Making Mission Memories in Mongolia

 This week started with a bang. On Monday, we had the opportunity to participate in the President of Palau’s weekly devotional. It was an honor to share music and spoken words with the Honorable Surangel Whipps, Jr., President of the Republic of Palau. The young missionaries worked hard to learn hymns in Palauan and did a beautiful job singing in their native tongue. J.D. shared thoughts from the Sermon on the Mount, connecting its message to the responsibility of public servants to be the salt of the earth and a light to the people. It was an inspiring experience and a special opportunity to share both our beliefs and our talents with the president.  We were honored that he took video of the entire devotional and then posted it on his personal Facebook page! CLICK HERE to watch the full devotional.     We wrote a story for the Micronesia/Guam Newsroom ( Click Here to Read)  about the unique experience and have since seen it circulating on Social Media on ...

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...