We Will Go .....!!

Iris, looking at the famous World Map at the Provo MTC.  She's not wondering where we will be going, but probably marveling at the faith of those at the MTC who are going to places all over the world from Yekaterinburg in Siberia, to Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, to Samoa and, of course to the Utah Ogden Mission.  All will be serving the Lord and helping His children come closer to Him and enjoy the blessings of His gospel.  All do so at their own expense and some sacrifice significantly to be able to serve.  All love the Lord and his gospel.

Here we are pointing to our appointed filed of  labor, the Utah Ogden Mission.  We are grateful for the call to serve.

Above is a picture of our "District" at the MTC.  Their fields of labor are, Sidney Australia,  Columbus South Carolina, Ogden Utah, Madagascar Antananarivo (Reunion Island), Yekaterinburg Russia, Tempe Arizona,  Madagascar Antananarivo (Mauritius)

This is just one of the districts during our time at the MTC.  There were about 100 senior missionaries and about 2000 young missionaries there during our stay  These are wonderful, dedicated  people from all over the United States who are glad to be able to be instruments in the Lord's hand.  

WE WILL GO ...!!!

A few months ago we were called into our Stake President's office.  After the usual cordial greetings and  casual conversation he asked us to have a seat.  He then looked into our eyes and said:  "I've had a revelation.  The Lord wants you to serve a full-time mission."    My initial response was:  "If the Lord wants me to go to Antarctica and preach to the Penguins, I will go!" We had thought that serving a mission would be something we might like to do at some point in time.  When I retired we moved to Logan and began working as officiators in the Logan Utah Temple.  Our initial call was for a period of two years.  We loved the work and became very attached  to the people on our temple group.  At the end of the two years, we were called into the temple president's office and asked to extend for an additional two years.  Of course , the answer was "Yes!!."  We were very happy with this extension.  We served gladly and volunteered to serve substitutes when any of the temple worker needed to be gone.  This took us to the temple three, four, and sometimes more days every week.  We felt very fortunate to be able to be a part of the great work that goes on in the temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  We began to feel that maybe our temple callings "were our mission."  At the end of the second two years. we were again called into the office and asked to extend for another two years.  The answers, of course was, "If that is what the Lord want's us to do we will be glad to serve.  Our love for the temple  and all of the good people who so selflessly come and go there  each day continued to grow. We felt blessed.  Blessed with better health, blessed in our family and in all aspects of life.  It was wonderful.  Shortly after we began our sixth year the call came from our stake president to serve a mission.  We received our call  over the signature of President Thomas S. Monson to serve a full-time stay-at-home mission in the Utah Ogden Mission to labor primarily in our own stake, the Utah Ogden Mission, as member and leadership support missionaries.

This past week we spent at the MTC in Provo in training.  It has been a wonderful week filled with spiritual experiences and being surrounded by wonderful people who are heading off into the four corners of the earth to proclaim the good news.  God is real.  He is our Heavenly Father.  He loves us.  He sent His Son to rescue us.  Jesus Christ established his church during his earthly ministry.  After Christ's death an apostasy eventually took place and the prophets and apostles were killed leaving the church without authoritative leaders.  The true doctrine was corrupted and eventually lost.  This necessitated a restoration of the true gospel if God's purposes were not to be forever frustrated..  This restoration began in 1820 as an answer to Joseph Smith prayer in the Sacred Grove.  We represent the Lord Jesus Christ and have been called to spread the message of the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in it's full and pure form and the organization of His Church once again upon the earth, being led by true and living prophets

We look forward to our service as full-time missionaries for the Lord and as representatives of his Church and pray we will  be able to measure up to the responsibilities of our callings.  We count it as a great blessing in our lives and are grateful that we can still be close to our family and the temple we love so much.