Beckett Kelly Dame is born!

On June 1 2013 I get a call from Cristi telling me that she is feeling contractions and that she thinks the baby will come three weeks early and that she is not ready. I told her to go to the Hospital if the contractions got stronger and more frequent because the last thing she wants is to have this baby at home or in an ambulance. They did go around midnight and sure enough the baby was born the next day on June 2 2013 and they named him Beckett Kelly Dame.

I changed my flight to get there as soon as I could. The only problem is that I wasn't much help. Somehow I caught a nasty cold on the way there and got so sick. For three weeks instead of me helping out, I was the one they had to care for. Nevertheless, it was so wonderful to meet the newest member of our family. Now Daniel and I share 8 grandchildren.

Visit to see my mom, sister and her family.

I wanted so much to be with my mom on her birthday this year but it was impossible. We were in Santo Domingo that day hosting the visit of Elder Andersen of the Qourum of the twelve and Elder Rasband of the Seventy. It turned out wonderful since he gave us a blessing. I had been putting flights on hold in case I could still use my miles at a different time in February and I did. I went for about 12 days from Feb. 22 to March 4 and I even got a chance to stop in Miami to see Mari. In El Salvador I participated in a huge Helping hands activity of 2000 members to clean a lake that has been contaminated by a vicious plant called ninfa. I got dirty like everybody else and worked hard that day untill my eyes were itching and burning. The plant is toxic and it gives out a stinging feeling. My hands were also itching for days even though I wore gloves. LIz had to go to Honduras to watch Paola play soccer and I became like their other mother to the boys. Alex took us to Church mostly thanks to the missionaries who came and ivited him, it made all of us so happy he agreed.  I loved the fact that I got a chance to attend Church twice and to see many of my old friends and sweet faithful women I admire so much. I also got to visit an elderly woman in Miramonte, niña Alicia. She has always appreciate me coming. Two sons Richard and Larry still live close by and larry still comes every day to eat lunch with her. I went to the Foreign Affairs office too because I feel they need to call the perfect Honorary Consul in Utah that I know so well but I don't know what they will do with that. I honesty can't stand those people who are so inept. I am so sad for my country that has the worst men you can think of running for President. I do have hope that the new mission will help the situation. I am also excited to learn that our friend Kai Hintze is going there as the mission President. I will for sure want come as often as I can while they are there.

Char has a new baby brother!

Sydney Almeida gave birth to a healthy baby boy on February 25 2013!

 Yes, we knew it was going to be a boy but you always wonder what he would look like. I think by what I have been told this boy looks a lot like Pablo. They have named him Graeme Ulysses. 

Lessons from a butterfly by Elder Andersen

Elder Andersen's analogy of the butterfly.

Elder Andersen told the young adults and the youth about the butterfly. He explained that they migrate from North to South and then back from South to North and die withing 10 days but before they die they lay their eggs. He told them how fragile they are, and how we should think of the holy spirit being fragile too, any movement we do contrary to the Lord's commandments would damage it.  He made all of us sing I am a child of God and made a big enphasis that we are all children of God.  We need to make correct choices and to not  have any excuses of wrong choices we make. Sister Andersen told a story about her grandson who had lost his CTR ring and therefore could not make the right choices after she asked him why he kicked his brother? He replied that he lost his CTR ring and couldn't make the right choices.  Elder Andersen  spoke of how we can become beautiful to our Heavenly Father. Just like the cocoon becomes a beautiful butterfly.



Visit of Elder Andersen and Elder Rasband

For ten days we were busy with the visit of Elder Neil Andersen and a Seventy, Elder Rasband. The picture was taken at a dinner at the Hilton Hotel in Santo Domingo were they were staying. I traslated for sister Rasband and for sister Andersen. They participated in stake conferences, missinary devotionals as well as young adult and young men and young women devotionals. They also had meetings with all the stake presidents and bishops. There was a special meeting with the stake presidents's wives and the mission Presidents wives including the Temple President wife. In that meeting they went over D&C section 25 and they talked about meekness, being an elect lady, to lay aside the things of this world ,be aware of pride and to cleave unto the covenants. They also came to the office for a special devotional. I love elder Rasband's comments on being united. He said: The power of unity vs. Individual, individual members together come as one read Mosiah 18:21 " And he commanded them that there be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith, and one baptism, having their hears knit together in unity and in love one towards another." He spoke of love and harmony. Elder Rasband told us at dinner  that he likes to say a story and to build his talk based on a story or something you can picture in your mind and for the office the example he gave was the choir. How effort is put in to each sounding so wonderful as a whole. Elder Andersen was more direct and told the employees if one of them feels that their faith is diminishing to leave their place of employment. He read D & C 12:8" And no one can assist in this workexcept he shall be humble and full of love, haivng faith, hope and charity, being temperate in all things, whatsoever shall be entrusted to his care." and Alma 32:41 that talks about nourishing the faith with great diligence. He started by telling everyone that there are two voices we can adhere. One is the gentle small voice of the Holy Spirit and the other is the voice of our Prophet and Aposttles. Elder Andersen thinks of a topic and works around his topic.
 What I gathered from the sisters is their love for Christ. The courage to stand for what you know is true. Sister Rasband talked about the statue of Liverety in New York and how she has a torch that can be seeing from far away. Sister Andersen told the missionaries how the whole world is constantly praying for them. Elder Andersen talked about prech my gospel and talked about the change someone feels after they have been converted. Sister Andersen also told the story of her mother who very faithfully always paid her tithing and she saw a change of dress after she had gone to the Temple. The meetings were all so amazing and wonderful but the most wonderful part of this visit is tha Elder Andersen gave our family a blessing. He gave a very special Apostolic blessing to my children, garandchildren and great-grandchldren who were not even born yet. The last words of Elder Andersen at the stake conference were: We are becoming something more... we are becoming children of God. I testify that Jesus is the Christ, I am a witness of Jesus Christ,  he lives!

Serving the Lord!

Mandy got the chance of her lifetime to help the mission in Puerto Rico. President Alvarado and his wife were so kind to let her come for one Semester or 16 weeks. We are getting letters from her every Monday. She writes of her experiences that she calls Miracles! She bears her testimony and is now more than ever understanding what it feels like to forget about the world to be a true disciple of the Lord. In those letters she writes: " I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve. I really has strengthen my testimony so much."

" I saw a lot of miracles this week and it has really humbled me. One thing I have learned from this experience is that I feel  the capacity to love expand. When I didn't know I could love any more, somehow my heart grew and I can. I really do grow a love for the people we meet with and I want them to be happy. I have learned a lot this week about being humble and having patience; all of which strengthen faith. It amazes me every day."

 "I am learning more and more about the gospel that I guess I always knew, but never really felt until now. There is a difference between knowing something and feeling it. I feel that I can truly testify of the atonement and our Savior and that God loves me. I am very grateful that God teaches me every day that this is His work. I love the mission, I am really loving it."

"I feel like my testimony is getting stronger and that I am growing so much. We have to do a 40 day fast of something, my 40 day fast is that I am fasting negative thoughts. I feel so good inside because I am around such strong and great examples. I feel the spirit easier when I am positive all the time, and I feel happier and more energyzed. I could go on forever on how amazing this mission is. The mission is so great, I really love it so much."

"I was excited to come out on this mission but I had no idea how much it would affect me and changed me. I feel the pure love of Christ he has for everyone icluding me. Being able to sit down and talk to people of Puerto Rico has changed my heart and I can alredy begin to see a change happening inside me. I feel so happy all the time."

"This week was a great week, probably one of the best so far. We were able to hear from an Apostle and an Elder from the Quorum of the Seventy. That was a huge blessing. Elder Andersen gave a really amazing talk. the topic that stood out to me was the atonement, and truly understanding it. A lot of the questions that were buzzing around in my head were settled. I feel that my faith has been strengthened, and I feel so much happier. I love this Gospel, and even if I give it my all, and I never was able to help bring the spirit to convert anybody, I know that por lo menos, my own soul has been converted. Before I had a strong testimony of the Gospel, but now I feel converted of it. I want to live it with exactness."

" I feel like I have learned a lot this week that I couldn't have learned anywhere else. I am learning more and more how to love. It's amazing and testifies to me that the light of Christ works in our hearts. and helps our hearts open up more than I ever thought. This week has been a good week. I felt so much joy and I wasn't sure why I was so happy. I just was. Situations that should have been so stressful, like trying to find where people lived when I really didn't know the area so well, they should have been stressful and I should have been grouchy. But I wasn't, I was happy. I was laughing, and smiling and felt God's love. I knew I was a daughter of God and that is all that mattered."

"I know now why everyone loves their mission so much. How can you not when it is centered around Christ and love? I could never have imagined the kind of joy it brings to be on a mission. I want to make sure I never forget this, so when I return I can do missionary work at home."

"This week was really a learning process for me, and also an amazing miracle. This week I have felt some of the lowest lows and some of my highest highs. It is moments like this that I don't want to go home. It is so amazing seeing how the spirit touches people's lives and they do change their hears and the light of Christ shines from them. It is also an example to me and it amazes me. There are no words to explain the pure joy that I felt saturday at the Colone's baptism. It was such an emotional experience. I felt the Spirit strong."

This week was a great week, we met a lot of people and spiritually I have been growing a lot. When I go home, I am going to make it a priority to go out with the missionaries as much as I can. I want to be active for the rest of my life as a member, to invite others to come to Christ. I want to be more diligent in making sure that I reach out to everyone in my ward and that I make sure everyone feels included."

A first time in Nebraska

At Adam-ondi-Ahman

                                                                                                     

At liberty jail

Winter Quaters

The ZOO

We would have never thought about going to Nebraska if is wasn't for the fact that Ani has moved to a small town there. we wanted to see where she lived so while we were on vacation in Utah, we took a quick trip to Nebraska.  To my surprise, there are some many historic sites in the area and a must see if you love history. We also added the Zoo in Omaha because we were told it was worth our time. We also went to Inependance Missouri and Kansas of course. I never knew how easy it's to go accross  these States  from one place to another.