After raising our kids, completing my role as stake president in Maine, and retiring from IDEXX in the spring of 2021, we often have been asked, “What is next?” Those that know us, know we have a hard time sitting still.
Aside from our family, nothing is more important to us than our faith in Jesus Christ, and specifically our commitment to His re-established church. The teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have always given clear purpose and meaning to our family, and are rooted in our desire to lift others and make the world a better place. (Matt 22:36-40)
Last fall Nancy and I were asked in an exploratory interview if we could accept a volunteer assignment for the Church beginning July 1, 2022. A few weeks later in early October, we met with President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency and had a delightful hour. After discussing our backgrounds, our family in great detail and our financial circumstances, he told us as an apostle he had a calling to extend to us from our Savior, Jesus Christ. He then asked us if we would be willing to serve as mission leaders anywhere in the world we would be assigned for the next three years. Without much hesitation we each replied, “Yes.” How could we say otherwise, with the knowledge of the restored gospel and so many blessings in our lives?
Two months later on December 10th we received our specific assignment to the Liberia Monrovia Mission, on the west coast of Africa. No sugar coating it, Liberia is a challenging country when it comes to its hot and rainy climate, muddy and rugged roads, limited infrastructure, and its civil war and Ebola history. However, Liberia is also full of wonderful and warm people, where the gospel is thriving and the Church is rapidly growing. No better place to serve and do good! What a wonderful opportunity it will be to serve alongside Nancy, working with hundreds of Church missionaries (most of whom are from Africa) and the Liberian people through mid 2025.
couched between Sierra Leone and Cote D’Ivoire.
We are excited for you. You will make a great difference.
I hope to be able to enjoy, vicariously, your mission with you guys. There’s a mission leader couple ending their time in a close Liberian Mission named Whiting. I guess that won’t help you much as you’ll not be working with them. But, they loved the people, missionaries and country quite a bit. (He served in my Mission of Ecuador back in the mid eighties). I’m hoping you’ll ad plenty of pictures to each article chronicling your experiences in Africa! God bless you for serving!