Familia Rondon – Mother and Daughter Reunited

Over the course of the last year, I have had to turn several families away that have saught me out for various types of assistance. One of the lessons my Mission President taught me about the condition of the people in Venezuela was that we can’t solve all their financial problems, we have to allow their faith in God, and our faith in God to help carry them through the rough waters. I have tried to exercise that a little more this past 12 months.

While I was on my mission I grew really close to a member family that had a baby by the name of Nicole. I loved holding Nicole and we would eat lunch with the family two or three times a week. Because of the family situation, and my strong bond with Nicole, her mom asked me to give Nicole her baby blessing. Because of the strong Catholic influence in the culture, and specifically with this family, this was a huge honor for me.

Nicole is now in her teens. I have maintained contact with them for the past several years, but i have never been able or asked to help them. Her mom migrated to Colombia where she was working to save enough to bring Nicole over. In July her mom confided in me that Nicole was still living in Venezuela with family members and she was starving. I contacted the Companion that was with me at the time I gave her the blessing, and together, we were able to help get Nicole to Colombia with her mother. Life in Colombia is very challenging, but the news I get back from them is posative.