Pueblo of Zuni
Our parents just received word they will be spending the majority of their time serving in the Pueblo of Zuni.
For information about Zuni click on the below link.
In April 2013, Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles mentioned senior
missionary service in his general conference address titled “Catch the Wave.” “You senior couples, you plan for the day
when you can go on your mission. We will be most grateful for your service,”
said Elder Nelson.
Changes for senior missionaries were announced
in 2011 such as the length of missions (6 to 23 months) and a cap on housing
costs (not to exceed $1,400). These changes made it possible for some
Latter-day Saints to serve full-time missions who would not otherwise have the
resources.
Full-time senior missionaries are called by
the president of the Church. They serve voluntarily and at their own expense
and generally serve after their retirement from the workforce.
Senior couples and senior sisters fulfill a
wide range of missions, including proselytizing, humanitarian, health and
education, as well as leadership missions. In the 400-plus missions around the
world, senior missionaries help keep the mission offices running as they
fulfill duties including secretarial, finances, telephone, housing, carpool and
tracking weekly referrals (people interested in knowing more about the Church).
They can also be a great asset to local congregations as they seek out
less-active members and mentor local Church leaders.
Elder Steve and Sister Robyn Levesque from
Bluffdale, Utah, are serving for 23 months as proselytizing missionaries in the
Oregon Salem Mission. After spending time in the ProvoMissionary Training Center (MTC) last October, Elder
and Sister Levesque were transferred to Vernonia, Oregon, where they are
serving in the community and working with the branchpresident (local Church leader) and mission leader to find
less-active members, as well as teaching lessons to people of other faiths.
“The greatest advantage to serving a mission
is that you can actually serve the Lord every day without getting interrupted
by job or family concerns,” said Sister Levesque.
Humanitarian missionaries use their talents to
improve the lives of people around the world, working on everything from
medical to agricultural needs. For example, Mormon doctors and nurses recently
traveled to Indonesia to help train local physicians in newborn resuscitation. The Church was recognized
last August for its humanitarian work in Bolivia, including Latter-day Saint
ophthalmologist Dr. Joel Moya, who helped lead the fight against blindness,
especially in La Paz. The Church’s clean water program has helped communities
such as the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu.
John Hess and his wife, Shirley, potato
farmers from Ashton, Idaho, are credited with helping the people of Belarus in the Russia Moscow
Mission increase the yield of their potato crops from 50 sacks of potatoes a
hectare (equal to 10,000 square meters) to 550 sacks per hectare, 11 times
better than any previous yield on the land. The Hesses served for 18 months,
beginning in October 1998, to assist the farmers in Belarus. “It was one of the
finest experiences that I ever had,” said John Hess. “I was grateful to serve a
mission and grateful to take my wife and serve a mission.” He served a mission
as a young man to northern California.
John Hess said the farmers in Belarus had
access to pesticides and other modern materials, but they needed advice to
improve some of their growing techniques. “That is the most beautiful soil I
have ever seen — rich, organic based soil. I didn’t bring anything up that I
couldn’t get locally. You had to show them [the potatoes] were very delicate.”
“They were very uplifting to us, and I hope we
did the same for them,” reflected Shirley Hess. “I loved the people. They were
very kind and generous. The members of the ward were very special. I
couldn’t help but love every one of them.”
Senior missionaries do have more flexibility
than young elders and sister missionaries while away from home. “If we get
tired, we can rest. If we need to catch up with our children at home, we can
Skype them,” said Elder Nance. Senior missionaries can get permission to travel
home for family emergencies or special occasions, but must do so at their own
expense.
This is the Levesques’ first full-time mission
serving together after working with the Church’sAddiction Recovery Program in Utah for more than
three years. Elder Levesque served a two-year mission to the West Central
States at age 19.
“The hardest part for us serving so far
was learning how to work together,” confessed Sister Levesque. She and her
husband have been married for 42 years. “This is the best thing we have ever
done together,” she added. They have six married children and 21 grandchildren.
Sister Levesque said one of the biggest sacrifices was leaving their
grandchildren. Their oldest grandson is currently serving a mission in Florida.
Mary Lee and Lloyd Burton were in the MTC at
the same time as their first grandson to leave on a mission. “We were able to
have our meals with him. A very special blessing,” recounted Sister Burton.
The Burtons are home in Utah now after serving
four missions, including missions to historic Nauvoo and the California San
Diego Mission, where they were assigned to the Mormon Battalion Historic Site and they taught newly
baptized marines at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. The Burtons were in
Illinois on a public affairs mission when the Nauvoo Illinois Templewas completed, and they
participated in shows to entertain visitors in the Nauvoo Cultural Hall. “Lloyd played the mandolin and I played the fiddle,” said Sister
Burton. “We had so much fun on this mission.”
The Burtons were able to proselytize and teach
full-time in the Mississippi Jackson Mission before returning to Utah to serve
for three years in the Vernal Utah Temple presidency. Their last mission
call was to the Virginia Richmond Mission, where they were assigned to the
mission office. “We came home more tired from this mission than the others. But
if the Lord called us again, we would go,” said Sister Burton.
Elder Clair and Sister Julia Hopkins have been
serving at the Manhattan New York Temple since last
August. They work five days a week in the temple for seven hours each day. “We
serve asordinance workers and we’re also responsible for all of the laundry
(special white clothing used in the temple),” said Sister Hopkins who lives in
a Manhattan apartment building with her husband next to the temple located near
Lincoln Center in New York City.
The Hopkins started their service in New York
City with a six-month mission, but extended their call for another six months.
“It’s going fast and we’ve enjoyed it,” she reflected. “We’re not thinking
another [mission] at this point in time, but I know we will miss this one,”
said Sister Hopkins.
Sister Hopkins said one of the highlights of
their mission is having their children visit them in New York. “We have been
lucky because four children have made it out here. That’s really been fun to
have them here and show them around.”
The Hopkinses also served a Church Educational
System (CES) mission in Manchester, England, from 2005 to 2006, where they
taught institute classes and assisted with dances for young adults.
Despite the sacrifices and hard work, the
senior missionaries say there are many rewards.
“We don’t want to give the impression that
everything goes perfectly smoothly,” said Elder Nance. “We have our times of
struggle and disappointment and sometimes our mission can be discouraging, but
we know that everything that happens will strengthen us and help us to grow.”
“We have had the experience of living with and
working with choice members of the Church in several lands, and we have gained
eternal friends,” added Sister Nance.
“After four missions, we have literally
hundreds of new friends we would never have had without our missions,” remarked
Sister Burton. “We never felt our missions to be a sacrifice.”
Opportunities and estimated costs for senior
missionaries can be found in the weekly Senior Missionary Opportunities Bulletin. The Church also posts missionary service openings on its LDS
Church-Service Missions Facebook page.