Chapter 38
Real and Immeasurable
In February 2011, Marco and Claudia Villavicencio were surprised to receive an email from Joshua Perkey, an editor for Church magazines in Salt Lake City. The previous year, Joshua had come to El Coca, Ecuador, as part of an effort to publish more magazine articles about Saints worldwide. For several days, Joshua had visited with the Villavicencios and other branch members, attended Church meetings and seminary classes, and taken photographs of the city and its residents.
At the time of Joshua’s visit, the branch in El Coca was only a year old. But it had grown from twenty-eight members to eighty-three. Marco credited the growth to the branch’s efforts to help everyone feel needed and loved. “We try to put in practice President Gordon B. Hinckley’s admonition that every new convert needs to be nurtured by the good word of God, have a friend, and have a responsibility,” Marco had told Joshua. Claudia, who still served as the branch Young Women president, agreed. “When people arrive at church for the first time,” she said, “what makes an impression on them is how they are received. So we teach the young women how important each soul is to the Lord.”
Many of the members had shared heartfelt stories and testimonies with Joshua. Lourdes Chenche, the branch Relief Society president, spoke of the joy she and her presidency experienced serving the women in the branch. “We draw close to them when they have problems,” she said. “We let them know they are not alone, that we have the help of Jesus Christ and the branch.”
Now, in his email to the Villavicencios, Joshua explained that he was putting together a short video for the Church magazines. The video was part of a new online series for Primary children. Called “One in a Million,” it featured children from around the world telling stories about their lives and bearing testimony. In one, a boy in Ukraine talked about President Thomas S. Monson inviting him to place some mortar for the cornerstone of the new temple in Kyiv. In another, a girl in Jamaica talked about trying to be a good example at her school.
Each video was about a minute and a half long, and Joshua wanted to know if Marco and Claudia would allow their six-year-old son, Sair, to be featured in a video. Moving away from his relatives and Primary class had been hard for Sair. But over the last year, as more children came to church, he had been able to attend Primary again. Claudia thought the video would be a good opportunity to help him remember his divine identity.
Joshua sent Sair questions about his favorite hobbies, foods, and Church hymns, and Claudia and Marco helped him prepare his answers. Sair was eager to make the recording with Claudia, and she treasured the time they spent on it.
They sent the audio file to Joshua, and it was combined with some photographs he had taken during his visit to El Coca. A while later, after the video was finished and posted online, the Villavicencios sat at a computer in their living room to watch it. Sair was very excited to see how it turned out.
The video began with a picture of the family. Sair’s tiny voice then said in Spanish, “My name is Sair, and I’m from Ecuador.” Pictures of El Coca appeared on the screen, and Sair described the city’s colorful birds and animals as well as his favorite foods and sports. He also spoke about moving to El Coca before the branch was established. “There wasn’t a church for us to go to,” he said. “Soon other families moved here, and more people were baptized.”
“We are all missionaries!” he said. “Now I have a lot of friends in Primary. We sing about Jesus and Heavenly Father just like other children all over the world. I like singing ‘I Am a Child of God.’”
As Claudia sat with her son, she could hardly believe that people everywhere could now see how happy the gospel made her family. The video reminded her that God watched over places like El Coca—and worked through people like her, Marco, Sair, and the other Saints in the branch.
She hoped the video would remind Sair that he was part of a big and important organization like the Primary—and that even as a child, he was able to serve the Lord.
In late February 2011, Emma Hernandez personally delivered a graduation invitation to her father. Six years earlier, he had opposed her marriage to her husband, Hector David, because he thought it would get in the way of her education. But through the financial support of the Perpetual Education Fund, Emma had earned a degree in marketing from a prestigious Honduran university.
Her father was happy for her, and she was proud of him. He had long since changed his mind about her marriage. Leading up to the wedding, Emma had prayed for his heart to be softened. And her mother had helped him see that Hector David was a good match for their daughter. More recently, the ministering efforts of a diligent elders quorum president, combined with a fervent desire to come unto Christ and make covenants with Him, had brought her father back to church after many years away.
Emma had rejoiced in her father’s return to the Church. She and her mother had prayed for years that his heart would change so their family could go to the house of the Lord together. These prayers were answered on the morning of April 1, 2010, when Emma and most of her family arrived at the Guatemala City Temple to be sealed to each other for eternity. The sky was clear, and newly planted flowers adorned the temple garden as she entered the temple with her father, mother, and sister.
Emma felt the Spirit when she walked into the sealing room and saw her parents kneeling at the altar. Peace and love settled over them as they held hands and looked into each other’s eyes. After the ceremony, in the celestial room, they hugged one another and wept tears of happiness. Emma’s father was not an expressive man, but she could sense his emotions in his embrace.
Now, a year after the sealing, she and Hector David both had achieved their educational goals while building a family and always serving in the Church. Emma had discovered her passion for marketing, and now she had the knowledge and tools to qualify for her profession. With Hector David’s degree in finance, they both had a better income to take care of their family. Most important, Emma had matured during her studies, learning how to overcome challenges and rely on the Lord.
In the beginning, she had been overwhelmed by school. There had been a time when she didn’t think their family had enough money to finish her degree. But the Perpetual Education Fund had eliminated that concern, and the support of her family empowered her to pursue her dreams and kept her motivated. Her gratitude to the Lord grew, and she and Hector David saw their service in the Church as an opportunity to give thanks and show love to the Savior. Now, Emma was eager to use her education and pay back her PEF loan. And she believed she was capable of even greater successes in the future.
On March 4, 2011, the day of Emma’s graduation, her family gathered again, this time in her university gymnasium for her graduation ceremony. She arrived early with her fellow graduates to rehearse the ceremony, dressed in a matching black cap and gown. When her family arrived, Emma was delighted to see not only Hector David and Oscar David but also her mother, father, and other relatives.
As she walked through the line of university officials, shaking their hands and finally receiving her diploma, Emma thanked the Lord for her blessings. Her father was the first to hug her when the ceremony ended. “Congratulations, daughter,” he said, looking as if a weight had been removed from his shoulders. Emma was happy to see him so at peace.
She then hugged and kissed Hector David, grateful for the support he had given her throughout her studies.
“Thank you,” she told him as they embraced. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
On the morning of April 2, 2011, President Thomas S. Monson stood at the pulpit of the Conference Center and looked at the thousands of Saints gathered for the Church’s annual general conference. “When this building was planned, we thought we’d never fill it,” he said, smiling broadly. “Just look at it now.”
The conference marked his third year as president of the Church, a calling that kept him busier than most people could imagine. He was deeply grateful to the Saints around the world, who now numbered more than fourteen million. “I thank you for your faith and devotion to the gospel, for the love and care you show to one another, and for the service you provide in your wards and branches and stakes and districts,” he said.
It was an exciting time to be a Latter-day Saint. Half a century earlier, President David O. McKay had rejoiced in the Church’s good reputation, especially in the United States. But even then, the Church had been relatively unknown to most people. That was no longer the case. Decades of widespread missionary work, effective public relations initiatives, large- and small-scale humanitarian aid projects, and the humble, everyday actions of individual Saints had made the Church a familiar presence in many parts of the world.
Lately, too, the Church had become the focus of significant media attention. Coverage of the Church during the 2002 Winter Olympics turned out to be a prelude to a flood of publicity that came when Mitt Romney, the head of the 2002 Olympic organizing committee and a prominent Latter-day Saint politician, announced he was running for president of the United States. Although he did not win his political party’s nomination in 2008, many people expected him to run again in 2012.
And public interest in the Church remained high. Latter-day Saints made news as lawmakers and business leaders. Some competed on reality television shows and in professional sports arenas. Others gained fame as rock stars and concert hall musicians. Still others wrote bestselling novels, some adapted into blockbuster films.
The growing interest in the Church and its members did not mean that everyone was eager to embrace the restored gospel. Many people misunderstood the Church or disagreed with its teachings. In fact, President Monson and other leaders worried that society was drifting away from long-standing Christian values and the teachings and practices of the Church. Nowhere did the drift seem more evident than in beliefs about marriage.
In recent years, advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals had lobbied for the right to same-sex marriage. The Church and other faith-based organizations had opposed these measures, affirming that marriage between a man and woman was ordained of God.
The most prominent instance had come in November 2008, when residents in California were given a chance to vote on a state constitutional amendment that would legally define marriage as between one man and one woman. The Church joined other faith-based groups in fundraising in support of the proposition. Church leaders in Salt Lake City also encouraged members in California to actively support and promote it.
Although the proposition narrowly passed, the Church received considerable criticism for its role in the vote, leading some people to stage protests outside temples.
President Monson and other Church leaders remained committed to upholding the doctrine of marriage and the standards of the Church. They spoke of religious liberty and the freedom to define and teach marriage as a sacred union between a man and a woman. They also sought to build bridges with other groups, like the Roman Catholic Church, that believed the same.
Yet more and more, they worked to find common ground with the LGBTQ community. As debates over marriage and gay rights continued, Church leaders encouraged Latter-day Saints to be loving and respectful when disagreements arose and to condemn the bullying of LGBTQ people. In November 2009, the Church joined Salt Lake City lawmakers in supporting fair housing rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation. Church leaders also sought to provide better resources and promote more empathy for LGBTQ Church members, who often felt caught in the middle of the debates. Among these resources in development was a new Church website with articles and videos of Saints and their families sharing their experiences and testimonies.
One of the videos told the story of Suzanne Bowser, a Latter-day Saint who struggled for years to come to terms with her attraction to women. She kept going to church, but at times her heart felt torn in two. Over time, with the help of friends and family who walked with her on her journey, she arrived at a more peaceful place. “This is part of me, it is going to be a part of me, and I’m OK,” she realized. “I can still be happy. I can still have my Savior in my life.” His love for her filled the emptiness she sometimes felt.
She also had Church leaders who were willing to listen to her, and that made a big difference. “I have had priesthood leaders,” she recalled, “who have absolutely just wanted to learn.”
As President Monson closed general conference in April 2011, he urged the Saints to let their lights shine, as the Savior taught. “May we be good citizens of the nations in which we live and good neighbors in our communities, reaching out to those of other faiths as well as to those of our own,” he said. “May we be examples of honesty and integrity wherever we go and in whatever we do.”
He and other Church leaders understood and emphasized the importance of being followers of Christ in word and deed. If nothing else, the recent media attention had shown that while many people had heard of the Church, perceptions of the faith and its core message varied widely. For many people, the Church was still a mystery.
Church leaders knew that this must change. There should never be any doubt that Latter-day Saints followed Jesus Christ.
On August 17, 2011, Silvia and Jeff Allred flew into San Salvador, El Salvador, the city where Silvia was born and raised and where, in four days, a house of the Lord would be dedicated. The temple had been announced not long after her call to the Relief Society general presidency, and her new responsibilities had prevented her from attending the groundbreaking. But now, at the invitation of the First Presidency, she had the opportunity to take part in its dedication. She and Jeff were thrilled.
Silvia had been serving in the Relief Society general presidency for four years. During that time, the themes of faith, family, and relief had guided every effort of the organization. The presidency traveled extensively, using the revised Church Handbook of Instructions to train local Relief Society leaders in receiving revelation, working in Church councils, ministering to those in need, and fulfilling other responsibilities. Silvia herself had visited with Relief Society sisters in twenty countries on five continents.
The presidency also worked with their board members to create videos that provided immediate training for newly called leaders worldwide. These videos could be accessed from the Relief Society’s web page and were included in the Leadership Training Library, a new collection of online instructional resources found on the Church’s website.
Strengthening visiting teaching was another major focus of their work. For years, Church magazines had published simple visiting teaching lessons. Now the lessons were printed alongside additional tips and resources to enhance the sisters’ teaching. Under Silvia’s supervision, board members also sought ways to support the transition from Young Women to Relief Society. While traveling, Silvia would often talk with local Relief Society and Young Women leaders about bridging the gap between the organizations by encouraging them to interact more. She also encouraged Relief Society sisters to reach out to their newest members and seek ways to mentor young women.
Inspired by the history they had received from President Boyd K. Packer and at the assignment of the First Presidency, the Relief Society was preparing to publish a book, Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society. The book was fully illustrated and written in a simple style appropriate for readers of all abilities. It would also be translated into twenty-three languages and distributed to the women of the Church. The presidency hoped it would help the sisters learn from the past, better understand their spiritual heritage as disciples of Christ, and embrace the Relief Society’s divinely appointed mission.
On the day before the San Salvador Temple dedication, Silvia and Jeff toured the building and marveled at its ornate details—the beautifully carved wood and the decorative glass and brass fixtures etched with the yucca flower, the national flower of El Salvador. Near the entrance, behind the recommend desk, Silvia saw an original painting of the Savior. He had His arms around two children, about eight or nine years old, who looked like they could have been from Central America. The background was lush and green, like the vegetation throughout El Salvador. Overcome with the Savior’s love for all His children, Silvia wept.
At the dedication the following day, Silvia could not help thinking about the past. She had been one of the earliest members of the Church in El Salvador, and although her travels had taken her around the world, it was powerful to see the Church flourish in her homeland.
Sitting in the celestial room, she looked around at the local members who filled the seats. Many of them were older and had, like her, been baptized when the Church was new in El Salvador. They had remained faithful to their covenants, often amid poverty and adversity. Some of them would be ordinance workers when the temple opened its doors. She knew they had prayed for this temple for many years.
When Silvia had joined the Church as a teenager in 1959, the closest temple had been in Mesa, Arizona—four days of travel away. Now there were one hundred thousand Saints in El Salvador. The Church had thrived there in ways Silvia could not have imagined when she was younger.
When it was her turn to speak, Silvia stood. Although she spoke English fluently, Spanish continued to be the language she thought in, prayed in, and sought the Holy Ghost in. At this dedication, she would deliver her remarks in her native tongue, which made it far easier for her to convey her deepest feelings. She was speaking not only to the people in the house of the Lord but also to the thousands of Saints in the temple district watching a broadcast of the dedication at their meetinghouses.
“My heart is full of happiness and gratitude today,” she said. “I testify to you that the blessings that are promised us in the temple are real and immeasurable. The temple is the house of the Lord. He Himself has sanctified it. His eyes and His heart will be here perpetually.”
Six weeks later, on October 2, 2011, a gasoline-powered generator coughed to life at the Luputa meetinghouse in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Inside, around two hundred Saints—including Willy and Lilly Binene—were finding seats in front of a television set in the chapel. In a few moments, a Sunday night broadcast of the Church’s 181st Semiannual General Conference would begin, translated into French—one of fifty-one languages in which conference was available to Saints around the world. It was the first general conference the Church members in Luputa would enjoy as members of a stake in Zion.
The organization of the Luputa Stake three months earlier had come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the Church’s rapid growth in the city. In 2008, the same year the Binene family was sealed in the temple, over twelve hundred Latter-day Saints lived in Luputa. At that time, there were no full-time missionaries serving there. Yet over the next three years, Willy and other Church leaders had worked with faithful branch missionaries to more than double the number of Saints in their district—an effort doubtless aided by the Church’s role in bringing clean water to the city. The district had even sent out thirty-four full-time missionaries to serve in other parts of the DRC, Africa, and the world.
Still, Willy had been surprised when Elder Paul E. Koelliker and Elder Alfred Kyungu of the Seventy called him to be president of the new stake. The Church in Luputa had several experienced priesthood leaders, each of whom could serve capably as a stake president. Wasn’t it someone else’s turn to lead?
On June 26, the day the stake was organized, Willy helped Elder Koelliker and Elder Kyungu distribute full-time mission calls to fifteen young women and men in the stake. Afterward, Willy smiled as he posed for a photograph with the group. Two decades earlier, ethnic strife and bloodshed had driven him from his home, robbing him of a chance to serve his own full-time mission for the Lord. Yet his years of devoted Church service in Luputa had helped give the rising generation of Saints opportunities he did not have.
As the conference broadcast began, Willy settled back to listen to the speakers. Normally President Monson was the first speaker at the opening session of conference, but a health problem had delayed his coming to the Conference Center. After the intermediate hymn, however, he approached the pulpit and welcomed the Saints to conference with a cheerful “hello.”
“When we’re busy, time seems to pass far too quickly,” he said, “and the past six months have been no exception for me.”
President Monson spoke of the dedication of the temple in El Salvador as well as the rededication of the temple in Atlanta in the southern United States. “The building of temples continues uninterrupted, brothers and sisters,” he said. “Today it is my privilege to announce several new temples.”
Willy listened carefully. Lately, temples had been on the minds of Church leaders in Luputa. In fact, at the first stake conference in the city, many of the talks had centered on preparing the Saints to attend the house of the Lord. Aside from the Binenes, only a few Saints in Luputa had been able to go to the Johannesburg Temple. While passports were relatively easy to acquire in the DRC, travel visas to South Africa were not. This meant that many Saints in the DRC were stuck waiting, worrying that their passports would expire before they could receive a visa and attend the temple.
The first temple President Monson announced was the second for the city of Provo, Utah. Recently, the city’s historic tabernacle had accidentally caught fire, and flames had consumed almost everything except its exterior walls. Now the Church planned to rebuild and repurpose it as a house of the Lord.
“I am also pleased to announce new temples in the following locations,” President Monson continued. “Barranquilla, Colombia; Durban, South Africa; Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and—”
As soon as they heard “Kinshasa,” Willy and everyone around him stood and cheered. The news had taken them completely by surprise. Soon, Congolese Saints would not have to worry about travel visas or expiring passports. The prophet’s simple announcement had changed everything.
There had been no rumors, no hints that the Church had plans to build a temple in the DRC. There had only been hope—hope that one day the Lord would establish His house in their land.