“Receiving Inspiration from God and Acting upon it”
Elder Elvin Jerome Laceda
This account is to testify of the truthfulness of what the
modern prophets taught us about the doctrine of receiving inspiration,
direction and protection from the Holy Ghost then acting upon it.
There was numerous times that I really felt divine
inspiration from the Holy Ghost that helped me to make righteous decision in
situations that that are very crucial to my welfare and also to others’.
One day, my grandmother told me to bring cooked food that
she prepared for my aunt. It is a hot Saturday noon (a day to play with my
friends and to relax after school days) and something within me tells me “not”
to follow my grandmothers’ errand and just tell her that my cousin will be more
willing to go. In fact, my aunt’s house
is far from ours, approximately 3 kilometers and I’ll ride a 20-minute tricycle
(a common Filipino mode of transportation).
One hour had past, I still argue with lola (grandma) that I don’t want to go, but she’s really persistent
until I felt something whisperings in my mind to follow my lola, yes, I was finally convinced to go.
So I went to the tricycle terminal bringing with me the food
I was asked to deliver. After 20 minutes, I finally arrived to their house and
surely I don’t have plans to stay longer! J
However, there is such force and power of which I can’t explain from where it
came and then I decided to stay for about 5 minutes.
I saw my aunt with her 5-month old baby in a hammock just
besides the river at their backyard. The hammock is tied to two slender young
mango trees, however, at the point that I approach them to get her hand and put
over my forehead, as a sign of respect in Filipino culture, the rope that
supports the hammock broke out and suddenly an accident happened.
The situation is really fast but as I remember, during that
accident it seems the “time frame” had been so slow so that I can think what I
should do. My aunt and her young baby rolled onto the river of about 5-7 feet deep,
my first reaction is “fear” because I don’t know how to swim but as I look back
around to see who can help them, I’m just the only person who saw and heard
what happened!
A certain voice prompted me, JUMP OFF! Jump off the river.
The moment I heard it, I followed and jumped of the river not knowing how to
swim. One thing in my mind is to save them, especially the baby. Fortunately,
the very place where I jumped off is the place where the baby is currently
drowning, so I was able to save her in just a couple of seconds, saving her
from drinking a lot of filthy water. After that several people discovered what
happened and came to rescue my aunt.
After we came out of the water and rinsed off, I never
thought that I did it! Coz it’s my ultimate fear, to be drowned, but like Peter
of old “I felt first the fear and gained faith to come forth” to save and to
bring hope to many generations that will be produced by that single soul.
I realized how important it is to listen and recognize the
divine power and direction or inspiration that God gives us through the Holy
Ghost.
I know my grandma was also prompted to send me there and I
am thankful that I was made an instrument by Him who really cares to His
children. Like what Nephi said “I was led by the spirit not knowing beforehand
the things which I should do”.
I know we must be sensitive and make efforts to recognize
the promptings to be able to be the hands of god unto the Salvation of his
children.
Now, that young child is 4 years old and I’m now currently
serving as a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints in Philippines Cagayan de Oro mission “helping people to come unto Christ through faith in Him and in his
Atonement, Repentance, baptism, Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost and
Enduring to the End” and “making salvation available for them, setting them
apart from the filthiness of this world.”
- END
