The Goodwins - An Inspirational Story

Christine & Gary

Myah, Chloe, Mitchell, Ryan

January 1994:

One uneventful day, two missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints tracked a particular street in Watford, England. They didn't have any success that day, in fact, only 1 person was home on the entire street. Christine was a stay at home mother with 2 young children. When she answered the door, she saw who it was and promptly dismissed the 2 missionaries. They left.

The following week, the two missionaries found themselves in the very same neighborhood, even the very same street. For some reason, they felt a strong impression that they needed to tract this street again even though they had been unsuccessful just one week before. Again, it seemed nobody was home until they came to Christine's house. This time when she answered the door, she said, "I know who you are". They asked her how she knew and she explained that she was actually a member of the church who in her words was "beyond less-active". The prompting the missionaries felt to tract that street again was an answer to Christine's prayer. After they had left her house the prior week, Christine felt bad for the way she had treated them and prayed that she would have an opportunity to see them again. Jason was one of those missionaries. This was the beginning of a relationship that made my husband's entire mission worth it. With permission from Christine's husband Gary, they began teaching Christine and her little daughter, Victoria about the Gospel. Even though Gary wasn't interested in participating in any discussions or learning about the church, Christine faithfully started attending church again. She would walk an hour and a half to church every Sunday with her 2 children. Eventually, something changed within Gary and he was baptized as well. Their family has been blessed because of the choices they made to accept the Gospel in their lives. They have had 5 children, Victoria, Connor, Ryan, Mitchell and Joshua.

Sometimes, Heavenly Father gives you special experiences in your life that let you know that He is there, that He is mindful of you, that He knows you personally, and that if you are willing, He will use you to bless the lives of others. In our church, we have what is called a Patriarchal Blessing. This is the definition found on the Church's website:

Patriarchal blessings are given to worthy members of the Church by ordained patriarchs. Patriarchal blessings include a declaration of a person's lineage in the house of Israel and contain personal counsel from the Lord. As a person studies his or her patriarchal blessing and follows the counsel it contains, it will provide guidance, comfort, and protection.

Jason received his Patriarchal Blessing a couple months before he left to serve his mission in England. Amazingly, it speaks of this great family that he would meet and the impact that he would have on their lives. The Goodwins have been vacationing in Utah and last week we had the opportunity to spend some time with them. When Christine answered the door, she gave us all big hugs and knelt down by my daughters and said, "Your father changed my life".

The Goodwins are truly an inspirational family. You see, their youngest son, Joshua was born with Edward's Syndrome and died an hour after birth. As tragic as that is, to hear them speak about him, their testimonies of the Savior and the Atonement are very evident. They know that they were chosen to be Joshua's parents and that they will be reunited with their son and that he is still with them. They are able to cope with their great loss and recognize the many blessings and miracles in their lives because of the choices they made to accept the Gospel back in 1994 when my husband had the privilege to teach them.

Note: The feeling you are feeling right now is the Holy Ghost telling you that it is true.

How wonderful it was to see them! It was my first time to meet Gary and Mitchell. I had met Ryan when he was a baby and Christine flew all the way to Utah with him to come to our wedding. Sadly, I didn't get to meet Victoria and Connor this time because they were attending EFY down at BYU. Someday...

Mitchell, Christine, a moose, Gary. What's a trip to Park City without kissing a moose?