A Senior Missionary Couple

By Christy Monson

My husband Bob and I are serving in the Little Rock Arkansas Mission, and for those of you who are nearing retirement age, I thought I'd share just a little about the pros and cons of adjusting to the mission field.

We are having a wonderful time and love being together with no distractions

First, it was off to the MTC with a little fear the trepidation. What a great spirit there is at the MTC being around all those celestial couples. Some of them in our group had served multiple missions—seven being the greatest number. Faithful, faithful saints of God.

Our two returned-missionary grandsons put us in the MTC

However, the knee-shaking part of the MTC experience came when we had to give the first discussion on the second day there. Fantastic volunteers from the area show up at the MTC to play the role of investigators. Some of them act nice and others give you a hard time. We did survive, but only to give the second discussion the following day—a trial by fire! It was an eye-opening experience as a couple to have to work together as companions, each giving a short portion of the lesson and the other following with a testimony of the concept presented.

After five days, we were off to the field. We drove from Utah to Mississippi to begin our labors. The trip was great. We read, discussed future plans, and studied about missionary work. It was like a mini vacation—just the two of us.

We stopped overnight in Kansas where Bob served his first mission. He has kept in touch with some of his converts. One sweet lady he baptized in Kansas has about 100 members of the Church in her family now. Her great grandson will be ordained a deacon in two weeks. Many have served missions from that family. One baptism can bless an entire extended family and many others.

We love the Mississippi/Tennessee/Memphis area with its devoted Saints. Faithful people hold two and three jobs in a ward to keep all the programs functioning. (We couldn't survive without map quest on the phone. But we can now drive to the church and home again without help.)

Sharing the gospel concepts with members, inactives, and investigators brings the joy that Alma talks about. "O, that I were an angel . . ." I love that scripture. (Alma 29:1)

So, if you're thinking of serving a mission, it's a must for the Lord and for you as a couple. Great blessing will come as a result. My recommendation is to go as soon as you can, and ENJOY!