Let me start with a little background about our daughter, Camila, her mortal journey, promises made to her before she died, and the miracles of the Lord:
In 1992, while living in Brazil, I was approached by another member of the Church to see if I wanted to adopt a nine-year-old girl who was living with her aunt at that time. My wife and I were told that her mother was in some type of a long-term care facility at that time. We didn’t know much more about her mother, but chose to accept Camila as our daughter. Little did we know the terrible disease that she had inherited from her mother. Her adoption was completed a year later and she came to the U.S. with us when my work assignment in Brazil was completed in 1996.
On January 3, 2001, our daughter Camila turned 18 years old. She wanted to get married to her boyfriend, Eddie, and she wanted it to be in the temple. Eddie was preparing to be worthy to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and they were thinking about getting married later in the year. On January 6, Camila and Eddie came to our home and announced that they were planning on going to Las Vegas to get married that night. I thought that they were joking. Since it was already 6:00 pm, I jokingly agreed that that would be okay with me as long as they were home by midnight which was Camila’s curfew. They never came home that night, but called us from Las Vegas the next day, announcing that they were now married, on Debbie’s birthday, January 7. Apparently, they were dared by Eddie’s sister and brother-in-law to get married right away and they accompanied them to Las Vegas. It was the least expensive wedding we ever had for any of our children. The next month, Eddie did receive the Melchizedek Priesthood, but the visit to the temple never occurred. Eddie ended up passing away in June 2015. Soon after, Camila entered into long term care at a care center. Eddie’s sister, who had accompanied them to Las Vegas, took over the care of their four children.
Two and a half years before our daughter Camila passed away from her debilitating disease, she had become extremely emotional and reactive and was hardly sleeping at all. On February 20, 2020 she was admitted to the hospital and I was privileged to spend several hours with her. The following is from my journal that day:
“She was very irritable and would point, yell, and thrash her body around. I assumed that this was part of her declining health as her brain continues to deteriorate. In between tests and doctor visits, I had about thirty minutes alone with her. I started to talk to her about her life experiences and challenges. I kept expressing my love for her and tried to share the love that God and Jesus Christ have for her. Then I took time to give her a father's blessing, releasing her to the will of Heavenly Father and pleading for peace in her heart and soul. During the entire blessing, she laid quietly and appeared to listen intently. After the blessing I felt a profound love for my wonderful daughter and a strong sense of peace in the room. I was in tears and the influence of the Holy Ghost was strong. I promised her that we would seal her to Eddie after she passes and would do temple work for her biological mother and grandmother. I felt that I was on holy ground. Finally, she slept in peace for about another 10 to 15 minutes.”
Since she passed away in 2022, this promise has been on my mind. Right after her passing, I had further contact with her biological cousin in Brazil, who shared with me birth and death certificates of her biological mother and grandmother. This was a beginning of preparing for temple ordinances for each of them. Soon after that, Debbie was diagnosed with heart failure and after her treatment we prepared for and served our mission in Palmyra. We did prepare the Family History work for Camila. Debbie received initiatory ordinances on her behalf and her sister Gina received the temple endowment for Camila right before Christmas 2023, 13 months after her death.
We could not do the temple work for Eddie, since his grandparents had reserved the temple ordinances. However, they never did the work and his grandfather passed away last year. At that time, we were on our mission in Palmyra. I contacted Eddie’s biological grandfather, David Coombs, who I had met the previous year. He had told me that he wanted to do the temple work for Eddie.
When we returned home from our mission, these temple ordinances weighed heavy on my heart. I knew that I had made a promise which I had not yet fulfilled. When we came back, I was unable to contact David Coombs, despite leaving messages. Not knowing his status, I chose to move forward with the temple work for Eddie. This required the permission of a close relative. Our grandson, Caide, signed a paper authorizing me to do the temple work for his father, which allowed me to be proxy for Eddie’s initiatory and endowment ordinances. As I received the initiatory ordinances for Eddie, I had special feelings as I thought about his being washed clean, anointed, and clothed in the garment of the holy priesthood. We were now ready to have Eddie and Camila sealed in the temple, fulfilling Camila’s desire from many years ago and my promise. As we contemplated when to have this sealing performed, we decided to schedule it for January 7, which was the day that they were married 24 years previous. This again happened to be Debbie’s birthday!
I entered again into contact with Camila’s biological cousin, not a member of our Church, and was able to piece together more information of her biological mother and grandmother. Apparently, each had suffered the same disease and none of the three had been able to raise their own children. Both the mother and grandmother did not have a husband when their daughters were born. I found that Camila’s mother was raised by her uncle and aunt, the sister of her biological mother. She was officially adopted later in her life so that she could be included as an heir to their estate. I learned that her aunt also spent many years in the hospital and passed away at the age of 39, apparently with a similar disease as these others. This has made my heart even more drawn to these amazing individuals who had suffered so much in their mortal lives. I also felt kinship with this uncle and aunt who had assumed a similar relationship with Camila’s mother as I had assumed with Camila, that of an adoptive parent. I felt a strong need to do their temple work. With this additional information, I was able to enter their data into Family Search and even found their next generation of ancestors.
Since I have no biological relationship to these women, I was not allowed to do the temple work for those born after 1910. While in Palmyra, our grandson Caide was diagnosed with the same disease. Caide gave me permission to do this work, but that also was not accepted according to the policies of Family Search, since he is not a child, sibling or parent of any of these individuals. On November 9, 2023 I went to the Lord in prayer and asked for a miracle, to be allowed to do these temple ordinances as I had promised Camila. Immediately, I was reminded of Camila’s aunt, who had guardianship of Camila when we adopted her. She was a member of the Church but not active. I asked her to authorize us to do this work, which she eventually did. She was Camila’s mother’s half-sister through adoption and that allowed us to do temple ordinances for her. However, the others did not have close enough relationships for her authorization to be honored.
While we were in the middle of this process, we called our friend, Elder Jorge Alvarado of the Seventy, to wish him a happy birthday. As we talked a little, he told us of his service as a member of the Family History Committee of the Church. After hanging up, Debbie said, “perhaps Elder Alvarado can help you get approval to do these ordinances”. I really felt that although we were outside the technical letter of the law, our desires were within the spirit of the rules of Family Search. I sent an exception request to Elder Alvarado. A week later, I received an email from someone in the Family History department who was reviewing our request. Even then, we texted back and forth for over two weeks. Finally, on December 23, 2024 we received the following approval text, “This is a BIG exception, but we have considered your love and interest for these important people for you!”. This was the best Christmas present that we could have received.
While working through this process, I felt a need to exercise more faith, so I scheduled a baptism appointment on the day after Christmas and an initiatory appointment for the following day. We had already completed the ordinances for the ancestors born before 1910. Our granddaughter McKenzie was willing to go with us the day after Christmas to do the baptisms for the women and I did the one baptism for the adoptive father. On Friday, Debbie and I received the initiatory ordinances for each of them. On Saturday, Beckie and Eric went to the temple in Seattle, Washington and received the endowments on behalf of the adoptive parents. The next Friday, Debbie received the endowments on behalf of Camila’s biological mother and grandmother. Finally, on January 7, 2025, we joined in the sealing room for this sacred occasion. We invited Jacob and Deborah Rueckert, our son and daughter-in-law, our daughter, Beckie and Eric (her boy-friend), and David Coombs to participate. David had suffered a heart attack and was incapacitated for some time, but he did respond to an invitation that I had sent to him for this special sealing session.
Across the altar, Debbie represented Camila and David represented, his son Eddie, as these two were sealed for eternity 24 years after their earthly marriage. We know that they must accept these ordinances on the other side of the veil, but we trust that the mercy and love of our Heavenly Father will honor these ordinances as they accept and follow the Savior.
Then Beckie and I acted as proxy for Camila’s biological mother’s adoptive parents as they were sealed. Jacob and his wife, Deb, acted as proxies for the two couples who were the progenitors of all those involved in the sealing room that day that were born in Brazil. We took turns performing sealings of Camila’s mother to her adoptive parents, the adoptive father to his parents, and Camila’s biological grandmother and her sister to their biological parents. The spirit in that sealing room was strong and the joy in my heart was overwhelming. Not only was my promise fulfilled, but these wonderful people who had suffered so many mortal trials are now able to accept these ordinances which will bring them eternal life, without the mortal limitations that they had. Our son Jacob, mentioned in a talk in Church a few weeks later, that this was a healing moment for him, as he had struggled mightily with the death of his sister. This was certainly a case where I pled with the Lord for this miracle and it was granted. I testify that when we expect miracles, as President Nelson has taught us, we can see the hand of the Lord at work. He is a God of Miracles!
Flowchart of Camila's biological ancestors and their involvement with the HDL2 disease:
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| Temple Sealings that were performed on January 7, 2025 |
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| Our 500 piece puzzle, not easy, but it was completed in one night! |
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| Kaleb was ordained by his father, Jason |
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| Kaleb with his Opa and Oma on January 1 |
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| With Jacob (teacher) and Jasper (deacon) right after their ordinations |
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| In front of the Taylorsville Utah Temple after doing baptisms for the dead |
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| The three Hennessys had another lunch commitment so we just took these two young Digernesses. They ate their hamburgers really well, but the Iceberg shakes were a little big for their eating capacity |
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| A little light on the presents |
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| A birthday dessert at the Olive Garden |
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| and a theater all to ourselves as we saw the new movie "Wicked" for the first time |
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| We even stopped to pick up a 'big' carrot cake for her birthday! |
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| The puppies came six days later. They came from China and can be turned on and off! |
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| Debbie, taking her dogs for a walk a few days later |
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| Our recent inservice meeting with over 100 teachers participating |
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| Our January 6 Come Follow Me study group |
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| I started with Christina Weber and her father from her birth record. Now she is connected to 9 more direct ancestors and multiple siblings for her, her father, and her grandparents. |
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| Jacob with the "Treblemakers" |
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| Jasper with the 6th grade choir |
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| Jasper and Jacob after the concert |
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| Jacob in his "Treblemakers" shirt |
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| Poppy turning 6, celebrating on Zoom |
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| Watching her open her presents a week later in person |
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| Austin for his first birthday |
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| Evelyn turning 10 |
Charity:
Charity is the pure love of Jesus Christ which He hast had for the children of men. “It is shown perfectly and purely in Christ's unfailing, ultimate, and atoning love for us.”
- Charity is the pure love of Christ, the tree of life, “which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.” Its source is Jesus Christ. (1 Nephi 11:21-22)
- The greater definition of "the pure love of Christ," however, is not what we as Christians try but largely fail to demonstrate toward others but rather what Christ totally succeeded in demonstrating toward us. True charity has been known only once. It is shown perfectly and purely in Christ's unfailing, ultimate, and atoning love for us. It is Christ's love for us that "suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not." It is his love for us that is not "puffed up.., not easily provoked, thinketh no evil." It is Christ's love for us that "beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." It is as demonstrated in Christ that "charity never faileth." It is that charity—his pure love for us-without which we would be nothing, hopeless, of all men and women most miserable. Truly, those found possessed of the blessings of his love at the last day—the Atonement, the Resurrection, eternal life, eternal promise-surely it shall be well with them. (Eider Jeffrey R. Holland)
- 2 Nephi 21:15 For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel. 16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
- 3 Nephi 17:7 I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy.
- Ether 12: 33 And again, I remember that thou hast said that thou hast loved the world, even unto the laying down of thy life for the world, that thou mightest take it again to prepare a place for the children of men. 34 And now I know that this love which thou hast had for the children of men is charity;
Charity is a gift of the Spirit and is required for us to become the sons of God, purified even as he is pure. “Pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son.”
- Moroni 7: 44 If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity. 46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail— 47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. 48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.
- Thus, the miracle of Christ's charity both saves and changes us. His atoning love saves us from death and hell as well as from carnal, sensual, and devilish behavior. That redeeming love also transforms the soul, lifting it above fallen standards to something far more noble, far more holy. (Eider Jeffrey R. Holland)
- "Real charity is not something you give away; it is something that you acquire and make a part of yourself. And when the virtue of charity becomes implanted in your heart, you are never the same again. It makes the thought of [putting others down] repulsive. (Elder Marvin J. Ashton)
Charity is displayed by how we feel about others and how we treat them, what we “become”.
- 2 Nephi 26:30 The Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love. And except they should have charity they were nothing. Wherefore, if they should have charity they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish.
- Jacob 2:17 Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you.
- Mosiah 4: 26 I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants.
- Mosiah 18: 8-9 As ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light; Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort
- Mosiah 28: 3 Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble.
- Alma 1:30 And thus, in their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need.
- Alma 24: 18 And this they did, it being in their view a testimony to God, and also to men, that they never would use weapons again for the shedding of man’s blood; and this they did, vouching and covenanting with God, that rather than shed the blood of their brethren they would give up their own lives; and rather than take away from a brother they would give unto him; and rather than spend their days in idleness they would labor abundantly with their hands.
- Alma 34:28 And now behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, do not suppose that this is all; for after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need—I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith. 29 Therefore, if ye do not remember to be charitable, ye are as dross, which the refiners do cast out, (it being of no worth) and is trodden under foot of men.
- 3 Nephi 12: But behold I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you;
- Moroni 8: 16 Behold, I speak with boldness, having authority from God; and I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear. 17 And I am filled with charity, which is everlasting love; wherefore, all children are alike unto me; wherefore, I love little children with a perfect love; and they are all alike and partakers of salvation.
- "Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don't judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone's differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn't handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another's weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other" (Elder Marvin J. Ashton)
- Elder Dallin H. Oaks - “Becoming” - 2000 - “The reason charity never fails and the reason charity is greater than even the most significant acts of goodness he cited is that charity, “the pure love of Christ” (Moro. 7:47), is not an act but a condition or state of being. Charity is attained through a succession of acts that result in a conversion. Charity is something one becomes. Thus, as Moroni declared, “except men shall have charity they cannot inherit” the place prepared for them in the mansions of the Father (Ether 12:34)”
- Moroni 7: 45 And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
- Bearing all things" is translated from the Greek word "stegei " which can mean to cover or shelter, while "enduring all things" comes from "hypomenei" meaning to persevere. Suddenly, bearing all things had a different significance. It is providing a shelter where people can come with their weakness and feel the relief of knowing they are covered and protected. . . As Elder Maxwell said, “So often what people need so much is to be sheltered from the storms of life in the sanctuary of belonging.”
“Faith, Hope and Charity are intertwined . . . and may not always be precisely distinguished. . . All three relate to our Redeemer. Faith is rooted in Jesus Christ, hope centers in His atonement, charity is manifest in the pure love of Christ.”
- President Nelson in a BYU devotional from 1995 said, "Have you noticed in the scriptures that hope seldom stands alone? Hope is often linked with faith. Hope and faith are commonly connected to charity. Why? Because hope is essential to faith. Faith is essential to hope. Faith and hope are essential to charity. They support one another like legs on a three-legged stool. All three relate to our Redeemer. Faith is rooted in Jesus Christ hope centers in his atonement, charity is manifest in the pure love of Christ. These three attributes are intertwined like strands in a cable and may not always be precisely distinguished. Together they become our tether to the celestial kingdom.
- "Each principle is significant within itself, but each also plays an important supporting role. Each is incomplete without the others. Hope helps faith develop. Likewise, true faith gives birth to hope. When we begin to lose hope, we are faltering also in our measure of faith. The principles of faith and hope working together must be accompanied by charity, which is the greatest of all. According to Mormon, 'charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever' (Moroni 7:47). It is the perfect manifestation of our faith and hope. "Working together, these three eternal principles will help give us the broad eternal perspective we need to face life's toughest challenges, including the prophesied ordeals of the last days. Real faith fosters hope for the future; it allows us to look beyond ourselves and our present cares. Fortified by hope, we are moved to demonstrate the pure love of Christ through daily acts of obedience and Christian service". (M. Russell Ballard, "The Joy of Hope Fulfilled," Ensign, Nov. 1992, 33).
- Doctrine and Covenants Section four says that those are what qualify us to do the work of the Lord, faith, hope, charity and love with an eye single to the glory of God qualify us for the work. In Ether it says, "Faith, hope, and charity bringeth unto me the fountain of all righteousness." Alma says, "See that ye have faith, hope, and charity and ye will always abound in good works." These are the gifts. Moroni told us quoting his Father Mormon to pray with all of the energy of soul that were filled with these three gifts. . .They're different gifts, but they're related. I like to define faith as trust-based action in Christ. Hope is a personal assurance that God will fulfill his promises to us through Christ. Charity is having a loving relationship with God through the grace of Christ. They're all centered in Christ, but one of them is trust, one of them leads to hope in the promises, and one of them leads to love. . . Faith is to have such confidence and trust that you will leap. You will take that step into the unknown because you trust the person and you trust Christ. In this analogy, he's the father in the water. And then hope is when you are caught, you know that he is good for his promises, you know he will support and deliver what he's promised. That's the gift of hope. Charity is feeling that loving embrace, that hug that I love you, you're my child. If you have those three, you will do the work of the Lord, you will always abound in good works and it will lead you to the fountain of all righteousness. Now, that's why he says, if you don't, in verse 22, you're going to be in despair. If you're not having faith, hope and charity, it's only because of wickedness. You're not willing to trust God, you're not willing to act. You're not willing to take those steps because otherwise you would know of his promises and of his love. (Follow Him with Anthony Sweat)
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