By Elder Justin Charles Baluyot
“Cssshhhhhh”
*click
“Csssshhhh”
*beeeeeep..
The sound of radio static filled the morning air in our humble little apartment.
Our mission president had just announced that General Conference this year was to be played this morning on one of the local radio stations.
It was “Semana Santa,” and all the radio stations wanted religious programs played on air to celebrate the event.
And the Church was to be one of them!
We were exhilarated! “Wow,” I thought to myself. “This has never happened before,” and surely I wanted to be a part of this historic experience, especially being a full-time missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I wasted no time at all. I rushed to my 72-hour kit bag to grab the little radio that the mission office gave us, which was given to us in case of emergencies, and stuff like that.
For this occasion, I would definitely consider it as such!
I’ve never really used a radio before, at least the one which we had. It was one of those small cliche radios, the kind you see in movies. It had one of those rolly knob things, so that you can change the frequency, and switch from one channel to another.
“Hmm..,” my anticipation slightly deflated, as I wondered how we would figure out how to get to the right channel we needed. I’ve heard a lot of general conferences throughout my life, and I was pretty confident that I would recognize it immediately the second I heard it.
Game on.
“Cssshhhhh”
First channel, didn’t really understand what the program was about at first. It had a lot of loud sound effects, scripture verses, and things like that.
Took a few minutes for me to realize that they were playing “The Ten Commandments” movie on air.
“Nope”, next channel..
“Csssshhhhh”
Next one was a little more difficult. The program opened with beautiful music. An orchestra, and a superb choir gave an amazing rendition of “Amazing Grace.” It could have easily been the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.
Then the next song they played was another Christian song, but it had loud drums, an electric guitar, and I could easily visualize the choir starting to sway from left to right to the sound of the jolly beat.
“Yeah.. I don’t think that’s the Tab Choir..”
“Cssssshhhh”
I then spent the next 15 minutes switching from one channel to another.
All of them were very similar. All of them talking about Jesus Christ.
“This is a lot more difficult than I thought..”
Then finally, I got one channel where I was POOOOSITIVE that it was general conference playing. I was absolutely sure.
I didn’t know who was talking, as I didn’t recognize his voice. “Probably a Seventy..,” I thought, as I didn’t really know that many of them, lest recognize their voices.
The speaker gave a nice talk about Christ and His earthly life. I listened intently, and agreed with all his narratives of the life of the Savior.
Then, just before he closed, the speaker offered a prayer.
He began with:
“Now let us pray. In the name of the Father, and of the Son..”
“Ooops!”
I laughed a little about my comical misjudgment, and then continued my search for the right channel..
My search for the truth.
Then, it struck me.
For a moment, it felt a little bit like 1820.. if you know what I mean.
A young man, in seach for truth, from one channel to another. All of them very similar. All of them preaching of Christ. Some sounding even so close to the truth.
Which one was right?
And how would I know?
Gratitude filled my soul, as I came to a self-realization of how real this all was.
There are people in this world, to this very day, who are trying to find the truth, but know not where to find it.
Just like a young Joseph Smith, back in 1820, in upstate New York.
Or perhaps, like a relatively young Elder Baluyot, in 2020, in a small apartment in Bacolod City, with his right ear to the radio’s speaker, flipping through the channels, while eating a bag of chips.
How grateful am I to know the truth.
How grateful am I that WE know the truth.
We are not lost.
We know the plan we signed up for.
We know the God we worship.
We know how to get back to Him.
But more importantly..
We know how to BE like Him.
And that is why I am here, on my mission, that others may know as well.
In my Master’s Name, even Jesus Christ, Amen.
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