Title: Reaching for the Savior
Author: Reyna I. Aburto
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Religious Non-Fiction
Year Published: 2021
Number of Pages: 151
Binding: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook
ISBN 13 Hardcover: 9781629728728
Price: $17.99
Reviewed by Dan Call for the Association for Mormon Letters
I jumped at the opportunity to read and review Reaching for the Savior. Since I became aware of her in 2017 when she was called to serve in the Relief Society General Presidency, Reyna Aburto has continuously won me over with her conference addresses and ministry. Having watched with excitement the increase in the global composition of church members and leadership, I take great comfort in seeing how her life story and experience in the U.S. (familiar to me, as a son of a Latin-American woman who lived in similar circumstances) are not only amplified by her office but also proven valuable in ministering to the needs of saints around the globe.
Early on in Reaching for the Savior, Reyna Aburto acknowledges that “sometimes we find ourselves amid tribulation and sorrow. We experience heart-wrenching situations, and it becomes hard to find the strength to go on” (p. 3). Coming from just about any other leader in the church, I would read this as a statement of faith, earned through study and empathy. As I read on, though, it became clearer than I imagined that Aburto penned these words from her own sorrows and tribulations. Throughout the text, her words of comfort and reassurance command respect as we learn of the crosses she has borne and helped others to bear. More than most other contemporary church leaders I can think of, she has lived through sustained periods of loss, instability, and suffering. In the chapter where she explores how faith is tempered through times of trial, for example, she identifies with the image from Elder Uchtdorf’s story of a church in Dresden, rebuilt from bricks blackened by the fires of World War II. Where other writers more interested in crafting a self-improvement narrative might stop at this point, Sister Aburto turns it into a moment to empathize with readers who may be going through their own trials. Speaking directly to them, she writes, “please do not give up, please keep trying, please keep reaching to the Savior so He can heal you” (p. 121). In someone else’s hands, these words might connect differently, but in Sister Aburto’s writing, they dance with the grace and sincerity of a witness who has lived in them.
Having joined the church as an adult, there are also appreciated glimpses of what it was like for her to grow into her covenants. Her initial approach to tithing, for instance, did not follow the fully-faithful-from-the-get-go pattern that is so often preferred in conversion narratives. Instead, we are treated to a vulnerable account of how, as a young, divorced mother stretched emotionally and financially thin, she did as best as she could until she was ready to do more. Rather than a firm line drawn by a church leader, it was ultimately a supportive group of friends who were good at listening that compelled her to take the plunge.
In some respects, Sister Aburto has grown into the unique doctrines of our church even better than many lifelong members. Throughout this book, we are treated to regular and loving references to Heavenly Parents as a source for support and inspiration. The implied inclusion of Heavenly Mother in her writing is most welcome and reflects the openness with this unique teaching of ours that I see growing numbers of leaders and members owning through our speaking habits. In doing so, Sister Aburto’s writing humbly helps to create circumstances in which we may receive greater light and knowledge.
At the same time, even though she has wholeheartedly leapt into the church, Sister Aburto acknowledges that not all is well in Zion. With warmth Reaching for the Savior calls attention to ways in which we could improve at naming and confronting emotional ailments. I connected deeply with the personal story about a family member’s wrestle with depression: from experiencing shame and confusion for her feelings to understanding what was happening and confronting the cultural context that worsens the condition. She writes that as she sought to serve in her current calling, she “would get the feeling that the subject of emotional issues needed to be addressed more openly among the members of our Church” (p. 127). As an Elders Quorum president, a public-school teacher, and a father, I’ve watched over the last year as people close to me have racked up a number of emotional issues with which (without diminishing the importance of professional help) we could all do a better job of supporting one another. This particular moment in history as we prepare for the post-pandemic reckoning actually seems to be calling us to do this.
Sister Aburto keeps her approach simple. Each of the fifteen chapters in Reaching for the Savior follows a pattern reminiscent of many talks given in church: an introduction to a theme, a personal experience related to the theme, a reflection on how the experience shaped the author, and a final summarizing statement tying each chapter back to the arch-theme of different ways we can approach the divine. The pattern makes the book accessible from several different angles, so rushed readers can gain something by only reading the chapters that interest them or perusing the end-of-chapter statements.