“Friend to Friend,” Friend, July 1999, 6
Friend to Friend
I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded (1 Ne. 3:7).
My family has always been my greatest teacher. I was born in Sevilla, Spain; then my family moved to Paraguay and later to Uruguay. Because we moved around, I often had to say good-bye to my friends. I relied more and more upon my family to be my friends. We learned to enjoy being with each other. Today many children spend most of their day with their friends; I spent mine with my family. I am grateful for that time with my family, because they will be my eternal friends.
After meeting the missionaries, my family investigated the Church for three years. It was very important to my parents that we be baptized as a family. They knew that if we joined the Church, it would often be difficult for us to choose the right. But they believed that if we all decided to follow Jesus Christ, we could help each other when the times grew difficult.
When we joined the Church, my parents committed our family to sacrifice and service. I did not really know what sacrifice was, but I knew that my parents would give all they had to the Church. I saw that helping other people made my mom and dad happy. My parents were always serving, so I followed them around and tried to help, too. I was often too young to do much, but my parents’ example of service inspired in me a lifelong desire to serve.
In 1951, the branch my family belonged to started building a chapel. It was the first chapel in Uruguay. We had never met in a Church meetinghouse like many of you go to every Sunday. In fact, I did not know exactly what a chapel was, but I knew that it was something very important.
There were less than one hundred members who worked with my parents to construct the building. There were no cranes or construction crews like those that build many chapels. All of the work was done by the members of the branch. I knew that it was an honor to help because of the way my parents talked excitedly about the building and because they spent so much of their time helping to build it. I wanted to help, too.
Some members mixed cement. Some members dug holes, and some hammered nails. There were not many jobs for a five-year-old, so they gave me the job of straightening out the nails. I took a hammer and pounded old nails, trying to make them straight. I loved the clang of the hammer and the challenge of getting the bends out of the metal nails. Most of all, I loved just having a job. My parents reminded me that the chapel could not be built without nails. I felt thrilled that I could serve with my family.
After three years, the chapel was finally finished. President David O. McKay came to Uruguay to dedicate it. Having the prophet visit was a very special event for the Uruguayan members of the Church. Everyone dressed up in their nicest clothes to meet him. I remember President McKay standing in the chapel, and I was thrilled that he could see the building I had helped create. He put the cornerstone in place and dedicated the building. His white hair made him look like he had come from heaven. He went around and shook everyone’s hand. When he came to me, he bent down especially to shake my hand. It was my first experience with meeting a prophet, and when he spoke to me, I had a warm feeling in my heart. I felt glad that I had helped to build the chapel.
Twenty years later, I became the bishop and served in the very building I had helped to build. The branch had grown in those twenty years, and so had I. As a child, I had relied upon my parents’ testimonies. I later gained my own testimony as I served others.
My parents taught me how to serve by example. They never complained about sacrificing to build the chapel, attend church, or pay tithing. Some of my favorite memories are of kneeling as a family in prayer and of reading the scriptures together, especially the Book of Mormon. Nephi was my favorite person in the scriptures. He acted fearlessly in following the commandments of God. Nephi was obedient, no matter how difficult it was to serve God.
In Primary, being obedient meant being quiet and listening to the lesson. My mother was my Primary teacher and always brought a picture of Jesus Christ. She taught us to be reverent, to stop playing and making noise, and to think of the Savior.
When I was an Aaronic Priesthood holder, being obedient meant preparing the sacrament with reverence. I knew that I was doing something of great importance as I blessed the sacrament.
When I was a bishop, being obedient meant sacrificing to attend the temple. My wife and I were invited to attend general conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. We did not have enough money to make the trip, but we greatly desired to be sealed for eternity in the Lord’s house. We prayed to Heavenly Father and asked Him to provide a way for us to be obedient and answer His invitation to all Saints to go to the temple. We were blessed to find additional jobs. We earned enough to make the trip to Salt Lake City. Kneeling in the temple, all in white, with my wife, Cristina, was one of the most special experiences of my life. Our marriage was different after we had been to the temple and felt the Holy Spirit of the Lord seal us to each other for eternity.
Now being obedient means taking my family wherever the Lord asks us to go. It is often difficult for my children, Adrianna, Gabriel, and Silvia, to move around so much. Silvia was only seven months old when we moved from Uruguay to Argentina to preside over a mission. Every move means new friends for my children. They rely on each other as friends just as I had relied on my family.
I love my children, and I love the children of the Church. You are Heavenly Father’s sons and daughters. Love your families and learn from their righteous examples. Be a righteous example in your family. Wherever you are, be a helper and learn to sacrifice and serve in the Church.
As a three-year-old
The Montevideo Uruguay West Stake presidency and their wives in 1977. Elder Viñas is in the center.
Elder Viñas with his wife, Cristina, and their children Silvia, Adrianna, and Gabriel
With Sister Viñas on their wedding day