I
would like to express my love and appreciation to my eternal companion
for the support and love that she has completely extended to me through
all these years of membership in this Church. I suppose many of you
already know I came from the Philippines, home to close to 67 million
people, the Pearl of the Orient, but now a land devastated by
earthquakes, typhoons, floods, and even volcanic eruptions. But I will
not, however, talk about the calamities that have caused much hardship
and tested the faith of our people, but I would rather talk about the
great spiritual blessings that have been experienced in abundance as the
gospel is spread in the land.
The
restored gospel was first introduced by Latter-day Saint servicemen and
women while serving in the Philippines near the end of World War II,
but missionary work
officially started in the Philippines (from the records of the Southern
Far East Mission) on April 28, 1961, when Elder Gordon B. Hinckley,
then a member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, met with a small
group of members at the American War Memorial Cemetery in the suburbs of
Manila to offer a prayer invoking the blessing of the Lord on the
missionary work in the Philippines.
Before
giving his prayer, President Hinckley, in a brief talk, made this
prophetic statement: “What we begin here will affect the lives of
thousands upon thousands of people in this island republic, and its
effects will go from generation to generation for great and everlasting
good.” (Philippine Islands Area Conference, Aug. 1975, p. 20.)
After his brief remarks, President Hinckley offered a prayer in which he said:
“We
invoke Thy blessing, Father dear, upon the missionaries who shall come
here, that Thy Spirit may touch their hearts, that their lives may be
clean and virtuous, that their examples may be marvelous before the
people, that they may be blessed, as it were, with the ‘gift of
tongues,’ that they shall speak the language of the people, that they
shall work with singleness of purpose to Thy name’s honor and glory,
that they shall go forth without fear, that none shall stay them, and
that they shall declare with teaching and testimony, the restoration of
Thy holy work for the blessing of Thy children. Father, give them joy
and courage and faith and satisfaction in their labors, and make them
fruitful.
“We
invoke Thy blessings upon the people of this land, that they shall be
friendly and hospitable and kind and gracious to those who shall come
here, and that many, yea Lord, we pray that there shall be many
thousands who shall receive this message and be blessed thereby. Wilt
Thou bless them with receptive minds and understanding hearts, and with
faith to receive, and with courage to live the principles of the gospel,
and with a desire to share with others the blessings which they shall
receive. We pray that there shall be many men—faithful, good, virtuous,
true men—who shall join the Church and who shall receive the blessings
of the priesthood, and who shall accept and grow in leadership, that Thy
work here shall be handled largely by local brethren, under the
direction of those who hold the keys in this day and time, according to
the law and order of Thy church.” (Gordon B. Hinkley, “Commencement of
Missionary Work in the Philippines.”)
A
few days after that historic meeting, the first four full-time
missionaries arrived from the Southern Far East Mission based in Hong
Kong. From a handful of members in 1961, the Church in the Philippines
has since grown at a remarkable rate, now increasing by more than two
thousand members per month. As a result of close correlation by the
full-time missionaries and members, membership is now three hundred
thousand distributed in forty-eight stakes, sixty-five districts, and
thirteen missions. Five of the thirteen mission presidents and all the
eight regional representatives, all stake and district presidents are
now native Latter-day Saints. Sixty to 70 percent of the more than two
thousand full-time missionaries now laboring in the field are also
native Latter-day Saints. And now, standing majestically in an elevated
grounds overlooking a valley where hundreds of thousands live in the
heart of Metro Manila, is the Manila Philippines Temple.
Surely
the prayer of President Hinckley is being fulfilled as thousands of
young men and women, as well as elderly couples, are responding to the
clarion call of the Lord, “that it is my will that you should proclaim
my gospel from land to land, and from city to city, yea, in those
regions round about where it has not been proclaimed.” (D&C 66:5.)
After
three years of working closely as mission president with these young,
devoted, upright, and virtuous missionaries, I am humbled and grateful
for the good they do. These young ambassadors of the Lord leave the
comfort of home and the companionship of loved ones and go to foreign
lands or places far from home, bearing strong testimonies of the Savior,
teaching the gospel with faith and sure knowledge of its truthfulness.
My testimony has been strengthened as I see the great effort of
missionaries to, among others, overcome homesickness, adapt to new
environment, new customs, new languages, which they must learn, and food
so different from Mother’s home-cooked meal, in their noble desire to
proclaim the gospel to the world.
I
am a witness to the daily acts of sacrifices of these missionaries as
they cheerfully endure hardships like energy-sapping walks of many
kilometers or riding on their bicycles under the heat of the burning sun
or the cold monsoon rain, and the discomfort of riding on fully loaded
jeepneys driving at high speed along bumpy and dusty roads to reach
teaching appointments on time.
Indeed
our modern day heralds of truth laboring in the Philippines and other
lands work hard and pray constantly to be worthy instruments of the Lord
in testifying and challenging all to come unto Christ through
repentance and baptism, “teaching them to [do] all things” which the Lord has commanded. (Matt. 28:20.)
Like the sons of Mosiah, “they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.” (Alma 17:2.)
And “they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore
they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when
they taught, they taught with power and authority of God.” (Alma 17:3.)
And “they did suffer much, both in body and in mind, such as hunger,
thirst and fatigue, and also much labor in the spirit.” (Alma 17:5.)
But after the completion of an honorable mission, like Ammon, one of
the sons of Mosiah, these missionaries can also say, “My joy is full,
yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God.” (Alma 26:11.)
We
are also witnessing the literal fulfillment of the prayers and
blessings for the people of our land given by President Hinckley that
lovely April morning in 1961. Many thousands have been touched by the
Spirit as the gospel message is brought to many homes by committed
missionaries, with the help of members who willingly share the blessings
of their Church membership. We are often asked the reasons behind this
phenomenal growth in membership. I can only venture some opinions:
first, that being perhaps the only Christian
country in Asia for many centuries now had prepared the people for the
coming of the gospel. That the Philippines, being considered the third
largest English-speaking country in the world, certainly made it easier
for people to understand the message of the gospel and is the reason for
the fast development of the leadership skills of its members.
But
more important is the humble nature of the people and their dependence
on the Lord for the things they stand in need of, making them receptive
to the promptings of the Spirit. Because of economic difficulties
experienced in the Philippines, the gospel is the answer, and rightly
so, to the people’s prayer for a better way of life. As a result of the
gospel-centered lives of many Latter-day Saints, people around them see
changes in their lives that in turn give them hope. Member families may
still live in humble homes with dirt or bamboo floors and walls, but
because of their positive response to the gospel plan, and through their
obedience to the Lord’s commandments, they receive the promised
blessings and, as a result, people see the changes in these families who
are now living in a more sanitary condition and are healthier, more
educated, always ready and delighted to help others, grateful for what
they have, no matter how humble, and generally happier. They have obeyed
the Lord’s counsel to “learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the
meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me.” (D&C 19:23.)
Generally, however, the faith, devotion, and living of correct gospel
principles by the members have improved their lives not only spiritually
but also temporally, for did not the Lord say that the “willing and
obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days”? (D&C 64:34.)
That
the Lord will continue to bless our people with joy and peace of mind
as they obey His commandments and the counsels of our leaders in the
midst of adversity is my humble prayer in Jesus’ name, amen.
