Church leaders emphasize education during Latin America devotional

Publish date: 2024-05-03

MEXICO CITY, Mexico — Amid perilous times, those who prepare for the future can look forward without fear, said leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during a historic devotional broadcast throughout Latin America on Sunday, Sept. 17.

“You can be successful in an uncertain world if you build your life upon the rock of Jesus Christ,” said Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and chairman of the executive committee of the Church Board of Education.

Joined by Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson, Elder Christofferson addressed the importance of education and making it available to Latter-day Saints around the globe through BYU–Pathway Worldwide.

Education has always been a fundamental belief of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he said, noting that President Russell M. Nelson has called education a “religious responsibility.”

The devotional, broadcast from Mexico City — a city with significant Latter-day Saint educational roots — was for anyone who has an interest in education, added Elder Rasband.

In 2009, BYU–Idaho launched Pathway, with the university focusing its first international effort in Mexico City in 2011. In 2017, the First Presidency expanded the reach and influence of Pathway with the creation of BYU–Pathway Worldwide. Today, from those small beginnings in Mexico City, BYU–Pathway Worldwide serves more than 61,000 students annually from more than 180 countries. Students improve their English skills, and certificates and degrees are offered in partnership with BYU–Idaho and Ensign College

Mexico City is “where we learned how to make things work, how to provide the opportunities that only BYU–Pathway is able to provide to thousands — and in due course, I think, millions,” said Elder Christofferson. “It makes a huge difference in the lives of individuals and families.”

‘Preparation for a life of service’

Elder Christofferson, beginning in 1994, lived in Mexico City with his family as a new General Authority Seventy. “I have very fond memories of the people and the experiences we had here,” he said. “It is great to be back now with the Church Educational System, with a particular emphasis on BYU–Pathway. BYU–Pathway is making such a difference in education for those who have really not had the opportunity for higher education for generations.”

The visit to Mexico City — home to 22 million people — was also the first time the executive committee of the Church Board of Education has gathered at an international BYU–Pathway location.

In the past six years in Mexico, 9,582 students — including 2,743 returned missionaries — have enrolled in BYU–Pathway. By the end of 2023, nearly 1,000 students will have earned a certificate or a degree.

The process is astonishing, Elder Christofferson said, speaking in Spanish.

Speaking to each potential Spanish-speaking student in Latin America, Elder Christofferson promised: “Education will provide a better quality of life for you and those depending on you,” he said. “It is also a preparation for a life of service.”

Consider, he said, the life of the Savior — who spent 30 years preparing for the three crucial years of His mortal ministry.

Each student who undergoes this educational journey will receive “heavenly help,” he promised. “Make God your partner.”

The scriptures are full of examples of those who set aside their fears to accomplish something great, he said.

Quoting President Nelson, he said, “The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation … and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening — or not happening — in our lives.”

Elder Christofferson said joy is a gift that comes from “intentionally trying to live a righteous life.”

Elder Rasband focused his remarks on the BYU–Pathway classroom.

Ancient prophets and apostles foretold the challenges of this day — perilous times filled with rage and calamity, he said.

Referencing Doctrine and Covenants 45:32, Elder Rasband asked the congregation to “stand and study” in holy places — in their homes and in chapels.

“When you stand in them, when you study in them, you invite the Holy Ghost into your life,” he said.

He also spoke about temples. “Perhaps of all the holy places that we stand in, the house of the Lord is the most sacred and special place. The temple is an important part of Pathways and education. Remember it was the Lord who said, ‘the glory of God is intelligence.’”

Those who prepare themselves — even amid challenging times — “need not be troubled as they stand more frequently in holy places,” he said. “In BYU–Pathway, in Church education, we have the perfect opportunity to do this.”

A great blessing for BYU–Pathway students in Latin America is the need to learn and speak English. For many, learning English is the doorway to opportunity, said President Johnson.

During the devotional broadcast, President Johnson shared her own experience with learning a language. Offering her remarks in Spanish, the language she studied while serving in Peru as a mission leader with her husband, President Johnson said learning Spanish was not easy for her. But she wanted to communicate with her Spanish-speaking missionaries. “I wanted to get to know them and help them and serve with them — and that required words — and I didn’t know very many Spanish words. But I kept working at it.”

She included Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in her righteous desire, asking in prayer for help, “including that the Spirit would do the teaching when my Spanish was inadequate.” Her efforts to learn were combined with her efforts for personal worthiness so that she could receive the guidance of the Holy Ghost. “Was I miraculously blessed by the ability to speak perfect Spanish? No! You now know that. But I was blessed by the ability to communicate the things of most importance: my love for my missionaries, and my testimony that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ, and the word of God.”

The journey for BYU–Pathway students learning English is similar, she said. “Jesus Christ is the strength of Pathway students.”

‘A future only God could see’

BYU–Pathway President Brian K. Ashton, who conducted the devotional, said the goal of BYU–Pathway is to “make higher education accessible to everyone regardless of where they live.”

Elder Paul V. Johnson, of the Presidency of the Seventy and a member of the executive committee, and the Mexico Area presidency were part of the leadership group at the devotional.

Elder Clark G. Gilbert, a General Authority Seventy and Church commissioner of education, said BYU–Pathway is just one of many educational solutions in Mexico. Still, he said, when parents are educated, their children follow. “Pathway will create a culture in Mexico,” he said. They will understand that “education is not only available, but it is also important to the Church.”

BYU–Pathway can serve students around the world because it is “embedded in the Church,” working in partnership with Church area presidencies and many Church departments — including Welfare and Self-Reliance Services, Missionary, Temple and Family History, he explained.

Elder Moroni Pineda serves with his wife, Sister Paola Pineda, as area coordination missionaries for BYU–Pathway Worldwide.

In 2011, he was introduced to the forerunner of BYU–Pathway as president of one of the stakes in the Church’s pilot program in the area. Back then they gathered for the program, with some students driving four hours through Mexico City traffic to participate. Today, everyone can receive the program online.

Still, even when BYU–Pathway was in its infancy, he knew “it was an amazing time, a blessed time.”

His wife joined BYU–Pathway and completed the program in 2013. She learned three important skills: First, the Holy Ghost can teach all things; second, learning English can provide other great opportunities; and third, BYU–Pathway skills in time management and the use of technology are invaluable.

Elder Pineda recalled his youth in Mexico, where he prayed for the Lord to establish a BYU in his country on the campus of what today is the Mexico City Missionary Training Center.

Instead, he said, he saw in time how the Lord sent Mexico — and dozens of other countries — something much better. BYU–Pathway, he said, isn’t limited to one area or geography or economic status. It is available to all — wherever they might live.

He is seeing a miracle in his country, where, as a little boy, almost all the Church members he knew were poor. Today that is no longer the case. “You can see how the gospel changes the lives of people,” he said.

Yamileth Rivero Garcia said she gained an eternal perspective while completing BYU–Pathway certificate and degree programs. “I understand the secular content better because of the spiritual content,” she said.

Now working for Daimler Truck, she said, “The difference in this program is that God is there with you,” she said.

That is also true for Alejandra Martinez and her husband, Abraham Espinosa. Both completed BYU–Idaho degrees through BYU–Pathway — the first in their families to receive an university education. They have found work and advanced thanks to their educational opportunities. “BYU–Pathway was a future only God could see for me,” she said.

Most important, their education has created a vision for all that is possible for their son, Tino. They see great potential for his future. He will get to answer important questions, she said: “What do you want to do? How can you help the Lord in His kingdom? What do you want to solve? How do you want to contribute?”

A similar sentiment was shared by numerous young people who listened to the devotional messages from Elder Christofferson, Elder Rasband and President Johnson.

Oliver Albarez learned to speak English as part of his BYU–Pathway journey. Now he works in a call center from his home office and plans to participate in BYU–Pathway’s three-year degree program, announced last month.

Heber Laredo said he learned confidence and communication skills through BYU–Pathway and also found employment.

The devotional message for him was simple. “We need to all use the tools of the Church to better ourselves and help others come to Christ.”

And then he added, “And we can all have confidence in the future.”

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