May 12, 2024
FAMILY AS THE FOUNDATION
MACK WILBERG AND LEANNA WILLMORE
Conductors
RICHARD ELLIOTT
Organist
LLOYD D. NEWELL
The Spoken Word
ON THIS DAY OF JOY AND GLADNESS
Music and Lyrics: Leroy J. Robertson
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg
FOR THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH
Music: John Rutter
Lyrics: Folliott S. Pierpont
PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING
(ORGAN SOLO)
Music: Gaelic Melody
Arrangement: Dale Wood
SOFTLY AND TENDERLY
Music and Lyrics: Will L. Thompson
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg
OUTBURST
Featuring The Bells at Temple Square
Music: Karen Lakey Buckwalter
THE SPOKEN WORD
“Family is the Foundation”
HOME IS A SPECIAL KIND OF FEELING
from The Wind in the Willows
Music: John Rutter
Lyrics: David Grant
FILL THE WORLD WITH LOVE
from Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Music and Lyrics: Leslie Bricusse
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg
FAMILY AS THE FOUNDATION
The Spoken Word, May 12, 2024 By: Lloyd Newell
(Recorded in Manila, Philippines, February 2024)
So much of everything here in the Philippines seems to center around the family. You see tight-knit family relationships—not just among parents, children, and siblings, but across multiple generations. A grandparent, a nephew, a sister-in-law, a second cousin, they’re all simply family, and that means they love you, care for you, and, quite often, live nearby. It’s part of the Filipino culture of family love and strength, so it’s no wonder people in the Philippines are known to put family first.
It’s been said that “if there is only one thing Filipinos will walk to the ends of the Earth for, it definitely is family. There is nothing they wouldn’t do for the happiness, comfort, and safety of their families.”1Each year, the fourth week in September is National Family Week in the Philippines. During this week, churches, businesses, government, the media, and of course families unite to recognize, in the words of the Constitution of the Philippines, “the Filipino family as the foundation of the nation.” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been a strong supporter of Family Week, promoting the theme “Building Forever Families.” This beloved annual celebration affirms that strong families are not only essential to a productive society, they’re also foundational to a happy life.2
This is why, even though there is a lot of important work to be done in the world, the greatest work we “will ever do will be within the walls of [our] own homes,”3 as a wise religious leader taught many decades ago. And work is the right word for it. Like laying the foundation for a strong building, strengthening a family is hard work, but it’s also a labor of love. It requires sacrifice, patience, humility, and a lot of forgiveness. Surely God sees and honors such efforts, and He carries us through every hardship, because He knows that family matters in time and eternity.
No family is perfect, but every family is worth saving, strengthening, and protecting. A building is only as strong as its foundation, and this is why, today more than ever, the world needs strong families.
References
1. Patrick, “Importance of Family in the Philippines,”
2. See “Church of Jesus Christ celebrates 31st National Family Week; encourages Filipinos to ‘build forever families,’” Church News, Oct. 3, 2023,
3. Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee (2000), 134.