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It is very exciting that our beloved President Russell M.Nelson, (Church of Jesus Christ) is meeting today with Pope Francis at the Vatican today.
President Nelson said, "We talked about our mutual concern for the people who suffer throughout the world and want to relieve human suffering. We talked about the importance of religious liberty, the importance of the family, our mutual concern for the youth of the Church, for the secularization of the world and the need for people to come to God and worship Him, pray to Him and have the stability that faith in Jesus Christ will bring in their lives." Our three members of the First Presidency and all 12 of our Apostles are in Rome, for the dedication of our beautiful new temple (March 10-12). Normally our church leaders travel individually or in pairs, so this is a very special occasion.
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People ask me often about the purpose of our temples, and what I actually do as a temple missionary. Watch this simple,beautiful short video tour of the Rome Temple, narrated by 2 of our Apostles, to learn more about its purpose and promise. Part of President Nelson's explanation of our temples:
"A temple is literally a house of the Lord," he said. "Each temple is a holy sanctuary in which sacred ceremonies and ordinances of the gospel are performed by and for the living and also in behalf of the dead. We build temples so our faithful members can visit often and receive the most sacred ordinances of our faith. Before our temples are dedicated for their sacred purpose, the public is invited to see the beauty of the temple and learn about the commitments we make there with God." |
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| Danish sculptor Thorwaldsen's breath-taking Christus and the original 11 apostles and Paul (replacing Judas) lend power to the Rome Temple Visitors' Center, open to all. LDS Charities and Catholic Charities work side-by-side in their respective capitals (Salt Lake City and Rome) and throughout the world to help refugees and immigrant groups (such as cooking, language, first aid classes).  Last year, when the U.S. administration reversed its brief strategy of separating immigrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border, it turned to Catholic and Lutheran organizations to help reunite the families. Those organizations turned to Latter-day Saint Charities for additional funding, "More than 1,800 families were reunited in 75 days between the two agencies," he said. "The sanctity of the family is one of the values most highly cherished by the church and Catholic Charities, so to be involved together in something that dear — helping to reunite those families — was really satisfying." International Women's Day is celebrated March 8 in many countries around the world. It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. International Women's Day first emerged from the activities of labor movements at the turn of the twentieth century in North America and across Europe. Sirens could be heard throughout the day in Santiago, and many people stayed home out of fear of protests. In Chile and other places, laws need to change to give men and women equal opportunities, pay, respect, and rights in all aspects of life. I am grateful that "Barbie" who is 60 years old today, March 9, 2019, is not the role model for female members of our church! We know that men and women, are equally beloved by our Heavenly Father, and though they often play different roles, are equal partners in the home, in the church, and should also be in the community and workplace. We are blessed not by gender, but by our faithfulness in keeping our covenants, doing the best with the talents and opportunities we have been given, and by the sacrifices and efforts we make to improve ourselves, love and help others, and enduring as best we can until we leave this world. I love to see the Lord’s small and intricate tender mercies. These are not always about big things. Sometimes it is just a little thing, arranged by God, for our joy. They look like “coincidences”, but they would have never happened on their own. When you stop to look at it, you realize your entire life is flooded with these “coincidences.” Make a list and you will realize each day is filled with them. For me, many are "chance" meetings with people in the most unlikely places, with whom you share mutual friends, experiences, interests (our reaction is "it's a small world") Here and there this week in Santiago....
  We miss the Ortega family with baby Josue, who moved way north to Tocopilla.
As the universities are also back in session, the neighborhood is filling up with walkers, bikes, skateboards, tattoos and laughter.
A year has past as I remember the dahlias being planted around the temple last February/March (I love them, but not the unwanted duplicates!)
   There are brilliant sunsets almost every evening . The Rios family has had a memorable week. A few days ago, the soon- to- be Elder Rios ...one of the many wonderful young Chileans... received his endowment at the temple. Next week he will arrive in Provo,Utah, where he will enter the MTC before heading for the Frankfurt, Germany Mission (Rhineland). He was born in New Jersey when his father was serving as Canadian rep. to the UN, and was an exchange student in Austria while in high school, so he already speaks German. The family and guests are waiting for his sister and her husband to finish taking their wedding photos so they can begin their fiesta!
   Alma Umber is surprised to see us all gathered to celebrate her birthday, March 9. Merchants, Isaacsons, Wallaces, Youngs, and Hermanas Pena and Diaz and I, welcomed her after the PM temple shift with "Happy Birthday."In a week we will get a new couple. Yeah! We are taking a trip to Zapallar on the coast tomorrow, so next blog will have more than just concrete, stained glass and people. |
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