The following is excerpted from the Church News. To read the full article, CLICK HERE. 

When President Dallin H. Oaks first arrived in the Philippines as an Apostle with the assignment to serve as area president in 2002, he sought the Lord’s guidance for a theme that would define his ministry.

That night, the Spirit of Lord awakened President Oaks and impressed upon his mind a passage from the Book of Mormon: “Now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them” (Mosiah 4:10).

At the time, the Philippines was experiencing rapid growth with some 600,000 members but did not have enough Latter-day Saints with a current temple recommend for President Oaks to recommend a second temple for the nation.

For the next two years, he taught Filipino Latter-day Saints to perform the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ with greater effectiveness.

Twenty years later, President Oaks, now serving as first counselor in the First Presidency, returned to the Southeast Asian nation on April 28 and dedicated the Urdaneta Philippines Temple — the Church’s 190th worldwide and third in the Philippines. In addition to the Manila temple (dedicated in 1984) and a second temple in Cebu City (2010), the Church has announced 10 more temples for the nation, including three currently under construction.

President Oaks was accompanied at the dedication, held in two sessions, by his wife, Sister Kristen M. Oaks; Elder Kevin R. Duncan, General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Nancy R. Duncan; and Elder Carlos G. Revillo, Jr., a General Authority Seventy and second counselor in the Philippines Area Presidency, and his wife, Sister Marites F. Revillo.

“As we see you wonderful brothers and sisters and youth here in the Philippines, we are thrilled to realize that you have grown much more in faithfulness in keeping the commandments of God than when Sister Oaks and I left the Philippines 20 years ago,” said President Oaks.

Sister Oaks said as they drove from the airport to the temple after landing in the Philippines — a land they love — she got teary-eyed. “The Filipino people are so warm, so loyal, such good friends,” she said. “We have so many memories here. It was an incredible time.”

To read the full article, CLICK HERE.