We learned that Tim will be able to go to the mission to which he was originally assigned. He will leave Canada where he is currently serving and travel to the Micronesia Guam mission at the end of July. Covid restrictions in Micronesia have been the barrier to Tim being able to travel there. We had hoped that Tim could at least be in Guam for the new temple dedication, but it was not to be.
Here are a few facts about the Micronesia Guam mission that Tim shared in church before we learned he would be reassigned to the Canada Vancouver mission.
I’ve been called to the Micronesia Guam mission, speaking Tagalog. So for those of you who don’t know where Micronesia or Guam is, Micronesia is a group of islands about Papua New Guinea and east of the Philippines and Indonesia in the South Pacific Ocean. If anyone is still confused, I’ll allow you to pull our your phone and Google Earth it right now.
Here are some other fun facts I learned recently about my mission.
The Micronesia Guam mission is one of the largest geographic missions in the world, the majority of this area consisting of the ocean.
It is nearly 2000 miles from Palau to Kosrae, the farthest apart islands. For some scale, that’s farther than from here in Utah to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Missionaries serve on Guam, which is a US territory, Saipan, Tinaian, Rota, Palau, Yap, Chuuk, Fai Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae.
I’m speaking Tagalog, which comes from the Philippines. Missionaries also teach the gospel in English, Palauan, Pohnpeian, Kosrean, Yapese, Chuukese, Woleaian, and Kap in Gamar Angi. So a lot of languages I’ve never heard of and probably mispronounced.
The mission covers 3 different time zones. Currently, it is almost 4 o’clock tomorrow morning in Guam. 17 hours ahead of our time.
Dress code for the mission does not include suits due to the tropical climate year round. In addition to normal dress shoes, missionaries are also allowed to wear sandals, so the other day I picked up some Crocs. Now, I don’t know if I would have believed you if you told me a couple years ago that I’d one day be preaching the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ in a pair of Crocs, but here we are.
All in all, I’m very excited to go out and serve the people and the Lord.
Elder Timothy Ross, November 14, 2021
I wrote this post about my thoughts about missionaries in the isles of the sea a few months ago. I am grateful that so many prayers of so many people have been answered, allowing missionaries to serve.