Carving Out a Niche

In 1982, when the Cosme family’s Puerto Rican town of Arroyo had no Latter-day Saint presence, Daniel Cosme’s wife, Miriam, met sister missionaries in another town. At the time, Daniel was fishing full-time for a living and often arrived home too late for the missionaries to teach him. He agreed to attend Church meetings, but each time Sunday arrived he chose to work instead.

One Sabbath day, no one came to help Daniel man his large fishing net. He went out anyway, but a wave turned his boat over and he lost both his net and his engine. Humbled by this experience, Daniel made time to investigate the Church and was soon baptized with his family. The Cosmes not only became pioneering Church members in Arroyo, where more than eighty members now attend a branch presided over by President Cosme, but they also became the first family to be sealed in the Orlando Florida Temple when it opened in 1994.

Daniel has also carved out a niche for himself as a wood-carver and cabinetmaker. His craftsmanship is regarded highly enough that he was chosen as one of Puerto Rico’s ten best craftsmen, and his work was displayed at the 1992 world’s fair in Barcelona, Spain.

“Gospel light helps me see life differently,” Daniel says. “I value my wife and children more, and I love and enjoy life every day now.”

Photo by David Gaunt