When I was just four years old, my mom heard the truth through my uncle and became a child of God. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of growing up in the truth—learning its ways and making beautiful memories in the kids’ room with my brothers and sisters.
But when I entered middle school, I started to question why I even needed to go to Zion. It wasn’t that I disliked church or wanted to stop keeping the Sabbath. I just didn’t really understand how important it was for my salvation. To me, the Sabbath felt more like a day I kept just so my mom wouldn’t worry. Admitting this now makes me feel bother ashamed and embarrassed, but I even searched online forums where people ask and answer personal questions. One day, I typed,
“How do I tell my mom I don’t want to go to church anymore?”
That was nearly six years ago. Now, as a high school student, I truly love Zion. I can’t imagine a life without it. So what changed me? It’s the Student Group activities.
Around the time I was thinking about my role in Zion, I was blessed to join the student choir. Back then, I didn’t realize how great a blessing it was. I simply thought of it as a opportunity to improve my singing. But through the New Songs, God made me realize something—every lyric felt as if it had been written just for me.
One song in particular, “Father, I Miss You So Much!” deeply touches my heart—especially the line, “Tenderly You told us, ‘You’re the future of the gospel!’” I had heard that Heavenly Father always watched over the students with a warm smile and treated them as prophets. That love reached me through the melody of the New Song, and every time I sing it, I can feel His heart.
After coming to understand God’s love, I began studying the truth more deeply through ISBA (International Student Bible Academy). That’s when I truly learned the meaning and purpose of my faith. Now, I don’t go to Zion for my mom—I go with hope for my own salvation. Wrapped in the loving arms of Heavenly Father and Mother, I find joy every day, and my life is filled with meaningful goals I truly want to accomplish.
I am deeply thankful that God patiently waited for me and held my hand, even when I didn’t understand the truth fully, guiding me until my faith could grow strong. Heaven and God’s blessings are no longer vague or distant ideas to me. I now have clear goals I want to achieve within the gospel. I believe that as I continue to remain in Zion and actively take part in student activities, those goals and resolutions will one day become reality. Remembering the love behind the words, “You are the future of the gospel,” I will do my very best in my role as a student and move forward with hope toward a bright tomorrow.