I am now working in a position that I never imagined myself capable of performing. It wasn’t until I was put to the test in my new job that I fully understood or appreciated my training experience at Deseret Industries. I want to say thank you to all of the staff and people that made this opportunity available to me.

A few years before I was referred to Deseret Industries, a series of adverse events left me unable to get out of bed. I was recovering from a very painful surgery, as well as suffering from the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder. I was both physically and emotionally broken. My bishop thought the DI would be an ideal place to help me refocus on learning the basics of interacting with others again as I worked towards becoming self-reliant.

To give a basic illustration of my starting point upon entering the DI program, I quote from a portion of my first letter to my mentor who was assigned to me when I began:

“The more I try to formulate specific goals to take the next step towards stable employment, the less sure I am of where I stand. With how difficult it is for me to perform the simplest tasks, I fear I have lived a life of self-deception, pretending to be more competent and capable than I really am. I truly need to learn the very basics of how to take care of my health, how to push myself, how to set priorities, how to ask for help, what goals to set, and, most of all, how to accept my weaknesses without becoming discouraged.”

My training experience at Deseret Industries provided me the answers and skills I needed to overcome my self-doubt. Even though I still struggle with many of the same difficulties, I now have the ability to identify the root problems, form strategic plans of action, and then motivate myself to press forward—even when it hurts. Unknown to me at the time I was training, I was also learning how to manage my time and resources, and how to take one step at a time.

When I was in distress, many small and unrelated opportunities came my way that eventually lead me to employment at Deseret Industries. Even though I had lost hope and was spending most of my days at home sick in bed, there was help for someone like me from Deseret Industries.