Soon after the dedication, six missionaries entered Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, followed by others who served in various cities in Java Island. It was not until March 1977 that I met a member of the Church who then introduced me to the missionaries. I was baptized on April 30, 1977, as a young man 19 years of age who had just graduated from high school. I was very happy to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Even though I was raised as a Christian, my membership in the Church was a new way of life and a hope for a better future.

At age 21 I quit my job to serve a full-time mission. It was very difficult for me to make the decision to serve a mission, because it was necessary for me to work to support my grandmother. One night while struggling if I should go, I was reading Matthew 19:29 where it says, “And every one that had forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children or land, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit the kingdom of God.” That scripture sunk deep into my heart. That night I knew the Lord would never lie to His children and would always keeps His promises. My worry about my grandmother was replaced with the conviction that the Lord would take care of her while I served a mission. I submitted my papers and received my call to serve in my own country, Indonesia, from 1979 to 1981.

After four months in the field, I received my patriarchal blessing. There were many great blessings pronounced by the patriarch that I did not comprehend and were beyond my understanding. I was promised if I lived in such a way that when my parents and my family saw my good works, they would come to an understanding of the gospel and would come into the Church. I was also promised that a good woman would come into my life and we would be sealed in the temple of the Lord. I thanked the Lord for what was pronounced and left everything behind and began my labor as a missionary.

During my mission, a motorcycle hit my grandmother. She was hospitalized, received a blessing from the missionaries, and recovered from her injuries. When I returned home from the mission field I found that my grandmother, my mother, and those I loved were still alive and healthy.

I also found a job that I never dreamed I would get. Promises in my blessing started to be fulfilled. My younger brother, the first family member baptized, later served a full time mission and is now the father of two children. A few years later my grandmother was baptized followed by an uncle who also accepted the gospel. My mother was baptized four years ago after attending a members’ meeting where President Gordon B. Hinckley was the speaker. My cousin and his wife were baptized over two years ago and my brother in law was baptized a few months ago. What a great fulfillment of the promises given to me. They were fulfilled more than a hundredfold. It was a miracle.

After I worked a year, I then started attending college in the evenings. It was a very challenging time, because for three years I would leave home at 6 a.m. and return at 9.30 in the evening. At the same time I received various callings in the Church to serve my brothers and sisters. During those tiring and challenging years, I found the truth in my efforts as taught by President James E. Faust in his talk in the last April conference. He said: “My dear young friends, there is another great truth that you young men must learn. It is that everything has a price. There is a price to pay for success, fulfillment, accomplishment, and joy. There are no freebies. If you don’t pay the price that is needed for success, you will pay the price for failure. Preparation, work, study, and service are required to achieve and find happiness” (James E. Faust, Ensign, May 2003, 52)

Nearing the completion of my studies, my eyes and heart were opened to a young lady, who was a returned missionary and co-worker, and we fell in love. After a few months of courtship, we decided to get married. We were married June 17, 1985, and two days later went to the Manila temple to seal our marriage for eternity. What another great fulfillment of a promise given in my blessing. . Now we are blessed with four children.

I think my situation in life is no different than many of yours. We have gone though the same gospel cycles in life – joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, received the Melchizedek priesthood, served worthy missions, worked to earn a living, attended college to gain more knowledge, married and started a family. We have worked to have a gospel-centered family and are continuing to learn and serve in the Church.

Now, concerning the importance of marriage, the Lord says, “Therefore, shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. (Genesis 2:24) President Ezra Taft Benson taught the following: “Marriage itself must be regarded as a sacred covenant before God…. Fidelity to one’s marriage vows is absolutely essential for love, trust, and Peace” (Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, Nov. 1982, 59)

Through the bonds of marriage I have learned many of life’s lessons. This is a place where our natural attributes are being tested and cultured to become Christ-like. At the present time we have three teenagers and an eight-year-old daughter. The joys and challenges continue and will continue until this mortal life ends. The Lord has given us a clear direction through living prophets and apostles of how to raise our families. “We declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife…. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World”)