Monday, September 6, 2021

In response to our family's reaction when we announced that we were completing mission papers

6 September 2021

Dear family,

All of you witnessed yesterday during our family video conference that mother and I weren’t exactly on the same page as far as our missionary application. I was unwittingly creating anxiousness for her with the process of completing the online senior couple missionary application. I have apologized to her and I’ve notified the bishop that we’ve put everything on hold. So for those, who were taken aback by the “announcement,” you can rest assured that we will not move forward on this until mother and I both feel completely comfortable in doing so.

To me, filling out the online recommendation form was mostly a first step in helping us—as we review the questions in the application and as we counsel with our priesthood leaders (bishop and stake president)—to determine what is the right kind of mission for us, if at all, and when is the right time in light of our circumstances. However, it does require us to create a timeline and that was causing some heart burn, as you saw. So everything is on hold.

Please know we will not pursue a mission that would be hurtful to mother, but work within her health limitations and under the guidance of priesthood leaders. I have felt a need that we take some steps to see what opens up for us, if anything, like what happened when we moved from Gresham to Vancouver.

Some of you may be asking, so what’s the rush, dad?

There is no rush, but there are two factors that motivate me most to encourage us to pursue a mission sooner than later even though we’ve just moved into a beautiful new home:

1. TIME: I spent hours and hours interviewing and encouraging senior couples (those 55 years and older) in our stake, trying to help them commit and prepare for a senior couple mission. I had very little success. So many couples wanted to wait until the “right time.” The right time never came and then became impossible as their health deteriorated with age.

Your own Grandfather Smith mentioned later in life that it saddened him that he and your grandmother didn’t serve a mission when they could have. As with all of us, aging and health ultimately closes that window of opportunity.

2. EXAMPLE: Our oldest grandchildren are now getting to the age where they are eligible to serve missions. I feel our example of serving a mission will help you as parents encourage and prepare your children to serve the Lord full-time when it’s “time” (18-25 years of age) than anything else we can do. Reminding your children to pray for grandpa and grandma on their mission will help them appreciate that the best thing they can do in their youth to show their love for the Lord is to serve Him full-time for a period.

This is what motivates me to want to serve a mission. I apologize to mother and to you if I was overzealous and insensitive to feelings in the family.

We will go slow, if at all, in moving toward a mission. We appreciate your concern and counsel as we continue to contemplate and pray about this direction in our lives.

Love,
Dad