The Blessings of Seminary

Begoña C., Guayaquil, Ecuador

Illustrations by Alyssa Petersen

During my second year in seminary, we had only three students in our class, but we had an incredible teacher who enjoyed sharing the gospel with us. In one class, we learned about how many people thought that the Church would come apart following the deaths of Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum. But other early members of the Church remembered that this is God’s Church, not man’s Church. Our teacher taught us that the Church would not fail, because it is the Church of Jesus Christ.

There is no doubt that our lives were changed by that lesson. That afternoon, we decided that we would serve the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We would prepare to serve full-time missions. I continued attending seminary.

Over the following two years, I could tell how my life was being blessed from attending seminary, as well as how preparing to serve the Lord nourished my testimony and my desire to serve.

Attending seminary confirmed to me how special I am to Heavenly Father. It has helped me apply the gospel in my life, and above all it has helped me understand that the gospel is not something we live only on Sundays. Seminary confirmed my desire to serve a mission. There is no doubt in my mind that the blessings of seminary remain present in my life. No one said it would be easy, but if we do decide to attend seminary, the Lord will bless us and will give us the strength necessary to fulfill the desires of our heart.