To all my LDS friends

Dear Liahona Magazine Reader,

My name is Victor Cave. I work alongside the staff of the Church magazines in Salt Lake City, Utah. One of our good editors, Melissa Merrill, works for the Liahona Magazine.

She is writing an article, for the adult members of the Church, about strengthening young men and young women ages 12¬- 18, by helping them have their own spiritual experiences.

For this article, she would be pleased to receive stories from parents, readers of youth, and youth themselves about times when they felt the Spirit, gained their own testimony, found a solution in the scriptures, received an answer to prayer, etc.

Melissa is very interested in receiving practical ideas about things leaders and parents can do to foster an environment where youth can discover and build their own testimonies. In other words, what can a parent or leader do not to force a young person to obtain a testimony but to guide the youth and facilitate a testimony-building experience? Are there things they can do at home? In classes on Sunday? At youth activities?

Please feel free to use as many or as few words as you need to tell your story. It can be written in any language, and sent directly to Melissa Merrill by e-mail at melissa@ldschurch.org by August 1, 2011.

If you have any questions, please contact Melissa directly.

Thank you so very much for your help.
Victor Cave
Curriculum Department

P.S. You may also forward this e-mail message to other parents or leaders of youth, inviting them to participate in the same way.

Bonding with former classmates after 25 years

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Last January 1, 2011 , twenty five of us (my classmates in high school and some kids) travelled to the province of Albay to visit our former classmate. We’ve been planning to visit her and we thought that it was the most opportune time for us, after hosting our high school home coming last Dec 30, 2010 to enjoy , relax and have fun after all the stress and hard work we did during the planning, preparation and hosting of our homecoming.

Leaving our alma mater at around 2 pm, our bus headed to Albay despite of the cloudy skies and slight shower in Pili, Cam.Sur. Inside the bus, we were so happy chatting with each other about our former school days and present lives.

Since most people in the group haven’t seen the historic 16th century old Cagsawa church buried by the Mayon volcano’s eruption in 1814 , our batch president asked the driver for a short stop to see the ruins. I could not refrain from feeling sad upon seeing the place, yet could not ignore the beauty and serenity of the surrounding. The belfry, serving as a memoriam of the 1,200 people buried inside the church still stood strong. It has become a notable landmark of the province of Albay and one of the most frequently visited tourist spots in the country.

At the background one could only see the foot of Mount Mayon. If not for the cloudy weather condition, our camera would have captured the majestic view of the volcano, which is another major tourist attraction in the Philippines and notable in the world.

Sitting silently at the bus on the way to our friend’s resort at Sto. Domingo, Albay, I was humbled at the realization that the forces of nature can be very destructive and when they strike man is totally helpless that’s why we ought to take care of them and pray for safety to the one in whom our life depends and who created and controls everything that is happening in this world.

A memorable sidetrip (Touching the walls of the Cagsawa ruins)

Sulit.com.ph and Trajet Tours and Travel promote tourism in the Philippines and abroad. Find great travel deals at Sulit.com.ph , the leading online classified ads website in the Philippines.

It was on a rainy afternoon of Jan 1, 2011 when our high school class ‘85 travelled to Albay to visit one of our classmates. After several months of tiresome preparation for hosting our school homecoming activity last December 30, 2010, we’ve decided that as a way to relax and reward ourselves for the job well done, most if not all of us 50 alumni visit our friend’s resort.

Despite of the cloudy weather and heavy downpour in most parts of the province of Albay, our group decided to pursue the trip to Sto. Domingo to take advantage of our long Christmas holiday vacation.

Since most of us, especially the kids, wanted to see the historical tourist spot of the Cagsawa ruins, we've decided to take a short stop.A friendly photographer offered to take our photos. We had fun and was amazed at the camera tricks the local guys showed us there. The guides were friendly and polite too.

After offering a short prayer for the souls of the people who had been buried alive on the spot where I stood, I suggested to our group leader to go on with our trip. We only stayed there for about 30-45 minutes and moved ahead to our destination for fear that after raining for days in Albay , we might get caught in a landslide in that low lying part of the area.

Although our stay was brief because of the seemingly bad weather, we had fun especially with our photo shoots and I was grateful for having the chance to see the place for the first time with my friends.

Sulit has just solved my pressing problem

I was wondering where to post my ad for the book entitled “Passage to Redemption” made by the crew. Fortunately one of the members of that crew is me. It was agreed upon that upon completion of the writing project, revenue from sales will be divided from among us, the eleven authors

Because I am really in dire need of money to pay for my loans and I wanted to buy some gifts for my loved ones this Christmas season, I felt really determined to help in the book’s marketing process.

It was at this time that I thought of trying the services of www.sulit.com.ph. I found out that being a sulitizen, I could post advertisements for free. Not knowing how to proceed and which category to choose in doing my ad post, I immediately contacted the site’s customer support service.

Within 24 hours, I received a reply from the company . Not only they did confirm that I could post my ad for free but also gave me the step by step process how to advertise our product. Thanks for the nice service and timely support www.sulit.com.ph gave me.

A shoe story

While working as a missionary at Santiago Isabela, an unforgettable
shoe story experience happened to me.

Part of our job is to find people to teach and in order to do this
required travel, and most of the time walking from house to house.

One day, I decided to wear the preloved low heeled, comfortable,
leatherette brown sandals given by my sister. Because one of our teaching
appointments was cancelled, we decided to visit Ada, one of our golden contacts
who had been sick. Her house was located in the middle of a rice farm several
meters from the highway. We had to walk through rice paddies in order to reach
their house.

I was told by my companion to just go straight ahead and focus on my steps.
I was talking while walking, and somehow engrossed at the beauty of the scenery.
Inadvertently stepping on a protruding bamboo, I lost my balance halfway before
Ada’s house. The second thing I knew , my right foot already landed on the ricefield.
Good that my friend held me in the arm so I did not fall all the way. I struggled
to pull my sandals out of the sticky muddy riceland, but to no avail.
'What an unlucky day, I just said to myself'. As I tried pulling my sandals again,
a kind hearted farmer who saw us offered help by helping me get out of the mud.

With my foot and sandal covered with mud, we decided to move on. This time both
of us barefoot, towards our contact's house.

As I washed my sandal in the nearby irrigation canal , I discovered that its straps
were torn.
“Oh my, I will go home barefoot!” I exclaimed to my companion.
“Don’t worry, I’ll carry you at my back,” she said jokingly.
And we both laughed .

As we reached our contact, I felt so awkward and embarrassed of my clumsiness.
Good that our contact was solicitous enough not to allow me to go home barefoot
or with just one shoe. I went home grateful that day on a borrowed shoes, half
inch bigger than my size.

My writing journey

Since the beginning of the year, I have been trying to find a place to write so that I can hone my writing skill. I have found that finding a place to write is not as easy as it sounds!

I have also come to understand the life and struggles of being a writer and of finding their own places to write. I’ve come to realize the reasons why some writers retreat to cabins in the mountains: it isn't just the peace and quiet they need, it's also the atmosphere. A writer needs to be in a place that inspires ideas and creativity; a place that gets the writer's blood flowing. Such a place might be different from writer to writer: it might be an individual thing. It might depend on the genre and subject matter that the writer broaches. Would it be best to retreat to an environment similar to the locale of the story or the book? If one is writing about the sea, one wouldn't want to be in the mountains but on a beach. The waves and the sand would inspire the creative flow. If a story or book's locale
was set in a forest or a jungle, one wouldn't want to be writing in a tent in the middle of the Sahara Desert. Yes, I can see there might be benefit to retreating to a homogenous locale.

Yet I have familial responsibilities and I am not financially well-off enough to escape to my own cabin (particularly since I don't own a cabin and I don't have money to rent one). Such is life, cay sara sara, as Doris Day might sing - what will be will be. Which basically means that I have to settle for what is available.


I am a daily wage earner trying to find a writing job to augment my income. What is available? Newspapers. Job forums. Word of mouth. I used all three and with persistence, and probably a little luck, I finally found the place I was looking for.

Several weeks after submitting my essay test at EPH, I became a member of the gray team. Writing blogs is something I’ve never done before.
Thus, being new to the blogging industry, I have found myself committing "lessons to be learned." Errors in other words. (From errors we learn lessons.) Some of these lessons to be learned were my incorrect uploading and naming of files, and uploading the Winzip, *smile*. Oh how grateful I was that there were kind hearted people around me (the staff and my fellow writers)! At the initial stage of my being a writer, they were there to answer all the questions of a newbie writer.


Aside from not having my own internet connection at home, I am also a slow writer. These limitations of mine had caused me to be reluctant in getting an assignment. My doubt was transformed into self confidence when I found a friend from the red team who shared with me her writing experience with EPH and gave me tips on how to make my job easier. My newfound friend would often gave me an advice that “If others can make it, why shouldn’t I? Besides, how can you increase your pace if you won’t try?" “Lakas ng loob lang yan,” she would often insist.


With this new friend's support, I finally gained the courage to get an assignment.
Nonetheless, there was still a yellow streak down my back and I felt the need to back myself up a little. I requested a grace period, just in case the assignment proved more difficult than anticipated.


Armed with this new confidence, I proceeded doing my first assignment. Upon completing it, I was amazed at how drained I felt! Hemingway said that writing 300 words a day is hard work. I of course am no Hemingway, but I did gain a little insight into what he meant. The focus, planning and revision of intense writing was indeed hard work!


As they say, all work and no play makes a person dull ... No. That does not apply here. I love to write! Yes, it was hard! But it was never dull or uninteresting. It was invigorating. Stimulating. Totally worthwhile. It's what I want to do! Yet the heaviness of mind and even fatigue of body, nonetheless, helped me to remember. I immediately bought myself an ice cream. The cold milky chocolate on my tongue rewarded me nicely for my accomplishment.

I found my second assignment easier than the first. It wasn't as mentally fatiguing. The third was easier yet, and by my fourth submission, I must have been doing something right because they promoted me to the red team.

In retrospect, I have to say that an on-the-job friend is indeed a comrade. A comrade, a mentor, is what every new recruit needs.
She helped me as I struggled along the way, and prodded me when I was about to give up because of lack of time and self confidence. With the experience and training I acquired at EPH, what seemed to be a grueling writing activity, now has become a totally enjoyable experience that fulfills me.

On making decisions

On making decisions

At the late part of May 2009, I've made one very important decision in my life.
I've been praying for the heavens to show me some signs for a long time as to what I should do but I hadn't receive any conclusive answer.

I was wondering why I didn't receive any hint or guidance in my prayers despite of my being a nice and prayerful person. I had been waiting for months and months without any results.

I wanna let go of a thing in my life, but was afraid that it might have bad effects on me or I might make the wrong choice. I was afraid to get out of my comfort zone although I was no longer happy with it. Until such time that I could not take anymore what was happening to me and I decided to take the matter in my hands.

As I looked back, the reason why God withheld things or knowledge from me was for the main reason that he wanted me to grow and learn by using my free agency. I better understood now that it is contrary to the designs of a wise God to do something that he knows we can do for ourselves.

When I finally decided, I consulted with him again. Alas this time, I heard him as if saying , "whatever you do, you can count on my support."

My friends, at the crossroads of life, it is inevitable not to make decisions. Most often, we always think more of security, good results or outcome. If the future is somewhat uncertain, we may feel hesitant, awkward, not willing to decide or move out of the present situation we may be at the moment.

Let me give you some tips to better decide
1. Study the matter first in your mind and the alternatives ( maybe even make a SWOT analysis)
2. See what others have done ( Are they successful or not?)
3. Assess your readiness for the consequences of your acts? (coping ability)
4. Ask for a second or third opinion from wise or successful people (preferably someone you trust , someone who cares for you)
5. Ask God

If the thought keeps pressing on your mind, even following you in your sleep, cause your bosom to burn or gives you a feeling of peace…. then it's a decision worth pursuing.

Being a single parent , the decision for me to shift from being employed to self employed or freelancer is somewhat an idea for others to raise brows, considering the security of having a regular employer. But as I weighed down my options, advise of friends and past experiences of others, I said "I could not know if I wouldn't try." The good thing was, before I left the office, I haven't burned bridges, so if anything runs amiss, I can always come back.

But considering the effort I am putting now in my writing career, I think, this is what I like doing best. I am treating it as a business (working eight hours or more per day), and I believe that with a little more effort, a little more networking, and a lot of prayers, I'll be able to land the dream job I want - and that is a work-at-home mom or WAHM.

“If we don’t chase after our dream, it will never come to us
If we don’t act – the answer is always no
If we don’t push our way forward, we’ll always be at the same situation.”

Thank you for reading. “May we always choose the right.”