Pathway to Hope: BYU–Pathway Worldwide in Africa  

It is such a privilege to be here with you. Our son William left this summer for his mission in Sweden after finishing his freshman year here at BYU. Seeing all of you reminds me of him. You are a remarkable gathering of young disciples on this campus. You fill me with such hope.

Today I want to talk with you—and show you part of a documentary—about another gathering of remarkable students: Students you may never meet but who are your brothers and sisters in the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are the students of BYU–Pathway Worldwide.

Some of you may not know much about BYU–Pathway. Sometimes people ask me if it’s a charitable program or an international outreach effort. It’s not. BYU–Pathway is about education—affordable, spiritually based, and accessible online to students around the world.

BYU–Pathway is part of the Church Educational System. More than 85,000 students in 180 countries are currently enrolled in BYU–Pathway Worldwide—25 percent in the U.S. and 75 percent internationally, with more than half of those students in Africa.

Two and a half years ago, my husband, Mark, and I were invited to join a Zoom call with four BYU–Pathway students. They were from Papua New Guinea, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zimbabwe. For more than an hour, we listened as they told their stories about how BYU–Pathway had transformed their lives. We were overwhelmed by their intelligence, determination, resilience, and faith. We were also humbled by the sacrifices they were making to get an education—sacrifices most of us could never fully comprehend.

It was on that call that I understood for the first time, in a very profound way, a phrase that I had heard before and that I hope you will remember: Talent is equally distributed, but opportunity isnot.¹

Making the Documentary

I could not get these students out of my mind. I wanted the youth and young adults of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—including my own children, who are your age—to know these stories. I wanted our members everywhere to understand BYU–Pathway. And as a journalist, I wanted the world to see the remarkable ways that the Church is blessing so many lives across the globe. So I pitched this documentary project and went to Africa.

The crew and I spent almost two weeks in Kenya and Uganda. We shot about 90 hours of video on three cameras and a drone. Conditions were often very challenging—even clean food and water were sometimes hard to come by. It was exhausting, exhilarating, and completely transformative as I met some of the most remarkable people I have ever known.

Brothers and sisters, BYU–Pathway is one of the great miracles of our day. It is democratizing education; it is transforming higher education through remarkable innovations such as the three-year bachelor’s degree, certificates, support service missionaries, the impact of scholarships, and so much more. But the reason BYU–Pathway works is that it is divinely inspired, and the reason BYU–Pathway students sacrifice so much is that they know God will help them.

BYU–Pathway reaches into the most unlikely places—the poorest city streets and the most remote rural villages—where people have only dreamed of getting a college degree. It meets these students where they are with structure, support, and a spiritual foundation. It educates them and then helps them find remote jobs when they graduate. BYU–Pathway is lifting families out of poverty, strengthening communities, preparing a new generation of leadership in the Church across the world, and enabling the very gathering of Israel.

Stories and Struggles

Today, I am honored to share with you a 22-minute clip from the hour-long documentary that we produced: Pathway to Hope. You will meet some of your fellow CES students: Elizabeth, Grace, Faith, Vianney, Junior, and Janet. Their circumstances are very different from yours, but their faith in Jesus Christ and their dedication to His gospel are the same.

They have overcome many challenges, some of which we could never imagine: Seventy-four percent of BYU–Pathway students in Africa struggle to find even two meals a day. Seventy-six percent don’t have stable housing or reliable internet.

Their technology challenges are daunting. Imagine for a moment trying to write a term paper for one of your classes on a cell phone because you can’t afford a computer. Imagine logging on to finish an assignment as the power cuts out. Imagine sharing a donated laptop with a dozen students who take turns—passing the computer around the group, sometimes late into the night. That is reality for so many BYU–Pathway students. And yet they persist—with resilience, gratitude, and tremendous faith.

To me, the stories of missionaries from Africa are particularly poignant. I saw so many examples of missionary companionships who are equally yoked in faith—both capable, both driven. Yet when they return home, their paths often diverge. One goes back to the U.S.—to education, to family support, to opportunity. The African missionary returns to a world with limited access to higher education, steep unemployment, and little safety net. For these returned missionaries in Africa, BYU–Pathway is hope. It is the bridge that keeps them moving forward—professionally and spiritually.

Now, as you watch, I invite you to think about your blessings and what the courage of these students can teach you about your own journey of discipleship. The privilege of studying at BYU—with professors, resources, and opportunities all around you—is a miracle in itself. Through BYU–Pathway, the Lord is extending that same miracle to His children all over the world. This is their pathway to hope. [A segment of the documentary Pathway to Hope was shown.²]

God’s Children

“God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth.”³ That scripture in Alma is true; and after working on this documentary, I know now more than ever that the Lord is aware of all his children.

He knows Grace. After overcoming many obstacles, Grace graduated with a degree in communications. She was hired as an area manager with BYU–Pathway Worldwide. Her daughters now attend international schools. She is also covering school fees for six other children. Education, she says, is her biggest investment.

He knows Junior. While continuing his studies, Junior volunteers at the newly constructed Nairobi Kenya Temple. He recently became engaged to be married, and he has been hired to promote BYU–Pathway across Kenya.

God knows Janet, who is still pursuing her BYU–Pathway education, focusing on public health. While juggling multiple part-time jobs and teaching seminary to local high school students, she also helped her brother find the gospel and enroll in BYU–Pathway.

He knows Elizabeth, who had to pause her studies at BYU–Pathway for several months because she couldn’t afford tuition. She eventually restarted the program, doing most of her schoolwork on a cell phone while she saves to buy a computer. After recently joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elizabeth told me, “Life is still tough, but I am pressing on. I won’t give up.”

And He knows Faith, who continues to grow her cake-baking business. She and Vianney work remotely for Bloom, and they are now able to install running water in their home and pay for their children’s education. Faith and Vianney are first-generation college students and first-generation Saints. Vianney is the branch president. Faith is the Primary president in their little branch in Uganda. With their beautiful family, they are growing the kingdom in their corner of the world.

Becoming Part of the Miracle

One experience I will never forget happened as we were leaving Faith and Vianney’s home in Uganda. We’d been filming all day—it was late at night, it was unbearably hot, and the crew and I were exhausted. I was hurrying to gather up our gear when Vianney came over to me and said, almost in a whisper, “Sister Jane, it would mean the world to us if we could all kneel down together for a prayer.”

So there we were at ten o’clock at night; the crew and I knelt in a circle, hand in hand, listening to Vianney offer the most beautiful prayer of gratitude. And in that moment, it all came together for me. I felt—more than I could ever put into words—the deep faith of these students, their sacrifice, and what the gospel of Jesus Christ and BYU–Pathway truly mean to them in their lives.

I hope you’ll watch the entire documentary—it’s available for streaming on BYUtv. Please tell your friends and family to watch it and, most importantly, find a way to become involved in this remarkable work.

Today, my brothers and sisters, I invite you to think of yourselves as part of this miracle. Never take your education here at BYU for granted. It is a sacred stewardship. As a student at BYU many years ago, I remember being told, “These blessings are not just for you.” They are meant to be shared—to lift, to build, to serve—right now and for the rest of your life.

I testify that the Lord is directing this work. It is “a marvelous work and a wonder.”⁴ God is mindful of every people. He loves His children in Provo, in Nairobi, in Kampala, in Accra, in São Paulo, in Manila—everywhere. He is gathering Israel on both sides of the veil. What an honor and a blessing it is for all of us to be part of it.

That is my testimony, and I leave it with you in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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