Happy Valentine!

Tine O. of Nairobi, Kenya

By Richard M. Romney

Church Magazines

In many places in the world, Valentine’s Day—February 14—is remembered as a day of love. But what if your name is Valentine? Does every day become a day of love?

That’s the way nine-year-old Tine O. of Nairobi, Kenya, feels about it. Everyone calls her “Tiny,” but her full name is Valentine.

“I was named Valentine because I was born on February 14,” she explains. And true to her name, she tries to love everybody. “When I was baptized, I took upon me the name of Jesus Christ,” she says. “That means I should care about everyone, just as He would.”

How does Tine make every day a day of love? There are lots of ways.

“The first thing I do is say my prayers,” she says. “I thank Heavenly Father for His Son because I love Jesus Christ. I thank Heavenly Father for my family and for the way temples unite families because I love my family. Then I ask Heavenly Father to bless the sick because I know that He loves the sick people too.”

Tine’s Family

Tine is the youngest child in her family and has three older brothers and two older sisters. “She helps me when I need something,” says Tine’s brother, George. “Like at school, when my pen was lost, she gave me one of hers.” Her sister, Brenda, says Tine doesn’t get mad when someone else corrects her.

At home Tine’s family speaks both Swahili and English. They love to hold family home evening. “We study the scriptures together,” Tine says. “We learn about the Savior, and we take turns leading the family in prayer.”

“I try to be like Jesus by being kind, going to church, and obeying my parents,” Tine says.

Valentine loves her family. She also loves learning about Jesus Christ.

Photographs by Richard M. Romney