Since the time Come, Follow Me — For Individuals and Families was introduced to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a tool to help their families study the scriptures at home, many have taken the initiative to follow the invitation to make their homes a more sacred and holier place to learn the gospel of Jesus Christ with their families. But what if families find themselves away from each other? How might one heed this invitation then? Are there ways to strengthen faith as a family that live miles apart?
The distance that separates the Tarrobago Family was never a hindrance to help each other build up their faith and be continually converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Before migrating to Abu Dhabi, Edwin and Dorie Tarrobago lived in the Philippines for several years while they were starting to build their family. Currently, they have 3 wonderful children who are all now returned missionaries and pursuing their education.
Edwin and Dorie's second child, Aubrey, shared of their family's current living arrangement, “We've been living separately since my older sister started college in 2009, until all three of us returned to the Philippines for [our] college and mission. Our parents are still in Abu Dhabi for work. We often come together for Christmas or spring or summer vacation, either by travelling to Abu Dhabi or them coming home to the Philippines, but most of the time we would just catch up and communicate online. The last time we were complete was in 2018, just before my older sister left for BYU-Hawaii and my younger sister for her mission."
Aubrey is currently staying and taking care of her younger sister in the Philippines. She is also currently serving in San Isidro 1st Ward (congregation), Antipolo Stake (diocese) as the Ward Music Director for Primary and is the Stake Primary Secretary.
Edwin serves as the Bishop of Abu Dhabi 2nd Ward (Filipino Ward) while her mother serves as the Activity Specialist for Primary. Despite their busy schedules, their parents still manage to make time for them and take care of their temporal and spiritual needs even as they are away from them physically. They make sure they remain active in the Church and support each other in magnifying their callings.
"We currently have 3 time zones to adjust to: Hawaii, Manila, and Abu Dhabi. Most of the time, it is just my parents and us in the Philippines but, when possible, we have Come, Follow Me with my older sister. We would pause whatever we are doing for a few hours of catching up and do [a] Come, Follow Me lesson”, Aubrey shared.
Technology is a great blessing to their family as it continues to help them keep in touch. When the Come, Follow Me program was introduced, they took advantage of it to help themselves draw and grow closer to the Savior as a family, no matter how far they were from each other.
Aubrey said about the tools that they use, "We usually use video call services such as Zoom since this is unrestricted in UAE (the United Arab Emirates). Even if we do not do it daily, we strive to have it multiple times a week at a convenient time for everyone. Throughout the week, we would discuss a section or the indicated scripture block for a day... We also take lesson ideas from the week's block for Family Home Evening. Since all of us are adults now, most of the time goes into discussion and sharing of insights from the things we study."
She sees Come, Follow Me as a time to bond with her family since they are not always physically together. Aubrey further expressed that it is a chance for them to grow and share their own testimonies and experiences in the gospel. She has truly learned a lot from the different experiences and perspectives that they share in their Come, Follow Me sessions, and has also protected them from the deception of the worldly teachings around them.
Their faith and testimony in the gospel strengthens continually as they continue to do a study of the Come, Follow Me manual as a family. It opens new ideas and inspiration that improves their testimony in the gospel of Jesus Christ. “Even if I have read these books before, there's always something new to learn. Coupled with the support of the people I love, it gives me the motivation to improve and be better,” she added.
As emphasized by Brother Jan E. Newman, 2nd Counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency, in the April 2021 General Conference, "To be truly life-changing, conversion to Jesus Christ must involve our whole soul and permeate every aspect of our lives. This is why it must be focused at the center of our lives — our families and homes."