A wave of creativity and enthusiasm was started in June 2019, when many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in St Lucia, enrolled in the Self-Reliance curriculum called “Starting and Growing My Business” and “My Education for Better Work”.
The Self-reliant courses are designed to teach individuals and families the importance of becoming self-reliant in all aspects of life and then pointing them in the right direction so they can obtain the education and tools they need to achieve their goals.
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Currently, thirty-three students attend the “Starting and Growing My Business” and “My Education” courses. Classes held in the Vieux-Fort Branch (congregation) are overseen by Elder & Sister Boggs, with classes in the Castries Branch overseen by Elder & Sister Nish.
“Our goal in self-reliance,” said Elder David Nish, a Self-Reliance/Humanitarian Missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “is to assist families in attending the temple and to facilitate their progress towards spiritual and temporal self-reliance, which includes having sufficient funds to pay for their children’s education, the family’s food, clothing, medical and other needs.”
Remarkable changes have been seen in the lives of those who have enrolled in the classes and apply their new knowledge. The application varies from starting a new business, improving an existing business, applying to commence education or skills training. The participants’ ability to care and provide for their personal and family’s needs have increased.
Students in the Starting and Growing My Business and My Education classes in the Vieux-Fort congregation are becoming temporally and spiritually self-reliant—in other words, they are paying their tithing, reading their scriptures, saying their personal and family prayers, accumulating savings accounts and setting goals to attend the temple.
One entrepreneur, has learned how to manage his finances as a result of attending the course. “I never knew how to separate my personal money from my business money, now I pay myself a salary and I know exactly how much tithing I need to pay."
Students from the Castries congregation participated in the classes. One participant enrolled in the course even though she owns a successful business. She has been able to gain more confidence and has learned new ways to make her business run more efficiently.
Another student is wildly excited about Pathway-Connect and has already enrolled and is waiting anxiously for his first “Virtual Class” in September. Still another participant has completed her application for assistance from the Perpetual Education Fund and is looking forward to starting her own business when she graduates. She is taking both the “SGMB” and “Education for Better Work” Courses and she has told us “she sees a bright future for herself”.
The Self-reliant courses are designed to help members of the Church learn and put into practice principles of faith, education, hard work, and trust in the Lord. They are taught that living these principles will enable them to receive the temporal and spiritual blessings promised by the Lord.
