My best friend all growing up was a little Filipino girl who lived down the street: Rose Datoc Dall. She and I met when our bro's sent her to play with me (at age 4)! At 9, Ro really got a taste of The Church of Jesus Christ of Lattery-day Saints when I gave her "The 3 Degrees of Glory" lesson we had in Sun. School! I told her, "Ro, you've got to join the church in order to make it to the Celestial Kingdom!" She believed me, and it had a lasting impression. Not too many years later she came with our family to Palmyra, NY, receiving her first Book of Mormon at the Great Mormon Miracle Pageant.
Ro always told me her favorite number was 19. Shortly before her 19th birthday the missionaries came to ask me who in our neighborhood they could teach. I sent them to Ro's home, but was reluctant to have the family know who actually did so (because her father didn't let them in a year before while tracting). Ro later said knowledge of my sending the missionaries was the reason she let them in. She had all of the missionary discussions while I was away for the summer. She wrote me long letters about this particular spiritual journey.
One night I dreamed Ro was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. I came home for her last discussion. It was in my presence, Ro said, she knew the church was true. The only problem was she was going back to college and didn't know when she could be baptized. I told her, "Ro, you have always said your favorite number was 19. Why don't you get baptized on your 19th birthday (just two weeks away)?" She did, then received her Patriarchal Blessing 4 months later on mine.
A year went by, and she became a Stake Missionary. When set-apart Ro was told she would meet her eternal companion soon. Within two weeks she called me saying she was engaged to a returned missionary from Logan. Her parents were reluctant about her getting married (afraid it would "seal the deal" to Mormonism, I suppose ~ I have never really known why)! After 14 months of their putting off the wedding, Ro's Bishop finally counseled her to marry. She spent the night at my parents' before her wedding because she was not allowed home anymore. The next day Tim and Rose were married in the Washington, D.C. Temple. She developed a strong faith in tithing as she left her two wealthy doctor parents for a life on a $100 with Tim and a Hundai.
Six months later her parents came around, and threw her a big party upon receipt of the news that Rose had become pregnant. They then helped Ro and Tim into the home of their choice. Rose, a natural artist from the time she was little, has been in the LDS Art Show several times. Her painting, "Joseph and Emma," was on the back of the front page of the September, 2008 Ensign. Her piece entitled, "Flight (into Egypt)" received a Purchase Award this year from the Museum of Church History & Art (on her eldest daughter's birthday, for whom the piece was done in large part ~ for her daughter's protection). This same painting is now on the front cover of the latest (December 2009) Ensign.
In recent years she has put on a display at the Washington, D.C. Temple Visitor Center on the conversion of the Filipino people. She collected 100's of conversion stories and displayed artwork showing the Philippines as the 4th largest growing country in the church. The Philippine Ambassador came to see the display with a General Authority present. Ro's accomplishments are inspiring and monumental as she maintains her covenants in life! I love her so much, and am so very grateful for her testimony, example, never-ending support, and strength.
Some fun things about us as children . . . we loved Barbie dolls, dress-up in her Mom's endless array of high heels, video & tape-recording stories & jingles, rollerskating, swimming in her pool, chameleons, & old musicals, part. Fred 'n Ginger movies! Her big crush was Mark Hamill (from Star Wars) & mine was Michael Jackson (when he looked normal)! ;-)
Click here to view Ro's beautiful artwork!
Also, visit D&C 137, 76 & 131 for info. on the Celestial Kingdom.
"Self Portrait" taken from ~ http://www.nettycreations.com/MormonAds/
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