Trusting a Promise from God

While living in Portugal as a teenager, I didn’t know about the importance of education or much about Jesus Christ. I was turning to drugs, alcohol, and things like that. Then, one day, two sister missionaries met me in the street. They began teaching me and helped me to develop faith in Jesus Christ. When I was 20 years old, I quit drugs and alcohol and was baptized.

A promise from God

After joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I received my patriarchal blessing , which is a personal blessing of counsel from God.

In my blessing I was blessed to finish my studies. Even though I hadn’t yet finished high school, I decided to serve a mission; I knew that Heavenly Father would help me with my education when I returned home.

My patriarchal blessing inspired me to prioritize education. When I came back from my mission, I worked during the day and studied at night. It was hard, but I succeeded and completed my high school diploma!

A path made possible

I began working as a carpenter and wanted to enroll in a university, but I didn’t have the resources. My dream of earning a degree felt out of reach.

Years later, after moving to the Netherlands, I encountered an advertisement for BYU-Pathway Worldwide on Facebook. Unlike other universities I had looked at, BYU-Pathway was very affordable. I knew God had provided a way for me to continue my studies, and I enrolled right away.

The support I needed

I enrolled during a challenging time in my life. When I moved to the Netherlands, I had stopped attending church and had started taking drugs again. It was pretty bad. I wanted to quit, but I didn’t have the will to do it.

BYU-Pathway was the support I needed. Each day after work, the coursework and gatherings kept my mind busy and away from drugs, but they also helped me to grow spiritually and attend church again. This program helped me come closer to God and gain the faith to overcome my challenges: for the past five years, I haven’t felt a need for drugs or alcohol.

A dream achieved

In December 2024, I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in family and human services . I pursued that degree because I like learning about psychology and behavior.

Now, I’m working to complete a postgraduate program in archeology, geography, and the history of the Bible. I hope to combine my spiritual learning with the academic learning from my degree to one day open a recovery center to help other people with the experiences I’ve had in my life.

Don’t give up. Life is stressful, so take a term off if you need to, but don’t give up. God will help you — you can do this!

See how your education can be made possible through BYU-Pathway .