Feliz Dia de Los Reyes Magos!

The Three Wise Men

January 6, Dia de los Reyes Magos in Spain.

Greetings from the island of Mallorca on the evening of a national holiday in Spain (and in other countries). Dia de los Reyes Magos or Día de los Tres Reyes or Day of the Magi. January 5th and 6th are significant here as they sort of complete the Christmas season by celebrating the arrival of the “three wise men” to honor the Christ child and offer him precious gifts. We have had a fascinating experience learning about the tradition and customs here in Spain, focusing on this event in the Scriptures, and how this story relates to us today, specifically in relation to missionary work throughout the world. This could be a long and detailed message, but I will try to summarize what we have learned, felt, and experienced.
So, this is a major holiday and celebration in Spain. The night of January 5-6, the three Magi come to each home and offer gifts to children in commemoration of their gifts to Jesus 2,000 years ago. Custom is that children can write letters to the Reyes Magos asking for a toy. We actually saw some trees with these letters hanging on the branches. If the child has been “good” he/she receives a gift from the Magos. If not, they receive a “sack of coal.” This happens at night so when the family wakes up on January 6th, the presents are there (like a second Christmas morning). We had never heard of this holiday or celebration before. Kind of interesting to see and experience the lead-up and anticipation of this event here in Spain!
With several members of the church here in Palma, we attended a Parade last night (Jan 5th) with thousands and thousands of our “closest friends.” The anticipation of seeing the three Magi was intense, even to the point of pushing and crowding to get the best view. The parade culminated in three large floats, one each for Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar the three Reyes Magos. It was a big thing in this city as it is in cities through the country. We ended up being in a group of about 30 members from the Branches here in Palma, so it was a fun night.
On January 6th, the actual holiday, after opening the gifts from the Magi, there is the tradition of eating a special cake, the “Rascón de los Reyes.” Inside this cake are wrapped two small items: a bean (like a lima bean) and either a King or the Christ child. Everyone certainly wants to find in their piece of cake, the King or Christ child to receive good blessings.
Tonight, the evening of January 6th, we had the amazing experience of having a Devotional with all three of the missions in Spain – via zoom. This was pretty incredible to get all of the missionaries in the country of Spain together for a special occasion. It was fun to toggle through the screen on the zoom call and see the faces of all the missionaries in this amazing country. Our speaker and special guest for the Devotional was brother John Bytheway. As usual, he combined some lighthearted moments with some powerful principles – it was a wonderful Devotional! One of the scriptures he emphasized was                           D&C 111:11: “Therefore, be as wise as serpents, and yet without sin; and I will order all things for your good, as fast as ye are able to receive them. Amen.” After the Devotional, I started going through the Scriptures trying to understand what being “wise as serpents” means. I invite you to go on the scripture chain following the Scriptures that use the phrase “wise” or “wise as serpents.” It’s pretty fascinating! I concentrated on that word, “wise” and the “wise men.” Spiritual impressions came and an understanding and appreciation for what the story of the wise men 2,000 years ago means for me and us today. Hopefully this will make sense for you.
So, it’s been interesting to learn about and experience the two big celebrations here: Christmas and the birth of Jesus and Dia de los Reyes Magos and the commemoration of the gifts given to the Christ child by the Wise Men.
Let us take you to the Bible Dictionary, under Wise Men of the East, “Matthew 2 states that wise men, guided by a new star, came to Bethlehem to worship Jesus sometime after his birth. Who these men were, we are not told, but it is certain they were not ordinary men. That they were privileged to search out the son of God and give him gifts, and that they were spiritually sensitive and knowledgeable, suggests that they were actually prophets on a divine errand. They evidently were holy men from a land east of Palestine.”
And under Magi: “Their identification is not made known in the scriptures, but it is certain that they were righteous men sent on an errand to witness the presence of the son of God on the earth. Their spiritual capacity is evident; they were able to see the star when others could not; they knew its meaning and brought gifts to the young child. Their knowledge was precise and accurate. It seems likely that they were representatives of a branch of the Lord’s people somewhere from east of Palestine, who had come, led by the Spirit, to behold the son of God, and who returned to their people to bear witness that the King Emmanuel had indeed been born in the flesh.”
Wow! Lots of things stood out, like:
“It is certain they were not ordinary men”
“They were spiritually sensitive and knowledgeable “
“They were actually prophets on a divine errand”
“They evidently were holy men”
“It is certain that they were righteous men sent on an errand to witness the presence of   the son of God on the earth “
“They were able to see the star when others could not”
“They knew its meaning “
“Their knowledge was precise and accurate”
“To bear witness that the king Emmanuel had indeed been born. “
Again… Wow! Do we know of such “wise men” today? Certainly, we do!
This material in the Bible Dictionary, the scriptures detailing centuries of prophecy of the coming of the Messiah, scriptures detailing the humble birth of Christ and the account of the wise men, celebrations of the Reyes Magos here in Spain, the approaching Second Coming of Christ, signs or “stars” of his return to the earth, Brother Bytheway’s reminder for us to be “wise,” thinking about what “gifts” we could offer to Jesus Christ like the Magi did, how all this relates to the Gospel message being shared throughout Spain and all the world, and President Russell M. Nelson’s invitation to help gather Israel and prepare for the Second Coming of Christ ……….. all of this spiritually came together.
It is an incredible story, an incredible Great Plan of Happiness! Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, is returning. We have Prophets and Apostles today leading us to Christ. We have “wise men and women” helping us prepare for that blessed event. We can offer our personal “gifts” to the Savior – our love, service, time, dedication, faith, obedience, sacrifice, devotion, and steadfastness. Maybe Lea and I are realizing even more why we are on this mission. We are part of an amazing work. We have a powerful and eternal message to share! This is the greatest work on the earth today! This celebration of the Reyes Magos here in Spain has opened my spiritual eyes to greater and more profound truths! Like 2,000 years ago, we have wise men, gifts, stars, and an upcoming blessed and holy event!
The fruits of the Gospel are many. One of those is baptism. We can help others to see and recognize the star. We can help them see, recognize and follow the Savior. In this letter, we recognize those who have recently committed to following Christ through the ordinance of baptism here on Mallorca. It is a blessing for us to know these great people and to observe their conversion process.
Like the three Magi – los Reyes Magos, we can all make the effort to seek out Jesus Christ, offer our best selves and follow Him.
Les amamos!
Élder y Hermana Taylor

Baptism in Palma Uno

Baptism with Branch President and Mission Leader

Special Baptism