Russell and Eileen's Church Missions: HAVE ANY DONE ANY GOOD?

There are times as a senior missionary that you wonder if you have or are doing any good.While much of what we do is clerical in nature and very temporal, some of it does involve opportunities for interaction with others that make it all seem worth it.

Today we had the opportunity to listen to one of our sister missionaries give her homecoming talk back in Utah. Zoom is a wonderful blessing in our live as a missionary away from home.Hermana D, as she was known here, gave an inspiring talk in which she addressed three main events during her mission. The first was a trying time early during her mission when she was in a trio and her two companions both had to go home early within a week of each other for medical reasons. The second was about a senior single lady who she helped teach who joined the Church. And the third was about a family of five who she first met on the KC temple grounds, who she later taught the gospel and were baptized.

Sister Devashree’s mission of course involved many more events that those she had time to tell about in her 15 minutes during the church meeting today. There was also a lot of hard work, challenging times and disappointment. Just last week, I wrote about arriving home from the temple to find Eileen on her way to the ER to meet two sister missionaries, and about how the sisters were missing the baptism of converts they had taught. One of the sisters was Hermana D.

As I think about why we were called to serve in Independence, I can’t help but think that it was in part because of interaction that we might have with specific people here, such as this young sister missionary. Eileen has grown to love Sister Devasharee almost like a daughter. It was early in our mission here when we first got acquainted with Hermana D and her two Spanish speaking companions. We were in the Centerpoint Hospital ER, Eileen in the room with the sister being treated and I with her two companions in the waiting room. A few days later we accompanied that sister back home to Utah, only to receive a call that night from our mission president telling Eileen that the other companion was experiencing a severe medical challenge. I remember sitting in the ER waiting room that night thinking what are the chances of us being here with these three sisters? There are many good mission nurses serving, but it was Eileen, with her medical training and unique life experiences, that God put there to help all of them through that difficult time. It was not just a coincidence that we were there.

This week was Eileen’s birthday. I feel very blessed to be sealed to her in the temple, to have her as my best friend, and mother of my children. I am so grateful for the efforts her parents went took to raise her to become the wonderful young woman I met 47 years ago. I am grateful to my maternal grandfather, who insisted on introducing us. My grandfather was a Host on Temple Square at the time Eileen was a Guide giving tours there, like the young sister missionaries do today. I feel very fortunate she risked her future and took a chance on me when I asked her to marry me. I love my wife and missionary companion.

The senior missionaries were offered tickets to go to the Kaufman Art Center on Monday to hear the Millenial Choir and Orchestra. I (Eileen) went with some other senior missionaries. It was an incredible concert.

We welcomed 23 new missionaries into the MIM this past Tuesday

Tuesday evening the Independence stake invited the young missionaries serving in Independence and all of the senior missionaries in our mission to a wonderful Christmas dinner and program.