Travis Trahan of Cameron, Louisiana

Written by Christine Rappleye

Near the Gulf of Mexico, you can find seashells, alligators, seagulls, turtles, miles of beaches, and ten-year-old Travis Trahan. The young athlete wrestled his way to take second place in the Louisiana State Wrestling Tournament. He didn’t start out so successfully, though—the first year he wrestled, he didn’t win a single match! But he always wore a smile.

“Whether he was on the top or the bottom, he’d smile. He’d look over at the audience to see who was smiling back at him,” Sister Trahan says. “It hasn’t been until this year that he has gotten into the competitive nature of wrestling.” In the five years since he started wrestling, he has won 18 medals.

One year before Travis started wrestling, his family was sealed in the Dallas Texas Temple. Brother Trahan had been baptized about a year after Travis’s older sister, Samantha (17), was born. Travis knows that he, his mom and dad, Samantha, Glenn (14), and Alayna (6) can be together forever.

When the Houston Texas Temple was dedicated, Travis and his family attended it with his grandmother, Claire “Peggy” LaLande.

Going to the temple has helped the Trahan family stay strong in the gospel. There are few members in the area, and the Trahans drive about 45 miles (72 k) each way to church in Lake Charles.

Travis goes to Cub Scouts every week at a local church, where he is the only Church member in his den. He especially likes archery and canoeing. Glenn, who is an Eagle Scout, has set a good example for him.

Travis has had opportunities to share the gospel. He has invited several friends to come to Primary activities.

From his house, he can feel the ocean breeze. The beach is just minutes away, so it’s a favorite place to play. When he isn’t at the beach, he’s usually outside playing football.

“He’ll go out and play both teams by himself—all of the positions—and draw plays,” Brother Trahan says. “And he usually wins.”

“And he’ll come in with the score,” Sister Trahan adds.

At school, Travis’s favorite times are physical education and recess. He wants to be a professional football player, a hockey player, or an astronomer when he grows up.

He helps out around the house by cleaning his own room and picking up the pinecones that fall from the pine trees in their yard. He also likes to climb these trees.

Alayna likes to play sports, too. She plays baseball and is in gymnastics. She also likes to play with Travis—whether it’s climbing in the trees or playing on the beach.

Because they live so close to the ocean and the marshes, they see many different animals. They see several kinds of birds, and sometimes they see alligators in their neighborhood or in the nearby wildlife refuge.

So when the warm gulf breeze blows, watch out for the alligators—and look out for Travis Trahan and his family, living as examples of faithful Latter-day Saints.

Photographed by Christine Rappleye

Travis (top) wrestling at a meet

The Trahan family (from left): Glenn, Travis, Brother Trahan, Sister Trahan, Alayna, and Samantha

Travis and Alayna aren’t the only ones who have walked on the trail to the beach. They are standing next to hoof prints in the mud.

The family in front of the Dallas Texas Temple when they were sealed in 1996.

Travis (at age 7) with an alligator found in their neighborhood.