By Efraín Zúñiga of Centro de Mision México-Texas
He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
(shared as part of the International Leaders Meeting, June 2025)
At the end of 2018, three elderly couples and two grandchildren of my brothers, Leodegario Salas and his wife Josefina Almaguer, as well as Brother Guadalupe Rodríguez and his wife Carolina Rodríguez, and I got together.
Our goal was to donate time and money to provide food for relatives visiting patients at a public hospital. Visiting hours are in the afternoon, and many visitors take hours to get in, sometimes arriving from work without having eaten.
We started by bringing tortas (similar to hamburgers) and sandwiches, along with water and bottled juice. People gladly accepted them and sometimes asked for a second helping, which we happily provided.
We invited them to attend our temple to worship and pray for their families, but we had little success. Despite this, we continued our efforts until the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to stay home in March 2020, which also led to the death of my wife. Currently, only three of us remain active, as one couple cannot walk without assistance. We hope to have the strength to restart this service with the support of other members and continue giving thanks to God, our Creator, and Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, for the many blessings we have received so far, both material and spiritual, along with our families and brothers and sisters in Christ.
Brothers and sisters, those who receive are filled with joy, gladness, and health. Those who give and receive the same in greater measure are giving to a stranger as a representative of Jesus Christ, a little or a lot of the love he has for us. Let us remember that God is love.
Prayer Phrase
“For in him all things…were created…” (Colossians 1:16).
The International Community
Find (or imagine) a globe or map of the world. Look at all the nations and find a country other than your own. Notice the geographic distance between your homeland and this one. Picture a person living there. Pray for this person. Sense God’s love connecting you just as the oceans connect the continents. Thank God for the spiritual connection you have with all of God’s people around the globe. Ask a blessing on the church as a community sharing Christ’s peace, drawing all into the family of God.
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.