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30-Day ‘Try Faith’ YouTube Challenge Concludes

Four Church members in Colombia, Italy, Hawaii and Las Vegas share how they grew over 30 days

 
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By Ryan Jensen, Church News

Inspiration comes in different forms for different people. And what someone does with the inspiration they feel can be equally as different as the manner in which it was felt.

In the Church’s “Try Faith” series on YouTube, four members of the Church explored how they felt prompted to build their faith in new ways and showed what they did over 30 days to try their faith.

The series concluded last week. Below are some of the ways each of them approached this challenge and what they felt along the way.
 

Hansel Aguilar


Aguilar, from Colombia, said his goal started with promptings he felt when listening to Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles when he said in October 2022 general conference:

“Each of us should evaluate our temporal and spiritual priorities sincerely and prayerfully to identify the things in our lives that may impede the bounteous blessings that Heavenly Father and the Savior are willing to bestow upon us. And surely the Holy Ghost will help us to see ourselves as we really are.”

Aguilar said he realized he had mis-prioritized some goals.

“I’ve been so focused on getting a promotion and working on various projects,” he said in the first video of the Church’s YouTube series.

“But I need to put my marriage first,” said the 23-year-old husband, who was married to his wife less than two years ago.

Aguilar said he and his wife spent more quality time with each other during the 30 days, studied the scriptures together and went on dates.

Trying to improve his marriage, Hansel said in his concluding video, “is still a work in progress, of course, but I know that I’m better.”

Screenshot-2023-02-24-at-2.56.47-PM.png
Screenshot-2023-02-24-at-2.56.47-PM.png
Hansel Aguilar and his wife, Emily, went on a date as part of his goal to prioritize their marriage over 30 days. Hansel Aguilar and his wife, Emily, went on a date as part of his goal to prioritize their marriage over 30 days. Photo is a screenshot from YouTube. All rights reserved.

 
Maria Fernanda Coz Becerra


Raised most of her life in Italy, Coz spent the monthlong challenge focused on finding peace in her life.

Coz, who is married to a man from Ukraine, said, “Since the war started, I was looking for ways to find peace and comfort, but it has been hard.”

She said she saw this kind of challenge as a way to force herself to try harder to strengthen her connection with God.

One of her happiest moments in the 30 days came when she had the chance to learn that someone she taught on her mission was now serving as a missionary.

“It made me realize that my prayers were answered and that God sees all my effort… that now in the present is contributing to my peace,” Coz said in the first check-in video of the series.

The biggest answer to her prayers came when she and her husband were able to be sealed in the temple in Ukraine, where he is from.

“This is the moment that we most felt peace in a long time,” she said standing outside the temple with her new husband.

1-Try-Faith-Vlogs
1-Try-Faith-Vlogs
Maria Fernanda Coz Becerra, pictured with her husband at the temple in Kyiv, shares what she has learned during a 30-day “Try Faith” challenge on the Church’s YouTube channel. Image is a screenshot from YouTube.All rights reserved.

 
Melody Christman


At the beginning of the challenge, Christman said she was inspired to choose her goal of doing small acts of service for others because of what she heard Elder Denelson Silva teach in his general conference message in October 2022.

Christman is from West Valley City, Utah, and is now studying at BYU–Hawaii in Laie. She said she served a mission in Michigan and Japan and wanted to find ways to be a missionary in small and simple ways.

“A lot of last year, I felt alone… Through this service I felt a lot less alone. I felt the love that Jesus has for everyone.”

Finding small acts of service to do each day helped Christman feel happier and more determined to live a Christlike life.

“I want to do service because I want to be like Jesus Christ,” she said. “I’m just really grateful for this challenge.”

30-day challenge
30-day challenge
Melody Christman shares what she has learned during a 30-day “Try Faith” challenge on the Church’s YouTube channel. Photo is a screenshot from YouTube video. © 2023 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Dayrin Pirir


When Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke in last October’s general conference, Pirir said she felt a renewed desire to take care of herself.

“His talk spoke a lot to me, and it reminded me of who I am, and where I’m at, and who I can become,” said Pirir, who is currently living in Las Vegas.

Pirir serves with youth near her home and said she was worried about how they would accept her or that she wouldn’t be enough for them.

“Like Elder Holland said, we’re to carry a cross, and we’re to choose Heavenly Father even in the dark times,” she said.

She said the youth didn’t judge her and were accepting of her, and that has helped her to feel less alone.

“Even though we’re physically alone, we’re never alone,” Pirir said.

30-day challenge
30-day challenge
Dayrin Pirir shares what she has learned during a 30-day “Try Faith” challenge on the Church’s YouTube channel. Photo is a screenshot from YouTube.© 2023 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Watch the Full Video Series


All four episodes and the series’ trailer are available to watch on the Church’s YouTube channel and are embedded below.

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company.

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