Education has been a foundation of the Church since the Restoration. Remember, the Lord revealed to Joseph Smith almost two centuries ago “the glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.”
And light and truth, promised the Lord, “forsake that evil one” (Doctrine and Covenants 93:36-37).
Mexico is home to over a million Latter-day Saints and more than a dozen temples. It’s one of the key centers of the Church. Leaders there have long known that education can help that nation and the Church realize its vast potential. In the past, the Mexico Area has often been at the forefront of the Church’s Perpetual Education Fund program even while helping teens prepare for their essential high school entrance exams.
“Leaders of this Church have repeatedly emphasized the importance of education,” said then-Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in his October 1992 general conference address. “It is a vital component of wisdom. Not long after the pioneers began construction of their temple in Illinois, they established the University of the City of Nauvoo.
“The First Presidency proclaimed that this university ‘will enable us to teach our children wisdom, to instruct them in all the knowledge and learning, in the arts, sciences and learned professions.'”
The Church’s commitment to education — to “intelligence and wisdom” — remains clear in Mexico. Recently, approximately 1,000 people from across Mexico City and neighboring regions participated in a Church-sponsored education fair. Aptly, the event was hosted in the multi-stake center located next to the Mexico City Mexico Temple.
The education fair was designed to help people of all backgrounds network with local schools and discover new paths to learning, provident living and employment.
Daniel Farrera Toledo, education manager of the Mexico Area, told Mexico’s Church Newsroom that education and self-sufficiency is a guiding priority in a religious organization that is growing across the globe.
“The Church believes strongly that if we educate ourselves in areas that can help us grow economically, we will become more self-sufficient and also be able to help our neighbors in better ways,” he said.
First held a year ago, the Mexico City education fair is already becoming something of a tradition. According to Mormon Newsroom, this year’s fair participants included 56 educational institutions providing technical, professional and postgraduate training. Other education fair exhibitors were looking to fill employment positions.
The Church’s education efforts in Mexico are not limited to the sprawling capital. Similar events have been hosted in Guadalajara, Monterrey and Puebla. Additional education fairs are planned across the country in the future.
As President Nelson once counseled: “Continue your education wherever you are, whatever your interest and opportunity, however you determine you can best serve your family and society.”
