Partnership: Husband & Wife

Last night my old mission president Gamaliel Osorno from Valencia, Venezuela, gathered his little flock of past missionaries. He and his wife flew in from Venezuela for this weekend's LDS General Conference, which consists of four hours Saturday and four hours Sunday of talks from the prophet, the 12 apostles, and other church leaders and music from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I so look forward to this time each year—April and October—when we can hear the inspired words of the prophet and apostles. I can't wait for tomorrow. General Conference is broadcast by TV, Internet, and satellite all around the world, so even my brother Nate and his fellow Ghanians will get to watch it!

In April 2007 Elder Gamaliel Osorno was ordained to serve in the fourth Quorum of the Seventy to oversee the church in Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru(?). (I think Peru is included—I know it was five countries.) Just as groups of 70 elders were called in the Old and New Testaments to watch over and instruct the church, today the church also calls groups of 70 elders to be traveling ministers and watch over the church worldwide. President Osorno said there are more than 300 elders in the quorums of the seventies today, and they all met yesterday from 52 different countries! He said it was incredible to have his headphones on and hear all of the translations. Spanish is his only language.

So the reason I mention all of this is because one of the main topics of their meetings yesterday was to discuss the the cultural differences of the husband/wife relationship. He said that in the United States we don't have as much of this problem, although it does exist, but in other countries and cultures throughout the world there is a greater sentiment of male dominance (which I clearly saw in Venezuela, Mexico, Argentina, and Egypt). He said that it is a challenge for newly baptized members to grasp the emphasis the church puts on a partnership in marriage and abandon their cultural norms of women being subservient. Newly baptized men (as well as not-so-newly baptized men) are trying to learn less compulsion and more humility, and women are learning how to play more of an active role in the relationship to make them equal marriage partners.

Elder Osorno said, as you might imagine, that as couples are learning how to work in a partnership and show more respect for each other, they are happier and together move closer to God. Parents are then paving a way for their children—the next generation—to know how husbands and wives are to work together and support each other in love.

Any thoughts?