Area Leadership Message
The Philippines Area Plan: Establish
In the dictionary, “establish” is defined as to set up an organization or a system on a firm or permanent basis. Synonyms include initiate, begin, institute. When we look at the Area Plan you will see that the third priority is Establish. We can only establish something when we have the foundations in place to ensure that what we are initiating, what we are building, will be strong.
The first two priorities of Obey and Covenant provide us with the necessary groundwork to establish God’s Kingdom here in the Philippines. Under this third priority, we will commit to build gospel-centered, multigenerational, self-reliant families and gather Israel on both sides of the veil. Five main points were identified for all of us to think about to think about as we work on our goals.
1. Some of them will involve encouraging our children, brothers, and sisters to participate in the Seminary and Institute programs of the Church. The knowledge they will gain will help them as they prepare to serve missions in the future.
2. We may also consider working with full-time missionaries, linking arms with them in finding people who are ready to listen to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
3. We can help members in our wards apply self-reliance principles by sharing talents and skills we have that could empower them to sustain their families.
4. We can continue ministering to the people around us, those who have a great need to feel that there is someone looking out for them.
5. I would like to emphasize the significance of encouraging our Primary, Young Men, and Young Women in making the Children and Youth Program a part of their daily lives.
Young Men General President Steven J. Lund shared in the October 2020 General Conference that “All Children and Youth activities and all Children and Youth teachings are about helping young people become more like Jesus by joining with Him in His work of salvation and exaltation. Children and Youth is a tool to help every primary child and youth to grow in discipleship and to gain a faith-filled vision of what the way of happiness looks like.”
Brother Lund stressed that the Children and Youth program will help them become more like Jesus Christ. In Luke 2:52, we read: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” Jesus did not become who He is overnight. He had his mother, Mary, his earthly father, Joseph, and His Heavenly parents teaching and guiding Him. We see photos of Joseph teaching Jesus carpentry while He learned His Father’s words in the temple.
Our children learn by our example and our guidance. We should be their advocates and their supporters. Leaders of the Church are also tasked to look after the precious souls of our children. Let me share with you what Pasig Stake is doing to help Establish the Kingdom of God.
Since he was called in 2014, President Soquila and his counselors realized that the number of active primary children was high, but the numbers started to decrease when they reach the Youth ages, declined further at the YSA stage, and much further as adults. They wanted to set a goal from the root which is focusing on primary children. In their words, “as we ESTABLISH the Kingdom of God, we will: help all young men to receive the priesthood office appropriate to their age, serve missions, and become better husbands, fathers and Church leaders. This way they will help gather Israel on both sides of the veil.”
It was during the preparation meeting for their first Stake Primary Priesthood Preview that they asked themselves how they can fully prepare and assure themselves that these young boys would serve their missions and become better future leaders of the Church. President Soquila said “I got this prompting that as they turn 12, they should already prepare and look forward to the year that they will be included in the batch that would enter the Missionary Training Center. So, in that Stake Annual Priesthood Preview, as a newly called Stake Presidency, we met with the Stake Primary President and thought of an idea for them to wear neckties with the words ‘MTC Batch 2021’ and nametags which said ‘future missionary.’ Then, we followed the same pattern year after year until today. For the 2020 pandemic year, we tagged our 12-year-olds as MTC Batch 2027.
“Our vision is to see all those members of the MTC batches grow together, receive their appropriate Priesthood office together, and report to the MTC together. They will develop friendships and brotherhood in their batch and say, ‘we will help one another, no one will be left behind, because he is my brother, my MTC Batchmate.’”
What a vision from a Stake President.
For their Temple and Priesthood Preparation Meeting, each child is given a tie, and embroidered on the tie is the year when the young man turns 18 which becomes the year, he hoped, the primary child will enter the MTC. President Soquila knows them one by one, isa-isa, tagsa-tagsa, including those who have moved out of the stake. I know many of you stake presidents, bishops, and organization leaders are successfully doing wonderful things as you continue to receive revelation regarding your callings. Thank you. Maraming, maraming, salamat po.
Sometimes the things that we do may not seem monumental but to those we are serving, they are. At other times we are instruments that may help enlarge the capacity of others to see vision for themselves, who they can become.
We have always heard people say that the children and youth are our future leaders. That is true, and it has not changed. If I may add, we also need to see them as leaders, now. What better way to prepare them than by getting them involved in an inspired program that helps them develop every aspect of their lives.
The Children and Youth program and other programs help them progress along the covenant path by helping them learn the doctrines of the gospel, discover themselves and what they can do, as well as serve others. They look inside themselves and reach out to others.
The Area Plan allows us to create permanence in what we want to achieve as we establish the Church in the Philippines.
In Moses 6:62, I quote: “And now, behold, I say unto you: This is the plan of salvation unto all men, through the blood of mine Only Begotten, who shall come in the meridian of time.” The plan of salvation is integrated in the Philippines Area Plan.
Part of the call that has been extended to each member of the Church is to be an active participant in accomplishing the Area Plan. We have heard inspired counsel from Elder Choi and Elder Bangerter on what it means to obey and make covenants. We shared suggestions on how all of us can contribute. We hope that you will use these counsels as you set goals and make plans for yourself and your family.
President Russell M. Nelson said, “when a person’s greatest desire is to let God prevail, to be part of Israel, so many decisions become easier. [It] takes both faith and courage to let God prevail. It takes persistent, rigorous spiritual work to repent and to put off the natural man through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It takes consistent, daily effort to develop personal habits to study the gospel, to learn more about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and to seek and respond to personal revelation.”
Exactly like the pattern that has been shared with us by the Lord’s Prophet President Russell M. Nelson, we can choose for ourselves. We can catch the vision. We can set goals and make plans on how to achieve them. Let us seize opportunities to make a difference in the lives of our families and others by making the Area Plan a part of our daily lives.
As an Area Presidency with my beloved brethren Elder Bangerter and Elder Choi, we pray for you every day. We hope that you will set goals for yourself and your families. You will be supported by Church councils and ministering brothers and sisters. By acting upon the priorities in the Area Plan, we are helping to establish God’s Kingdom here on earth and prepare the world for the second coming of the Savior.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.