On this wedding week, there is no such thing as the single kindest thing someone has done, but this story ranks near the top.
This is the Hernandez family. They live near Vancouver, British Columbia, and they love missionaries. They consistently and lovingly invite our missionary and his companions into their home to feed them dinner and offer support. Bishop and Sister Hernandez recently welcomed home both of their sons from missions, and they are enjoying a road trip in the western U.S.
Tim is flying to Guam on Monday night, experiencing the biggest transfer of his mission, and has a lot of winter gear for Canada that he will not need in the South Pacific. The Hernandez family arranged to drive his and another elder’s extra clothing to Utah.
They drive a sedan and there are four of them, so there was not a lot of room, yet they took Tim’s Blundstone boots and two bags of clothing, plus a similar amount for the other elder. Sister Hernandez reassured Tim that she wouldn’t mind holding a bag on her lap if there wasn’t enough of room in the car.
So, I met these lovely people at the Payson temple. They carried his bags to my car for me, smiling, and then we took pictures. I consider them instant and forever friends.
Instead of, “Bow to your partner,” my brother Paul the caller said, “Pose for the camera.” 😂
Our family reunions are over, there is one week until the wedding (pray!), Mark is on Pioneer Trek (pray!), and Timothy flies to Guam in two weeks to begin his missionary work there (pray!). I have exerted so much mental labor over Mark’s piano teacher dilemma and school schedule dilemma that I must have burned some calories with those mighty thoughts. Also, I am laboring to find a new counselor in the stake Primary after Susan’s passing. This is difficult spiritual work.
I have been reading in 2 Chronicles this week. I am trying not to be overly worried or stressed about all that is going on, but sometimes I just swim in concerns. When I read these scripture verses, the words center me a little.
“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect [completely] toward him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9
“For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” 2 Chronicles 20:15
We had one last goodbye and thank you to our piano teacher who moved away this month. Mark is the only one still taking lessons, but Paige and Daniel joined us to say goodbye. Natalie was an incredible teacher for our kids.
A reunion of Young Women leaders to bid farewell to Deor who is going on a mission.
GARTH BROOKS CONCERT Our tickets were not together, but we rode together on the train into Ute territory. (Note Richard Jaussi’s t-shirt.)
waiting for the wind to die down
We loved the concert. Once Mark graduates from high school I will be auditioning as a fiddler for Garth’s band. 😉
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.
We celebrated Mark’s 16th in every way we thought would make him happy. I hope he went to sleep with a smile. I am having trouble expressing what I want to say about Mark, so this won’t be a tribute post or a narrative about the day, but simply an imprint. He is so dear.
Some highlights from Mark’s 16th year: school musical, piano study, organist at church, Sparky’s friend, straight A student, cookie architect, skier, a light.
I answer the same questions again and again about our missionary, and find comfort in people asking. Yes, Tim is doing well, and he remains in Canada for an indefinite time. He doesn’t write each week, but we video chat every preparation day.
We were able to see Tim speak in stake conference via YouTube. He and the other elders in his apartment made a video and showed it as part of his presentation. It made me smile even bigger than his mission leaders, seated behind him, to see him at work as a missionary.
Tim is stretching as a Tagalog language missionary in North Shore Vancouver. His companion is fluent in Tagalog, as he was born in the Philippines, but moved to Canada many years ago. Tim is using his piano and organ skills in choir, sacrament meeting, and Primary. He lives in a basement apartment in the stake president’s home. I try to keep track of those who take good care of the missionaries, and in this area, the Oro family really stands out. I am thankful for them! He goes into the city often because that is where they can find Filipinos, and there is a lot of driving involved. Also, they are trying to get to know the members, as both elders are new in the area. They teach a weekly English class which they are trying to get more people to attend. On Preparation Days, he visits gorgeous places, plays volleyball, does laundry, and calls home.
There is a missionary mom on Tim’s mission Facebook page who sends out a reminder message every Monday, “Mamas, charge up your phones!” because that is the day we get to talk. Lately, we talk for a long time.
Some things that I admire about Elder Ross as a missionary:
He speaks positively about his companions.
He shows his humor superpowers when things don’t go as planned.
He seems to find things to like in everyone he meets.
He uses exclamation points in his emails to us, and this just lifts my day!
He took up social media even though that is not his jam.
On Saturday, I found this photo in a little album. Timothy was three, and the dog was a new puppy, not yet house trained. We had just moved into our new house in Sahuarita, Arizona. Mark would be born in a few days. Paige was dancing ballet almost every night, and Daniel would soon begin piano lessons. I miss those little faces.
I keep “hearing” the dog’s step, and expecting him to follow me around the kitchen, or to greet me at the door. Today, I saw Richard out of the corner of my eye and my mind registered that he was holding our dog. It will take some time to get used to living without the pup.
I am lucky to be able to see our children pretty often, but having a missionary is definitely a heart-stretching time. We were six plus a dog when we moved to Utah, and now we are three in this house.
I am grateful I got to see our Tim speak in sacrament meeting in Canada today via Zoom.
I finished reading Saints volume 2, and it had a LOT about opening the missions of the South Pacific in the mid-1800s. One takeaway is that the Lord had specific people in mind to introduce the gospel to the Pacific, and He even used them multiple times throughout their lives. I know the Lord loves all of his children and He has a plan for gathering them.
Timothy’s grandfathers served missions on isles of the sea, in Samoa and Puerto Rico.
I keep a list of scriptures about the promises to the isles of the sea, as I continue to pray that missionaries can return to areas that are currently closed.
“In an acceptable time I have heard thee O isles of the sea…and helped thee, and I will preserve thee, and give thee my servant for a covenant of the people.” (1 Nephi 21:8, Isaiah 49:8)
“Great are the promises of the Lord unto them who are upon the isles of the sea.” (2 Nephi 10:21)
“I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea, and will bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth.” (2 Nephi 29:7)
Of course, Jacob considered the Americas an isle of the sea, so Canada counts, too. (2 Nephi 10:20)
