On Friday, February 22, 2019, we gathered to hear from BGS grad, Sister Bonnie Oscarson. In BYU's Salt Lake Center, students and graduates were uplifted and encouraged by Sister Oscarson's words.
Jay Young, the director of the Salt Lake Center, spoke briefly about the special spirit of the Salt Lake Center. The mission of the Salt Lake Center is to extend the mission and aims of BYU, because the Salt Lake Center is BYU. He told us that the Salt Lake Center is where it is to help protect the environment of the Salt Lake Temple in the spirit of the building itself and in the spirit of the teachers who teach there and the students who attend classes there. The Salt Lake Center truly is a hidden treasure of BYU.
Sister Oscarson focused her message on the importance of earning a degree, and she shared several stories from her journey to graduation. She said,
"I didn't know the experiences that were coming down the road for me. It was only much later that I recognized the Lord's hand in how the BGS program helped prepare me for some of those experiences...While my examples are a little bit extreme, the principle that the Lord is aware of what lays ahead is a true one for all of us. He is going to prepare each one of us for the unique missions we will have...He cares about each one of His children, and when we put ourselves into His hands, He will guide us in ways that we won't understand until things happen later...When we put effort and sacrifice into learning and improving our education and our skills and our talents, we are going to be more useful in the Lord's kingdom..."
After Sister Oscarson spoke, we had a reception where we had a great time meeting and mingling with current and former students and graduates and their families.
