My Personal Life History

My name is Rebeca Martínez Pineda. I was born on October 26, 1968. I am the second of nine children. My brothers and sisters’ names are Alicia, Antonio, Audelia, Victoria, Laura, José Rodolfo, Hilda Beatriz, and Oscar. My youngest two siblings were born in Nuevo Leon. My father’s name is Sabino Martinez de Leon and my Mother’s name is María Josefina Pineda Posadas. The following picture was taken thirteen years ago. Actually, all my brothers and sisters are married. I have twelve nieces and twelve nephews. I also have two great-nieces and three great-nephews. During Christmas time when we have a dinner together we are almost fifty people!

Seven of my siblings, my parents and I, as well as most of my ancestors were born and raised in a small town called “El Realejo” in Guadalcazar, San Luis Potosi, Mexico.  When I was a child my brothers and sisters used to play in the fields near home. We didn’t have any kinds of toys, so we played in the trees, with the rocks, in the creeks formed by rain. We also played with domestic animals like chickens, pigs, hens, dogs, and a cat. My grandmother lived with us and she had fruit trees like apples, peaches, sapota, and apricots. My mother sowed corn and beans, while my father worked as a miner.  The following picture shows the house where my family and I lived until I was seven years old.

In this small town I finished my first two years of Elementary school. There were few children, so the school just had two groups. We used to go to school from 8 to 1 and 3 to 5 from Monday to Friday. I enjoyed a lot my life in this small town.  My childhood was very happy. I really miss the life in this picturesque place. After that, my parents decided to move to Nuevo Leon, Mexico, because in that small town there were not job opportunities for my father.  In this new place I finished my elementary and middle school education. Some of my cousins had migrated to Nuevo Leon a few years earlier, and one of them met the missionaries and he sent them to my family. I was baptized in the church when I was eleven years old (February 25, 1979). In that year just four of my nine siblings were baptized. My mom and three of the other siblings joined the Church in 1985.The missionary who taught us the gospel is from Veracruz, México. Here is a picture of him.

We were a big family, so my father could not pay everything. When I was seventeen I decided to continue my education at Benemérito de las Americas, a Church High School located in Mexico, Distrito Federal. I studied and worked there until I finished High School (from 1986 to 1989). Being in that school was a blessing in all aspects of my life because I got a strong testimony of the Gospel. My testimony was strengthened and I learned to keep a balance in all the spiritual, social, academic, and emotional aspects of my life. The experiences I lived there were a turning point in my life.

When I finished High School, I was almost  twenty-one years old and I had a strong desire to serve a mission, so when I was in my last year at Benemerito, I filled out my papers to serve on a mission. I was called to serve in Mexico-Hermosillo Mission from 1989 to 1991. I had thirteen wonderful companions and I met wonderful people in Obregón city, Guaymas and Hermosillo, Sonora. Twenty years have passed since I served my mission and I still keep in touch with some of the missionaries and my president and his family.  I lived wonderful experiences during my mission time. In the following picture there are some of the sister missionaries that served at that time. My companion and I are there too.

After I finished my mission (1991) I came back home and started to work to help my family and save money to go to the university. I began college education in 1992 and I got a Bachelors Degree in Linguistics (1998) and five years later I started a Masters Degree in TESOL (2003-2007).

After I got my bachelors degree, I had more time to travel to different places. My best friend (Kathy) and I visited some cities in Mexico like Puebla, Cholula, Mexico City, Casas Grandes, Chihuahua; and Guadalajara. We traveled together to Salt Lake City, Utah and we visited Provo, Jordan River, and Salt Lake temples. We used to serve as workers in the Mexico-Temple during our vacations.  I love traveling so I visited Mazatlan, Culiacan, Hermosillo, Guaymas, and Veracruz too.

I also had the opportunity to attend institute classes and be in the chorus. I enjoyed my time during my twenties and thirties because I had a very good time with my friends who are members of the church, so we used to go at the institute and attend religion classes and activities organized by the institute. Most of these friends got married in the temple and have strong families.

Since I was a single woman, I used to study hard and serve in the church in different callings. For ten years, after my mission I served in the Primary organization in different callings like teacher, primary president or counselor. I also have served in the Relief Society organization as a counselor or a teacher in the ward and in the stake. I was called to serve as a Family History Consultant for ten years in my ward and in the Family History Center. I have served in the temple as a worker for eleven years. I have had a lot of wonderful experiences in these callings. 

I met my husband in the temple when he went to receive his personal ordinances. He is from Spain, but he has lived in Monterrey, Mexico since 2008. He met the missionaries and joined the church in 2010. He says that he is so happy to be a member of the church. A year later (2011) he was prepared to go to the temple to receive his endowment. I was serving in the office of the temple, so I welcomed him to the House of the Lord and checked his data to register his ordinances. After that day he wanted to go out with me and he called a friend of mine who gave him my e-mail. He sent me some emails and we went out and got to know each other for a year before we got married and sealed in the Monterrey Temple on December 26, 2012.

We do not have children so we enjoy our time serving in our callings in the church. He’s a Sunday School President in our ward and I serve as a Young Women Counselor. We also enjoy serving together in the temple as workers twice a month. He works in a construction company from Monday to Saturday and I work at Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon from Monday to Friday. I have worked in different places and companies since I was fifteen years old. When I finished middle school my father told me that he could not pay for my education anymore, if I wanted to continue I needed to work and study at the same time. So I began to work in a Sewing Workshop until I was seventeen and then I went to study in a High School in Mexico. There I worked as a cleaner in the Seminary Building and as a domestic worker in the director’s house. When I came back from my mission I worked assembling automotive parts in an auto Assembly Company for three years (1991-1994). Then the company closed and I lost my job, but I worked as a babysitter for two years (1994-1996). When I was almost finished with my college education I got a job as an English teacher for a year and a half. Then I got a position in a university library. It was the most amazing job I have had. I enjoyed it a lot and I felt satisfied with that work. I learned a lot of things related to libraries and document delivery in an academic library. I worked there for twelve years (1998-2010). The following picture shows the library.

In 2010 I got offered a new position in my work as a language center coordinator and I felt that it was a new opportunity to grow, so I accepted it and I have worked in this language center for three years. I have a lot of work projects.

The Church and the Gospel of Jesus Christ have been an important part of my life. I have had a good life and beautiful spiritual experiences. I think that my life has been happy because our Heavenly Father has blessed me in different ways. He has given me the opportunity to get education, good jobs and a good family. One of the best blessing is the opportunity to meet my husband be together forever.