Latter-day Saints from different stakes (diocese) of the Philippines San Pablo Mission participated in the devotional with Elder Taniela Wakolo of the Philippines Area Presidency, and his wife, Sister Anita Wakolo in the San Pablo Stake Center on April 27.
Accompanying Elder and Sister Wakolo were President Scott Lohner of the Philippines San Pablo Mission and his wife, Sister Kimberly Lohner, and Elder Aretemio Maligon of the Area Seventy and his wife, Sister Arlene Maligon. Elder Aretemio Maligon, who was a former Stake president of the San Pablo Philippines Stake, conducted the devotional.
In their messages, Sister Lohner shared about the doctrine of Christ and how it helps us to stay on the [covenant] path while President Lohner emphasized the role of missionaries and members working together. He stated, “It’s wonderful to see that missionaries and members start working together. When they start doing the work with each other, it changes everything and it brings many people in.”
In his message, Elder Maligon reiterated President Russel M. Nelson’s messages about ‘gaining positive, spiritual momentum’ and starting to do good things now and not putting it off for tomorrow. He also emphasized the need to break the culture of mañana habit (putting off until tomorrow what can be done today) but instead, to “put on the gospel culture.”
In his talk, Elder Wakolo pointed out that the Church here in the Philippines is very well-established and that it is a good ground for the work of salvation and exaltation. He posed a question to all members, “What does the work of salvation and exaltation mean to you?”
He later stated that the work of salvation and exaltation means returning to our Heavenly Father which would be possible by doing the saving ordinances. He extended an invitation by stating that this year’s goal of convert baptisms in San Pablo Mission is 800.
He then asked the members to commit to his call: “In the next two weeks, I invite you to prayerfully seek out someone that you will introduce to the missionaries.”
More than the numbers he presented, he remarked, “You are missing the mark if you are just looking at the numbers,” and encouraged members to do it the Savior’s way – to minister again and again “one by one”.
The devotional was attended by members from different stakes in the San Pablo Mission through a hybrid face-to-face and virtual set-up.