Feature Story
A Life Led by Promptings: Alumnus Captain Larsen’s Homecoming Message to Southern Virginia University
At Southern Virginia University’s annual Homecoming forum on Oct. 17, Captain Hayes C. Larsen—U.S. Navy judge and SVU alumnus—testified how following promptings from the Lord has guided and protected his life, and how even missed promptings can become moments of learning.
As a newly returned missionary, Larsen was considering college options on the west coast when his mother suggested he meet with the dean of students at Southern Virginia University. A Lexington native, he had heard of the school but never seriously considered it. After that meeting, however, he felt a strong prompting to enroll and became part of SVU’s first graduating class in 2000.
“I felt the spirit as I was studying here in Southern Virginia,” said Captain Larsen. “I had professors who took the time to teach me how to learn about vastly different topics. They were patient with my inexperience and took interest in who Hayes Larsen was and who he could be.”
After graduating from SVU, Larsen began his career as a lawyer for the U.S. Navy. In 2004, while deployed to Iraq, he experienced a moment that changed his life. One afternoon, while doing laundry with his team, he felt a simple prompting to turn right. Confused but obedient, Larsen followed the nudge, and moments later bombs struck their compound. Following the bombing, he and his team discovered a crater where they would have parked had he not turned right.
“What I learned from that experience is that the Spirit isn’t always loud,” said Larsen. “Sometimes we see the reason behind a prompting, but many times we don’t—at least right away. The same light that guided me as a student, that whispered to me in a war zone, is the light that still leads me today.”
In contrast to his experience in Iraq, Larsen shared a more recent experience that reminded him how easy it can be to overlook those quiet impressions. He and his brother had tickets to a college football game, but he had a strong impression to stay home. He went anyway, and after the game was caught in a flash flood that totaled his car. He made it home safely, but the experience stayed with him.
“I don’t think God was punishing me because I didn’t listen,” he said. “Rather, He was reminding me how important it is to follow the promptings we receive.”
Larsen testified that Southern Virginia University is a place to develop spiritual sensitivity—a place where students can learn how to hear the Holy Spirit, act on its promptings, and benefit from its inspired guidance and protection.
“I hope you understand that SVU is more than a campus. It’s a place where we learn to listen and find light and truth,” he shared. “There will be rough days, but if you follow that quiet spirit and light that we all have, I promise it will lead you to where you’re meant to go. I’m a better father, husband, and sailor for having attended Southern Virginia University.”
The forum opened with SVU’s marching band leading the singing of the university’s fight song. Alumni Jordan Gibbons and Nathan Dransfield performed an original medley of “Amazing Grace” and “Shenandoah,” and the event concluded with the choirs and choir alumni joining together to sing “Shenandoah.”
