Youth Voices

My Patriarchal Blessing Saved My Faith

There was a time when I thought about leaving the Church. It was right before I went to my first FSY conference. During that time, I got a strong feeling to ask some people about how to come closer to Christ and how to get a patriarchal blessing. A good friend of mine told me you just have to tell your bishop that you want a blessing, and he will help you.

At first I thought, “That feels so weird having a blessing that covers your whole life.” But I just felt like I needed to get mine. I did some scripture study with my dad, and we talked about patriarchal blessings and when he got his.

The feeling I had when I got my blessing was really strong. I could feel the presence of the Holy Ghost and even my grandparents on the other side. One thing I would say to my younger self now that I have my patriarchal blessing would be to think about life with an eternal perspective. If a year or a day or a week doesn’t go your way, that’s fine. You have eternity ahead of you. It doesn’t feel easy, but we can do everything through Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. They truly love us, and They’re going to help us to achieve our goals and become the best versions of ourselves.

Without getting my blessing, I think I would have left the Church. I would be in deep waters. I wouldn’t be thinking about serving a mission. I might not even be alive, to be honest. It has helped me in so many ways. I really encourage anybody who is thinking of getting a patriarchal blessing to do it, because it really helps you.

Aatos A., age 18, Hyvinkää, Finland

Enjoys playing American football and breakdancing.