What each and every kid deserves

The Family: A Proclamation to the World
The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. "Children are an heritage of the Lord" (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

For more on building strong homes and families, visit family.lds.org

Address! - updated

My kind of town, Chimaaalt is, my kind of to-own...

(note: the above is NOT a picture of my home,

however it IS part of the town in which I live)

Here is the REAL address:

Mary Lindquist

c/o Niños de Guatemala

3 Av. 5-68 Zona 1
Quintas Los Aposentos
Chimaltenango, Guatemala

I´m not sure if it´s written in 1, 2, or 3 lines, so I just put my best guess. I figure it´ll get here somehow...or it won´t. One or the other.

Sending mail may be complicated, but sending smiles certainly is not! Here you are:

Now YOU try!

Comments

So I just found out that you all have the ability to post comments on here. Sorry I haven´t been responding, but I just found out the comments existed! So thank you all for your comments and for all your helpful advice, kind words, and the dash of nonsense. Always appreciated.

This week has been way busy, so I´ve much to write. However, I haven´t the time right now. So this is just your teaser entry. Tune in tomorrow (hopefully) for more!


Oh, by the way, it turns out the address I sent out earlier is NOT really where I´m living. It´s the address for where the orphanage used to be. There is a new address, which I lack access to right this minute. So....enjoy another helping of anticipation!

Thanks for everything! I love you all!

30 September 2008

Someone went home! One of our sweet little girls has returned to live with her family after the judges deemed them fit enough to take her back. We’re going to miss her quite a bit, but she is going to be so much happier. You should have seen her the morning she was preparing to leave. She dressed in her prettiest outfit, hair combed, bows everywhere, and the biggest smile you’ve ever seen. Every time she’d walk by, she’d stop to jump up in my or one of the other volunteers’ arms and say in her best English, “I love you!”
Now she’s home and we’re hoping and praying that she keeps practicing that phrase often, in whatever language it may be!

Hey! I memorized that other rhyme!
Tin Marín de do PingÜe
Cúcara Mácara Títere fue
Yo no fui, Fue Tete
Pégale, pégale al quién fue
Con la punta del Pingue!

Are Boyscout activities brutal all over the world? I’d never been to one before, and I went on Saturday. EVERY game was waaaay violent and I ended up with the most impressive bruises my arms have ever experienced. One looks like a smiley face! A giant, purple, painful smiley face. Totally worth it though.

Oh oh oh!! Martita, the cook, took me under her wing. Our relationship started because she was too short to plug in the blender. Beautiful, isn’t it? The outlet is about 5 feet tall, but there’s a 1-2 foot counter that adds some space. Pretty mighty feat for our mini-Mami. Her plea: !Soy pequenita! Too true, Mami Martita.
She taught me how to make tortillas! I’d wanted to learn so badly. She makes amazing tortillas, and we have them at nearly every meal. One day, she initiated me: “María, ¿me ayuda con las tortillas?” And later, “María, ¿Puede cortar los plátanos?” That’s right, she also taught me how to make fried plantains – one of my absolute FAVORITE foods. I get off lucky because some of my favorite foods are beans, rice, tortillas, and fried plantains. Pretty popular meals around these parts! Oh man, and there’s a drink called Atól which is the true “magically delicious” breakfast treat. Here´s a shot of some of the kids getting ready to eat in our happy abode:
Gringas! Those are amazing too. No, not me and my companions, but rather this taco-like food that consists of some sort of meat (street dog, perchance?), pineapple, cheese, and a salsa/pico concoction. It doesn’t sound that impressive, but they do something amazing to it, I know. They’re Guillermo’s favorite food, so he took us out for some last night. I don’t think I’ll ever be the same…

Okay, enough about food for now. AAh! I gotta go!

Hasta luego!!!