Our Delta flight arrived in Porto on Saturday, April 19.    We immediately felt loved and welcomed by our Mission Leaders - President and Sister Leal, both from Sao Paulo, Brazil (where I served my mission as a young man).  They are wonderful, powerful leaders!

Lot of trees in bloom, but I particularly love the flowering cherries - this one is a weeping variety.  They are spectacular! 

I continue to be amazed at how quickly we develop rich friendships and feelings of love for people here in Dayton.  With their permission, here is a quick introduction to several of them:

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that "friendship is one of the grand fundamental principles of Mormonism."  We're very thankful for our many friends, many of whom we have known for year.s.  Here in Eastern Washington,  we have been  surprised and delighted at how quickly we have made new friends!

When I grew up nearby in Connell, WA, the nearest Latter-day Saint temple was in Idaho Falls, a 12-hour drive.  Now there is a lovely temple in Kennewick, WA, 40 minutes away.  Chris and I loved participating in one of our faith tradition's ordinances that we lovingly offer up to people who did not have the opportunity to receive before death.  I always appreciate my time in our temples - the loving, peaceful spirt there lifts my spirit and opens my heart to feeling God's love. 

Small town/country life has a certain pace and feel that I could get used to.  It's hard to put a finger on it, but there is a certain relaxed openness and interest in others that is really feels nice.  This post attempts to capture some of the personality of the people and place.

Given that we need to wait approximately a month for a new visa to be issued, we were given the option to propose a temporary mission assignment somewhere in the USA.  So we reached out to John Quereto, a former member of the my home stake (Danville CA). He and his wife Cory are serving as mission leaders of the Washington Kennewick Mission.  He responded right away that he would love to have us!  

On Monday Feb 10, my brother Keith picked us up from the SLC airport and dropped us off at the Mission Training Center (MTC) in Provo.  We were one of about 40 missionary couples to arrive that day.  The onboarding process was amazingly smooth, including  young missionaries lined up to take our bags to our room, followed by  orientation and a tour of the campus.

Sunday, Feb 11, 2025 was as special day for us.  

Chris and I are super excited to begin our missionary service for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Porto Portugal Mission!  We catch an early morning flight Monday, February 10 to Salt Lake, where my brother Keith will meet us and drive us to the Mission Training Center in Provo. There, we enjoy a week with other young and "mature" missionaries in training, focused on the wonderful church publication "Preach My Gospel".