I Will Be The One”
Dear Sisters and Elders,
On Sunday we had the great blessing of listening to the Philippines Area multi-stake broadcast from Salt Lake City. Elders Neil L. Anderson, Brent Nielson and Ian Ardern as well as Sister Rosemary Wixom, gave wonderful talks. I am grateful for leaders who have been called of God. I am grateful that each of them have lived in, or visited, the Philippines and that they love us.
Elder Nielson focused on the common phrase here: "I will be the one" and Elder Anderson and others also taught the same principle. The principle is the one the Savior of the World understood in the Council in Heaven. When the time came He said: "Here am I, send me." Nephi said: "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded."
Each of you, as you applied to serve a mission, said: "I will be the one. I will serve the Lord as a missionary." The Lord loves you extra because of your faithfulness and your willingness to serve.
Having the courage to stand up and say "I will be the one" is absolutely essential if we are to return to our Heavenly Father. We must use our personal agency to choose the right. We must have the courage to "be the one" even if we are criticized or persecuted or left alone.
This is the difference between those who stay active in the church and those who fall away. Those who have the courage to do what is right, regardless of the consequences. Those who have the courage to be exactly obedient. Those who will fulfill their responsibility no matter how hot and thirsty or tired they are. These are the ones the Lord can trust.
Sisters and Elders, now is the time to take leadership of your own life. It is time to get on your knees and make the decision about who you really are, and then to get up and serve the Lord as an independent, responsible adult. It is time to say to yourself, to the Lord and to everyone around you: "I will be the one to follow the Lord for the rest of my life. I will be the one who will stay faithful to my covenants even if the whole world falls down around me."
Remember Job, in the Old Testament. He lost everything. He was very sick, very poor. His friends and his wife all criticized him and told him to give up, but he was faithful and true.
He said:
19:25, 26 ..for I know that my Redeemer liveth...and though after the skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.
27:5 ...till I die, I will not remove my integrity from me.
The Lord blessed Hyrum Smith because he had made the decision "I will be the one." DC 124:15: ...blessed is my servant Hyrum Smith; for I, the Lord, love him because of the integrity of his heart, and because he loveth that which is right before me...
I invite each of you to say to the Lord with all your heart: "I will be the one."
We love you and pray for the Lord to bless you every day.
President Creg D. Ostler
Philippines Manila Mission