THE ONE-WEEK MISSION PROGRAM In April 1993 as school activities ended, my counselors, Rafael A. Natividad II¸ Rommel M. Fajardo and myself of the Paranaque stake presidency thought of how we can involve our youth to more faith-promoting activities during the two-month school break. We already had the annual youth conference which we normally held in the month of May and the traditional sports activities as well. As our discussion progressed, we considered the possibility of a one-week mission program in coordination with the Philippines Manila mission president at the time. We thought of providing Aaronic Priesthood Priests and Young Women Laurels an actual experience of the missionary’s life to last just for a week. After our initial discussion, I went home after our presidency meeting full of ideas and excitement. I envisioned providing our young people a simulation of the entire missionary experience from being called to serve, receiving a mission call, being given a farewell, going through missionary training, being assigned a companion, going through missionary routine, fulfilling actual missionary duties, being released and welcomed in a homecoming fireside. When we conferred with the mission president we were grateful to receive his enthusiastic reception. Since our stake was within the Pasay Zone the full-time missionaries male and female were identified. He also gave us the amount of money required for a week’s missionary expense. We discussed more details of the program later with the zone leaders who gave us the refinements. On our end, we identified all the Priests and Laurels in the stake who could qualify for the experience. We matched it with the existing missionary complement of the Pasay zone. There was almost a perfect match except for a few threesomes. We requested the Stake YM/YW presidencies to coordinate the program from start to finish and the Stake Mission presidency to conduct the missionary training. After the program was in place, our stake presidency informed the bishoprics who received the program wholeheartedly. We requested them to discuss the program with the parents of the prospective missionaries including the financial requirement. If the whole amount could not be raised by the family, we encouraged the bishops to invite donors. Even with willing donors, we ask them to challenge the families to raise at least 10% of the total amount. I personally initiated the formulation of the mission call and sent every qualified young person an individualized letter. After mission calls were extended, the wards held their respective farewell firesides for the one-week missionaries. Parents were thoroughly thrilled in sending off their kids. On April 12, 1993 at 2:00 p.m. they were all received by the stake mission presidency at our stake center for a three-hour missionary training. Their full-time missionary counterparts met with them at the training center and proceeded immediately to their areas of assignment. We monitored their activities through the zone leaders since we did not allow contact with their families nor youth leaders. We were pleased to know that everything went as planned. On their final day, the mission president was kind enough to allow our one-week missionaries to attend and participate in the Pasay Zone conference as their culminating activity. Many of our young people who participated in this program who later served full-time missions attribute the oneweek mission as a turning point for their decision to go. Due to its resounding success, we expanded the program first to Mia Maids and Teachers then later by insistent demand, Beehives and Deacons. The younger people were only allowed to participate in a one-day mission. Since the number of participants grew, it was no longer practical to have them work with full-time missionaries. Through the years, many variations have been introduced which sustained the activity until it has become tradition. One of the greatest sights I have seen was when my successor, Pres. Victorino A. Babida, took a group picture* of our one-week missionaries in complete missionary attire. Later as ward youth leaders, my wife and I implemented the program from beginning to end as I originally envisioned it. The idea had come full circle.
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