Elders...not so much the sisters haha