Spotlight: Piedmont Branch (Spanish)

Getting To Know President Gabe San Martin

Posted: Sunday - August 6, 2023

Today we're going to meet a fairly new member of our stake, and the branch president of the Piedmont Branch, President Gabe San Martin. We're grateful his family moved here!

How did you find Jesus in your life?

I can't remember a time of my life when I didn't believe in the existence of God and Jesus Christ. Growing up, my family and I attended many different churches, until we found the missionaries in the winter of 2004. We had just moved from Chile to New York City for a second time. The lesson on the plan of salvation had a big impact on me. It answered some of the questions that up to that point in my life, I had no answers to. I was baptized in March of 2005 at the age of 16. I was baptized knowing that what I was learning was what had made the most sense to me up to that point. I knew the Church and what it represented was good. My testimony of the Book of Mormon and all the other knowledge and certainty that comes with it didn't come to me until about a year later. It came to me one night as I was reading the Book of Mormon before going to bed. From that moment on, I have known that this is the Church of Jesus Christ restored through the prophet Joseph Smith. That knowledge changed things for me, soon thereafter I found a true desire to serve a mission. I served in the Pocatello Idaho Mission and the deepening of my testimony during that time has served as the foundation for the rest of my life.

How did you meet your wife?

I met Erika when the missionaries brought me to church. At the time seminary was in the evenings for some reason, so we met in seminary class. As I investigated and later joined the church we were part of the same youth, our interactions were mostly in the context of the youth group. We began dating when I was 17 and dated until I went on my mission at age 19. We broke it off before I left so I could focus on my mission and so that she could be free from any commitment. We agreed that if things were meant to work between us we would figure it out once I returned from my mission. We wrote to each other while I was serving. We began dating again about 6 months after I returned from my mission and got married 2 years later in 2012. We were sealed in the Washington D.C Temple.

What general conference talk has been on your mind lately and why?

There are 2 talks that have been on my mind recently. The first is "Jesus Christ is the Strength of Parents" given by Elder Uchtdorf in this past conference and the other is "Jesus Christ is the Strength of Youth" also given by Elder Uchtdorf in the October 2022 conference. I have been thinking about how I can help the youth of my branch and their parents understand the messages within both talks. I am thinking about having a fireside for the youth and their parents so we can learn from these talks, maybe with some breakout sessions or something like that. I am still working on the details, but I am excited about it.

What is your go-to ice cream flavor and why?

Chocolate is usually my go-to flavor but recently I discovered the Graham Central Station flavor at Ozzie's. If you are looking for a new flavor, I definitely recommend it.

Tell us about your family. 

Erika and I have two girls, ages 8 and 5.

Where else have you lived and how long have you lived in North Carolina?

I was born in Chile and moved to New York City when I was 8 years old. Returned to Chile when I was 12 and then again back to NYC when I was 16. Lived in NYC until 2020 when we moved to Provo, Utah so I could attend BYU to do an MBA. We have been in North Carolina for 1 year.