Family Matters: For Time and All Eternity

On the way home from church today, we saw a group of teenagers aimlessly loitering around. Some obviously in romantic relationship showing their affection in public. My husband, Anatolin wondered if their parents even knew where their children were and what they were doing that very hour. I thought about his question for a second and responded, maybe their parents are busy working or might be busy hanging out with their friends too.  Talking about "barkadas" (group of friends), our son Amulek said that without the light and the gospel of Jesus Christ in his life, he would also be one of the boys his age loitering with friends. Then our older son, Ammon said, barkadas nowadays bring more bad influence than good. Listening to them, I realized how all our children prefer spending their free time at home with our family and how our boys look up to their dad and consider him as their barkada. Just earlier, on the way to church, Ammon shared that he would want to be lik...

Thinking back when I was teen helps me to relate to teens today especially to my own teenage children. In my youth, there were many things I enjoyed being a part of. I loved youth conferences and camps. I enjoyed playing chess and table tennis. I learned to play the flute, piano and guitar. I had fun chatting with adults visiting our home. We never used internet as we did not have it. I studied from textbooks and only went to the library when we had assignments. I used encyclopedia.    Looking back, I can say that my knowledge of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ made me unique. It enabled me to endure and overcome the difficulties of growing up. While other teens were busy with the trends at that time, I loved going to my seminary classes. I participated in projects and programs that helped develop my talents. I learned to avoid risky behaviors and had a positive attitude about the future. My understanding of our Heavenly Father's plan of happiness h...

I was waiting for Anatolin for our next scheduled appointment and was so occupied working on my phone when he surprised me with a flower he picked from our front yard he planted himself months ago.  It's a beautiful thing to be blessed with a loving husband who always knows to find a way to cheer me up by randomly giving me flowers for no reason. I deeply appreciate this simple gesture to let me know he cares.  To the husbands, I believe that when you courted your wife, you thought about it, you planned it — you strategized how to win her. There was nothing you wouldn't do, no small touch you wouldn't add and no effort you wouldn't make. 

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[Excerpts from our Talk during the Adult Session of Urdaneta Stake Conference, 13 August 2023] Elder Padilla and I are so delighted to be with you here at the conference today. It is a privilege to speak as Senior Service Missionaries for the Welfare and Self-Reliance Services and talk about a very important topic both temporally and spiritually.  At 15 years old, 25 years ago, Elder Padilla and I met in a Seminary Stake Class. We actively attended youth conferences and other church activities, he went on a mission at 19, and we were married in the temple. As young newlyweds, and with a husband who hasn't finished college at that time, we had no money. But we had each other, we had our love, and we had the gospel. We learned that we didn't need a lot of money to be happy, and didn't need a lot of money or to wait for retirement to serve. In the early stage of our marriage about 18 years ago, while I was pregnant with our first child and struggling to make ends...

EnglishConnect is a program provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help individuals around the world increase self-reliance, expand opportunities for education, employment, service, and friendship while developing English proficiency in an environment of fellowship and faith. First meeting of EnglishConnect Urdaneta Stake group, 10 September 2023 

On April 25th this year, we were set apart as ordinance workers with Sister Melanie and Brother Micheal King. We are grateful for the privilege to glimpse celestial joy every time we serve.  Every 4th Tuesday of the month, Anatolin and I travel at 2AM to the Manila Philippines Temple with the Kings. The temple opens at 5AM for ordinance workers. We have prayer meeting at 6 and work until 2 in the afternoon.   Serving as temple workers makes the ordinances and blessings even more special to us as it increases our understanding of the everlasting gospel. Coming closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, they become our focus and have peace in our hearts no matter what challenges we face. For the next months before the dedication of the Urdaneta Philippines Temple, we will continue working in the Manila Philippines Temple.  

Early-morning seminary can be challenging, but we have learned that rising before the sun, spending a few minutes to learn the scriptures each day and feeling the Spirit is worth the effort.  30 August 2023, First day of Seminary Class As parents and graduates of Seminary ourselves, we are grateful for this inspired program that provides our children the opportunities to learn and feel the truthfulness of the gospel and associate with others who uplift and encourage them. We have observed that as they come to understand the doctrines and principles, their attitudes and behavior improve.  We admire this rising generation for their love of learning and for waking up a little earlier to attend their early morning seminary class before they go to school. Having spiritually fed, we know they have an extra layer of protection and guidance as they seize the day  31 August 2023, Second day of Seminary Class

Original Post at Family Matters Facebook Page, 26 August 2023 Found all these lei while organizing and decluttering. Thought it would be nice to preserve them to keep the memories from the events, conferences and workshops we attended this year.  This year, we were invited and asked to speak with around 20 different groups so far and a few more in our schedule until December. Exciting!  To all the individuals and organizations who invited us to be a part of your events and celebrations, with or without lei, thank you so much. May we all continue to move forward to the next level of our development. More good finds from decluttering: precious souvenirs from previous years that make us reflect back on accomplishments.

We would like to express our gratitude to the big boss and sponsor from the other side of the globe who paid for our meal last night for the second time.  To express his appreciation, it was so generous of him to treat our family a good dinner.     7 September 2023, Classic Savory, SM Urdaneta Central  [Facebook Reels] Appreciation Dinner

As parents, we can help our children, whatever their age, learn from the general conference. This is a great opportunity to teach them about recognizing the Spirit and about responding to things they learned and felt and have their own spiritual experiences. Even after the live or rebroadcast, we can do much to enhance our children's experience with the doctrine and principles taught at general conference by talking about the impressions we all wrote during the sessions and what we all learned. It's not always easy especially when our children were younger but we praise them for their reverence and their attentiveness.  These photos were taken on 9th April 2017 at Baguio Stake Center (Legarda Chapel). One of our family traditions in between sessions was to find a shady spot around the church ground, spread out our picnic mat and enjoy together the packed meals and treats.  Recently, we watch conferences live at home or aired in our local tv station but the #conf...

A long while back, Anatolin and I decided that we should try to have individual dates with our kids. When we were in Baguio and Amulek was around 8 years old, on our first date with him, he said he was glad to experience how it felt like to be an "only child". In the past years, it was a real challenge for us to do it regularly because we had to arrange with someone to take care of the other kids. This time that our children are already old enough to be with themselves, we intend to be more consistent with our schedules. We are grateful for the privilege to be able to relate and connect with each of our children in special ways, and be able to focus on just one of them even for a little while. Doing this, we realized that the value we place on each of them becomes more tangible.  The best part is it doesn't have to take a long time to be meaningful or be expensive or elaborate adventure to be enjoyable. They always look forward to thei...

Writing this, I'm definitely feeling older. I've gained weight, my skin is not as vibrant as it once was and I'm more anxious about eating right, exercising, meditating, sleeping more, and surrounding myself with loved ones. All signs of ageing, I guess.  Looking back and reflecting on the last forty years of my life, I have learned a lot about life and have grown into the woman I am today. So before I have troubles with my memory, let me share some of LIFE IMPORTANT LESSONS I learned by age 40: 1. I learned not to worry about what the people think about me and expect of me because God loves me and accepts me unconditionally. 2. I learned not to please people but seek to please God. 3. I learned not to compare myself to others but look up to my Savior Jesus Christ, who is my exemplary.  4. I learned not to prove my worth by successes, accomplishments, relationships, and material things but seek to honor God with all His blessings.  5. I learned not to crave aff...

We all know that creating memories with our children is powerful. But the day to day hustle and bustle can leave us short on time and zapped of energy. It is even harder in this age of social media and constant stimulation from outside sources. However, it only becomes possible if we put it on top of our priority and not with our "leftover time".  My husband, Anatolin and I both agree that our own childhood memories helped define who we are today. Even if we can’t quite remember everything about childhood, there are those moments that stick with us no matter how old we get.  We also want our children to be able to look back on their own childhood and recall all the special moments we had together. We know it will provide them with positive things to look back upon when teen or adult life gets too hard. They’ll be able to cherish these times forever.  Here are 23 ideas we found interesting and fun that can help you begin creating your own memories w...

As parents, it is just right to worry and  calculate the finances required to run a family. But this often leads to realization that the cost of raising a child, education, bills, etc. is substantial. Not to mention the need for planning our retirement.  So, the money we may be getting may not seem sufficient, especially recently that the inflation is so high and we can't help but chase after it. Yet in the process, we have observed that many forget their real reasons and spend much of their time and energy chasing after money, expecting it to bring them happiness, success, and for it to solve all their problems in life but end up burned out and suffer from mental anguish.  Every family has unique circumstances but this is what we received as an answer to our prayers and queries:  In The Book of Mormon , King Benjamin counseled , “ See that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has stre...

While staying in Tarlac during our vacation, we visited SM Mall to walk around and window-shop for a few hours. After having lunch at Mr KIMBOB, the kids insisted to drop by Tom's World, where they enjoyed kiddie rides when they were young.  We bought a hundred peso worth of tokens (the limit our family set to use in such arcades) and gave our children the option of using their coins to play any game they wanted. They were drawn to these claw machines. They all played these attractive machines attempting to win a stuffed toy. Observing all of them, Anatolin and I saw the disappointment from their faces after each failed attempt. Our children finally gave up except our youngest who was very persistent to capture a toy. When she was out of coins, she asked for more and insisted many times that if she had one more chance to play, she knew she could win the prize. Her older siblings then gave her a very important lesson. The same lesson we taught them when they were her age...

The photos above were taken 17 years ago when I was 5-month pregnant with our first child, Cerah. I was blessed to have such a caring husband during and after my pregnancies with our four children. Taking over the household chores, offering to rub my lower back when I have been standing for a while, a shoulder & feet massage, the encouragements and reassurances, hugs, morning and afternoon walks, accompanying me to doctor's appointments and all simple acts of love and support greatly reduced my stress and helped me endure all heartburn, constipation, shortness of breath, dizziness and sleepless nights.  All pregnancies are unique, and while some women find it the toughest time, I treasured every pregnancy I had because I had a supportive and patient husband who understood that it’s the hormones that caused my emotional roller coaster. 

In the Old Testament, we read that Elijah experienced God’s supernatural strength to do the extraordinary. But at a latter part, we find Elijah fearful, running scared, exhausted, depressed, and wanting to die.  “Enough Lord, let me die” was his cry. The continuous stresses he faced consumed the last of his energy, his ability to go on and to say: "I  have had enough; I would rather die than go on facing this day in and day out”.  Elijah was a man just like us. Stress is all around us, perhaps not as extreme as for Elijah, but it's just around the corner, always consuming spiritual, emotional and physical energy. It can be forced on us by circumstances or induced by the choices we make.  Colin Buckland describes burnout in “Freedom to Lead”: “The exhausting of the inner resource that enables a carer to go on caring. The using up of the essential ‘inner you’, rendering the individual in a serious condition of dysfunctionality. The spending of self on other...

As we review and better understand the ultimate and eternal purposes for which we are raising our children, we are reminded that everything we do in our family here on earth should prepare us and our children to be like our Heavenly Father and to live in and lead eternal families. We are not simply caring for our children until they can leave home—we are training infinitely precious children of God to someday be worthy to receive all that the Father has. Our ultimate goal within our family is to prepare our sons and daughters to be worthy of the great blessings the Lord has promised them if they are true and faithful.    The most fundamental responsibility we have as righteous parents is to prepare our children for eternal possibilities and bless them. We create conditions and circumstances, opportunities and privileges, that will encourage their spiritual success. Our teachings, behavior, activities—everything we do should bring the blessings of righteousness ...

I am turning 40 in a few weeks and I am neither young nor old. As I reassess my life, revisit my goals, and plan ahead, I want to make my midlife worth living.  Truly, starting life at forty means that life becomes better with the skills and experiences necessary for an enjoyable life. I need not settle on "midlife crisis" which is considered by many as normal part of the life span. I want to focus on the truth that many people also achieve new highs at work or in other domains during these years. I will make this year my best decade yet. This is the best time for me to explore new experiences, opportunities and privileges. To those who continuously love,  support and care for me, thank you so much!