Temples

Sucre conference, Hermana Hullinger and Hermana Farmer.

While in Sucre, the Hermanas all went out teaching.

Hermana Hullinger and me at Conference.

So, this week we had a  conference in Sucre, Bolivia, with Elder Waddel, who is
the area 70 in Peru. He served his mission in Spain, then he was a
mission president in Spain, and now he is a general authority in Peru.
So his Spanish was really good. And he talked to us for about 5 hours,
but it honestly flew by. There was not a minutes when he didn´t have
my complete attention. Seriously, it was a great conference.Elder Waddel talked a lot about getting families to the temple to they
can be sealed. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints we
have temples, where families can be sealed together for eternity, not
just "until death do you part". Our work here as missionaries is not
just teaching people about the gospel, but helping them and their
families get to the temple, so they can be blessed in this life and
for eternity.

He shared a story about a family who was being sealed in the temple, a
husband, wife, and their 4 kids. He said the person performing the
sealing started, but then had to stop. He asked "sister, are all of
your children here?" She looked around at her children, "Yes, they are
all here." Then he started again, but had to stop. "Sister, are you
sure all of your children are here?" She said "Yes, I am their mother,
I know they are all here." So he started again, and then a third time
had to stop. He said "Sister, do you maybe have a child that ha
already passed away?" She said, "Yes. I had a child about 20 years ago
who died in infancy." He said "That´s what I thought. Because
every-time I tried to start the ceremony, there was a voice in my head
that said, mommy, don´t forget about me." So they continued with the
ceremony, and the family was sealed together for eternity, including
the child who had passed away.

Elder Waddel told another story, of a man who he interviewed to be
stake president. He said he was looking over his records and said "So,
I see you and your family have only been members for 3 years, and you
have 3 kids." And the man said, "Well, I only have 2 kids. My youngest
of 2 years recently passed away in a fire." Elder Waddel said he was
sorry for his loss, and the man said "My biggest concern is that I am
afraid we will never see our child again." And Elder Waddel said,
"Well, you have been members for 3 years. Have you not been able to be
sealed in the temple?" And the man responded "Yes, but it was just
with my two older children. We were saving up money to go the temple
again with our youngest, but it was too late." Then Elder Waddel
explained that since they were already sealed in the temple when their
youngest child was born, he was born into the temple sealing, and that
he was also sealed to the forever. The joy that this man must have
felt, to know that he would see his baby again one day, really must be
indescribable.

If you didn´t cry from those stories, it´s probably because I didn´t
write them well enough.  I know that this church is true. I know that
families can be together forever through the work of the holy temple.
I am so grateful to have this knowledge and blessing in my life. I am
so grateful for the conference we had with Elder Waddel, and all he
was able to teach and share with us. I am grateful to be in the
mission, and to be able to help other have this same knowledge and
comfort.

Elephant rock, a tourist attraction.