When the missionaries taught me the gospel, the friend who gave me the Book of Mormon promised me that if I read it cover to cover in English, I would learn to speak English. Two years after I joined the Church, I baptized my two younger sisters. But as my parents saw positive changes in me, things changed at home. When anything difficult happened in our family, some of our relatives and family members thought it was because I had betrayed the gods by choosing to accept the gospel. My dad did not kick me out, but for a year or two, life was difficult at home. All I saw were great blessings in my life. In tears, I told my mother, “I really want to get baptized, but this is what Dad is saying.” “If you get baptized, you will be kicked out of our home,” he told me. He wasn’t sure how our community would accept my baptism. When I told my parents, my dad was against it-not because he is not a nice man but because of the cultural pressure. In fact, I was scared what would happen to me if I didn’t get baptized. God knew how to answer me, and I knew what to do after that. I felt like I wanted to be the nicest person in the world. It was an answer filled with light and peace. That answer came late one night in a way I cannot deny. As I prayed, I didn’t expect an answer like the one Joseph Smith received, but I wanted an answer to come in a way that I knew I was making the right choice. They also told me to ask Heavenly Father if their message was true. After a few weeks, they started teaching me the gospel.Īs I investigated the Church, the missionaries taught me about the fruits of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22–23) and helped me understand how the Spirit speaks to us. Soon they started coming to my home and giving me English grammar lessons. Those friends were missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She replied, “I have some friends who can help you learn English.” “I am really worried about my English exams,” I told my friend. I was good at all my academic subjects but one. About that same time, I started preparing for exams with my friend who gave me the Book of Mormon. I did not speak English, though I was studying it in high school. So, when I tried to read a couple of pages in the Book of Mormon and saw the name Jesus Christ, I thought, “This looks like the Bible.” My dad had given me a book of abridged Bible stories in Hindi when I was young. As part of The Walt Disney Company’s commitment to supporting its employees and cast members, Disney Aspire puts #DreamsWithinReach by removing key barriers to enrollment and inspiring career mobility.For some reason, a nice girl in my 10th-grade high school class decided to give me a copy of the Book of Mormon in English. For more #Disne圜astLife stories, follow the Cast Life Blog.ĭisney Aspire is the most comprehensive education investment program of its kind, offering 150+ programs at a network of educational institutions nationwide. Who else would have offered me that?”įran even had the opportunity to put her unique story into her academics, writing a dissertation about her experience and the impact Disney has had on her putting her #DreamsWithinReach – a piece she calls “The Best Workplace in the World.”Ĭheck out Disney Aspire for more information. ” I’m so pleased Disney has offered me the opportunity. in Liberal Studies from UMass Global-and finally got the piece of paper she’d been dreaming of. However, through the extra support she received from Disney Aspire and her instructors, she successfully earned a B.A. I was really inspired to do it.”įran had the dream, but the path didn’t come without its challenges: she hadn’t been a student for a very long time and was worried she wouldn’t have the skills and abilities to succeed. I wanted to try it I wanted to get that piece of paper. “It really opened it all up for me, and it made me so happy. “I never thought I’d get my diploma, until the Aspire program,” Fran said. When Disney Aspire was announced, Fran knew it was the extra bit of magic she needed to hold of her dream yet again. However, with some help from Disney Aspire, a program Fran calls “the best thing that ever happened to her,” her lifelong dream came true.įran was born in Orange County, CA, in 1944 and joined Disney in 2015 after a successful 34-year career with the US Postal Service. While earning a degree had always been a lifelong dream for Fran, she never thought it would become a reality at the age of 78-especially after previously dropping out of college. And there’s no better testament to a dream-come-true than the story of Fran Melendez, merchandise hostess at Disneyland Resort. Since 1950, Disney’s Cinderella has taught us that if we keep believing, our dreams will come true.
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