Simple Wishes

by Estela Ganzon

Good afternoon my dearly beloved sisters. I am so blessed today to be given this wonderful chance to share with you some of my thoughts on how to live life and reach our dreams. 

Sisters, there is a wonderful saying that goes like this… “we only live once, but if we do it right, once is enough.” 

I was born in a little sleepy town of Pangasinan in the Philippines. Most of the folk’s livelihood over there is farming. At a very young age, I became a dreamer. I dreamed of a better life. I dreamed of a simple but more luxurious life. I want to have something in order to get what I wanted to have in life.  

But when I look up the stars at night, my dreams seem too impossible to reach. As I grew up my dreams slowly faded in the distance. I remember, as a little girl, I have to help my family find food in the fields. I have to help catch frogs, snails and field crickets with my sisters so we will just have something for dinner. During harvest time, my sisters and I would run to the fields to gather rice grains leftovers on the ground by the harvesters, picking up each rice kernel one by one, so our family will be able to survive another meal. I look at my tiny hands and it’s filled with little wounds. I cried.  

My father works in a timber mill and my mom is a simple housewife. I am the eldest and I have four sisters and three brothers. During my secondary years, I worked as a maid to one of our rich relative in order to support myself throughout my studies. In school, I bring my own lunch. I only have sautéed tomato with egg most of the time. If lucky enough, I have a little dried fish to go with it. Under scourging heat of sun, I have to walk for a couple of kilometers from home to school and back again four times a day for I don’t have money to get a trike ride.  

My dream is to be a Nutritionist; I studied for a couple of years but my heart sinks whenever I see my mother tries to look around for money just to support my allowances. I finally made a painful decision to quit my studies and worked as a restaurant waitress to help support our family. Then, later, I also have to find a job in Manila to help support my younger sisters and brothers finish their studies.  

During those times, I knelt down every night and with tears in my eyes, prayed a lot to Heavenly Father, that someday He may answer my simple wishes in life.  

Then, finally, a twist happened! I became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. A young priesthood brother introduced me to the church. After joining several other churches, I finally found a place where I can call my very own. Finally, I feel like the heavy burden on my shoulders was lifted up. I can finally see the sun shining brightly behind the dark clouds of my life. 

During those dark clouds of my life, I learned to be humble, I learned to be patient. I learned to find hope in my heart despite the many trials of life.  

When I joined the Church, my whole perspective in life changed. I began to set goals for my life. First of all, my most important goal is to marry a worthy priesthood holder. My goal is to marry in the temple. My goal is to have wonderful Christ-loving children. My goal is to be strong in the gospel. I wrote all of these goals in my little diary book, we call – the Book of Remembrance. In this book, I had my friends write a little note for me to strengthen my testimony of the gospel. But, I reserved the very first page. That page was entirely reserved for that worthy priesthood holder who will bring me to the holy temple, and there at the altar, be sealed with him to all time and throughout all eternity. I fasted and prayed for my goals.  

I talked to my Father in Heaven, as a young daughter begging for a simple wish. I waited and waited.  Finally, one by one but slowly my prayers were heard and answered. I met a young returned missionary. I adored him because of his intelligence. He was my Institute Class teacher. We had our first dance together during a church ball, and with my heart beating like crazy, he proposed to marry me and to bring me to the holy temple and there be sealed for all time and eternity. 

As I slowly reach my goals, one by one, I drew a line across them. Brother Ganzon was that worthy priesthood holder who I gave the privilege to write on the first page of my Book of Remembrance. In our life together, we were blessed with two Christ-loving boys. They are the little jewels of our hearts.  

Just like you sisters, a month after our marriage, with Brother Ganzon being jobless, I bade to leave home to work as a domestic helper in Hong Kong. That was the most difficult decision that we have to make. With the bad economy hitting every family in the Philippines, Brother Ganzon and I knelt down and prayed hard to know whether we were making the right decision. It was the saddest day of my life, as I gave my last hug to my husband. At the airport, I hold my tears as he holds his.  

A year in Hong Kong was like eternity to me. There were no mobile phones twenty five years ago. A few minutes of long distance call cost thousands of pesos. The only way we can communicate with each other was by sending voice tapes and letters.   I would include some pretty photos of mine with the letters. Sometimes I would sing some church hymns for him of which he plays every evening before he goes to sleep.  

A couple of years later, Brother Ganzon joined me in Hong Kong. He was offered a good job which supported us during our early years in Hong Kong. Looking back more than twenty years from now, I could only testify that Heaven Father is really there. He hears and answers our prayers.  

During the deepest trials of our faith, He has promised to lift us up, to comfort us and to answer our prayers.

My dear sisters, I can feel the difficulty of the challenge you are facing in your life. We all came from the same situation. Life is like climbing up a mountain. We just have to keep going. Each step may get harder but don’t stop! The view is beautiful at the top!  In life, we can always take the easy way out and give up, but real strength comes when we decide to keep pushing forward no matter what the circumstances are. 

Never give up on what you really want to do. Don’t worry about being successful but work toward being the best person and success will naturally follow. Have the courage to follow your heart, it somehow already know what you truly want to become. Difficulties in our life don’t come to destroy us. But help us to realize who we really are.  

Sisters, don’t be pushed by your problems; be led by your dreams. Say this to yourself…”I’m going to succeed because I’m crazy enough to think I can."  

Just believe in yourself. Believe in who you really are – because you are a daughter of God. If success is important to you, you will find a way. No one among us here is too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. Success is the sum of our small efforts repeated day in and day out. Let’s stop waiting for things to happen. We have to go out to make it happen.  

Don’t let someone tell you that you can’t do something. Not even me. You got a dream. You have to protect it. When people can’t do something for themselves, they’ll going to tell you that you can’t do it. You want something, go get it. Period! 

Sisters, you can never be defeated unless you give up. Think about this. If you don’t step forward, you will always be on the same spot all your life. 

Let me share with you a story shared to me by my son, Eszel. There was once a baby eagle who doesn’t want to be hatched. So she stayed in the egg for many, many years. One day, she got bored and decided to see the world. So she started hatching and finally freed herself from the eggshell.  But then, when she looked around her, all she saw was only she in the nest. She felt so lonely because all her brothers and sisters had already grown up wings and flew away. The mother eagle was not even there anymore to give her a feed. Poor little baby eagle, she chirped and chirped but no one heard her. As days goes by, without food and no one to take care of her she slowly passed away. 

Sisters, are we that baby eagle who refused to hatch? Will we wait for that time when finally we decide to see the world, yet instead, there is nothing out there to see anymore but only our lonely self? 

Dear sisters, life is not all about Hong Kong. Think and move forward. So, go for what you want; ask questions; wear make-ups on Sundays; dress beautifully; wear your favorite perfume, and take that extra one step forward because you never know where it might lead.  

Be positive in every direction. Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.  

Today, we come together as leaders of this District to prepare you a workshop training in order to help you kick start a new life. We will have break up sessions. We will teach you how to groom yourself. We will teach you how to be self-reliant. We will teach you of your rights as an employee. We will teach you how to overcome some of your weaknesses, how to care for others and many more. 

Please take this training to your heart and start building a new life. I bear with you my testimony that we are all daughters of a loving Father in Heaven. I testify that life is beautiful, if only we know how to discover it. I know that with prayer as our armor of faith we will find wisdom. We will find joy in this life. Life has so much more to give. We just have to take that one step forward and leave it to our Father in Heaven to do the rest.  

May we feel joy in our hearts as we finish this day with a prayer.  

I would like to extend a heart full thank to Sister Hosford and Sister Forte for making this event possible. To our District President, President Tai, and his counselors for their full support and love to each one of us in this District. And to all who will be teaching in the workshops, for the tireless effort they have put into it. 

I would also want to thank Heavenly Father for all the wonderful gifts He has given us in this life, most especially for the atoning sacrifice of our dearest Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This, I testify in name of our beloved Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.