Faury Wendy Toriz Reyes of Cocoyotla, Puebla, Mexico

By Corliss Clayton

Faury Wendy Toriz Reyes (8) loves music. Her house is often filled with music from the radio or her tape player. Her favorite song in Primary is “Yo soy de la Iglesia de Jesucristo de Los Santos de los Ultimos Dias” (“The Church of Jesus Christ”).

The Toriz family have been members of the Church for four generations. Wendy’s great-grandmother originally lived in the house next door, where Wendy’s Toriz grandparents now live. It was in one of the rooms of this house that the first branch of the Church in the entire Puebla region was organized on March 23, 1923. For some time after that, the branch held their meetings in the Toriz home. Today more than five stakes have grown from that original branch.

Wendy wants her family to be a forever family. Her favorite video is “Families Are Forever.” If her parents happen to forget family home evening, Wendy reminds them. She then helps by conducting, leading the music, saying a prayer, or giving the lesson.

Drawing and reading are two of Wendy’s favorite school subjects. She is in the second grade. She listens to her teachers, although she had to learn to not talk so much in class. Wendy has set a goal to get all 10s on her work. It isn’t easy for her to get 10s, and she is working hard to do her best in school. As her father, Enoc Toriz Garcia, said, “She is like a little plant, and sometimes it is hard work to grow.”

At 6:45 A.M., her mother, Josefina Reyes de Toriz, awakens Wendy so that she can do her chores before going to school. “She never wants to get up,” said her mother, “but I tell her that she needs to learn to work while she is young.” Wendy makes her bed and straightens her room. If she gets her work done in the morning, she has time to play after school. She especially likes to play with dolls.

Her mother is teaching Wendy many things that will help her care for a home of her own one day. Sometimes she dusts the furniture, helps cook, goes to the store, or cleans up in the kitchen. She has also learned to do beautiful needlework.

One of her school notebooks is filled with her drawings. She has a lot of imagination and a very good eye for detail. One time, after her mother took her to visit a friend, Wendy hurried home and drew a picture that looked just like the house they had been to.

Wendy has great love in her heart for all people and animals. She tries to set a good example for her brother, Alan (4). Whether it’s helping him safely across the street or giving a hand to a stranger in need, she tries to help everyone. In addition to her family, she always prays for those who are suffering and who don’t have enough to eat or clothes to wear. Her father said that for her small size, she gives big prayers. Although she can’t give people all the physical things they need, she is always willing to give them her testimony and her love.

Photos by DeAnne Walker and Corliss Clayton