This page began when we served as full-time missionaries for The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints in the Canada Calgary Mission.
Banff, AB
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“Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life.” (3 Nephi 5:13)
In 1983, I was looking for a change in my life; I had recently resigned my administrative position at ABC television and began pursuing a teaching credential at CSU Long Beach. I shortly discovered the change I was looking for was not merely a change in careers; I was looking for a change in lifestyle. I began investigation the church, and the gospel principles shared resonated with me--even sounded familiar. “...Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts.” (Mosiah 5:2)
Before I finished my teaching credential, I was baptized as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). I moved to San Luis Obispo to begin my teaching career, and shortly thereafter met my wife. Early in our marriage, we decided that we would one day serve a senior mission together. During a conference, our stake president challenged everyone to set a date for serving a mission. It was 1988 and I did some quick calculating. We told President Dewsnup that we would serve a mission in--2017. The date seemed so far away--futuristic. President Dewsnup recorded our date in his electronic device, and life went on. We raised five children. After working as an English teacher for nine years, I became a school administrator and eventually a principal. During this time, our commitment to serve a mission was an overarching goal. It helped us set our priorities and guided many of our family decisions.
Time passes quickly. Suddenly, I was in a position to retire. We had just paid off the mortgage on our home. I had just recovered from a cervical spine surgery. Lo and behold, it was 2017, and we began the process to begin missionary service. We feel so fortunate to serve in Canada, and love the being in the Banff Branch. We are small but mighty. We enjoy the many visitors who join us each week from around the world. We work to strengthen members and leadership, teach Sunday School, assist in teaching an ESL program, volunteer at a local senior residence, and look for people with whom we can share the gospel of Jesus Christ. The other aspect of our mission is to work as team members for Canada’s LDS Communications Committee. As digital communications specialists, we write or facilitate articles for Canada.lds.org, and help monitor and “tweet” for the LDS Canada Twitter account #LDSinCanada. We love representing our Savior, Jesus Christ, and sharing His gospel message with the world.
