Resources

Reporting My Progress

Choose roles and act out the following.

FACILITATOR: We’re going to report our progress now. Robert, would you begin?

ROBERT: Okay. The first question is “Why do I want to become more self-reliant?” Well, you know my situation—growing family and lots of responsibility—so I need a good job. I really want to be self-reliant to take care of my family and serve better in my calling.

ROBERT: The next item is “What income do I need?” It was good for us to go through the budget process. We need a little more than twice what we’re making now. And that’s okay; it will work out.

ROBERT: Next, “What type of future work would provide that income?” We feel good about a job in translation. I speak two languages now. And the job has flexible hours.

MEKALA: Is it on the Preferred Jobs List?

ROBERT: Yes, it is. It is in high demand and it is growing fast.

ROBERT: Okay “What training do I need?” I need to improve my language skills. Plus, I need to learn the technology and some business skills, too. I also found I need an apprenticeship to get a job.

KWAME: You found a school that does all that?

ROBERT: Yes! And both the program and the school are on the Preferred Schools and Programs List. I’m hoping to take the Advanced Translation program at Lingua Celeri. They have high job placements, good apprenticeships, and good connections.

JANYA: How long is the program and how much does it cost?

ROBERT: It’s a two-year program, including the apprenticeship. I can do it mostly at nights, so I can continue with my calling. We can pay about half the cost and I’ll need a PEF loan for the rest.

FACILITATOR: Sounds good, Robert. Do you have any concerns or questions?

ROBERT: Well, my wife and I are worried about the time away from the family, especially with my church calling. But we asked the kids and everyone is really supportive. This could actually triple my income.

FACILITATOR: Great report. Any feedback or advice for Robert?

JANYA: Is there good transportation to get you to school, and did you plan how to pay those costs?

ROBERT: I will have to take a couple of buses each way, and no, I haven’t figured that in. So, thank you for that.

KWAME: I think you’ll be a good translator. You think fast and speak well. Could you do some translation work while you’re in school to build up experience?

ROBERT: That’s a great idea. Does anyone have any leads?

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Education Is the Key to Opportunity

Take turns reading the following statements.

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Real-Life Education

Have one group member read this out loud while the rest of the group looks at the notes on page 85.

HENRY B. EYRING

Conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ brings a desire to learn. … It is the natural fruit of living the gospel of Jesus Christ. … If we continue to seek learning to serve God and His children better, it is a blessing of great worth. …

The Lord and His Church have always encouraged education to increase our ability to serve Him and [His] children. For each of us, whatever our talents, He has service for us to give. And to do it well always involves learning, not once or for a limited time, but continually.

… Through prayer, fasting, and hard work, with a motive to serve Him, we can expect His grace to attend us. … [This] means that we will learn more rapidly and grow in skill beyond what we could do only with our unaided natural abilities. …

Our first priority should go to spiritual learning. … You are interested in education, not just for mortal life but for eternal life. When you see that reality clearly, you will put spiritual learning first and yet not slight the secular learning. In fact, you will work harder at your secular learning than you would without that spiritual vision. …

… The Lord knows both what He will need you to do and what you will need to know to do it. You can with confidence expect that He has prepared opportunities for you to learn. …

Our education must never stop. … The real life we’re preparing for is eternal life. … Our conviction is that God, our Heavenly Father, wants us to live the life that He does. All we can learn that is true while we are in this life will rise with us in the Resurrection. And all that we can learn will enhance our capacity to serve. …

I pray that you will feel a debt of gratitude to the Master Teacher, our Savior Jesus Christ. I pray that you will sense the great service that a loving Heavenly Father expects you to give to His children and that you will see the opportunities to learn that He has prepared for you. (“Real-Life Education,” New Era, Apr. 2009, 2–8)

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Learning and Latter-day Saints

Have one group member read this out loud while the group practices taking notes on page 86.

DALLIN H. OAKS AND KRISTEN M. OAKS

As Latter-day Saints we believe in education. … Our religious faith teaches us that we should seek learning by the Spirit and that we have a stewardship to use our knowledge for the benefit of mankind. … [Heavenly Father’s] Spirit can direct and intensify our efforts to learn and magnify our ability to assimilate truth. …

Our efforts to learn must be combined with personal worthiness for us to receive the guidance of the Holy Ghost. … Sin drives out the Spirit of the Lord, and when that happens, the special illumination of the Spirit is gone and the lamp of learning flickers. …

… We have a promise that if our eye be single to the glory of God, which includes personal worthiness, our “whole [body] shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in [us]; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things” (D&C 88:67). …

… Repentance, which can cleanse us from sin through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, is therefore an essential step along the path of learning for all who seek light and truth through the teaching power of the Holy Ghost. …

In our educational choices we should prepare to support ourselves and those who may become dependent upon us. It is necessary that we have marketable skills. Education is mandatory to personal security and well-being.

Our Heavenly Father expects us to use our agency and inspiration to examine ourselves and our abilities and decide the educational course we should follow. … Read your patriarchal blessing, consider your natural aptitudes and talents, and go forward. Take the first step, and doors will open. … With the Lord, “all things work together for [our] good” (Romans 8:28). …

We may have to struggle to achieve our goals, but our struggles may yield as much growth as our learning. The strengths we develop in overcoming challenges will be with us in the eternities to come. …

Most important, we have the obligation to continue our spiritual education by studying the scriptures and Church literature and by attending Church and the temple. Feasting on the words of life will enrich us, increase our ability to teach those we love, and prepare us for eternal life.

The ultimate goal of an education is to make us better parents and servants in the kingdom. … Education is a gift from God; it is a cornerstone of our religion when we use it to benefit others. (“Learning and Latter-day Saints,” Liahona, Apr. 2009, 26–31)

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