A Way of Life

The gospel can’t be just a matter of custom; it must be a way of life. “It’s necessary to revive the fire continually, to put on fresh wood,” says Mercedes Garriga of Badalona, a suburb of Barcelona.

Since their baptism in 1972, she and her husband, Adolfo, have seen many members come into the Church in their area—and then seen some of those go out again because they did not work at keeping their testimonies. We must make the effort to be in daily contact with Heavenly Father, Sister Garriga believes, to avoid the danger of becoming lost.

The gospel has been like a bridle guiding their family, says Brother Garriga. They are grateful for its influence that has led their five children to be active in the Church; three of them have been married in the temple.

The service of the Garriga family has had its impact on the growth of the Church in the Barcelona area. Brother Garriga has held a number of key leadership positions through the years, including first branch president in Barcelona, and Sister Garriga has served in leadership or teaching positions in all of the auxiliaries. Now their son Adolfo is stake president, and another son, Xavier, is executive secretary.

But the Garrigas are quick to point out that the missionaries baptized a number of families with children in those early days and that many of those families or their descendants are among the corps of Church leadership in the area today.

Time has only deepened his testimony, Brother Garriga affirms. After his initial meeting with the missionaries when they stopped by his work, he threw their phone number away, and retrieved it three times before calling the elders to come to his home; he was intrigued by their promise of more knowledge about Jesus Christ. After years of reading and study, he says, the intellect confirms what the Holy Ghost testified to him in the beginning, that the Lord Jesus Christ has indeed visited the earth to restore His true Church once more.

Adolfo and Mercedes Garriga of Spain.