Book Of Mormon

Out of all my classes at BYU this first semester, my hardest class is indeed, Book of Mormon.  I didn't expect this class to be my hardest. I am in an English 311 class with just juniors and seniors, but that class is not even hard.  I thought it would be my hardest. I have always heard that the religion classes are hard at BYU, but I didn't quite know how hard.  When I registered, I found a small sized class that seemed to suit me.  My first day of class my teacher lectured us on how we are graded based on knowledge and doctrine, not on our testimonies; it is not seminary.

That is what I expected, but after the first couple days in class, I was lost.  We went over some basic doctrinal things and our class discussions got more and more intense.  We needed to make connections within the Book of Mormon, and connect stories, and know all these facts.  I know the scriptures.  I have read them numerous times before, but I started to feel like I didn't know them at all.  My class was intimidating.  Everyone there was making all of these great comments and they knew all these connections and knew all these things my teacher was asking.  I was lost.  As another girl in my class told me, "I don't even feel like I'm a Mormon.  I don't know anything." 

 I didn't know there was so much you could study about in the scriptures.  I thought that if you just read it and understood what you were saying and believe it's words, then it will help you throughout your life, and you will be blessed.   

Well... we started having assigned readings and had to find precepts and connect different verses to each other and learn from it.  We had to ask why all of these were in the Book of Mormon, why did this specific person write this in there at that time.  We had to know all these events in chronological order and know the order of people and etchers and all these things.  I even had to have an oral test with my teacher one on one about King Benjamin's Speech.  Every thing kept piling on each other and I felt that in order to get it all I had to memorize like all the scriptures, and that still wouldn't be enough. I was just happy I passed my midterm.  

Anyways, I don't want to complain.  I am actually glad that I am in this class.  The Lord knows that this is the class I need to be in.  Despite all of the low scores and frustrations, I have learned sooo much about the Book of Mormon.  I feel that I can make connections between verses and stories now.  I understand.  Even if I don't get the best grade, I know that I am trying, and my testimony has strengthened immensely on the Book of Mormon.  I am grateful that the Lord placed me in this hard class so I can learn.  I started to ask my Heavenly Father in prayer to help me understand the Book of Mormon better and that I can accomplish all the things for that class.  I started to look at the class differently.  I started asking myself how this will help my life.  I now look forward to going to class and seeing all the wonderful things I can learn, even though I know it will be hard.  I am grateful that I am learning these things about the Book of Mormon.

I know that the Book of Mormon is true with all of my heart.  I know that if I abide to it's precepts, then I can learn so much.  I know that all these people in the scriptures are true and that they went through these things not only to help them learn and grow, but to help us learn and grow.  I know that if I study the scriptures, they will help my life more than what I could think.  I didn't think I would learn this much about the scriptures.  I have learned more in these few months about the Book of Mormon than all of my 4 years of seminary put together.  I am grateful that I have this wonderful opportunity to go to BYU and be surrounded by the church.