So, Just How Did We Get Here?

This is largely from a jounal entry I made last year.  It's a bit long, but it tells a lot of the story of how we made the decision to serve a mission.  

After spending a wonderful Christmas 2023 with Mason and Elza in Eagle Mountain, Brad and I had planned a short weekend detour on our way home to southern Idaho to start scouting for a place we might like to move once we retire. At that point, we thought retirement was 5 to 7 years away and we thought it was time to start planning. So, on Friday, December 29, we headed north on a bit of a quest before we went home to Iowa.  On our way, we wanted to stop and see some family and friends that we would pass on our way north.  Those visits would lay the foundation for a major and sudden turn in our plans! 

Our first stop that morning was breakfast with our gorgeous nieces and their husbands. We have a special place in our heart for Mylie (who wasn't there), Paige, and Peyton!  They were teenagers when Brad and I met, and they imprinted on my heart the first time I ever met them. I have always been so taken with them!  There's just something about these remarkable young women!  The light and love, the hope and enthusiasm they exude was infectious and the perfect start to a life changing weekend. 

After breakfast, we stopped in Layton to see our dear friends the Judkins who had served with in Iowa for 2 years as senior missionaries. We spent the night with them after a wonderful meal, chatting, and a drive past the Layton temple that was still under construction.  It was an eventful night for them as they had a difficult turn of events in their family, and still they made us feel like we were part of the family as they navigated. That is exactly how they served when they were in the Iowa Iowa City Mission. 

The Judkins are devoted disciples of Christ.  They exude charity. They make you feel like they would do anything for you. They worked day and night with patience and a smile on their face doing so many things beyond what was expected of them in their mission office assignements as they served in the IICM, and they always did it in a way that made you feel it was such a treat for them do take care of YOU!  We are always inspired by our interactions with them. There was a peace and comraderie of our visit with them that we carried away with us when we left the next morning that energized us.  We want to be like the Judkins!  We want to love people in a way that makes them feel seen and cared for.  We want to live in a way that shows that we feel priviliged to love and serve those around us.  We left on a high, anxious to go forward and live and love more fully.

On Saturday morning, we visited our Iowa City friends, the Jeppsens, in Perry, Utah.  Cordell had long been a leader and mentor for Brad, helping him navigate many important events and circumstances, and Brad loves and admires him so deeply.  Both Cordell and Joyce were so kind and supportive of us as we started our marriage. We don't know where we would be without their friendship! When we visited that day, Cordell and Joyce had just completed two years of service in the Ogden mission office.  We talked for a long time about their service and again were inspired by their example. Brad has always expressed a desire to follow in Cordell's footsteps of service and leadership.  It was so good to see them again, and the visit was another layer of influence that weekend.

Just a short drive away in Brigham City lived the Andrus' who served their 2nd mission in Iowa City.  We visited next with them for a little while chatting about their mission service and we were again overwhelmed by the goodness and love they exhibited. We love to be with them and hope we can learn to show love and work as hard as they do!  We left with full hearts and axious to do and be more in our effort to become closer to the Savior.

When we left there, we stopped for a bite to eat before we set out intending to go to the Twin Falls, Idaho area to look around. We felt something again as we interacted with the young adults who were working in the Taco Time we stopped at. We started to talk while we ate about our day and what we experienced visiting with our friends and how this community felt to us. I LOVE Utah and Idaho, but Brad, particularly felt very connected to this northern Utah community, and that was notable.  So much so, that as we were headed north, we decided to linger for a bit look around a little.  We stopped first in Tremonton, not far south from the Utah Idaho border. As we explored this rural Utah community, we both had a very strong impression that we needed retire as soon as possible. 

Utterly surprised by this idea, and unsure of the possibilities, we made a beeline north to Pocatello to talk to our dear friend and financial advisor to see where we stood financially. Our first stop though, was the temple. We made it just in time for the last endowment session of the day in Pocatello and had a powerful experience there that urged us to keep exploring the idea of retiring soon.

After the temple we went back to chat with The Lothspeichs, who kindly invited us to spend the New Year weekend with them. It was a delightful couple of days, laughing, playing games, taking a ride in his classic convertible to see Christmas lights, eating and talking and having so much fun! 

On January 1, we sat down with Jim to discuss our finances and with his warm encouragment and reassurance, the Spirit filled the room and inspiration came even stronger that it was time to retire. While we talked, the decision became very clear - we felt confident this is the direction we were to go. All of the sudden, our future was racing towards us!  We were stunned!  In less than 48 hours, and without any warning, our plans, our lives, had completely changed. We were on the road to retirement!  (Incidentally, the Lothspeichs were preparing to retire last year as well and began their mission in Oregon in January! ) 

On the drive back home to Iowa, with plenty of time to think and talk, we began to discuss the option of serving a mission immediately after we retired.  After a lifetime of countless miracles and blessings at every turn, we felt that a "tithe" of our time, talents and energy would most appropriately be the first thing we did in retirement to show our love and gratitude to the Savior. And so, the plan was in place.  We would begin to explore senior missionary opportunities. 

As we wound our way through southeastern Idaho and into Wyoming, I reached out to a dear friend who was serving as the Mission Health Advisor in Samoa.  I wanted to ask her a few questions about her experience as full time senior missionaries. Because I was fulfilling the same role in the Iowa Iowa City Mission, I wanted to compare notes with someone who was serving far from home.  Before I knew it, Suzanna and I were talking about the need for Senior Missionary couples in Samoa, and all of the sudden, our names were on the desk of the mission president there!  They would need a Mission Health Advisor and Housing Specialist starting February 2025. Everything seemed to be falling into place! 

Everything was moving so fast!  Our heads were spinning but it felt so right and we were SO EXITED! Now we needed to put things in motion and go forward in faith. We decided that we needed to sell our home, but wanted to get the most out of it that we could. So, we determined to spend a few months updating it.  As usual, Brad and I wanted to do the work ourselves.  That turned into the focus of our lives for most 2024.  And it came out beautifully! 

 I wish I could tell you all the many blessings and miracles we experienced as we worked and prepared to serve over the past year.  Unbelievable blessings, anwers to prayers, guidance and reassurance were a regular occurance and continually bore testimony to us that the Lord is in the details of our lives and constantly in pursuit of us!  We continue to learn that we are nothing without Him!  And with Him, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!  

Next up was family time. But that's the next post!