Happy Valentine's Day

Love, flowers, hugs, and gooey-eyed fluffy bears for all!

We are teaching a woman whose brother died recently. She is amazed at how much peace and comfort she finds in studying the gospel. Her dad is a faithful member in another province here, and he´s always cheerfully encouraged her to become involved in the Church, but she always said it wasn´t her time. When her brother had an accident a few months ago, her father came to Buenos Aires to accompany her and visit the brother in the hospital. Father and daughter began reading passages of scripture and other church manuals together as they traveled by train to the hospital where he was receiving treatment. Her faith began to grow as she learned of the restoration of Priesthood power and that through the same, she could be with her family throughout all eternity. Soon after beginning these studies, her brother´s condition took a turn for the worse and he passed away. She relates that she cried and cried, but within days was well. Surprised by how much the Gospel of Jesus Christ helped her feel at peace, she has since been struggling to share with her other family members (especially her husband and children and some of her own siblings) what she´s been learning. Her faith is incredible! She attributes it all to her faithful father, who never never never gave up on her. She is very excited about the prospect of baptism, and we´re all looking forward to the continued progress she´ll be able to make in the temple - for herself, for her brother, and for a number of generations past, present, and future.
Now that´s what I call a love story! :)

We were teaching a lesson to a less active member the other day, when suddenly I heard the familiar hyperactive sound of Disneyland´s ¨Mainstreet Electrical Parade¨! The theme song blared from a nearby television. It took all the self-control under the sun to continue the lesson without letting myself get completely distracted. Ha! Do the missionaries a favor and make sure when they visit that if something needs to be blared, that it be Primary songs or hymns or the like. Or MAYBE songs from the Lion King. (They´re inspiring!)

Family history!! I want to do it soooooo badly! And I think my ancestors want me to do it soooooo badly too. A sister who works in the family history center here in Monte Grande was telling me about her investigations in her own family. It´s all like a giant puzzle! With pieces in different countries, or in different censuses, birth certificates, official documents, personal journals, etc. It´s detective work! Which means I need to buy me one of dem spiffy hats from the 1940s and skirt around building corners eyeing suspiciously anyone who could be involved in crime. Wait, crime no. Family history! Right. Suspicious characters in my family history....

Here´s to another week in the service of the Lord! I submit to you the same question President Hinckley asked of the those who listened, ¨Do you want to be happy?¨ What say ye? Yes, no? Haven´t decided yet? Think about it.....okay. Got it? Now then, ¨Do you want to be happy? Forget yourself and get lost in this great cause. Lend your efforts to helping people...stand higher, lift those with feeble knees, hold up the arms of those that hang down. Love the gospel of Jesus Christ.¨ Yeah! That´s how to be happy. This idea of the ¨secret¨ to happiness is flibberdyjibbit-fluff. Even if we could apply the term ¨secret¨, it would be wise to note that ¨Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets¨(Amos 3:7, Old Testament). And unlike school-children, God tells them secrets without asking first, ¨Can you keep a secret?¨ On the contrary, He says, ¨Share this secret!¨: Says He, ¨There is nothing which is secret save it shall be revealed¨ (2 Nephi 30:17, The Book of Mormon).

Group hug!

Chocolates and red-painted cardboard cards,

Hermana Lindquist