Nathan here!
My road back to full activity in the LDS Church began at a youth conference when I was 14 years old. My family had stopped attending church regularly a few years previously, but that didn't stop me from accepting an invitation from a family friend to attend the handcart trek through the mountains of Colorado.
I had a great time, and formed a special bond with Brother Dave Richards, who was the "Pa" of our little pioneer family. On the last day of the trek, the leaders had set aside an hour for a testimony meeting. The meeting went three hours and was the most powerful spiritual experience of my life thus far. I remember sitting on a log in the back of the clearing, listening to the convictions of my peers, feeling of their powerful spirits, and yearning for the same certainty that they were able to express.
I returned home from that youth conference motivated, yet without direction. I had felt the spirit powerfully, yet I didn't know what was now expected of me. It was in those weeks of aimless wondering that I received a phone call from Sister Laura Pierce, the freshman seminary teacher, inviting me to come out to seminary that year.
It wasn't a hard decision to make. My best friend since kindergarten was a member of our LDS ward, and hitching a ride with him was easy and fun.
I remember many of the lessons from those first months very clearly. I recall loading a giant marshmallow in a sling-shot to shoot a scale drawing of Goliath done on a eight-foot piece of butcher paper. I remember an object lesson comparing caramel to gum. I remember marching around the outside of the Alameda building in similitude of Joshua's army encircling the city of Jericho. I remember learning about the plan of salvation in a way I had never understood before. Years later, in speaking with Sister Pierce, she told me that I was like a sponge, soaking up and absorbing new insights and knowledge about the gospel.
It was on a cold October morning, though, when I had my most profound insight. Sister Pierce was talking about the second coming, and the changes we all need to make in our personal lives in order to prepare for that great day. Like a blindfold being torn away from my eyes, I instantly saw and understood that it was time for me to return to full activity in the Church.
After seminary I arranged for a ride to Church for that coming Sunday. When I walked in, I saw Brother Richards on the stand; he was my bishop's counselor. When he saw me, his eyes twinkled and a broad grin spread across his face. I knew that I was home.
Everything good and beautiful and fulfilling that has happened in my life since then can be traced to that one decision. It is no exaggeration to say that seminary changed my life, made me who I am today. There has always been a part of me that has known that I would someday have the chance to show my gratitude and give back to this wonderful program.
That opportunity came to me earlier this year. In a meeting with a member of the Stake Presidency, I was asked if my schedule would allow me to teach the 7:00 seminary class. I had two conflicting thoughts, almost immediately. Yes! and No!
I take the bus to work in the mornings, and a 7:00 seminary class would preclude me from being able to continue that routine. I loved the time I had to relax and read, and I enjoyed talking and laughing with the other regulars on the bus, many of whom had been taking the same route with me for over three years. Then too, I often had morning meetings, and I didn't know if my altered commute would still allow me to get to work in time to participate in those events.
And at the same time, I longed to accept the calling. I wanted the chance to share my love of the gospel with the youth in our stake, a love that was first kindled in a seminary classroom.
Adrianne and I spent the weekend praying about the calling. Although I yearned for the chance to give back to the seminary program, I felt that those early meetings (some of which started as early as 8:30) would prevent me from accepting the call.
I was leaning towards a reluctant no, but before I said so, I felt that I should talk with my boss at work, to make sure I wasn't over-exaggerating the demands of my work schedule. My boss is not LDS, but he understands our beliefs and practices. He felt that we could accommodate a later start time and encouraged me to accept the call. I returned to my office and e-mailed the stake presidency with my answer. An enthusiastic yes.
Shortly thereafter, I was set apart and I began teaching seminary to a wonderful group of juniors and seniors. This year's curriculum covers Doctrine and Covenants and Church History. Next year, we'll move into the Old Testament, the same course of instruction that Sister Pierce taught us in my life-changing seminary class twenty-four years ago.
I've been teaching now for a little over a month, and I am finding joy and happiness in the work. I've been teaching adults in Sunday school for so long, that I had almost forgotten the unique challenges inherent in teaching youth. I'm still searching for ways to connect with my students, and I cherish those moments when I've born a testimony that I could tell has touched hearts.
I am excited for the chance to teach seminary, and I hope its a calling I have for many years. My life was changed forever in an early morning classroom, and I want to show my gratitude by filling a similar early morning classroom with faith and spirit and love.
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