Ray and the girls on his baptism day. I can't believe how young we all look!!
8 years ago today Ray became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This was the day that the course of our lives changed forever. I was raised as a member of this church but had been an "inactive" member for about 6 years. There are a lot of reasons I walked away that I won't get in to here, but it was never because I didn't believe that the church was true. I always knew that the church was true, I guess that I just felt like there wasn't a place for me in it. It was inevitable that I would return to full activity and, if I am being honest, I probably always knew that. I just got really lucky to have married someone who, unbeknownst to me at the time, wanted to join me on my journey.
A majority of Ray's childhood was spent in Logan, Utah. For those of you who don't know, Logan is probably 90% mormon. Ray's family was one of the 10% who were not. When we started dating he had many opinions of the church and they were not good. It is hard for a non-member to grow up in this environment. I think that many members of the church who live around so many who are like them take it for granted that not everyone believes the way they do. Unfortunately sometimes those non-members are ostracized. Anyway, this is where Ray was coming from. My family began to change that perception for him. They always accepted him and loved him unconditionally. From the day they met him they loved him as one of their own. It didn't matter what religion he was. They could see the person he was, they could see the light of Christ in his eyes. He quickly became very close to my parents. He has always loved them and has a deep respect for them. Because of this respect he has for them, he accepted the challenge from my dad to order a video about Jesus. The second video he ordered was brought to us by the missionaries, Elder Quist and Elder Durham. The rest, as they say, is history.
Ray was always a good person. Anyone who has ever known him will attest to that fact. Becoming a mormon has magnified his goodness and crystalized for him what life is all about. He would tell you that being a member of the LDS church has given him purpose and direction that he has never had or known before. He would tell you that there is not one facet of his life that has not been bettered because of his decision to join the church. I will tell you that I am grateful every day for the choice he made. It gave me the courage to walk back in to the open arms of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It solidified our marital union and now we are a forever family.
PS-Happy Birthday Abby!!
About halfway through the game she decided she didn't want to play anymore. Ray gave her a little pep talk about being on a team, about how all her teammates are relying on her. She decided to finish the game.
Elliot and Maggie wanted to get in on the action!
