Mentioned in Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s General Conference talk titled, “Behold Thy Mother,” (October 2015) Preston Jenkins tells more of his story as the “young man who entered the mission field worthily but by his own choice returned home early due to same-sex attraction and some trauma he experienced in that regard.

Born and raised a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Las Vegas, he grew up loving the gospel of Jesus Christ found in His Church. As the second of nine children he had a typical, wonderful, chaotic upbringing and, despite his same-sex attraction, he found refuge in the doctrines—taught by Christ and His prophets—championed by his parents. Over the years, Preston has been thrilled to serve as a seminary and institute teacher, among other callings. After completing both his missions he returned to Utah and thoroughly enjoyed three miraculous years as a teacher at the Missionary Training Center. He is now studying Public Relations at Utah Valley University and is finishing up a book manuscript, detailing more of the journey back to faith with his mother’s persistent help.

Speaking with authenticity, Preston offers up his experiences involving same-sex attraction, sexual abuse, an early return from a mission, mental illness, and the eventual completion of a mission. Hope, faith, and never-failing charity are strikingly displayed in his story of healing.