Happy Valentine's Day --Dia de Carino

My heart is filled with love today as I think about our family members who are so very far away. I wish I could hold each of the little ones close to my heart. As I was waiting for the prayer meeting to start this morning I was thinking about love and recognized that the spirit of peace and love that fills our hearts is truly from a loving Father in Heaven. He loves each one of us and wants us to return to live with Him--to have eternal life. Somewhere recently I read that everything we do in the church points us towards the temple. I wondered about that at first--reflecting on sports, scouting, games, etc. But as I have thought about it more I realize it is true. We develop in areas that don't seem related, but each, hopefully, brings us closer to one another and we experience joy and happiness. That encourages us to want eternal relationships. It is only thru participating in temple ordinances that we CAN return to our Father in Heaven. As I participated in sealings this morning I thought about the happiness these families were experiencing to FINALLY be eternally linked. The tears were close to the surface. The temple was filled with patrons this morning--all bringing joy and light to those who have lived before. One sister came thru to receive her own endowments. She was sealed to her mother (who was her escort) and to her father who died last May. She was the last of the children in the family to be sealed. Both women radiated happiness. I am continually touched by how much these saints love the Lord. I met a sister today who lives in Huehuetenango near the Mexican border. She and her husband get up at 2 AM to prepare to serve in the temple. They walk 25 minutes to catch the bus and then ride two and a half hours on a bumpy road in order to arrive in time for our 6:30 AM shift. They do this every other Friday and are thrilled to be able to serve. Of course they repeat the process to return home by nightfall. What inspiring people. So many of these people have Mayan names--I wish you could hear the pronunciations for Ixcot, Socop, Poc, de Sac, Picox, de Boc etc. Fun and fascinating. I am happy to have a heart filled with love on this Valentine's Day. Thank you for your support and prayers. We love you so very, very much.