The Miracles of Missionary Placement

When a senior couple puts their papers in for a mission, their application is checked over in Salt Lake City to see what kind of mission they might be compatible for. Primary areas of service are Member Leadership Support (MLS), Public Affairs, Self-Reliance, Family History, Temple, Humanitarian, etc.  Your missionary application is looked over to see what your strengths, interests, experience and abilities are.  Then your application is “rated” and earmarked for four of the above areas.  Your application might be earmarked for 1- Family History, 2- MLS, 3 – Humanitarian, and 4 – Public Affairs. There are so many places and kinds of missions you could be called to!

Elder and Sister Bush,  Elder Kendall Vance, and young monks.

Scroll forward to Elder Val and Sister Judy Bush – now serving as the humanitarian couple in Lao. They were originally called to Myanmar, but then while in the MTC their mission was switched to serve in Lao because there was an immediate need there – same mission, just a different country. 

There was a very big need in Lao for humanitarian missionaries to do English teaching.  The country needed professional educators to help teach government leaders there.  And guess what?  Elder and Sister Bush are professional educators.  They fit the calling perfectly and are doing amazing work. 

We were talking about Lao in one of our recent meetings with the Area Presidency here in the Area Office, and I asked them if they had specifically requested educators to be sent to Lao, and they said no - they didn't know the need was going to be so great.  I asked if the Church leaders who assigned the Bush's mission would have known we needed educators there or would have known that the Bush’s were educators, and they said no.

But the Lord knew.  As Elder Wong of the Area Presidency often reminds us, “The Lord is in the details of the details of the details.”

And isn't it wonderful that He who knows is in charge of this Church?  

Water project in Lao

The mission president, President Senior, noted not long ago that the prior humanitarian missionaries to Lao, the Singleys, were just right for the time they were there, with their water engineering background. They did much good for the multiple water projects and working with the local government.  Now that the mission needs professional educators, the Lord sent the Bush’s.

This kind of miracle occurs all the time in the missionary world. 

The Lord really does know the end from the beginning.  Calls are indeed inspired.  

Photo by More Good Foundation, flickr.com