"THE FIRST COMMANDMENT that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife."
-The Family: A Proclamation to the World
When my mom and dad got married back in 1979, they knew that they needed to have children because the prophets and apostles made it clear that that was a very important thing for them to do. It was part of their sacred responsibilities as husband and wife. At the time, my mom and dad were very poor and hadn't finished school yet. But they had faith that if they carried out the will of Heavenly Father, everything would turn out all right.
They had their first three children right away and never went hungry, even though my dad was trying to finish his degree at BYU, and my mom was a stay-at-home mother. Any time they ran out of food, someone would come over and offer them their leftovers, even though my parents never said they needed food. Or sometimes they would shake hands with someone at church, and in the other person's hand would be a $20 bill.
The Lord blessed them for following His counsel. This reminds me of a scripture in 1 Nephi. It's in chapter 3 verse 7. "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." I'm glad that my parents had the faith to do what God wanted them to do. They found that He provided a way for them to accomplish the commandment.
My parents have never regretted having a large family, even though it seemed to the rest of the world that doing so was foolish. They ignored those worldly views and followed the promptings of the Holy Ghost. They continued to have children and didn't stop until they knew that they had had all the children Heavenly Father wanted them to. Their decision wasn't based on how many kids the neighbors had or anything else. I respect my parents for being righteous examples to me in that regard. They have strengthened my testimony of the eternal nature of families. If had stopped after one or two kids, I wouldn't be here today, and my parents wouldn't be the people they are now. I know that the family proclamation is the word of God. I know that families can be together forever through Heavenly Father's plan. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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