Elder and Sister Roberts: Visits with Elder Ardern, and President Durrant of Sun. School, Investigators, Teens and Children.

Dear Family and Friends,

We were fortunate to receive a visit from a General Authority and General Officer of the Church.
We as Senior Couples are so very thankful to be invited to listen to them, along with the full-time Missionaries who are serving in the area where the Conference will be held.
Our Philippines Area General Authority is a member of the 70's, Elder Ian S. Ardern and his wife, Paula.

We also met President Devin Durrant and his wife, Julie. He is the 2nd counselor in the General Sunday School Presidency. Elder Roberts remembers watching him play basketball for BYU, and the NBA.

They all had very inspiring talks. President Durrant used to be the Dallas Texas Mission President. They told a story of how they encouraged 1,400 people in their Church stake area to simply ask their friends, "Would you be willing to listen to a very brief message about our Church?" 700 friends accepted to listen to the Missionary message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Here is the pamphlet of it...

Here is the link to the pamphlet if you would like to read it. https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/content/english/pdf/language-materials/36920_eng.pdf?lang=eng

Many people were baptized, and many were sealed one year later in the Dallas Temple with their families.

Even Pres. Durrant had a success story of asking a waiter at a restaurant. The waiter asked him if he would like an alcoholic beverage, and Pres. Durrant explained our beliefs of the Word of Wisdom, that we do not drink alcoholic beverages. Then he asked if he would be willing to hear the brief msg. The waiter agreed, was baptized that year, and sealed with his wife and family one year later.

The next day, we decided to try it. We were driving downtown Mangaldan and stopped to see why many people were seated at the Town Hall. It was a meeting of older people to speak with Mayor Bona about their pensions.

We sat and asked a woman what area she lived in. (We now know many people in each area -- or barangay). We told her we knew a man in her area who was just called last week to be an LDS Branch President, Pres. Eric Tesada and his wife, Marilyn.

We talked about friends and the Gospel for a few minutes. We asked her if she would be willing to hear a brief message about our Church from the young full-time Missionaries. She agreed ! The Lord blesses those who want to be found....

Another friend of the woman was not interested, but she ended up being a granddaughter, of the active member man that we visited his family in our previous blog.

(We never got to see the Mayor talking to the group, so we left.)

Sister Roberts wanted a corn-on the-cob. We had to leave the car far away, because Mangaldan City festival is going on for 1 1/2 months, with flea market tents along the highway.

We walked to the park, past the band stand.

We watched children playing their band instruments and flags.

All the picnic tables had people, and we sat next to some lively High School students, who giggled at us.

They were speaking in Tagolog, and Sister Roberts could kind of figure out they were - daring a girl - to ask our names. She did ask us.

I said, my name is Sister Roberts, and .... Sa pangalan po ninyo? (What is your name?)

The kids laughed, and wide-eyed, they were embarrassed that we may have known -- all the things they had been talking about us (we didn't).

They took our picture enjoying our corn-on the- cob on this February day, but summertime weather.

It "broke the ice" of conversation about why we were here on our Mission. We told the story about Lehi and Nephi and the Book of Mormon. We gave out 10 pass-along-cards and invited them the Church on Sunday - down the same road. They knew the Relief Society Pres. daughter in High School.

Sister Roberts sometimes has crazy ideas. She thought she could teach the Relief Society sisters how to crochet. (But, there is no crochet hooks here larger that 1/16th of an inch). So she had a wood carver copy her huge crochet hook so that others could order it.

The only problem is, it costs about $8.00, too much for most to pay for here.
Oh well, she did make a scarf for newly the called Philippino Missionary, Elder Ezra Moroni Fernandez, who received his call to the same Mission that Elder Roberts served in 1965, Alaska ! The Elder will be - cold - !

On the way home, we saw a colorful event . We stopped, found a good seat, and watched the Malabago Elementary School Coronation night.

It - was- colorful, but we were a bit sad, that it appeared that much money is spent in this area on fabulous, somewhat immodest dresses for very small girls. And that a Board of Education and parents had their very small children participate in an adult-like program.

We thought, oh just let little girls be little....

Do you know who you are—little child of mine—

So precious and dear to me?

Do you know you’re a part of a great design

That is vast as eternity?

Can you think for a moment how much depends

On your holding the “Iron Rod”?

Your life is forever—worlds without end—

Do you know you’re a child of God?

(“To a Child,” words and music by Ora Pate Stewart [Fernwood, 1964])

Moroni said in the Book of Mormon chapter 8:17

And I am filled with charity, which is everlasting love; wherefore, all children are alike unto me; wherefore, I love little children with a perfect love; and they are all alike and partakers of salvation

Also in Moroni it says:
10 Behold I say unto you that this thing shall ye teach—repentance and baptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin; yea, teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little children, and they shall all be saved with their little children.

11 And their little children need no repentance, neither baptism. Behold, baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto the remission of sins.

12 But little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world;

We sat and gave children wrapped candy pieces, and pass-along-cards to parents. Children were fascinated in watching Sister Roberts crochet a heart. We gave it to a Mother. (Thank you to my Mother for teaching me as a child to crochet.)