Review
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Title: Reaching for the Savior
Author: Reyna I. Aburto
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Doctrinal/Autobiography
Year Published: 2021
Number of Pages: 151
Binding: Hardback
ISBN13: 9781629728728
Price: $17.99
Reviewed by Trudy Thompson for the Association for Mormon Letters
I once heard a General Conference talk by Sister Aburto that left a lasting impression on me. There was one specific quote that stood out such, that I even called a dear friend of mine to share it with her. That quote was, “We can follow the Savior’s path and increase our compassion, diminish our tendency to judge, and stop being the inspectors of the spirituality of others” (October 2019 general conference). The line, “stop being the inspectors of the spirituality of others,” hit home with my friend. Sadly, she had endured an abusive marriage, where her husband constantly was criticizing her spirituality, among other things. The marriage had ended in divorce years before, but my friend felt validated in knowing that his behavior had been hurtful, demeaning, and harmful to her mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.
Sister Aburto has had an interesting and, at times a tragic life. She has learned and grown through the many experiences that she has had both before and after her call as Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency. In Reaching for the Savior, Sister Aburto shares with us the lessons that she learned as she and her family traveled this difficult yet rewarding path.
When she was nine years old, Sister Aburto’s life was changed forever. While at their home in Nicaragua, just three days before Christmas, a sudden and severe earthquake hit. Her parents and her three-month-old sister were spared, but her ten-year-old brother was killed instantly. Their home was a total loss, and they only had the clothes on their backs. A 6.3 magnitude earthquake had hit the country, killing 10,000, injuring 20,000, and displacing over 300,000. Relatives and neighbors ministered to them and took them in. Having been raised Catholic, she found herself wondering where her brother went after his passing and if she’d ever see him again.
When she was twenty-one, Sister Aburto moved to San Francisco to live and work. Five years later she was introduced to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and she, her younger brother, and their mother were baptized. Although Sister Aburto was married by this time and had a three-year-old son, she had come to realize because of her husband’s drinking and drug use she would have to leave him. They were later divorced.
Throughout Reaching for the Savior, Sister Aburto shows us the turmoil she has lived through – the earthquake, the death of her brother, a Civil War within her homeland, ongoing social and political strife, moving to a new country, the death by suicide of her father, learning a new language, finding employment, being a single parent, the mental health struggles of her daughter and more. The beauty of this book is that she is open with us about these struggles, but also lovingly shares how a loving Heavenly Father has guided and directed her and provided people along her path that have gently ministered to her and shown her “the better way of the Gospel of Jesus Christ”.
Each chapter in this book gives us a different way we can all “reach for the Savior”. This includes the daily reading of the Book of Mormon, temple attendance when available, strengthening those around us, strengthening ourselves and our wards, and ministering.
Sister Aburto shares the love and patience of those around her through her journey – including kind sisters in her ward that explained if she would try paying her tithing first, everything else would fall into place. She had stated that as a single mother she simply could not pay tithing – that every month there was a stack of bills that had to be paid. The ministering sisters did not judge her or shame her but suggested a better way.
Another heart-warming story in the book is of a five-year-old boy who approached Sister Aburto before she was to talk in General Conference. The boy proudly stated, ” I know who you are-and I said a prayer for you today!”
A large component of Reaching for the Savior deals with depression and anxiety. Because her daughter struggled with this, Sister Aburto did an extensive study to learn more about this issue, as it is so prevalent in our society today. She realized that unknowingly, society and traditions often make them worse. She clearly states that there is never a reason to hide the fact that you or someone you know is struggling. There is no shame or embarrassment in seeking help through church resources and the many resources available in our communities.
Reaching for the Savior is a much-needed, timely, and appreciated book. Every sister should read and share this book with those around them. There is a great deal that can be learned through the experiences and insights that Sister Aburto so willingly shares with us all. And through it all, she was being led, tutored, taught, and guided by Heavenly Father. It was a measure of that love, in my opinion, that her daughter returned from a successful mission, just three days before Sister Aburto was sustained in General Conference as the Second Counselor in the General Relief Society Presidency. God truly does move in mysterious ways!