It was a question thrown to us by our wise Young Single Adult Teacher. Even after six years, the question still rings in my mind. At 20, my “promised land” meant finding my eternal companion – the man of my dreams – and getting married in the temple. Now that I am 27 and married, the promised land equates to a family rooted in the gospel, financial stability, and a righteous life that’s ready to face our Maker. Whenever I think of my “promised land,” my heart is filled with happiness and hope.

All of us has our own “promised land” – an event, an achievement, a person, or a goal that we know can bring us immense happiness. Yes, reaching the promised land is possible but the road leading to it is surely one filled with briars, thorns, and a lot of detours. Whenever I think of the journey towards the land of promise, I always remember Lehi’s family. Interestingly enough, 1 Nephi 18 not only narrates the inspiring journey of Lehi’s family – it also teaches us lessons we need to remember as we travel to our own land of promise.

The Lord Will Show Us Great Things

The task given to Nephi to build a ship for their journey to the land of promise was nothing short of daunting. One of the reasons Nephi was confident was because he relied on the instructions of the Lord. Nephi “prayed oft unto the Lord” and the Lord guided him, teaching him how to build the ship and also showing him “great things.”

Reaching the goals we have set for ourselves can also be daunting. Most of the time, we don’t know what will happen next. There will be times when doubt will settle in. During discouraging moments, let’s take time to ask “Do we have enough faith to rely on the Lord?” In the journey towards our promised land, let’s be like Nephi. Let’s continually pray, and ask what the Lord would have us do next, and trust in the promise that He will show us great things. Let’s strive to reach our goals “after the manner which the Lord has shown unto [us]” and not by the “manner of men.” Then, like Nephi, we will also see great things.

Sin and Rebellion Prevents Us From Reaching The Promised Land

When our goals are not guided by the will of the Lord, chances are, we’ll eventually feel lost. Goals seem to be out of reach. We can sometimes become clueless, not knowing what to do next, or what to pursue. There will be times you might feel that blessings are elusive.

Sin and rebellion prevents us from reaching the promised land. Just like the Liahona stopped working when Laman, Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael bound Nephi, our personal Liahona – the Holy Ghost – stops guiding us when we do things that are contrary to the commandments of the Lord. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf worded this perfectly when he said:

“Part of our challenge is, I think, that we imagine that God has all of His blessings locked in a huge cloud up in heaven, refusing to give them to us unless we comply with some strict, paternalistic requirements He has set up. But the commandments aren’t like that at all. In reality, Heavenly Father is constantly raining blessings upon us. It is our fear, doubt, and sin that, like an umbrella, block these blessings from reaching us.” (“Living the Gospel Joyful,” Ensign, Nov. 2014)

When we sin and when we follow our own will above that of the Lord, we can lose the inspiration that tells us what the Lord wants and has prepared for us.

Repentance Leads Us Back

Fortunately, there is a way to get back on track – repentance. When Laman and Lemuel recognized their wrongs, they repented and freed Nephi, and the Liahona started working again.

Like what happened to Lehi’s family, repenting from our rebellion and sin can put us back on the right path towards the promised land. The “manners of men” are so loud that sometimes, we can’t hear the Lord’s instructions to us. When we turn back to Him and mute the world out, we can receive inspiration from the Lord clearly – the kind that will help us to reach our goals. When we follow the manner that the Lord has shown, we can do greater things.

The Promised Land Brings Happiness

In the last verse of 1 Nephi 18, Nephi wrote about the bounties of the promised land. Nephi’s family left their riches in Jerusalem but they were greatly rewarded when they reached their promised destination. The Lord can also help lead us to our promised land just like He did for Nephi’s family. The road towards our goals may l seem bleak, unclear, and sometimes scary. But when we trust the Lord, do all we can to keep the Liahona working, and repent of our sins and rebellion, the Lord will help us reach our land of promise.

The post On Our Journey To The Promised Land, Let’s Learn From Lehi’s Family appeared first on morefaith.ph.

It was a hit at our house. And being Mormon, I couldn’t help but notice the way it mirrors in some ways the importance that we also place on knowing and caring about our ancestors.

In the movie, deceased family members in the afterlife continued looking out for their family on Earth, and could visit them once a year on the Day of the Dead, as long as their picture was displayed and their family did not forget about them.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also revere our dead, and are famously obsessed with identifying and making connections with those who have lived before. We have family history centers all around the globe, and maintain the world’s largest collection of genealogical records, over 3.5 billion, in a vault in Utah.

Why?

What Happens to Us After We Die?

Just like in the movie, we also believe that those who have died lovingly watch over us from “the other side,” and look forward to the day when we will all be united again. When we die, our spirits separate from our bodies and go to a temporary resting place, either one of joy and peace, or sadness and regret depending on how we lived our lives on Earth, until they rise again in the resurrection, never to experience physical death again. The righteous, through the grace and atonement of Jesus Christ, will then be able to receive eternal life- or life with our Heavenly Father.

How Do Our Ancestors Fit Into All of This?

Also like in the movie, we believe that we can do things on Earth to help and serve those who have passed on.

Most Christian faiths believe that baptism is necessary for salvation, since this ordinance is referenced more than 80 times in the New Testament. But what about those who never had the opportunity to receive it: like babies who died before baptism, or the millions who have lived in non-Christian nations or cultures over the centuries? We believe they will have the chance to be baptized as well. The Apostle Paul spoke unmistakably about this doctrine:

“Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?” – 1 Corinthians 15:29

Far from them being unlucky or even damned, we believe that our Heavenly Father is perfectly loving and merciful, as well as perfectly just, and that we, the living, can perform saving ordinances on their behalf in holy temples. For this reason, Mormons spend a great deal of time and untold resources searching out our deceased family members, in order to perform baptisms, gospel instruction, marriages, and family sealings in the temple. We believe that someday, with the Lord’s help, this work will be extended to all the generations back to Adam, connecting the entire human race in one great family.

These ordinances are not a way of “forcing” anyone into our church, but are performed out of love, and are then available if they choose to accept them. It is entirely their choice.

Why is Family History Important?

I guess the reason that “Coco” struck such a chord with me is that everything we do in our church revolves around family. I don’t believe that heaven is simply a harp-filled, cloud-constructed eternity, and that idea never really appealed to me anyway. What matters most to me is my family, and much like Mama Imelda and her husband, heaven would not be heaven for me without them beside me.

So why is family history important?

It is important because we believe that families can be together forever, that the dearest relationships we form in this life were given to us by God and are meant to last much, much longer than “’till death do us part.”

And just as the skeletal ancestors in “Coco” searched every corner of their world to find and help their lost family member, we also search every corner of our world to find those who went before us, those to whom we owe so much, and help them.

It All Starts With You

Family relationships are some of the most important you will ever make, but in addition to serving our dead relatives, what about our living ones? There are all different types of families, including estrangements, divorces, single parents, and difficulties of all sorts. But no matter what your own family situation, you can start today to build or rebuild positive relationships with your family members, work your way towards forgiveness, and make family a top priority in your life. You cannot control what they do, but you can control what you do.

The gospel of Jesus Christ will help you do this. He will increase your capacity for patience, for forgiveness, and love, and help you know how to act as you sincerely reach out with prayer and faith and work to strengthen your family both in this world and the next.

I hope you enjoyed this article. Here are additional resources on afterlife and family history that you might be interested in:
• What happens when we die?
• FamilySearch.org: Free Family History and Genealogy Records

And feel free to contact us if you have more questions about our beliefs.

The post A Mormon’s Take on “Coco”: The Afterlife and Eternal Family appeared first on morefaith.ph.

“Are you sure about your decision?”

These were the words I heard for months. And yet, on the 17th of May, at the age of 22, I got married. Obviously, marriage is not a simple decision a person makes in his or her life. One has to consider it thoroughly before pursuing that decision full of the unknown. The traditions, values and culture we live in have a role to play in its consideration as well.

Getting married at a young age is something common for the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often called Mormons. Some people may see it quite absurd, weird or unpopular. In fact, it is not what our culture generally accepts here in the Philippines. Now, let me tell you why I decided to get married earlier than most and what cultural aspects I had to ponder about.
 

Thinking about Responsibilities

When friends asked me, “Why are you getting married so early?” I laughed and just jokingly answered, “True love” But of course, it is more than that. I see why they ask me such questions. We Filipinos are known for our deep appreciation for family. We want families to be happy. Much of that happiness comes from love, financial security, and being responsible for it. We want to make sure that the family we are going to build after marriage will be bound together with strong and loving ties.

I’ve learned in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ that we all have in ourselves, an innate potential to be a responsible husband or wife and father or mother. I have much yet to learn to become a good husband and a father, but the Lord will help us because marriage is a commandment He has given us. He knows we will make mistakes and that’s how we learn and become better. Because He loves us, He will not allow us to fail if we are faithful.
 

Being Mature in the Society and for God

There is a common saying among those who have walked on this country earlier than us,

“Papunta pa lang kayo. Kami, pabalik na.”  (You are just about to embark on this journey. While we, we are already coming back from the journey.)

Maturity is not just about being a grown-up. It means really knowing the twists and turns of a situation, the detours should it be a wrong road, and the U-turns if at all possible. Our society respects those who have this maturity. I may not appear as mature enough to get married in the eyes of many in my culture, but God has granted unto us the freedom to choose according to the knowledge we have attained so far in this life. The decision to marry, when carefully considered and prepared for, is honored by God. And when we do our very best to cherish our marriage, He will bless it to be a successful and a happy marriage!
 

Faith versus Uncertainty

It took me four months to prepare for my marriage and they were filled with anxieties, second-thoughts, and doubts. There were also excitement, eagerness, and heavenly assurance. But my thoughts weren’t at all consistent. For the most part, it was of fear and doubts. The future is just so gloomy or so I thought. No wonder my relatives were all shocked with my decision. But then I remember, Thomas S. Monson, the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said, “Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith.” Faith is trust. Faith is hope. My faith in Jesus Christ to help me in this decision carried me through these months of uncertainties.

One thing that also made me unsure was the life I am leaving behind. I was enjoying the single life. Not many things to worry about. Carefree. I am working. I can buy what I want within my means. I am also supporting my family back home. Lastly, I am a student. Life was just so fun! But I didn’t know until now how great life is with a loving spouse. I just can’t describe the overwhelming feelings of joy, gratitude, and love with the life I have right now – a married man.
 

The Culture of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

If there is one thing our ancestors forgot to tell us, but were very obvious in their actions, it is that they enjoyed and appreciated life more when they were married and had their family of their own. Filipino culture with regards to marriage and family is a culture I will always be proud of. I have a firm testimony that the Lord appreciates the traditions, values, and culture of strong families. Some people might see me or others who married young, as people who are going against the current trend of the society. But my decision to get married in my 20s to start a strong, happy and gospel-centered family is a decision based on the faith in the gospel principles of Jesus Christ. And whatever circumstance you are in now when it comes to family or marriage, the gospel will help you to achieve your righteous desire.

The post My Marriage Decision as a Mormon in the Philippines appeared first on morefaith.ph.

Generations before us

One of the greatest responsibilities that the Lord has laid upon us is to seek after our dead and perform saving ordinances for them. Prophets are stressing the importance of this work because “they without us should not be made perfect” (Hebrews 11:40) and “neither can we without our dead be made perfect” (D&C 128:15). If we choose to do family history work, we are linking our families together forever. Those who have gone before us who did not get the chance to receive the gospel need us to perform the saving ordinances for them. It is only through us that they will be given the chance to be baptized and sealed to us as a family. Those who have gone before us reside in the spirit world where they have the chance to hear the gospel. Although they can accept it, they cannot progress until the saving ordinances of the gospel are performed for them in mortality. Thousands of years have passed since the world began and many of our ancestors have been waiting, some perhaps for centuries, for the temple ordinances to be done for them. So we simply cannot afford to sit comfortably while they wait for their deliverance.

Of course we can perform ordinances for others whose names are already available in the temple but it’s no substitute for what we have to do—to seek our own dead and perform saving ordinances for them.

Generations after us

As we seek our dead, we must also spend time seeking after those who are still living. The work of sealing families together is not only about “turn[ing] the heart of the children to their fathers” which means sealing our dead to us, but also about “turn[ing] the heart of the fathers to the children,” which means sealing generations after us in our family chain (Malachi 4:5–6). It is also our responsibility to teach our children the gospel of Jesus Christ, pass on our beliefs and share our faith—teachings, beliefs and faith that they will pass on to their children, and on to future generations after that.

One of the most important principles that we can pass on to our posterity is the love that we have for family history work. The work that we do now for this great cause can immensely affect how our children view family history work. Introducing and involving them early in this work will help them understand the value of sealing families together for eternity and will increase their love for their forefathers. And the blessings that we receive through our obedience to this commandment will extend not only to our children but stretch to include all the generations after us.

The hours and effort that we put into finding our dead and teaching our children the gospel of Jesus Christ not only build but also strengthen the eternal chain of our families. When we fail to do these things, we are breaking the chain. The choice is ours, so what will we choose?

The post Build or Break Your Chain of Generations: The Choice is Yours appeared first on morefaith.ph.