Making Mission Memories in Mongolia

Super Typhoon Sinlaku truly lived up to its reputation. Although its path shifted enough to spare Guam a direct hit, the island still endured 70–90 mph winds for nearly 48 hours. The damage has been significant, and even a week later, many residents—including our senior missionary friends—remain without water and power. Saipan, another island within the mission, was less fortunate and took a direct hit. With sustained winds exceeding 120 mph for 48–72 hours, the impact has been severe. We are grateful our missionaries there are safe, but there is a tremendous amount of cleanup ahead. Pictures I am sure don't do it justice and it’s difficult to fully comprehend what so many are experiencing, but Sister Snyder, a senior missionary on Chuuk, expressed it in a way that deeply resonated with us. She shared how these past days of washing clothes in a bucket, not having water to even flush a toilet, and no power, have given her a new perspective and a deeper empathy for the Chuukese peopl...

We are back in Palau! After a second week of training with the Adams, the time quickly came to turn over the office responsibilities and return to finish our work here. Our time in Guam was brief, but meaningful—we made dear friends and are truly grateful our paths crossed, even for such a short season. All of the senior missionary couples serving on Guam went to Ice Una, a Taiwanese Snow Ice Cafe on Guam.  It was very unique and delicious!  We loved getting to know each couple!  Our office compatriots, the Dungans.  It was a pleasure spending our days with them!  Sister Moessing, our office helper, gave us a sweet little note.  We enjoyed working with her and appreciated her help and sense of humor!  Our timing in leaving feels especially tender. Typhoon Sinlaku is now heading toward Guam and is expected to arrive Monday night into Tuesday. One of our final tasks in the office was to send an email to the missionaries’ parents, keeping them informed ab...

This past Monday, we were so happy to welcome the Adams to the mission. They will be taking over in the office, so we’ll spend this next week training them before we head back to Palau on Friday. This week was also transfer week. Seven new missionaries arrived on Thursday, and four departed. Two of them were among the very first missionaries to greet us in Palau! We will truly miss Sister Jensen and Elder Salayog and wish them all the very best. Each month, communication missionary couples from around the world gather for a devotional, where one couple shares highlights of the Communication and Public Affairs work they’ve been involved in during their mission. This month it was our turn, and we had the opportunity to present on Thursday. Here is a link if you’d like to watch what we shared. Today, all of the senior missionary couples gathered for Easter dinner, and we had fun sharing one of our family traditions with them.  Easter Sunday is one of those times when being away from f...

This week was especially meaningful as we celebrated our 37th anniversary on Tuesday with a trip to the temple followed by dinner. Thirty-seven wonderful years with my very best friend! Even after all this time, I’m still learning new things about him and find myself loving him more each day. This mission has given us such a special opportunity to be together with a shared purpose. He is a devoted husband, a loyal friend, a wonderful dad, and an incredible grandpa—and I feel so grateful that I get to spend eternity with him. On Tuesday, we also went to the airport to welcome a new senior couple, the Laynes, who will be serving here as military relations missionaries. While we were there, we had the privilege of witnessing the arrival of five WWII veterans on the same flight. They had been stationed in Guam during the battle of Iwo Jima and had returned to be honored. A heartfelt welcome had been arranged for them, and it was a touching and memorable experience to witness. One of the th...

Sometimes the very best moments of a mission are the ones you never see coming.  This week was one of them and will go down as one of the highlights of our mission-- one of many! Let me set the stage. Just over two years ago, our nephew Rylan received his call to serve in the Micronesia Guam Mission and began his service in June 2024. A few months later, in November of that same year, we received our own call to serve in the Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission. From the beginning, we knew our assignment would include a transfer after six months to another mission in the area for an additional six months. One of those missions was the Micronesia Guam Mission, and we remember commenting how incredible—and unlikely—it would be if we were ever assigned to the same mission as Rylan. As our six-month mark approached, we received the news: we would indeed be transferred to the Micronesia Guam Mission. We were assigned to Palau, and by then we knew Rylan would most likely be serving in Chuuk, par...