President's Message: Established

Thank you for supporting students with your donations to BYU-Pathway Worldwide. I am sincerely grateful for your consecration and generosity.

In 2 Nephi 9:2, the prophet Jacob speaks about a time when the house of Israel “shall be restored to the true church and fold of God; when they shall be gathered home to the lands of their inheritance, and shall be established in all their lands of promise” (emphasis added). I have thought a lot about what it means to be established. On one level, this verse is about missionary work. It prophesies of the day when the gospel of Jesus Christ will be preached to all the nations of the earth—a spiritual establishment.

To me, the idea of becoming established includes the spiritual and the temporal. It means to have not only the fullness of the gospel, the restored Church of Jesus Christ, the priesthood, and temples but also health, safety, hope, the ability to support your family, the ability to learn by study and by faith, and a future for yourself and your children.

Many members of the Church of Jesus Christ are not established in the fullest sense of the word. They have entered the covenant path through baptism, but they struggle to meet their temporal needs. For example, 34 percent of BYU-Pathway students don’t get two meals a day, and 60 percent don’t have consistent housing. It is hard to focus on spiritual matters when you are struggling to put food on the table or your wellbeing is at risk.

As I have traveled to countries around the world, I have spoken with people who feel forsaken and forgotten because they are not established. Of course, they are not forsaken or forgotten. The Lord is with them. And it gives me great joy to talk to them about the blessings the Lord has prepared for them through BYU-Pathway: the blessings of affordable, accessible, and faith-based education that helps them become self-reliant.

As people become more secure temporally, they become strengthened spiritually. They become more fully established. As supporters of BYU-Pathway, you are participating in this great work. You are helping to bless God’s children throughout the world. Thank you for your support.