I Will Be the One

I recently heard a talk in the Area Conference here in the Philippines given by Brent Nielson of the Seventy. In his talk he used a story of an expression that we had heard several times. "I will be the one.”

Soon after we arrived here in the Philippines I was getting ready to take my luggage upstairs where we would be staying for a couple of days in the Mission Home. The man who helped us in with our luggage came and said to me “I will be the one,” as he quickly took our bags upstairs. I thought that was an interesting thing to say.  A few days later, after a Sunday school class, people were stacking up chairs. I began to stack chairs and then pull the stack to the side of the room. A brother came up to me and said, “I will be the one,” as he took my stack of chairs to the side of the room. (I think he thought that senior missionaries should not do heavy work) The members here in the Philippines are very kind and helpful to us. On another occasion we had visited a small farm that offers classes for “Organic Farming”. When we were leaving the gate we had passed through had mostly closed and so I got out of our truck to open the gate. The woman caretaker rushed past me and said, “I will be the one,” as she began to open the gate.

In Brother Nielsen’s talk he said that he learned from a linguist that the expression “I will be the one” is a Filipinoism, used to offer service or a kindness. I am not sure how the expression developed but it is quite charming in the way the people present themselves for service.

Brother Nielson applied the expression in a “doctrinal” context.

In the book of Abraham “the Lord said: Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. (or restated, “I will be the one” and the glory be thine.)

We all have the opportunity and challenge to step forward in our calling as missionaries or primary teachers or fathers or mothers when we recognize the need for service and say,  “I will be the one.” Many times there is not any one else who can say that for us, or who can take our place at that time.

It is fun to have new thoughts and be taught by the spirit.

I love all of you.

Dad