Three Homes Later… We’ve Landed in Guam
Wow—what a whirlwind of a week!
On Monday, just before leaving Palau, we held District Cleaning Awards. After completing unannounced apartment inspections the week before, I was relieved (and impressed!) to find that none of them were disgusting. The missionaries truly earned their awards.
Early Tuesday morning—very early—we flew out at 2:00 a.m. and arrived in Guam around 5:00 a.m. Another senior couple, the Dungans, graciously met us at the airport and took us to our home away from home… away from home… away from home—Palau, Mongolia, and Sierra Vista included! This apartment is the first one we’ve lived in that had previously been occupied by other senior couples. Our previous two assignments required us to start completely from scratch, so it was a new experience to search for kitchen items rather than buying and placing everything ourselves. Thankfully, the apartment has everything we need and is very comfortable.
After unpacking, we grabbed a few hours of sleep before heading to the office for our first day. The office keeps us busy from start to finish. I spend much of my time purchasing and organizing travel for the mission. This mission is unique because travel between areas requires flying, which means lots of flights for President and Sister Williams, missionaries who are transferring, and young mission leaders. In addition, I’ve been ordering supplies, sending letters to newly called missionaries, preparing orientation packets for incoming missionaries, organizing visas and island permits, and tracking expiration dates—just to name a few things. I truly love the work.
J.D. oversees all finances, so he’s helping missionaries who have lost their MSF cards (where their monthly funds are deposited), paying bills, matching receipts to purchases, and handling anything else related to finances. The pace here is much faster than it was in Palau, but we enjoy change and are grateful to help where we are most needed. We will most likely continue assisting in the office until we return to Mongolia at the end of April, with a few trips back and forth to Palau to wrap up projects we had already started.
In addition to the very different office assignment, having other senior missionaries nearby has been a new and welcome experience. All the senior missionaries on Guam—six couples plus a few temporary assignments—live in the same apartment complex, so there’s often something social happening. On Friday, we played pickleball in the church gym with the Dungans and the Bells. Yesterday, we went snorkeling with a group, and last night we had a dinner for the Stillwaughs, who return home tomorrow. Interestingly, they also served in Mongolia before having to leave and then coming to this mission. It’s been fun to have a bit of a social life!
We are busy and happy, and while we miss Palau and the wonderful people there, we are deeply grateful that the Lord is using our talents to further His work. We are especially thankful for the many opportunities we’ve been given—opportunities that make it feel as though we have served five missions in one.
First, we were called as Area Communication Missionaries, where we’ve been able to write stories, work in government relations, and build meaningful interfaith relationships. That role naturally expanded into a second opportunity: serving in humanitarian efforts, attending donation events and assisting wherever needs arose.
Our third role has been serving as Member and Leader Support missionaries in Palau, where we had the privilege of strengthening members and serving closely within the branch. Fourth, we’ve been blessed to serve as office missionaries, learning an entirely new side of mission work in a fast-paced and vital role. And finally, we will cherish the opportunity to serve as temple workers.
The variety and depth of these experiences are things we never would have imagined a year ago. We are profoundly grateful for the trust placed in us and for the joy that comes from serving wherever and however the Lord needs us.
Five missions in one, who could have thought that. You are having a most different mission that you could never have dreamed about. And to be called as Guam Temple workers, again wow. Most missionaries never have such experiences in their missions. You two will never forget these aspects of your Mongolian Mission coupled with the time in Guam and the islands you have visited. We receiving your blogs never knew what you might experience. WOW.
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