We landed in Fort Wayne on June 22, 2026, five days after walking into the Missionary Training Center and still full of what we’d felt there. We didn’t know much about what came next. Looking back on these first five and a half weeks, the answer is: everything, all at once, and somehow exactly what we needed. There were midnight hospital visits, an all-nighter neither of us was built for anymore, and more meals out than we’d like to admit — but there has also been more spirit, more love, more testimony, and more purpose packed into these weeks than we’ve felt in a long time. The map below shows the ground we now cover and the stakes we serve, from Chicago Heights and Valparaiso in the northwest to Richmond in the southeast. Here’s how it went.
Landing in Indiana
We touched down at 5:30 pm. President and Sister Matheson collected us and our bags, took us to dinner, introduced us to the Assistants to the President, and then we went straight to work.
I went teaching with Elder Jester, Elder Perry, and Elder Bullock, while Sister Flanagan went with Sister Herd and Sister Cole. It was a wonderful way to step into missionary service — and, for the record, we got a good night’s sleep afterward. It would be a while before we said that again.
On the 23rd we saw our mission home for the first time. We are grateful for such a beautiful place to call home for a few years. We unpacked just enough to find the rest of our clothes, said goodbye to the Mathesons, talked with President Wood of the Chicago mission, and closed the day by introducing ourselves to the whole mission over Zoom. The one thing that needed no improvement was the view out back, across the pond.
Out to the Zones
On June 24 we drove to Logansport, a central spot in the mission, for our first Mission Leadership Council (MLC). Then it was on to Valparaiso to work with the missionaries, eat dinner, and collapse. The next day I interviewed 22 Valparaiso Sisters and Elders, and that evening we traveled to South Bend, where I interviewed about 28 more the following day before dinner with President and Sister Howes, the South Bend stake president and his wife.
That evening turned into one we won’t forget for a while. Around 8:30 pm, headed home to Fort Wayne, we got a call about an injured missionary in a Chicago Heights hospital. We turned around and drove west, checked the elder out of the hospital about 12:30 am, got him and his companion home, and then — foolishly — headed back to Fort Wayne, arriving at 6 am. We’re too old for all-nighters. Saturday was a write-off.
On Sunday we attended a noon sacrament meeting and heard President Johnson’s two sons speak — one heading to Spain on his mission, the other just home from France. Later that day we met Elder and Sister Robinson, our Area Seventy. Monday brought our first staff meeting, an introduction to our area medical advisor, and our first in-field training. And thus ended our first week: very busy, lots of travel, and a richness of spirit beyond belief.
Interviews, and a First Farewell
On June 30 we interviewed all 26 Sisters and Elders in the Fort Wayne Zone, then had dinner with President Johnson, his wife, and their four children. Their two sons were the two we heard speak in church on Sunday. Their 17-year-old daughter told us she’s planning to serve a mission as well. They all came dressed in their Sunday best, just as we were — a thoughtful gesture, especially from the children.
The next morning we drove to Muncie and interviewed 22 more Sisters and Elders, then went out to serve alongside them — Sister Flanagan went with Sister Krogulski and Sister Oldham, and I went with Elder Thacker and Elder Carrell. It was hot and sticky, but we had some success knocking on doors.
We stayed the night in Muncie, then moved on to Lafayette to interview the whole zone there. We’d hoped to work with the Lafayette missionaries afterward, but instead headed toward Chicago Heights to rearrange a couple of missionaries and get the previously injured elder, who needed to return home for medical treatment, to the airport. There was plenty of confusion. We’d assumed he was flying out of Chicago, since it’s much closer, but the Church had booked him out of Fort Wayne. We sorted it out from the car: the assistants would reshuffle the elders and pick up the injured elder, Elder and Sister Okelberry from our office would leave his paperwork on our porch, and we’d all meet at the airport at 6:30 am. In the end we got a few hours of sleep and took our first elder to the airport. We wished it were for happier reasons, but he left in good spirits with a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Sunday, July 5, brought a couple of baptisms, and with them some of the best meetings in the Church. The Spirit was wonderful. It is wonderful to watch God’s children develop testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ and His restored Church and make covenants that lead to eternal life.
Making a House a Home
The week of July 6 was one we’ll probably never see the like of again. With every zone interviewed and zone conference moved to after transfers, the calendar was nearly empty. We still worked from 6:30 am to 11 pm, but we used the time to catch up, shop, unpack, and hang pictures.
It was fun to work side by side and turn this house into our home. We even memorized our new address. The office is set up, the living room is starting to feel like ours, and in the evenings the geese on the pond keep us company. And the painting of the Sermon on the Mount that we carried from home now hangs on our wall, just as we hoped it would.
Our First Transfer
The week of July 13 was filled with revelation and inspiration as we prayed over who our new trainers should be, who should serve as zone leaders, sister training leaders, and district leaders, and who the Lord wanted to move. The Spirit is strong and quick here. It has to be, because there’s little time to prepare. You take a lifetime of experience, add the Spirit, and good things happen quickly.
We finalized the transfer board on Monday evening, July 20, and let the Spirit make a few last changes. On Wednesday evening, after a wait at Fort Wayne International Airport, we welcomed 11 new missionaries — six elders and five sisters. We fed them, interviewed them, and sent them to a local hotel. The next morning they met us at the Columbia City Ward building, and we introduced them to their trainers.
Then came the moment we won’t forget. The trainers and their new companions, along with 114 other missionaries, packed large bags into not-quite-enough small cars and drove off to their new areas. It was a sight to behold. The Spirit in all of that chaos was so strong — problems evaporated into miracles in an instant. It is the Lord’s work, and we’re just here to help it along.
That evening we hosted Elder Southam, who was finishing his mission, for dinner and a short devotional with my assistants, Elder Murdoch and Elder Reeves. We went to bed at 11:30 pm, got up at 3:30 am, and took him to the airport on July 24. He’s a fine elder, and the first missionary we sent home who had completed his service.
On Saturday, July 25, we were back in Logansport for District Leadership Council (DLC), where Sister Flanagan taught our district leaders.
Back on the Road
On Tuesday, July 28, we were back at the Valparaiso stake center for a second round of interviews. One elder was unwell and ended up in the hospital in Michigan City, so after interviews we visited him in the emergency room and again around midnight, while his companion joined nearby elders in a trio so someone could stay with him.
That midnight visit brought one of our favorite moments of the month. A hospital administrator stopped by and asked our missionary for his two-minute explanation of the Church. He did a great job sharing the gospel with a well-educated Christian who was clearly ready to debate. The three of us invited him to read the Book of Mormon and find out for himself that it is true. Sister Flanagan got his name and address, and he accepted an offer to have the missionaries bring him his own copy. We hope he reads it!
We left the hospital at 1:30 am for a short night in Valparaiso, then drove to Chicago Heights the next morning for a district council meeting. It was fantastic — a great group of missionaries counseling together about how to help their friends come unto Christ. I’d happily do more of that and less of everything else.
Not every missionary’s story this month was an easy one. One of our new elders found the transition very hard, and after much prayer, counsel, and consultation with his family and leaders, we all agreed it was best for him to return home to heal. When the Spirit speaks to you all day, you learn to move quickly, and then you wait while the rest of the world catches up. On Thursday we received three hours of training from Brother Hamilton, our Area Mission Specialist — instructive and uplifting. On Friday, July 31, we went back to Logansport for Mission Leadership Council with all our zone leaders and sister training leaders, and then stayed to see our elder’s situation through.
That night we had Thai food in Logansport, organized an emergency transfer, and got about the last hotel room in town. A quick run to Walmart for toothbrushes and a comb, three or four hours of sleep at a Super 8 we won’t be recommending, and early the next morning we dropped him off at the Indianapolis airport, praying he’d get home safely. Then back to Fort Wayne for a couple more hours of sleep and a brief break.
Looking Back
The hours are long, but the Lord makes the work light. We do hard things because we love Jesus Christ so much. A month ago we stepped off a plane into a mission we had only read about. Today it has faces: companionships knocking on doors in the July heat, a family who welcomed us in their Sunday best, eleven new missionaries meeting their trainers, and an elder teaching a hospital administrator after midnight. We’ll keep after it.