Sunday, Sept. 7 we went to "our" ward's meetings, only we arrived 2 hours early. We had the privilege of being in the sacrament meeting of the Garcia Gineres ward and then stayed for the block of meetings in the Barrio Centro. The members in Mérida, as everywhere, are trying to live the gospel and through sharing their experiences as they learn about doctrine and principles everyone is strengthened.
We went to the temple in the afternoon with the Oropezas and studied instructions to help us perform the ordinances more perfectly. It was the first time we have done this and we learned a lot.
Back home, for the first time we listened to the Young Adult Fireside through BYUTVstreaming over the computer. I'm posting ideas from the summary as published on MormonTimes.com that seem to apply to our family. We have all seen, and are seeing, challenges in our lives; some have been greater than others, but all are useful to help us learn important lessons.

The first lesson "is that everyone, including (and perhaps especially) the righteous, will be called upon to face trying times," resulting in "a spiritual loneliness." He then stressed, "But whenever these moments of our extremity come, we must not succumb to the fear that God has abandoned us or that he does not hear our prayers. ... He is there. Our prayers are heard, and when we weep, He and the angels weep with us."
The second lesson, according to Elder Holland, is that the Savior himself, though perfect, suffered trials so that He could deliver others from theirs.
The third lesson of Liberty Jail, he said, is that in times of difficult feelings, "the Lord reminds us from the Liberty Jail prison-temple that 'the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only (or "except") upon the principles of righteousness' (Doctrine and Covenants 121:36)."
He said that we learn from the Savior and prophets "that the real test of our faith and our Christian discipleship is when things are not going smoothly. That is when we get to see what we are made of and how strong our commitment to the gospel really is.
Concluding, Elder Holland said, "I testify that bad days come to an end, that faith always triumphs and that heavenly promises are always kept."
That is a wonderful promise, and we can testify of that also. God bless us, everyone.