Young Aucklander Shares the Joy of Rediscovering Her Faith

Skylar Beamon, a 23-year-old university student from Auckland, New Zealand, recently shared a warm tale of rediscovering her faith. Her return to the simple values of her youth is allowing her to triumph over many of life’s difficulties.

For Skylar, her faith journey centres around worshipping with friends—both during weekly services with her local congregation, and in the temple—a special place of worship where members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints make promises with God and learn more about His plan and love for His children.

Her worship is focused on Jesus Christ, which helps her find meaning and peace in life through developing a relationship with Him.

Upon moving from the USA to New Zealand for school, Skylar’s newfound independence lead her to drift away from the faith she had grown up in, choosing instead to explore other avenues of life.

"I had a deep understanding of the gospel's truthfulness, but at that time, going to church wasn’t a priority for me,” Skylar said. She explained how the COVID lockdown and church being online made it easier to not attend.

After several months and dating someone who did not share the same religious beliefs as her, Skylar realized that if she wanted her future family to embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ and have a unified spiritual foundation, she had to break up with her then boyfriend and return to church.

"I knew the Church was true, and I wanted my family to have the gospel in their life,” she said. “I knew I wanted those guidelines for my children.”

After making the difficult decision to end the relationship, Skylar set herself on a path of renewed commitment to faith. She resolved to become more committed to Jesus Christ’s teachings, understanding that she needed to live her faith if she wanted to find someone who shared her convictions.

Not only did Skylar think about her future family, but she also missed having God’s influence in her life. “Things could go wrong in my life, but whenever I had the Spirit with me, I was able to handle things better.”

She knew she needed to slow down and embrace the teachings of Jesus in order to simplify life’s complications.

Through the help and guidance of family, friends and Church leaders, Skylar set her sights on going to the temple where she could make further commitments to God and receive greater promised blessings.

"After being endowed, I feel like I can be a lot more forgiving,” Skylar said. “I've been able to see God's love for His children a lot more from His perspective."

The temple endowment consists of a series of instructions and includes promises to live righteously and follow the teachings of the gospel. The ordinance focuses on the Saviour, His role in Heavenly Father’s plan, and the personal commitment of each member to follow Him.

Skylar was recently a volunteer counselor for a “For The Strength of Youth” conference in Auckland, where she shared personal experiences with some of the youth who attended.

As Skylar thought about times she had shared the gospel with others, and the happiness it brought her, she was motivated to serve God’s children full-time as a missionary.

"I had this feeling, 'Oh, maybe I should go on a mission,' but I kind of put it in the back of my head,” she said.

Skylar was initially hesitant, but after praying about it she said she felt the Lord reassure her that she would do a lot of good.

"A lot of praying is listening, and I feel like a lot of people forget about that,” she said. “If you're on the fence, then actually sincerely pray and ask—and put yourself in situations where God can speak to you.”