Our 40th Anniversary Reunion

We had a wonderful reunion last Friday with about 150 people attending. I saw old friends that I had not seen for many years. People came from all over the States, and even from places like New Zealand.

We had a talk by Kent Lowe, one of the first four Elders in the Islands. I was able to see two of the three men I used to sing with on Television in the Philippines. Our accompanist, Kathryn Garner Orton was there, too. Elder Stone was one of them. He was one of the two Elders that opened up the island of Mindanao, going to Davao City. He and his companion baptised the family of Elder Michael J. Teh who is now a member of the 1st Quorum of Seventy. He spoke in Conference yesterday. When his family was baptised he was too young, being only five years old. He was supposed to speak at our reunion, but on the way there with his wife and sisters they got a call and had a family problem the made them return home. We missed a great experience, but hope things turned out alright for them.

There was only one Filipino member on April 28th, 1961 when Elder Hinckley offered a prophetic rededication or commencement prayer at the American Military Cemetery. Brother Lagman had been baptised by US servicemen, and was there. There are now almost six hundred thousand members there, and a second temple is not being built in Cebu. When I went there,only about seventy Elders were there working. That was in April of 1967. Now there are over 2000 Elders there as missionaries with 60 percent of them being Filipinos.

I feel personally blessed to have been there when the original mission was made with its own president. President and Sister Rose are now dead. What a wonderful work it was, and what a wonderful, ongoing work still is.

You guys have had great missions, but mine was the best one in the world!

Dad Clark