My Personal and Family Commitment for Exaltation

Commitment, according to dictionary it may be referred to a dedication to one's work. It could be an obligation to fulfill one's promise. It may be an allegiance to one's group or organization. In my case, this is how I regard commitment as far as my membership in the Church is concerned.

In the first place, I became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1980, that is, 34 years ago. However, it took me 4 years to be converted in this Church. The missionaries were able to visit and taught me the essentials of the gospel of Jesus Christ sometime in 1976 but it was stopped after we had our first lesson.

When the missionaries were in a hurry to leave for their next appointment for it was about late in the evening. a Samoan missionary, very big one, stepped down our bamboo stair attached to our improvised "pantaw" and accidentally destroyed it. Our "banga" (jar) full of water went down with it and was broken. They didn’t look back or mind it at all.

It didn't bother me at all. Instead I was excited and long for their next appointment. I waited for them the following week, but they didn't arrive. Until a new pair of full-time missionaries arrived 4 years later. We were already transferred to the house of my parents just a stone throw away from our previous house. On April 20, 1980, Elder Arturo A. Tolentino baptized me and I was confirmed by Elder Daniel Crossley.

Dedication

As I maintained my membership in the Church, I received several callings. My first one was a teacher of the Priesthood class. Then I was called as Elder's Quorum president and at the same time, Ward Clerk. When our ward was divided, I was called as first counselor of the Bishopric of La Carlota first ward. More callings piled up like teacher in Seminary class, Institute class. I was also called as Stake Clerk for 5 years until the La Carlota Stake was divided to create the Binalbagan Stake.

I magnify my various callings by never neglecting my family responsibility by assigning a time for every calling I have and with the full support of my wife and my family. And it is an utter dedication wherein I didn't fail the Church and also love in serving the Church. I hadn't complained about it. I have felt that I am spiritually rich as manifested by happiness of doing them which is beyond measure.

Obligation

Sometime in September 1984 when the Manila Philippines Temple was dedicated, my wife and I were one of those who joined the temple excursion of the La Carlota Stake members and received the personal endowment. Two years later, we came back together with our 6 kids to the said Temple to receive our family sealing ordinance from a certain Elder (a temple worker) and witnessed by late Elder Rubin Gapiz. My wife and I were very happy to see our children donned with white temple dress as they lined up along the corridor and entered the sealing room one by one.

We were also able to perform a proxy baptism for my late parents. I proxied my father and my wife did it with my mother. After we baptized them, we saw a white shadow of a person dressed in white robe just above the baptismal font looking at us, smiling.

With this work, I know it is our obligation to be with our family for time and eternity. Thus, what we did is an advocacy that families can be together forever. And also, I was able to send my son out for a two-year mission in Butuan Philippines Mission in 2009 and when he got back I permit him to get married to Cebu Philippines Temple in November 2012. Missionary work, I know, is one of the three-fold missions of the Church.

Allegiance

Wherever I am, whether at home, at work, or at play, I am not ashamed to tell my friends, work associates, acquaintance that I am a Mormon. I bear my testimony every time an occasion so warrant whether in deed, in thought or in words that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day is true. I know that Joseph Smith is called of God to restore His church here on earth. And that we have a living prophet who receives modern revelations for the saints for their temporal and even spiritual salvation.

I remember that I shared strong testimony about the Church in our advanced training for adult scouting in Calinog, Lambunao, Iloilo in April 1997, that is, 17 years ago. I was the patrol leader of our group named "Balud". Every group was asked to go out from the hall to get something from outside as we consider as the greatest creation of God. Everyone brought with them a bunch of flower, a big stone, a plant. What I brought and put it on the table was one of the members of our group, an older scout master. Every one of us was given a sufficient time to explain our choice. I simply and humbly told them that man is the greatest God's creation. He had provided everything for man to live. Since man had sinned, He had shown His unfeigned love as what the Bible says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16, KJV)

I know that my commitment as a member of the Church is how I dedicate myself in magnifying my Church calling without any reservation. It is how I fulfilled my spiritual obligation to my family like doing temple ordinance for them, baptizing them and giving the required priesthood for my son, sending him for a mission and even baptizing my late parents in the temple. And it is how I stand as a witness by sharing a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel, the divinity of Jesus Christ as my savior and redeemer.

I know that to be a member of the Church is a personal and family commitment for exaltation.

{This is my message as one of the assigned speakers in the Sunday General Session of La Carlota Philippines District Conference presided by Elder Eleazar S. Collado of the Seventy, February 9, 2014)