In the spring of 2025, Linda and I decided it was time for a new adventure. After many wonderful years at Brigham Young University and several years at Utah Valley University, I tendered my resignation as Dean of the Smith College of Engineering and Technology and officially retired. With that chapter closing, we turned our hearts toward a long-standing goal—serving together as senior missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We began the application process, filled out the many (many!) forms, got our shots, and waited for our marching orders from the Lord.
On May 3, 2025, the big day arrived—a letter from the Church! We eagerly opened it and learned we had been called to serve for 18 months as Member Leader Support missionaries in the Indonesia Jakarta Mission, beginning October 8, 2025. We started studying Bahasa Indonesia, bought lightweight clothes, and started preparing for life in a land where “winter wear” means an umbrella. But wait… if our mission was supposed to start October 8, why are we still here in the U.S. in late October? Good question.
On August 19, 2025—just as we were starting to consider packing and saying emotional goodbyes—the Lord surprised us with an anniversary gift, another call. We were called to serve as mission leaders (President and Companion) for the Church beginning July 1, 2026. We don’t yet know where we’ll serve (we’ll be told between now and the end of January), and it will be made public when published in The Church News.
We’re honored, humbled, and just a little in awe. Okay, maybe a lot in awe. We feel deeply grateful that the Lord and His servants would trust us with such a sacred responsibility. While we sometimes wonder, “Are You sure You’ve got the right couple?” we also know that He qualifies those He calls. We have full faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ, and know that as we follow the Holy Ghost and seek to do His will, He will make us equal to the task.
Our purpose will be simple but sacred: “Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.” Whether we’re teaching friends of other faiths, strengthening Church members, or guiding our beloved missionaries, we’ll do it with all our hearts.
Now, about that delayed departure. We were completely ready to go to Jakarta—vaccinations done, family caring for our home, and our heavy winter coats tucked safely away (since Jakarta definitely does not experience “coat weather”). But with nearly a year-long delay before our next assignment, we decided not to just sit around waiting.
So, we’re jumping in our truck and trailer and heading out to explore the country. We’ve already wandered through the Black Hills of South Dakota, enjoyed a family reunion in Zion National Park, and plan to keep the adventures coming. Come June, we’ll head to training meetings for new mission leaders and then, in July, begin three full years of service to the Lord.
This is the first of many posts about our missionary journey. The road ahead is full of unknowns, but we’re excited, optimistic, and ready to follow wherever He leads—passport in hand and hearts full of faith.