THE REST OF THE STORY

Last weekend Eileen heard from Anita Herway that she and Tom had received a mission call to serve in Italy.  They will be Welfare/Humanitarian missionaries working primarily with the Church’s efforts to render aid to the refugees in both the Rome and Milan missions.  Two months ago we mentioned in our blog that we had met the Tom and Anita at the LDS temple in the Netherlands and what a coincidence it was since we had seen them only once since we moved from Brussels 15 years ago.  Now that they have their mission call I (Russell) would like to relate the rest of the story.

We had been trying to find a date to attend the temple since early in July but due to scheduling challenges it was late August before we could go.  We had driven the day before and attended on Friday evening and were going back on Saturday morning to finish some work we had started the day before.  When we got out of our car we heard a woman’s voice cry out “I know those people.”  It was Anita Herway.  We have known Tom and Anita Herway since our time living in Brussels.  Tom was the ward bishop while we lived there from 1999 to 2001 when I was working for Huntsman.  On our way into the temple I inquired how things were going for them and Tom replied that he was going to retire within a month or so and that they were contemplating going on a mission.  I mentioned that our last mission was in the Missionary Department working with senior missionary calls and that if he had any questions I would be happy to try and answer them.

Once inside the temple I thought we would part company since we were going to finish some work we had started the previous evening.  Tom and Anita briefly spoke to one another and then decided to come with us.  Anita then disclosed to Eileen that they had been in contact with the Missionary Department earlier that week and had come to the temple fasting and praying to get guidance on how they should proceed.  She also said that she felt that meeting us was in some way an answer to their prayers.  We agreed that after the temple session that we would go and get something to eat and talk.  Midway through the session Eileen had the thought, Tom speak Italian. Eileen has a pretty good memory but we both doubt she remembered on her own from over 15 years ago that Tom served a mission to Italy as a young man.

Over lunch we discussed a wide variety to questions concerning senior missionary callings.  By this time I knew it was not a coincidence that we had met and my greatest fear was messing something up that the Lord obviously had in mind.  We explained that I had recently opened up a position for a Welfare/Humanitarian couple to serve in Italy.  And I also explained that I thought our Area President already had someone in mind to fill that position.  We were planning on attending church the next day in Brussels at our old ward and agreed to see them there.  I left having talked with them for quite some time and not knowing if anything I had said was of any use.

They next day after church we continued our discussion on senior missionary service opportunities.  In the end I advised that since Tom knew Elder Kearon (the Area President and presiding church authority in the Europe Area) personally, that he might write President Kearon and just let him know he was going to submit mission papers soon and ask if he had any advice on the matter.  As I drove back to Frankfurt that afternoon I had the same concern that I had the day before – not knowing if I had said what I was supposed to say to in some way be a partial answer the Herway’s questions they went to the temple the day before to find.

On Monday morning the first thing Gilles Francois, our Europe Area Welfare Manager, said to me was, “We will have to send you to the temple more often!”  He then related that he had received an email that morning saying that President Kearon had found a couple for the Welfare Department to serve in Italy.  President Kearon had received an email from Tom letting him know of their availability and our meeting at the temple but did not mention that they were aware of the open Humanitarian position in Italy – only that he spoke Italian and French in addition to his native English.  At that point I could not tell the Herways what had transpired as a result of Tom’s email, nor could I tell anyone else.  It has been humbling to watch Tom and Anita’s missionary call come forth with the background and perspective we were privileged to have.  We look forward to serving with them here in the Europe Area Welfare Department.