Elder and Sister Kearon offer timely counsel BYU-Pathway students can learn from as they navigate real-life challenges
Imagine you have the opportunity to sit face-to-face with an apostle. What question on your mind would you ask?
Five young adults had the chance to do exactly that during a
And here's how BYU-Pathway students around the world have applied the Kearons' counsel in their own lives — from anxiety and navigating an uncertain future to discovering joy through the Savior.
1. What are some of the most significant roadblocks that young single adults put in our own path?
Elder Kearon: “The idea that this [life] is set up to be a test. … We are not being tested like you are in your studies. We are being given opportunities to stretch and to learn, because we need to grow and develop and come to an understanding of who we are.”
"I’ve confronted many challenges, some of them very hard, but I continued to stand up and move forward. I’ve learned to be strong in Jesus Christ and to increase my knowledge without doubting and without hearing others' negative judgment.”
RICHE ROLLY MBANI, REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
2. How do you help a friend who is slowly moving away from Church activity or from feeling the Spirit on a daily basis?
Sister Kearon: “Your friends need to feel your love and to know that you are prepared to give them the time they need. You can give them the clear message that you are a safe place, that you are someone who loves them and respects them and cares for them no matter what they’re going through.”
Elder Kearon: “Depending on where they are, we should try to help them remain engaged in church activity, in helping others,... There’s great power in that. It keeps our faith alive, and if it has drifted a little, it can draw us back.”
“I was inactive in the Church for about 20 years but kept in touch with some good active member friends. One of them told me about BYU-Pathway. It was a good opportunity to improve my English, but the most important thing, I got closer to the Lord, my testimony about Him increased, and now I am again active in the Church.”
JENNY PEREZ, ECUADOR
3. As an anxious person, it’s hard for me to be happy when I worry all the time. Do you have any insights about how to feel more peace in the Savior?
Sister Kearon: “We need to make sure that we disconnect from our social media news feed enough to connect with our Savior. To draw upon His peace that comes because ‘He has overcome the world’“After I applied for BYU-Pathway, I found out I was pregnant with our fifth child. I was terrified and anxious that I would not be able to succeed, but I put my trust in the Lord. I now have a 10-week-old baby and am [earning] my bachelor’s degree. What seemed impossible for me a year ago has become a reality.”
ALISON WILLIAMSON, CANADA
4. How do you find joy as a young adult when you don’t really know what the future holds for you?
Elder Kearon: “We invite you to make one hour a week a real focus on finding joy. That Sacrament hour on Sunday, let us make it the most joyful moment of the week we can experience.”
Sister Kearon: “Remember that each one of you has been foreordained before you came to this Earth … for specific purposes and specific missions. You were foreordained to succeed, … to help the Lord in His great work. He has a work for you and for me. And we’ve been foreordained for greatness.”
“I’ve found great joy in learning alongside other students who are also striving to grow spiritually and academically. The sense of community has strengthened my testimony and reminded me that we are all working toward a higher purpose.”
KELVIN OBIERO, KENYA
5. How can we better understand the Atonement and apply it in our lives?
Sister Kearon: “Every time I’m given strength or guidance … to become a little bit better, that for me is the power and strength of Jesus Christ that flows from His Atoning sacrifice. He has given the rights of mercy and the power from the Father to be able to lend us His strength, … His love, … and His hope.”
Elder Kearon ended the meeting with a powerful message referring to our dear prophet, President Dallin H. Oaks: “You have a living prophet today who’s promising you the Savior’s peace, joy, and divine love, and you know where to find it. But it will take you to bring the understanding of the truth into your foreground, the foreground of your heart and of your mind…. It’s about us getting transformed as we learn to sing with redeeming love, as we bring our faith up close so that it can eclipse everything else in brightness, in light.”
Which of these five questions resonates most with you right now? Like the BYU-Pathway students featured here, you don’t have to navigate these challenges alone.
Watch the full devotional here , and think of someone you can share it with!