"I Know that My Redeemer Liveth"

Last week I got an e-mail from Alexander Nunez from Lima, Peru. Alexander is a Area Authority in Lima. He was asked to write something of the history of the Church in Peru. So he is asking old members to share their histories in the Church. And asked me to share mine, just a couple of pages, which I did.

This brought to my mind all the work I have done for the kingdom of God in Peru.

Years ago, here in Provo, I was called to be the Parkway 6th Branch president, it is a Spanish speaking branch. With this calling I had the opportunity to work with the Saints in West Provo and help them in a meaningful way for their lives.

When I was interviewed by the Stake president for my release as a branch president he told me about his fear that I would become inactive after my release. This surprised me. I told him that I was not going to become inactive. He told me: "I really have the fear that you are going to become inactive because of this release." He told me this several times, and I repeated several times that I would not become inactive, that I had been released many times from many callings and I never became inactive.

After my mission in Bolivia, I was called as a branch president of the Miraflores Branch in Arequipa, Peru. Six months later I was one of the counselors to the Roberto Vidal, the district president. There were two branches only in Arequipa. So we started to create new branches for the district. Two weeks after I got married, when I was 27 years old, I was called to be the district president of the Distrito Sur Peruano, that is, all south Peru, and continued to create new branches in Arequipa. I also was part of the creation of Cusco district, Puno district and Tacna district and trained the new leaders.

With the new branches I had to trained new branch presidents, Relief Society presidents, Primary presidents in all their callings and responsibilities. I also trained new Elder Quorum presidents, missionary leaders, clerks, etc.

I was released and was called as one of the counselors to the mission president in Arequipa. Then he released me and I was called as the Arequipa District president again.

Elder Howard W. Hunter came to Arequipa in 1980 and called me as the Arequipa Umacollo Stake president. As a stake president I continued to create new wards and train new leaders. Years later I was released and was called as the pianist of my ward, and then a member of High Counsel. When the stake was divided I was called as a Stake president again of one of the stakes by Elder Charles Didier.

Years later I was released and was called a first counselor to a new stake presidency. When I was in this position I was called to be a Regional Representative for the Church in Central Peru and in South Peru. Years later I was released and was called to be the first counselor to a small branch president in Arequipa.

When I was in this position I was called by the First Presidency to be the Peru Lima East Mission president. With all these callings I had the blessing to be trained by General Authorities, Apostles and Prophets, face to face. I also had the opportunity to preside over Stake Conferences and give a lot of speeches.

With all these callings, Angela was close to me. When I was called as mission president, she was set appart as full time lady missionary and as the mission president's wife. That's why a mission president's wife presides over her missionaries, branches and districts with her husband in all mission meetings.

Weeks later after I was released as the Parkway 6th Branch president here in Provo, I met the second counselor in the Stake, a member from Chile, and he told me: "Thank you for not having become inactive." That sounded weird to me.

I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he will stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh I will see God. (See Job 19:25,26).

I know that the Church is true, that Jesus Chirst is my Saviour and Redeemer, that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, that Thomas S. Monson is the Prophet, and that the Book of Mormon comes from God as a witness of Jesus Christ, our Lord, that this book was revealed in the latter days to teach the doctrine of Christ and to strengthen our testimonies, and ... that my testimony is true.