I’m Dria from the Philippines

From an interview by Amie Jane Leavitt

*Mabuhay, Kaibigan!**

Have you ever dreamed about living on an island? This is Alejandria, but her family and friends call her Dria for short. She lives on the island of Cebu in the Philippines with her mom, dad, and two sisters. She has an older brother too, but he died before Dria was born. “I know he is still part of our family, and I will see him someday because families are forever,” she says.

One of my favorite things to do is dance. I am a ballet dancer. Next year I hope to move up to the next level, which is pointe. This means I will get to wear special ballet shoes that help me dance on my toes.

The Philippines has more than 7,000 islands, so there are many beautiful places to visit. Our home is near the beach, and I love to play in the ocean. One of my favorite things to do is swim. I even taught myself how!

I love going with my family to visit different beaches. Once we went to Palawan—an island with the world’s largest underground river. I went diving there with my snorkel gear and looked at all the colorful fish.

One day at school, some classmates said Mormons don’t believe in God. I told them we do. The next day I brought in some pass-along cards that had a picture of Jesus on the front and the Articles of Faith on the back. When my classmates looked at the picture and read some of our beliefs, they were happy to know we do believe in God.

I Love to See the Temple

We are lucky to live close to the Cebu City Philippines Temple. I was able to tour the temple with my family before it was dedicated. It is such a beautiful, peaceful place. I am grateful that because of temples, my family can be together forever.