Two times since arriving in the Philippines we have made our way to Texas Roadhouse and enjoyed an American hamburger. There is a Texas Roadhouse restaurant in a mall not too far away, and after serving after serving of rice, something American tastes absolutely delicious. Ah, the simple pleasures of life! We ate with confidence and there were no stomach issues afterwards. 

Something beautiful happened on Easter Sunday that I would like to tell you about. We attended an Easter Sacrament Meeting (General Conference will be broadcast next week here), and there were meaningful messages shared along with several choir numbers. At one point in the program, a female soloist stepped to the microphone and began singing a solo. Her voice was clear and she was able to sing a wide range of notes easily. As her piece was about to conclude she became emotional and could not sing anymore. The accompaniment continued and the audience looked on, watching and waiting to see if the vocalist could finish the song, and then the ladies in the choir started singing her part from behind her. They knew her piece and were filling in for her until she could control her emotions. She joined them for the last few words of the song. The ladies in the choir had her back! They filled in for her when she could no longer sing because they did not want her number to end with silence. It was an act of love and support, and Matthew and I were both affected by it. My description does not do it justice. 

Hearing the ladies in the choir fill in for the sister who could no longer sing was symbolic to me of how Relief Society sisters have filled in for me in a number of ways. I feel like I have had sisters figuratively right behind me, watching me, supporting me, and ready to step in and sing when I falter. Relief Society sisters are aware and compassionate.

 

Sometimes we speak about the first word of the Restoration being the name Joseph, showing the intimate nature of God—that He knows each of us personally. But perhaps the first and most sacred lesson of the Restoration is that when we kneel in sincerity and call upon God, He delivers.

Each of us will face moments when life feels overwhelming, when we feel burdened by responsibilities and expectations—when the noise and the chaos and the complexity of the world threaten to drown out what matters most.

In those moments, Jesus Christ invites us to come unto Him in prayer, wherein He delivers us—not always by removing the burden but by strengthening us and giving us clarity, peace, and power to move forward with the simplicity found in Him.

I bear witness that Jesus Christ is the source of the abundant life. He is the strength of our roots, the One who brings order and peace and meaning out of complexity.
(“Simplicity that is in Christ,” Steven Shumway, Feb. 3, 2026 BYU Devotional)

I would like to add my testimony to that of Elder Shumway's. Since arriving in the Philippines, I have often felt overwhelmed and burdened, but I have found deliverance and strengthening power through earnest prayer.  The burden is not always lifted, but I am able to deal with the issue or task, and figure it out. Sometimes it is not until a later date that I look back and realize how much I was helped.

One of the happiest things we did this week was to find a Mexican restaurant and go to dinner with many other senior missionaries. Several of these missionaries work in the mission office and their help is needed and appreciated every day. We don't know what we would do without them. One couple came to the Philippines to serve at the education center and they are witnessing the growth of the Pathway program. Another couple flies from island to island organizing humanitarian service projects. The final couple serves as MLS missionaries and are living a couple of hours south of Cebu City, helping to build up a small branch. We have come together here in Cebu with a common purpose, to build the kingdom of God. We feel great love and admiration for the people in this picture!

Mexican food is rare here, so this restaurant was a great find! Even if I had just partaken the chips and guac, I would have left happy.

 

Last week we visited the Temple of Leah in the mountains near Cebu City. In 2012, Mr. Adarna commissioned the temple to be built in honor of his wife Leah whom he adored. The structure includes  columns, sculptures, a grand staircase, rooms of collected items, a large bronze statue of Leah, and an breathtaking view.

The display included an amazing and unusual portrait of Leah made from butterfly wings.

I love art! When visiting Lakeview Gardens on Saturday, I saw tile and rock work I admired. The sign hanging outside of the gardens was made using beautiful green and white tile.

There is a cement bench to sit on made from colorful tiles and white sea shells (See two pictures below). 

Even the driveway was finished in an artsy way with circular rock patterns. Who took the time to lay the pattern of those rocks? I don't think I have ever seen art on the floor of a parking spot before, but it was beautiful.

Matthew and I have to be careful about what we do for missionaries, because word gets around and they post pictures and look at each other's pictures. We love doing things for them, but we need to be fair and cautious, so we are sometimes secretive. 

But once in awhile a situation presents itself and I cave. On Sunday night, these two marvelous sisters were studying scriptures on the temple grounds. They can do that because they live close by. Matthew was traveling home from a meeting and I was taking a Sunday night stroll and saw them. We visited and I offered to make them a fruit smoothie which they were grateful for. I love these two because they have both overcome challenging situations at home, and yet they glow. They are valiant and determined. 

It is the talking with individuals that I enjoy the most. 

 

One of the missionaries made a great comment at zone conference last week. He shared with us that as he leaves his apartment each day, he says to himself, "Don't forget your hat!" H-A-T stands for humble and teachable. Don't forget to be humble and teachable. Don't forget that there is a lot to learn today. Go with it. Take it as it comes. It's going to be a great day!

 

"It [The Book of Mormon] has been for me a rod of safety for my soul, 

a transcendent and penetrating light of revelation, an illumination 

of the path I must walk when mists of darkness come. The Book 

of Mormon is the conduit. The power is in Christ. We cling to this book, His book, to cling to Him."

(Matthew S. Holland, "The Path and Power for Your Promised Land," BYU Devotional)

I was strengthened by the testimony of the Book of Mormon that Elder Matthew Holland offered in this devotional. I will add my witness to his, that the reading of the Book of Mormon has led me closer to Christ, and has brought light and power into my life.

 

When St. Francis of Assisi was asked what he would do if he were suddenly to learn that he would die at sunset that day he answered, "I would finish hoeing my garden." I have wondered what he meant by that reply, and this is what I think. Some people worry about the future or wonder if what they are doing really matters because something might happen to knock their work down or destroy their happiness, but they (we) need to go on hoeing and not stop. It is good to concentrate on the tasks at hand today. We cannot control the future, but we have great agency in the gift of today and how it plays out. There is meaning and purpose in what we do each day, and through our tasks we are building character.

Dorothy Van Doren wrote: "The task is still here--the house to build, the book to write, the examination to prepare for. However dark it seems today, we shall meet life better if we have fulfilled the present to the best of our ability. Today is still ours, along with the obligation to live it to the full."