What a Promise!

By Elder Sapele Fa’alogo Jr

Area Seventy, Pacific Area

The story was told a number of years ago about a father and his son, the fourth in a family of eight children. This is not an unusual number of children in a traditional Samoan family. This son left Samoa in the early ’90s for New Zealand, the land of the long white cloud. He was newly married and set off to explore life in a foreign land where opportunities abounded.

Just as this son and his wife, a nonmember, started to settle in New Zealand and began to establish their own family, they attended church at a local ward.

The father missed his son, who had provided much for the family’s upkeep whilst in Samoa and wanted to follow-up with him. Firstly, he wanted to keep in contact with him and tell him how much he loved them both. He wanted to hear how the family was doing and whether his daughter-in-law had received the message of the restored gospel.

Secondly, he wanted to remind his son of the importance of staying connected with his family in Samoa, as well as his siblings who had established and raised their own families overseas.

The father’s typed letters were mailed to his son; they contained the following advice and reminders:

Stay true to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the living Son of the living God, don’t leave the gospel.
Be sure to meet your ward bishop, if there are things you need, counsel or otherwise, go and see him, don’t delay it.
Participate and take an active part in the ward and engage with the ward members. The ward is your family, be true to that family, don’t leave the family.
Don’t be a spectator. Instead, be one of those who supports and follows the counsel of the leaders.
Pay a full-tithe, and the blessings of a clear and sharp mind, peace in your heart, and sufficient means to be self-reliant will be yours to enjoy in this mortal life and in the life to come.
Remember the things you were taught whilst at home: hold family home evenings, pray always, seek the will of the Lord through daily scripture readings, attend sacrament and church meetings and keep the sabbath day holy.
Love and be true to your wife. Be patient with her as she comes to know the restored gospel message. It is very important that she understands and knows for herself what the gospel stands for, and makes her own decision concerning it. But please tell her that I love her.

The fathers’ messages were simply, ‘Don’t ever leave the gospel, neither leave the family’.

The sentiments of the Samoan father’s desire for his son to stay true to the gospel echoed those of the Apostle Paul to his spiritual son Timothy to remember the things he was taught whilst in his youth:

“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12). “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2).

Soon after freely accepting the message of the restored gospel, the son’s wife joined the Church, entered the waters of baptism and was confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She and her husband were sealed in the temple. Not long after that, the son was called as a bishop of their home ward, and later when he was released, he became a counsellor in the stake presidency.

The time came when their family returned home to Samoa. There, the son was called to serve as a bishop for the second time; he currently serves as a stake president. Often in his family and church gatherings, he shares the contents of the typed letters he received from his loving father, who has since passed to the other side of the veil.

The Apostle Paul’s description of the perilous times of the last days and the importance of the scriptures as a guide for man’s protection and attainment of salvation rang true to Timothy, just as this father’s reminding letters do to his son: “Thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, charity, patience, . . .

“Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learnt them;

“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

“That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:10, 14–17).

President Russell M. Nelson, our beloved prophet of the Lord reminded us that faith and obedience to the Lord’s commandments will bring protection: “Teach of faith to know that obedience to the commandments of God will provide physical and spiritual protection. And remember, God’s holy angels are ever on call to help us. The Lord so declared: ‘I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.’ What a promise! When we are faithful, He and His angels will help us.”¹

I know that following the counsel of ancient and modern prophets and the pleadings of a righteous father will keep us on the covenant path.