March 19, 2016
The Lord wants to shower His children with blessings, but there is a catch. He first expects them to do their part to earn and deserve them. As President Marion G. Romney said, “While the Lord will magnify us in both subtle and dramatic ways, He can only guide our footsteps when we move our feet.”1
By actively participating and seeking to benefit from PathwayConnect, countless participants have seen these blessings in their lives. The following accounts are from a PathwayConnect student, missionary, instructor, and employee as they share how they’ve been temporally blessed through PathwayConnect participation.
Self-Reliance and God
Mackenson Lundy from Brazil became more productive and realized the importance of self-reliance through his PathwayConnect courses.
“Self-reliance means I can help others more and prepare to have my own business. PathwayConnect helps me to be more confident and believe that, ‘Yes, I can accomplish my goals with the guidance of the Holy Ghost.’”
Mackenson Lundy, a student in PathwayConnect
When he completes PathwayConnect, Mackenson plans to obtain a degree in business management on campus at BYU-Idaho, where his fiancee currently studies. Meanwhile, he is working to obtain his visa and planning to be sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. The preparation of providing for a family has given him further incentive to be self-reliant and save money.
Mackenson said, “PathwayConnect has helped me be more economically minded, and I will become completely self-reliant after a few years. Obtaining an education is a commandment from our Heavenly Father.2 With an education, we can take care of our family and friends and receive more light from the Holy Ghost — our Savior will use us to strengthen His Church and teach others.”
Passing On Blessings
For Sister Cindy Atwood, a service missionary at the Arizona Mesa East site, as well as a PathwayConnect completer, the program has helped her recognize the temporal blessings she currently has. Her husband has a good job, which has allowed him to provide for their family. Sister Atwood also has a job that pays well, thanks to having an associate degree. These financial blessings have become more apparent as she serves within PathwayConnect, but she also recognizes her potential.
My desire is to help others receive the same blessings of PathwayConnect.
When she began working online toward a bachelor’s degree in business management through BYU-Idaho, presented and coordinated through BYU-Pathway, a new set of career options opened up to her. With new confidence in herself and her capabilities, she wants to help others in need of the temporal blessings PathwayConnect brings. Serving as a missionary allows her to do that as she continues to serve and learn from students.
“My desire as a missionary is to help others receive the same blessings of PathwayConnect that I experienced. I’ve recently finished PathwayConnect myself, and it seems that I am just one step ahead of others going through the program. As a missionary, I feel this empowers me to help others. Ultimately, PathwayConnect and BYU-Idaho expect us to teach one another,” Sister Atwood said.
Adding to her desire to serve, Sister Atwood said,“We do not have to know a lot to help others. Sometimes, the Lord has placed us on the road just one step ahead of someone else, just so we can help guide them along the way. It does not have to be hard. We just have to be willing.”
We do not have to know a lot to help others.
During her time as a missionary, Sister Atwood has discovered a love for teaching and hopes to become a PathwayConnect instructor. She believes teaching allows her to continue giving back to the program and bless others even more.
Stepping Down and Saving Up
Kim Flewallen used to teach BYU-Idaho’s foundation math class. Now, she teaches MATH 100L for PathwayConnect and enjoys the blessings she’s received by acting on its contents.
Math 100L PathwayConnect instructor Kim Flewallen
“When I made the switch, my family was about six months out from sending my oldest son and daughter on missions,” Sister Flewallen said. “We had been saving and preparing, but the money still wasn’t adding up to cover both missions. By teaching MATH 100L, I was able to start teaching a five credit class instead of a three credit class, and this made up almost exactly the difference of what we were lacking in our missionary budget!”
Sister Flewallen has also helped set long and short-term financial goals for each member of her family and is sharing what she’s learned with those she loves. The blessings continue to enrich the Flewallen family, and paying for missions and college isn’t such a daunting task anymore.
The “Step-down” principle (looking for the next best affordable thing), taught in Math 100, has blessed her family as well. Buying a new house, appliances, or a new deck would have put the Flewallen family in debt. Instead, they worked as a family to refinish their old deck.
“It took the whole family. It was a lot of hard work and a lot of time, but doing this ourselves saved so much money and brought us closer as a family,” Sister Flewallen said.
However, financial blessings aren’t the only temporal blessings coming from teaching PathwayConnect. Teaching provident living inspired Sister Flewallen to begin gardening, and she has greatly enjoyed her new hobby. Sister Flewallen’s garden provides her family healthy foods, teaches her children to work hard, encourages exercise, and saves money as the harvest is canned and stored.
A Simple Approach
“I have learned that ‘living the simple life’ is where true happiness comes from,” Steve Thomas, BYU-Pathway’s Advising manager, said.
“For me, it is not about ‘what you have’ but rather ‘who you have’ in your life that makes all the difference. Working for an organization like BYU-Pathway reminds you to live life in a simplistic manner. Instead of filling your life with stuff, fill it with those you love and knowledge that you can store up for eternity.”
‘Living the simple life’ is where true happiness comes from.
Steve strives to follow the guidance in Doctrine and Covenants 130:19:
Steve Thomas and his children
“And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.”
These are the temporal blessings Steve desires.
“BYU-Pathway has given me an opportunity to provide for my own little family. When I say ‘provide,’ I do not only mean the temporal things of this life — a home, a bed, and food on the table — but the most precious gift you can give your family in this life: time.”
Recognizing Your Temporal Blessings
Blessings can be easily taken for granted or missed when getting caught up in the daily routines of life. However, it’s important to remember and recognize the temporal blessings Heavenly Father places in our lives and give Him the thanks and gratitude He deserves. Don’t forget to count your blessings today and everyday as God sends them your way.
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^ Marion G Romney, “Principles of Temporal Salvation,” Ensign, April 1981.
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^ “Education is a Commandment,” LDS.org.
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