Meet three BYU-Pathway students from Uganda who are leading the way for their stake
In his general conference message titled “ Right Before Our Eyes ,” Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles felt impressed to include BYU-Pathway Worldwide. He spoke of giving the Lord equal time — not spare time — and how three stake leaders and BYU-Pathway students in Uganda are doing just that.
A path to better discipleship
President Fredrick Kyambadde, President Ambrose Silva Kilama, and President David Bwogi Kalibbala initially enrolled in BYU-Pathway to set an example to members of the Church of Jesus Christ in their stakes, which are made up of several church congregations in one area. But they soon grew to personally love being a BYU-Pathway students.
“I have learned to keep commitments and to focus on the things that matter the most — like making and keeping covenants, loving and taking care of the needs of my family, and serving in the kingdom of God,” President Kyambadde said.
President Kilama also loves being a BYU-Pathway student and how “the gospel is interwoven into the very syllabus of BYU-Pathway.” Every message from the instructors includes references to the gospel, which helps him be a better disciple of Christ. “I feel like I am studying from a holy place,” he said.
A Christ-centered community
President Kilama has seen his community transformed through the Christ-centered courses through BYU-Pathway. “I love the mission to create disciple leaders at home, at church, and in the community,” he said. “This will help transform our community for me and my posterity.”
This effort to create disciple leaders is driven in part by the honor code BYU-Pathway shares with the rest of the Church Educational System. As students commit to follow these standards of conduct and strive to live with personal integrity, it creates a positive learning environment for all.
“This helps create trustworthy graduates,” President Kilama said. As members of the congregations he serves in have participated in BYU-Pathway, he’s noticed the quality of their meetings improve, less gossip and more charity, and members applying what they’re learning in school to their church callings.
A new way to serve
BYU-Pathway’s focus on both spiritual and temporal teachings has had a big impact on President Kalibbala, helping him to lead like the Savior and serve with humility and charity.
“With a growth mindset, I am now more tolerant, patient, and understanding toward the members that I serve,” he said. “I have learned to be slow to judge and quick to offer help to those who need extra support.”
His BYU-Pathway education has also deepened his understanding of what it means to put the Lord first in his life — and the extra blessings that come from this sacrifice. “I constantly feel the presence of the master teacher Jesus Christ directing my learning,” he said.
With its low tuition fees, BYU-Pathway has opened up a way for many in Uganda to receive an education they wouldn’t be able to afford otherwise. As a result, more students are progressing in ways that draw them closer to Christ — and help them become more like Him, too.
Blessings of giving the Lord more time
Elder Rasband taught that better education “means access to employment, and access to employment means a better life for families and more opportunities to serve the Lord.” These student leaders in Uganda have witnessed this first-hand.
No matter what is going on in your life, when you give more time to the Lord, He will bless you a hundredfold.