“The Spark of Life”

In 1976, Gloria Barriga, a young Latter-day Saint woman in Arequipa, Peru, was happy with her life. She had the support of family and friends at church, and she was comfortable working at a good job with high pay. However, the Lord had other plans for her. “All of the sudden,” she said, “I felt the voice of the Spirit tell me, ‘Receive your patriarchal blessing.’”

The only patriarch in Peru was José Ojeda, an old friend of the Barriga family, who had moved to Lima, more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) north. Gloria asked permission to take time off work and told her family her plans. The next day she left for the long drive to Lima.

When she arrived in Lima, the Ojeda family welcomed her warmly, and she received her blessing. “How surprised I was,” she said, “that in my blessing that I received in this moment, the Lord asked me to leave on a full-time mission.” She went back to Arequipa and told her parents that she would be a missionary. Although they were as surprised as she was, they supported her decision.

Gloria served in the Andes Mission in 1977 and 1978. At the start of her mission, she was the only Peruvian sister serving. In her first area, in Huancayo, Gloria was stung on her left leg by a scorpion while she was heading to a lesson. She thought she might have been bitten by a mouse but started feeling sick during the lesson.

Two elders serving in her area gave Gloria a blessing at a local pharmacy. “What I felt was a peace that I have never again felt on this earth,” she said. “In that moment, I told the Lord that if I have to die, I will go to His arms.”

“When the prayer ended,” she said, “the two missionaries were crying, and they knew that I had received, through the power of the priesthood, the healing needed to save my life.” She also received a dose of antibiotics and was sent home to recover. Her mission gave her the nickname “The Spark of Life” because she was so happy.

In Trujillo, she faced another health crisis. Ignoring a prompting that told her, “Do not go!” Gloria approached a home. When she started to go up the stairs, the voice told her, “Do not go up!” Once again, she ignored it. When she went up, she was attacked by a German shepherd dog “so big it looked like a horse,” she said.

The dog bit her hand and stomach, causing internal damage. Gloria saw a renowned specialist in Trujillo, who did not charge her for treatment. Her companion and landlord helped care for her. “It was very painful, but I went forward,” Gloria said.

Gloria’s mission helped her understand how Heavenly Father protects His servants. “I have felt Him in my life, so close. He is so good to me, so merciful. He has never left me alone,” she said.