After passing the loving family, I made my way into the gymnasium that they had in the center of the church. It was very clear that there was an event other than a service going on, and I was very curious to find out what it was all about. While looking around the gym, I also had a mission in mind: find a man named Gabe Nabors. During my background research of the church, I found a contact with Dr. Nabors and found that he is the president of all LDS churches in the near vicinity of Norman. While trying to find Dr. Nabors, a lady told me that I looked pretty. This showed me that no matter who the people of the church see in their home, they would show kindness. I stumbled into Dr. Nabors’ wife, and she led me to the man that I wanted to see. As I walked into the gym, a boy led everyone in prayer. As the prayer ended, the children were sent to eat the food that the church had made. They had a youth event where all the children bagged food bags to send to the local shelters. The church explained that they like to prioritize the youth more than the older members. Dr. Nabors explained that at the end of every month, the Sunday service is a little different. The church does two-hour church services every week, but the day that I went, they prioritized an activity with the whole church, and then broke out into smaller groups to specifically talk about their faith. Within the small group, Dr. Nabors was able to break down the embodiment of their church’s faith in a way that was welcoming to a first-timer in the church. Throughout the whole lesson, Gabe made it clear that through everything that the LDS church does, they do it all in the name of Jesus Christ. My experience felt very welcome, as it is very daunting for new people to walk into a church that is already so full. Through the teaching of the small group, I genuinely found that the Mormon religion is not far from my own, and at the end of the day, all that matters is one’s relationship with God, no matter how they choose to get there. 

I valued this assignment so much because it made me appreciate the people who I thought were so different from me. I have Dr. Nabors to thank because he approached my questions with open arms, and he showed that curiosity is a tool we can use to help the world see our point of view. Moving forward in my professional career, I know from this experience that I will go through every assignment, article, and news report with an open mind, an open heart, and the genuine curiosity of those around me. At the end of the day, we are not that different from one another. And I think it would do so much good to the community to hear our friends, neighbors, and strangers out because you may just learn something that you had always been curious about. Curiosity is the key to knowledge and open-mindedness, and because of this experience, I know that is certain.