Serving a Couples Mission: "Will It Ever Be Possible?"

"Will It Ever Be Possible?"

Nearly all of us plan on serving a full time mission "when we retire."

Some make it but many don't.

Why not?

When the time comes, will it be in the 'too hard basket'?

For most, yes.

We can't find anyone to care for our home. My health won't allow it. I don't think that we can afford it. Our cat is too old to leave with someone else. I really don't feel like it anymore. My husband wants to go but I no longer feel inclined, I used to, but not now, I feel too old to go away etc.

The first thing that you need to know and this is for sure, it will be the best experience!

It will be hard, challenging, a few tears of frustration, you will spend some of your savings, your family will manage extremely well without you, and you will manage extremely well without them, even the cat will manage and you will be crying heaps when it is time to come home, so don't miss it!!!

Expense wise? You will probably need to pay rent for your lodgings, you will still have to put fuel into your car, pay for your phone calls and provide your food and personal needs.

What you won't need is....no more family dinners which cost, no more birthday or Christmas gifts which cost. The family will excuse you of these great expenses 'because you are serving a mission' No more Visiting Teaching or Home Teaching and providing the treats accompanied with these callings and so forth.

Instead, life becomes a whole lot easier as you change your focus from being a parent, grand parent, uncle or aunt etc. to focusing on your mission assignment and nothing else.

Your loyalty is shifted to the needs of your assignment, to the people you are called to serve and very much, to your spouse or missionary companion. It's like being newly married before the children arrived.

Let me share something with you.

Alvin and I had always planned on serving a mission when we retired. The problem was who would look after my mother and our home? Our five children were married and the babies were arriving and each was set up in their own home.

But the first step was to decide that yes, we are going. Now, what do we need to do to make it happen?

We fasted and prayed about the home challenge. Our daughter and husband living in USA decided that they wanted to come out here and be with the family. So Michelle and Ken lived in our home, even produced three children whilst here. How about that?

My mother was going to be cared for by my other siblings, but mother soon realised that this wasn't working too well, and so through a string of circumstances, put herself into a Nursing Home.

It actually cost us a little less on our mission. the expenses of living at home compared to living in the mission field, was not the same, and with fewer mouths to feed, we actually saved a little!

Now something else special happened.

As we arrived in our mission field (Western Australia-CES Mission assignment) we found that we had to drive and navigate the new city and suburbs. We had early morning Seminary classes to visit, Institute classes to teach and campuses to find. Much travelling to new places was a daily challenge.

I usually drove and Alvin navigated.

When he said, turn left, I would invariably turn right and visa-versa. He would look at me in disbelief and began to say very crossly, "Are you stupid????" I would agree with him totally. I had no idea why I kept turning exactly opposite to his direction. One day I said to him, "Elder Holzworth, I am sorry for these mistakes. I don't mean them. It only takes a few moments for me to turn around and correct our direction but what you are saying to me is totally wrong. I am your missionary companion and you shouldn't speak to me that way. We lose the spirit immediately and I become very upset."

Well, he never spoke to me again in that tone or with that spirit.

No, he never again for the rest of our lives.

Our relationship strengthened and we became very close, our mission experience blessed us enormously. We had the opportunity to serve three full time missions in the CES program of the Church and again a full time mission in the Brisbane Australia Mission. It was at the end of this that the affliction called Alzheimer's commenced and he died as a result of one of the symptoms.

I can truly testify that in order to serve a mission in later years, firstly turn your hand to the sickle and put your trust in Heavenly Father. After you have done your part to the best of your ability;, and you are committed to serve, the way will open up and into the mission field you will go and have a most marvellous experience.

You will live as you haven't done before, laugh often, learn heaps and have a circle of new friends to love and be loved back. This will be amazing to you. Most of all, you will grow closer to your beloved companion and to Heavenly Father and you will make a remarkable difference in your family.

By Gretta Holzworth