15/07/2024
“My wife and I served as Church-Service Missionaries in South Luzon area. I returned from my mission in May 2021. As a returned missionary, I had high hopes for my future. But [also] I grew up in a broken family, even though I have enough faith in Jesus Christ, I am still vulnerable to the realities of being a return missionary. The adjustment [was] hard, and I [had] the feeling that I didn’t know where to start. I [was] still studying the scriptures, praying, and continue what missionaries do. While praying for myself.
“I met my wife, and at that time, she also got home from her mission two months earlier than I did. She was taking BYU-Pathway at that time. When I had a chance to [get to] know her during our dating, she introduced me to BYU-Pathway and encouraged me to apply. At first, it was never my option because I wanted to enroll in a [local] university, but circumstances happened in our family that led me to enroll in BYU-Pathway. During that time, it was a pandemic, and I attended gatherings virtually. At first, I was very shy, but during our gatherings, I learned that most of my classmates have the same situation as mine.
“At some point, I found a temporary place to get to know myself. During our gatherings, I developed skills that I thought I never knew I could do. It helped me to get closer to the Savior and also to embrace the importance of education. I am proud to say that I completed BYU-Pathway and I'm currently studying at BYU-Idaho online for the bachelor’s degree in applied business management.”
-Rhuniel Andrada, Philippines