Sheldon Kent

I spent some time, only a few weeks to be exact, in the MTC with CJ. We shared the same room.

When I entered the MTC I had only been a member of the church for a little under three years, so I was pretty fresh faced when I got there. To be quite honest, I was quite overwhelmed by the whole thing in general - being a missionary that is. The day after we arrived, I was called to be a District Leader and given the names of those who would be in my district. CJ was one of them. I felt way out of my depth, I didn't know how to be a missionary, let alone a District Leader - I even had a hard time relying on the spirit, and really struggled with learning the missionary discussions. CJ helped me through all of this. He wasn't my companion, but he took time out of every day to help me meet the challenges of being both a missionary and a District Leader. He sat down with me and went through the discussions, helped me to memorize scriptures, etc. I remember admiring him for being so prepared.

His example lasted with me throughout the two years of my mission, and has stayed with me for years afterwards. I am currently serving on our local Bishopric, a calling which I was given at the age of just 25. CJ's example of being prepared has helped me in both my church life, as I comfortably meet the challenges of serving on the Bishopric through being personally prepared, and in my personal life. I am the first in my family to go to University, not only that but I am pursuing a PhD this coming October, something that noone ever imagined me doing. But this is a direct result of CJ's influence, I planned out what I wanted to do with my life, and then prepared myself for the tasks ahead. It may seem like this story is too good to be true, but I promise you that it is.