As these amazing moments happen, the words, "for such a time as this" softly whisper in my mind. And I can't help but agree with Thomas S Monson when he stated, "The Lord is in the details of our lives" (Consider the Blessings, Thomas S Monson, April 2012). He is the master orchestrator.
For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? (Esther 4:14).
Are you familiar with the story of Esther from the Old Testament?
It is a very interesting and inspiring record of a beautiful young Jewish girl whose parents had died, leaving her to be raised by an older cousin, Mordecai, and his wife.
Mordecai worked for the king of Persia, and when the king was looking for a queen, Mordecai took Esther to the palace and presented her as a candidate, advising her not to reveal that she was Jewish. The king was pleased with Esther above all the others and made Esther his queen.
Haman, the chief prince in the king’s court, became increasingly angry with Mordecai because Mordecai would not bow down and pay homage to him. In retribution, Haman convinced the king—in a rather devious manner—that there were “certain people” in all 127 provinces of the kingdom whose laws were different from others’ and that they would not obey the king’s laws and should be destroyed. Without naming these people to the king, Haman was, of course, referring to the Jews, including Mordecai.
With the king’s permission to handle the matter, Haman sent letters to the governors of all of the provinces, instructing them “to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, … [on] the thirteenth day of the twelfth month.”
Through a servant, Mordecai sent word to Esther concerning the decree against the Jews, requesting that she go in to the king to plead for her people. Esther was at first reluctant, reminding Mordecai that it was against the law for anyone to go unbidden into the inner court of the king. Punishment by death would be the result—unless the king were to hold out his golden scepter, allowing the person to live.
Mordecai’s response to Esther’s hesitation was to the point. He replied to her thus:
“Think not … that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews.
“For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, … thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed.”
And then he added this searching question: “Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
In response, Esther asked Mordecai to gather all the Jews he could and to ask them to fast three days for her and said that she and her handmaids would do the same. She declared, “I [will] go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.” Esther had gathered her courage and would stand firm and immovable for that which was right.
Physically, emotionally, and spiritually prepared, Esther stood in the inner court of the king’s house. When the king saw her, he held out his golden scepter, telling her that he would grant whatever request she had. She invited the king to a feast she had arranged, and during the feast she revealed that she was a Jew. She also exposed Haman’s underhanded plot to exterminate all of the Jews in the kingdom. Esther’s plea to save herself and her people was granted.
Esther, through fasting, faith, and courage, had saved a nation (May You Have Courage, Thomas S Monson, April 2009).
Let me share an experience with you that has been over 23 years in the making but one which often inspires the words "for such a time as this" to whisper in my soul.
Chris met the De Ocera family in March of 1995 as new missionary in the San Fernando, Philippines mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Normita De Ocera was baptized shortly after Chris arrived in the country, her husband, Arcadio, was baptized in July, and later that same year their daughter, Armida, was baptized. Chris grew to love this family as he served his mission and had many opportunities over two years to connect with them. As he left his mission and left the Philippines, it was with the sinking feeling that he would never see this family again in this life.
That all changed in December 2012. One morning while I was traveling for business in Phoenix, I woke up and prepared to exercise as I normally do. I checked email to see what had happened over night and a single email changed things for me. "Jeff Isom suggests you become friends with Normita De Ocera." Normita was "my first baptism," although I dislike the term. She was one of the chief people who helped me learn Tagalog after arriving, and she became like a mother to me. We shared a deep connection. Her husband, Arcadio, was baptized shortly after I was transferred out of the area. Her daughter, Armida, was baptized about a year later when I returned to a nearby area to serve in the mission office in an administrative role.
When I read that message, I distinctly recall sitting down and experiencing a rush of emotion come over me. I'd found her. Or was it that she'd found me. Actually, it was neither, I suppose. I quickly sent the friend request and within a day or two we were exchanging messages about how we'd each reflected tenderly over the years, wondering if we'd ever be in contact again. It was great. But we were far from finished. Near the end of December, I also found her daughter, Armida De Ocera (now Emita) and we reconnected on Facebook... (Chris' blog, April 2013).
That moment of reconnection, inspired Chris.
On New Years Eve 2012, I noticed that Normita (Nanay, or mother, pa rin) had posted some videos of Tatay [father] and the grandkids dancing to Gangnam Style on their day off. It was cute. I posted some comments about it, and before long Armida popped up on chat. This was the first time I had actually live chatted with the family, and we had much catching up to do. Amazing technology. I would say that over and over again. Facebook literally changed my life. And so off we chatted, over the course of a couple hours as I was watching the New Years countdown on TV. It was a sweet reunion, and in my broken, over-half-forgotten Tagalog we managed to catch up on many things. Armida is married to Rolando, has 3 kids (Allyssa 10, Allyson 5, and Armand 4) and lives not far from Nanay and Tatay. She works on the Clark base in a HR position and he works as a security guard. All are (now) active in the Church.
Both their families were flooded severely back in August 2012, and it was a transformative event for them. According to Nanay, the water was 8 feet deep inside (or in front of) their house, and was up to 12 feet deep nearby in the streets. Floods are pretty common in the Philippines, and certainly they were tragic when I served after Pinatubo erupted. But this was a severe one and it scared them badly. They lost many of their treasures, and I think they were worried for their lives. As a result, they decided to reexamine their commitment to their faith. To that point they'd been kinda wishy washy (my words, not theirs). No one has yet been sealed in the temple, though I'm certain Nanay would have done it 18 years ago if it were up to her alone. But after the flood they decided things needed to change. Rolando and Tatay now have callings, Armida's girls have expressed a desire to go on a mission someday, and they're presently working with their bishop to prepare to be sealed in the Manila temple. Amazing. The timing.
And so back to New Years Eve. As we chatted on Facebook for a couple hours, I started sharing these things with my kids, and I was clearly caught up in the moment. After midnight our time, we decided to video chat with them. Their microphone on their computer wasn't working, so we concocted a setup with audio via Skype and video via Facebook. It was so neat to see MY Philippine family once more. We had so much fun. When I found out about the flood, I learned that they'd lost all their baptism pictures and keepsakes. I scanned my mission pix (nondigital) back in 2006 or so, and so I had them all ready to go. I immediately sent them over to the De Oceras, and we truly communed, remembering a time that suddenly didn't seem quite so long ago. Even my Tagalog improved as we chatted. I surely didn't understand everything, and I'm positive I butchered all sorts of words. But it was coming back to me in waves, amazing waves that showed me it's all still there in the back of my head somewhere, collecting cobwebs. And hey, Google Translate is a miracle all by itself! What a help it was. By the time we finished our chat, I was saying things that I didn't understand fully myself until the words had been spoken. Perhaps not a miracle or anything, but still pretty amazing to a guy who hasn't spoken Tagalog fluently to anyone in 15+ years.
When I finally shut it down about 2:30 am, I had a strong urge to go back there. I suppose it's always been on my "bucket" list. We nearly secured a foreign assignment there with IBM in 2008, but the details didn't work out. But it's soooooo far away, and soooooo different than the world my girls know. Ludicrous to pick up and go there, right?
That night, I laid in bed for quite some time just trying to process all that had happened. The Spirit was very strong in me. I knew there was a reason that we'd all found each other, and at that time. The next morning when I woke up, I lay in bed explaining the events of the previous night to Jolayne with tears rolling down my face. The De Oceras told me they'd finally found their "other" son once again. They explained that they often talked of us missionaries and the times we had together. Armida told me that her daughters wanted to "be like you, and serve missions" because of the great difference we'd made in their lives. Truly this is what the scripture speaks of when it says that the "worth of souls is great." My joy was full. I have to go back (Chris' blog, April 2013).
And so, after much planning and praying and studying Tagalog, Chris returned to the Philippines bringing his family. It was indeed a journey as we traveled hour upon hour to finally arrive. I distinctly remember Sunday morning and meeting the De Ocera and Emita family for the first time.
Chris was watching carefully for the stop, hoping that his memory would serve him well 18 years later. It did. He called out, "Para, po." Para means stop and po is a respectful term, perhaps similar to sir or ma'am. We climbed out of the jeepney, pulling our luggage behind us, and set off down a street, past a guard shack, and around the corner. The yellow and red gate was wide open and as we walked by, Arcadio and Armida called to Chris. He was headed to the gate on the other side of the house where he used to enter. Hugs all around. Except for Nanay. She exited the house a couple of minutes later; she and Chris fell in to each others' arms and hugged. I could hear my sweetheart crying. A very sweet reunion with a family he never thought he would see again in this lifetime (Sunday, March 31, 2013).
It was an amazing reunion to be sure. We had the blessing of returning in November 2014, and Chris visited again in January of 2018. Every time he would say, "I have to take advantage of this opportunity. I don't know if I'll be able to ever go back again."
As Chris visited with the family on this most recent trip, he was downhearted to find that their living conditions were very poor. He said to them, "This is not acceptable. I want to help you fix it and make your home livable." He left money with them at that time so that they could begin to fix holes in the roof and walls, add doors to their bedrooms, and build a wall where currently a shower curtain was serving the purpose. They reluctantly accepted the gift.
It has been a blessing for us to be able to help them. And so to the point of my thoughts on Esther 4:14 ...and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
Who knoweth whether Chris Kline was called to serve in the San Fernando, Philippines mission for a moment such a this: an opportunity to serve, to love, and to make a significant impact in other's lives. This moment with the De Ocera and Emita family has not been the only one as a result of his missionary service, but for me a rather poignant reminder that the "Lord is in the details of our lives," and He will use his children to help each other.
President Spencer W. Kimball taught this concept when he said: “God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other.” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball (2006), 82).
