Tiffany and Kristy Agosto of Carolina, Puerto Rico

Written by Corliss Clayton

Puerto Rico means “rich port” in Spanish. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is indeed rich in beauty and heritage. In the eyes of Tiffany (10) and Kristy (6) Agosto, their family is one of the most beautiful things on the island. Tiffany especially loves Christmas, New Year’s, Thanksgiving—anytime when all her relatives get together. “We laugh and eat and pray together. We share what has happened to each of us in the past year,” she said.

Brother and Sister Agosto and Tiffany are the only members of the Church in their extended families. Kristy is looking forward to the day when she will be baptized. But when they get together with their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins to celebrate and pray together, “it isn’t a problem that we’re not all the same religion,” said Sister Agosto. “On Thanksgiving, we all go around the table, and each person says what they want to thank Heavenly Father for before we have the prayer.”

“Before I joined the church, I wondered if I could be a good parent,” said Brother Agosto. “But after I joined the Church, I was more grateful for all the family, and I learned patience.”

The two sisters are looking forward to the day when their family can go to the temple to be sealed together. “Then we can be together forever,” said Tiffany.

Both Tiffany and Kristy help around the house and take care of their dogs, Canella, Poochie, and Falco. Tiffany sweeps the floor, cleans her room, and helps prepare meals for the family. Her favorite food to cook is hamburgers. Kristy cleans, mops, and takes out the garbage.

They try to help their mother as much as possible, since she works. Because their father was injured on his job and can’t work right now, the girls get to spend more time with him. They also see a lot of their mother because she teaches English at their school. They ride there together in the morning, and home again after school.

Tiffany likes studying math and playing math games at school. She also loves drawing and painting. Spanish is the official language of Puerto Rico, but every child in school also has to study English, the second language. Kristy really likes studying English, but her favorite activity is reading. Anytime there’s a book around, she’ll pick it up and start reading.

The family always has a Book of Mormon in the car. When they’re traveling somewhere, Kristy will read it aloud to them. Her favorite Book of Mormon story is the one about Nephi and his brothers going back to Jerusalem to get the brass plates. Tiffany likes the story of how Alma repented and was converted to the church after he was visited by an angel.

Both girls know that Heavenly Father listens to and answers their prayers. Once, when Kristy was very sick with a bad case of flu, Tiffany suggested that the whole family pray for her to get better. They did, and Kristy quickly recovered.

Another time, Tiffany had to take a long and very important social studies exam at school. She had studied hard but was still afraid that she wouldn’t do well, so she prayed that Heavenly Father would bless her to do her best. She got over 90 on the exam—an excellent score!

When their Grandmother Rafael was sick, Kristy prayed that she would recover if it was Heavenly Father’s will, and she did.

Tiffany and Kristy enjoy having fun together. They like to play “One, Two, Three, Fish,” “Simon Says,” and hide-and-seek. Tiffany listens to Kristy read, and Kristy loves Tiffany to read a story to her. They both look forward to going to tide pools at the beach, where they can play and sometimes find sea creatures. They also like to “bury” each other in the sand.

“Kristy is important in my life,” Tiffany said, “because she will be around for a long time and will always be my best friend.” Kristy loves Tiffany “because she reads to me and helps me with my homework.” They both think being a family is pretty great, and try to do their very best for each other.

Pictures of Nauvoo, Illinois, and Hawaii temples, drawn by Tiffany Agosto.

Photographed by Corliss Clayton

1. Puerto Rico has many beautiful beaches.

2. The Agosto family enjoys doing things together.

3. Tiffany and Mom with two of their dogs

4. Biking

5. Kristy reading to her mother