At the end of my Senior year of high school, I was preparing for the next chapter of my life: college. I had been accepted to the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA and was looking over some of the many pamphlets and paperwork I had received in the mail from the university. One talked about religious life on campus. I had been active in the LDS church for my whole life; I was serving on our Stake Youth Council and the Skyline seminary council at the time. But it occurred to me that I hadn't done much research about the church and ward in Tacoma. I hadn't figured out how I might keep the gospel part of my college experience.
The pamphlet did include an address of the local LDS chapel. I could see that it was not just around the corner from or even in the same neighborhood as the university. I was not going to have a car up at school. "How would I get to church?" I casually wondered. Maybe I'd come to figure out the bus system in Tacoma? Or ride my bike?
Not long before that, back when I was still deciding where to go to school, I took a trip up to the Pacific Northwest to visit college campuses. During a tour on my visit to UPS, the campus guide pointed out the coffee shop and passingly made the comment that if any of us did not already drink coffee, we would before long. As I chuckled along with the other prospective students, I remember part-way wondering if her statement was true. Was I silly to think that I could go through my college years standing firm on even that standard?
I don't remember really dwelling on these questions much. I certainly didn't talk about them with anyone else. No one in my life was asking me whether I even planned to continue attending church, let alone if I had figured out what ward I would attend or how I would get there. I'm somewhat embarrassed now as I look back, because I see how very immature and unprepared I was and how easily I could have drifted away from the gospel, simply by falling through the cracks or not setting forth a plan for how I would continue to make it part of my life.
Amidst all my casual wondering, something eventually drove me to make a conscious decision about where I would continue to stand once I left the comforts and familiarity of home. I can't remember what it was exactly, but I remember sitting in my bedroom writing in my journal that, no matter what, I was going to stay strong in the church. It seemed a simple decision and not one of much consequence at the time, but there's this beautiful thing called hindsight. I can see where I am now and I recognize what an impressionable time in my life those few years were and the role they played in getting me to my present state. As I've pondered that seemingly simple decision, I have felt a strong impression that the blessings I have received since have not been coincidental.
A few examples of blessings that came shortly after deciding to stay close to the gospel in college:
I ended up being assigned a roommate that was also LDS. We were actually a room of four freshman girls--two from Washington, including my Mormon friend Allison, one from Chicago, and me--and I enjoyed living with all of them, but what a blessing it was to have at least one person with whom I could share basic beliefs and standards. It was through Allison that I met Ginger, another member of the Church from Utah who happened to have a car; suddenly, I had a ride to church. We attended the College Heights Ward for young single adults/students from all around Tacoma, WA. On our first day of church, I met two more girls, also from Utah--Lys An and Kathleen. Here I was, surrounded by friends with a common bond and on whom I knew I could rely for moral support as I started my freshman year.
In addition to friends, I soon learned of several faculty members at UPS who were Mormon. One of them became one of my advisors in the Mathematics department. I had a job on campus in the Student Employment Office and one of my employers was a member of the Church--not active at the time I worked for her, but nonetheless very supportive and understanding of who I was.
Now, I don't feel that it was necessary for me to be surrounded by members of my same faith in order for me to be happy. In fact, most of my closest friends in college and favorite professors/mentors were not Mormon. Most of them were religious Christians of other denominations and often it was through some awkward discussions that we thankfully discovered that we had more in common than we had differences. The LDS kids on campus were spread out, getting involved in various areas, but meeting up when it came to Church, Institute classes, LDSSA outings, General Conference picnics between sessions, and even weekly "Family Prayer."
In the three years that followed, as I continued my studies at UPS, I saw students come and go. New freshman would arrive and, in my role as an upperclassman in LDSSA, I was involved in contacting those who had indicated their religious preference as "Latter-Day Saint" in their college application in order to invite them to Church and make sure they received the support they needed. It was neat to find some who were relieved, as I had been, to find a connection to the Church they had grown up with. Others chose to distance themselves from the Church now that they had a bit more independence. I felt a little sad for them, and hope that they have since had the desire to return.
I had the blessing of getting to know new converts to the Church in my time at UPS--kids who had been baptized during the summer and then came back in the fall eager to find support on campus. What examples they were to me. Another blessing was seeing the arrival of a couple of returned-missionaries on campus, young men having completed their full-time missions, continuing on with their education. Again, I learned so much from them, and what a blessing it was to have priesthood holders on campus.
If I had come to college with the desire to serve a mission, it was definitely strengthened during my college years. My testimony of the gospel had grown and I had become quite comfortable talking about my beliefs with others. Several of my fellow LDS friends left campus midway through their studies in order to serve missions. While I was a bit jealous of them leaving, I was blessed to remain on campus as one who was able to defend and clarify their decision to do so with common friends. Doing so even made me more desirous to serve. A few weeks before graduation, I received my mission call. Surrounded by sorority sisters, none of whom were members of the Church, I learned that I would leave that summer to serve as a missionary for eighteen months in the Ecuador, Quito Mission.
Four years is not a long time. Right now it seems that years fly by as I watch my kids grow and as our family moves from one stage to another. I'm sure that if I were to take a close look any four-year stretch of my life, I'd find valuable lessons, life-changing experiences, and cherished relationships that have helped make me into the person that I am. Few stages of my life, though, have pointed me in such critical ways as did the years I spent as a young single adult away from the comforts of home, with so many paths and options ahead of me. Many of my chosen paths have been a matter of deciding between several good things. In those cases, I'm sure that I could have found happiness and blessings along the way, even if they were different from those I have experienced. But one decision was definitely crucial and I am forever grateful that I was able to find the strength to make it at the right time.
A few examples of blessings that came shortly after deciding to stay close to the gospel in college:
I ended up being assigned a roommate that was also LDS. We were actually a room of four freshman girls--two from Washington, including my Mormon friend Allison, one from Chicago, and me--and I enjoyed living with all of them, but what a blessing it was to have at least one person with whom I could share basic beliefs and standards. It was through Allison that I met Ginger, another member of the Church from Utah who happened to have a car; suddenly, I had a ride to church. We attended the College Heights Ward for young single adults/students from all around Tacoma, WA. On our first day of church, I met two more girls, also from Utah--Lys An and Kathleen. Here I was, surrounded by friends with a common bond and on whom I knew I could rely for moral support as I started my freshman year.
In addition to friends, I soon learned of several faculty members at UPS who were Mormon. One of them became one of my advisors in the Mathematics department. I had a job on campus in the Student Employment Office and one of my employers was a member of the Church--not active at the time I worked for her, but nonetheless very supportive and understanding of who I was.
Now, I don't feel that it was necessary for me to be surrounded by members of my same faith in order for me to be happy. In fact, most of my closest friends in college and favorite professors/mentors were not Mormon. Most of them were religious Christians of other denominations and often it was through some awkward discussions that we thankfully discovered that we had more in common than we had differences. The LDS kids on campus were spread out, getting involved in various areas, but meeting up when it came to Church, Institute classes, LDSSA outings, General Conference picnics between sessions, and even weekly "Family Prayer."
In the three years that followed, as I continued my studies at UPS, I saw students come and go. New freshman would arrive and, in my role as an upperclassman in LDSSA, I was involved in contacting those who had indicated their religious preference as "Latter-Day Saint" in their college application in order to invite them to Church and make sure they received the support they needed. It was neat to find some who were relieved, as I had been, to find a connection to the Church they had grown up with. Others chose to distance themselves from the Church now that they had a bit more independence. I felt a little sad for them, and hope that they have since had the desire to return.
I had the blessing of getting to know new converts to the Church in my time at UPS--kids who had been baptized during the summer and then came back in the fall eager to find support on campus. What examples they were to me. Another blessing was seeing the arrival of a couple of returned-missionaries on campus, young men having completed their full-time missions, continuing on with their education. Again, I learned so much from them, and what a blessing it was to have priesthood holders on campus.
If I had come to college with the desire to serve a mission, it was definitely strengthened during my college years. My testimony of the gospel had grown and I had become quite comfortable talking about my beliefs with others. Several of my fellow LDS friends left campus midway through their studies in order to serve missions. While I was a bit jealous of them leaving, I was blessed to remain on campus as one who was able to defend and clarify their decision to do so with common friends. Doing so even made me more desirous to serve. A few weeks before graduation, I received my mission call. Surrounded by sorority sisters, none of whom were members of the Church, I learned that I would leave that summer to serve as a missionary for eighteen months in the Ecuador, Quito Mission.
Four years is not a long time. Right now it seems that years fly by as I watch my kids grow and as our family moves from one stage to another. I'm sure that if I were to take a close look any four-year stretch of my life, I'd find valuable lessons, life-changing experiences, and cherished relationships that have helped make me into the person that I am. Few stages of my life, though, have pointed me in such critical ways as did the years I spent as a young single adult away from the comforts of home, with so many paths and options ahead of me. Many of my chosen paths have been a matter of deciding between several good things. In those cases, I'm sure that I could have found happiness and blessings along the way, even if they were different from those I have experienced. But one decision was definitely crucial and I am forever grateful that I was able to find the strength to make it at the right time.
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