“A Promise of Healing and Sealing,” Liahona, August 2020
A Promise of Healing and Sealing
Through faithfulness in the gospel and seeking our ancestors, my mother and I were blessed in ways we couldn’t have imagined.
Illustration by Stephanie Hock
Ever since I was baptized, I have been interested in family history and temple work. I loved the idea of being sealed to my family for eternity, but I didn’t think this would ever happen because many of my family members, including my father, struggled with alcohol addiction.
I grew up in that environment, but the good advice of my dear mother helped me decide not to follow that path. She got baptized a year after I did.
When I turned 18, I decided to serve a mission and received a call to serve in Arizona, USA. This was one of the best experiences of my life. When I returned home, I discovered that my father’s addiction was totally out of control. I remember questioning if my service had been of any worth if things were now so bad at home.
During the April 2018 general conference, I heard Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles say, “As you … discover, gather, and connect your family … you will find healing for that which needs healing.”1
My mother continued to pray, read the scriptures, and seek for inspiration to help my father. Eventually, she convinced him to get help. He entered a treatment home for nine months. We could visit him only once a month. It wasn’t easy, especially in the beginning, but month after month my mother and I continued to be faithful in the gospel and to seek for our ancestors. In doing so, we were greatly blessed in ways we couldn’t have imagined.
After my father’s treatment, he returned home and has been sober ever since. He met with the missionaries but was not yet ready to commit to the gospel. My mother suggested that we go to the temple grounds and feel the Spirit there.
A short time later, the missionaries felt inspired to stop by our home and visit my father. He shared with them his desire to be baptized. That evening, my father and mother shared the great news with me.
The Lord had fulfilled His promise. That which needed healing was healed. My father was healed from his addiction, and my doubts were healed with renewed faith. Our family is now preparing to be sealed.