Agustin Couple to Lead Philippines MTC with 'Higher Love, Higher Expectations'

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has called a Filipino couple to lead the Philippines Missionary Training Center in 2025. President Manuel M. Agustin and his wife, Bernadette Mari B. Agustin, are eager to help prepare young missionaries to become valiant servants of the Lord in His vineyard.

A Call to Serve

In October 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the world, President Agustin and Sister Agustin were invited to an interview with Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

During that meeting, the Agustins were called to serve as leaders of the Philippines Cebu Mission. At the time, President Agustin had not yet reached the mandatory retirement age and was serving in a prestigious role at San Miguel Corporation, one of the largest conglomerates in the Philippines.

Sister Agustin recalled how Elder Christofferson asked them three times if they were “sure.” But the couple had already resolved to serve even before that pivotal interview.

When the pandemic struck, Cebu City was among the areas hardest hit in the Philippines. Despite the risks and uncertainties, President Agustin made the courageous decision to file for early retirement after more than four decades with San Miguel Corporation—a time when many were clinging to job security.

“I would say that it was a lot to give up, but we had already made the decision before—that if we were called to a position requiring full-time service in the Church, I would give up my job,” President Agustin shared.

The Agustins are not new in accepting Church callings. Before they served as mission leaders in the Philippines Cebu Mission, Brother Agustin was a ward temple and family history leader and former Area Seventy, MTC presidency counselor, mission presidency counselor, stake president, high councilor, stake Young Men presidency counselor, bishop, bishopric counselor, ward Young Men president, and ward Sunday School president.

Sister Agustin was a stake Primary presidency counselor and former temple ordinance worker, ward Relief Society president, ward Primary president, ward Relief Society presidency counselor, Relief Society teacher, and temple preparation teacher.

Love, Sacrifice, and Service

The Agustins’ lives are marked by their own powerful conversion stories. President Agustin recounted how his elder sister blazed the trail to faith by choosing baptism into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints despite the challenges of leaving her former religion. Her decision eventually led to the conversion of their entire family.

Sister Agustin’s conversion journey began during her courtship with a young Manny Agustin, who introduced her to the Church through scriptures, pamphlets, and other materials.

“He introduced me to the Church. I would sometimes attend services, and he gave me pamphlets to read. Then, he gave me a quad (a set of the Church’s four standard works). It stayed unopened for a while,” she recalled with a laugh.

The Agustins believe in the importance of seeking a personal witness of the truth. Despite their education, they humbly sought the guidance of the Holy Scriptures, welcomed the missionaries, and prayed earnestly for confirmation of the gospel’s truth.

Their commitment to follow the Savior Jesus Christ has transformed their lives and continues to influence the next generation. Their three children—Jennifer, Lester, and David—and five grandchildren all actively uphold the Church’s teachings. The Agustins proudly shared that their grandchildren have memorized the Articles of Faith.

The Importance of Training and Preparation

The couple emphasized the vital role of preparation before serving a mission, referring to the experiences of their children.

“Training is important because it gives you discipline. Without discipline, you’ll have problems, especially when you're by yourself and have to make key decisions,” Sister Agustin said.

“Discipline also leads to obedience, which is very important as it makes life easier,” she added.

Latter-day prophets have long encouraged parents to teach gospel principles at home. For the Agustins, one way to do this was by regularly reading and discussing the scriptures as a family.

“Training on the Book of Mormon is key. We completed reading it as a family before Jennifer went on her mission,” President Agustin shared.

“We would read on our own time and then discuss it as a group. We took turns leading the discussions,” Sister Agustin added.

Best Family Practices

The Agustins also stressed the importance of temporal and physical preparation alongside spiritual preparation. They recalled teaching their children household chores such as cleaning and cooking to prepare them for missionary service and adulthood—a task President Agustin described as a “more difficult challenge.”

The Agustins shared that their family strengthened bonds through simple, consistent traditions: having dinner together, sharing jokes, attending Church, and even taking the family grocery shopping. They believe these practices will continue to thrive in their children’s own families.

Christlike Attributes

The Agustin couple views their upcoming calling at the Philippines MTC as a “continuation” of what they started in Cebu, aiming to help missionaries develop Christlike attributes despite their short stint at the training center.

At the Philippines MTC, training missionaries stay for three, six, or nine weeks, depending on their mission locations and the complexity of the new language they are learning.

“It’s too short, actually, compared to what we had in Cebu, but we will do the most we can to develop these Christlike attributes in the missionaries. In terms of skills that will be taught by the MTC teachers, I think we would like to focus more on spiritual development,” President Agustin said.

“We will also try to help in their emotional development. Some missionaries, when they arrive at the MTC, are homesick or are lacking in confidence, among other things, so we want to help them feel that they are not alone, that they will be cared for, and that they will be blessed if they serve faithfully,” Sister Agustin emphasized.

“High Love, High Expectations”

One of the favorite phrases the Agustins hold dearly is “High love, high expectations,” derived from Elder Neil L. Andersen’s message during the 2021 Seminar for New Mission Leaders, where the Apostle taught that success in missionary work depends upon linking “higher expectations” to “higher love.”

If a mission pursues high expectations without higher love, the result will be missionaries consumed with goals and achievement — but with insufficient personal caring and love. “This can lead to numerical results, but without true repentance or conversion,” Elder Andersen said. “Without sufficient love, we can find at times dishonesty in reporting and insincerity in missionaries’ connection with you, their mission leaders.” Conversely, “higher love” in a mission without expectations to “reach out with faith in Jesus Christ” results in fewer spiritual goals and little stretching. “We have love and friendship but with fewer miracles,” the Apostle added.

“You know we have a very great teamwork. I give the ‘high love,’ and he sets the ‘high expectations,’” Sister Agustin joked.

“With regards to ‘higher expectations,’ we also learned it from our leaders and, in turn, taught it to the missionaries because if they have no expectations from them, they won’t achieve their potential,” Elder Agustin added.

Blending Church Leadership with Corporate Leadership

President Agustin shared that he picked out the best business practices from his successful corporate career and applied them to all his Church callings and vice versa, finding success in both fields.

For example, he introduced “councils” in different Information Technology divisions of San Miguel Corporation and held regular “council meetings” to handle various work-related issues.

He said that he took the same practice to their mission in Cebu and will take it to the Philippines MTC. “The management principles I’ve learned in San Miguel can also apply. Of course, we tweak them a bit, but they are essentially the same things,” President Agustin shared.

He shared that one of the things he brought back from the corporate world is having more devotionals on topics surrounding Christlike attributes that helped missionaries under their care develop Christlike qualities for the “long term” more than the teaching skills. “Christlike attributes will be there for the long term. I think that’s what excited me the most during the mission.”

“We were blessed with very good missionaries; we didn’t have many problems with them. They were all good,” Sister Agustin said.

Message to the Youth and YSAs

We asked the Agustins to share their message to the youth and the young single adults who are thinking of serving a mission. Here are some of their best advice:

“Number 1: Prepare. Number 2: Prepare.”

“Preparation means a lot of things. Spiritual, Intellectual, Physical, and Temporal… They have to be skilled in household work, budgeting, etc.”

“Look at the eternal perspective. Where do you want to end up? To be stronger spiritually, going on a mission will truly help you.”

“There’s this manual: ‘Adjusting to Missionary Life.’ Read it. It’s not only for missionary life; it is for throughout your life.”

“You will learn so much in your mission that will help you even after your mission. It will lead you to stay on the covenant path.”

“The covenant path is the shortest way to heaven. You can deviate from it, but it takes a long time to get back. It is the shortest path to heaven.”