Students shared how the Lord had prepared ways to get through the pandemic even before it happened. They said the invitation from the prophet, Russell M. Nelson, to “hear Him” has opened doors to receiving personal revelation during this time, and the revelation to create gospel-centered homes and incorporate “Come, Follow Me” have confirmed God’s divine help.
“The prophet shared the message ‘#HearHim,’ and he mentioned during this time, we need to listen and to hear Him,” said Shantall Morales, a junior from Mexico studying psychology. “I remember this video came out just before the pandemic. I loved it because it was relevant to my life at that time, but since this pandemic, it has been essential.”
She added, “I feel revelation during this time has been drastic for me. I’ve prayed, and I have received guidance. The answers are often very clear. I have noticed that for a lot of people.”
Gaby Amaller, a junior from Canada studying cultural anthropology and human resources, shared President Nelson’s revelation to establish “Come, Follow Me” confirmed to her he is being led by the Lord.
“The revelation came before to prepare us as members and disciples of Jesus Christ so we can endure this time and reinforce our testimony of the plan of salvation.”
Personal revelation
During the 2018 mission leadership seminar, Elder David A. Bednar shared lessons about the spirit of revelation. He said, “Defined most simply, revelation is a communication from God to His children on the earth and is one of the great blessings associated with the gift and constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.”
Amaller shared she had originally decided to stay in Laie, but after prayerful consideration and running into her stake president, she decided quickly to book a flight and fly home the next day.
She recalled after saying her goodbyes to her friends leaving for New Zealand and Sweden, Amaller said she felt she wouldn’t be seeing them for a while. She said the following day, she went to Tita’s Grill, where she saw the YSA 1st Stake president, Kingsley Ah You.
She said, “He came rushing into Tita’s to check in on his business. I didn’t even know that was his business, and I just walked up to him, not thinking twice, and I asked him for a blessing. He gave me a blessing right there at Tita’s Grill.”
Amaller said shortly after she received the blessing, she felt that she needed to leave the island and started packing and bought a ticket for the next day.
She went back to Canada and, shortly after, she explained, left for Utah with her brother. “The crazy thing is I really feel I am here because this is where God wants me to be. I didn’t have my dream plan fulfilled, but I have had incredible moments that were able to confirm I was supposed to be here in Utah.”
She said she had trouble finding a job but later got an opportunity to work with a professor in her major. “The Lord has taken care of everything. I can see why no doors were opened because there was something bigger coming.”
Eve Gonzales, a senior from Texas studying accounting, shared she was trying to figure out where she should be and which internship to take as her graduation approaches.
“I felt a confirmation I wasn’t going [on my internship] when my bishop called me to be a Relief Society president here in Laie. I wanted to cry because I knew I wasn’t going to be getting the internship I had applied for. I was still hoping and praying for it.”
She recently received the news she did not get the internship, but she said it didn’t even phase her because she knew God had another plan.
The path to healing
Morales said the Lord prepared a way for her to heal during this time, as she was struggling emotionally and wasn’t facing her problems because she was so busy with her everyday life.
She added, “I didn’t have the time to think about my healing. I had school and work, and if I had free time, I would use it to go out with friends. When quarantine came, it was like complete silence. It was me with me and the Lord. It was me realizing, ‘Shantall, you haven’t overcome this. You need to heal. You need to face yourself. Don’t cover it with other things in life but instead heal it.’
“It has been a painful process. I had to realize there were traumas I was carrying, and insecurities and fears I wasn’t aware of because I was busy with life.
“They were coming out a lot. They came out in different ways like anxiety, depression and what a lot of people are facing in quarantine.”
She said quarantine is pausing the world so people can look inward and fix what needs to be fixed, and after this ends, they can push forward more powerfully.
“We really need to trust in the Lord. These are scary times, but they are very hopeful times too. There are opportunities to grow and be better than we have ever been, but we just need to put ourselves in His hands, and He will take us there.”
Ways to invite personal revelation
Elder Bednar taught, “We do not have to recognize at the moment that we are receiving revelation when we are receiving revelation. Simply be good. Remember and honor your ordinances and covenants. Just go and do your best, and you will be guided, blessed and become an instrument in the hands of the Lord to accomplish His purposes.”
He added, “The Lord often requires that we initially go and do without knowing why. Latter-day Saints cannot and should not wait for an explanation before acting because we have the sure promise of the Lord. ‘Blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more’ (2 Nephi 28:30).”
Gonzales said, “I have been trying to hear Him through increasing good thoughts and also acting when I receive a prompting.”
Amaller said, “I have prayed and showed humility and trust in God. Letting go of the fact that I do not have control over certain things, but I do have control over other things. I can make the most out of my time, put in the effort, and try to do things right. “I can do the small and simple things: church, reading my scriptures, reading a lot. I can try to see everything with an eye of faith and not with my temporal eyes but more with my spiritual eyes.”