Supervisor Gives Rides to Encourage Seminary Attendance
Contributed By Church News
Waldo Rubio, a seminary supervisor in Peru, picks his students up for seminary in the morning to help get them to attend class.
Article Highlights
- Because of Brother Rubio’s commitment, his early-morning seminary class grew from only 4 students to 11 by the end of the year.
- Brother Rubio decided he would do whatever it took to help more students participate in seminary, even if it meant waking up at 5:00 a.m.
“The role of a seminary instructor is crucial to the students’ experiences and how they learn to participate in the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Waldo Rubio was a seminary supervisor in Peru who understood that his job meant more than being a supervisor. It meant going out and finding those who were not participating in seminary and helping them receive the blessings of this program.
Brother Rubio spent hours poring over lists of students who were not enrolled in seminary and constantly checked his list of potential students to see if new names appeared.
His plan was simple: invite those who were not attending. The responses from many students were the same: “I’ll see if I can come,” “I don’t know anyone and I’m embarrassed to attend,” “It’s been so long since I’ve been to church,” or “What is seminary?”
He didn’t let these answers discourage him. He decided he would do whatever it took to help more students participate in seminary, even if it meant waking up at 5:00 a.m. While visiting these potential students, he learned that many were not attending because they didn’t have a ride, so he offered to pick up each student before seminary.
Brother Henry Herrera, a Seminaries and Institutes coordinator in Peru, recalls seeing Brother Rubio early in the morning. “I saw Waldo at 5:40 a.m. all dressed up in a shirt and tie running down the street in the opposite direction to the Church building where he taught seminary,” he said. When Brother Herrera asked him what he was doing, he replied, “I’m going to pick up the youth to take them to seminary.” It was the only way to get all the students there before 6:00 a.m., when early-morning seminary started.
Because of Brother Rubio’s commitment to the students, his early-morning seminary class grew from only 4 students to 11 by the end of the year. For many, seminary sparked their return to activation in the Church after long periods of inactivity.
The objective of seminary is to help youth understand and rely on the teachings and Atonement of Jesus Christ, qualify for the blessings of the temple, and prepare themselves, their families, and others for eternal life with their Father in Heaven. The role of a seminary instructor is crucial to the students’ experiences and how they learn to participate in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
For many, seminary sparked their return to activation in the Church after long periods of inactivity.
