Tag Archives: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

You do not want to miss senior missionary service! 

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Like hearing true sounds once again with hearing aids, we feel deeper truth as we walk with Christ

Elder and Sister Marriott teaching Institute

Elder and Sister Greenhalgh teaching English

Between each tone, I could hear my breath as I sat in the quiet audiologist’s sound booth for a hearing test. They tested my left ear and my right. They tested my low and my high frequencies. They tested my word discrimination and comprehension. I’ve known for years that the dynamic response of my ears favored the low tones and diminished the high frequencies. The damage probably happened growing up around loud and high-pitched machinery in a cabinet shop. (Or did I play music a little loud during my teens?) Whatever the cause, I finally made the leap to hearing-aids. I can now hear the higher pitched cymbals of my grandson’s drum set, the higher tones in my favorite songs, the quieter sacred voices from the pulpit, and my personal conversations in a noisy restaurant. My delight includes the discreet size and cool Bluetooth features in the latest hearing-aid technology.

I’ve been missing out on some of life’s audio fidelity, especially amidst the high tones of persistent tinnitus (in my case high-pitched ringing in the ears). Some neuroscientists believe there might be a cause and effect (increased central gain model) and that the brain might be substituting ringing in place of those frequency ranges no longer received from the ear.1 Whether this is true or not, I’d like to relate this to the need for action and service in our lives to help our mind and spirit grow closer to God (increased fidelity) by walking with Jesus Christ, doing what he would do in service to others. You don’t want to miss growing closer to God.

Elder and Sister Taylor serving at St. Theresa’s meals for homeless

Elder and Sister Hardman after speaking on Moloka’i

This is our second senior service mission. As you’ve read in our letters, we are coming to know the Lord better every day. We are trying to love as he would love, give compassion as he would, encourage as he would. We of course fall short, but we grow and learn and improve with his grace and patient teaching. Recently while visiting our good friend Blaine Greenhalgh, he put this so clearly. Blaine and Janet have been serving a lot. They serve The Choir at Temple Square, and they recently served two years in the Brisbane Australia Mission. Listen to his passionate plea.

“You do not want to miss this! The experiences of senior missionary service are so sweet, so delightful, so incandescently good that you do not want to pass them by. Nothing that can happen at home will compare—absolutely nothing!

You are able to talk and facetime with your family back home more than you realize. Every day if needed. Social media technology means you do not have to go days without knowing what they are doing, or seeing the grand kids or laughing with them. You are not isolated from them! In fact, the Spirit will make them closer to you than you can imagine.”

Elder and Sister Greenhalgh at service project

Elder and Sister Marriott hosting Young Single Adults

Elder Greenhalgh continues, “Sure, serving is hard. We were tired. We were going nearly all day but it was such fun. Think of your favorite sport. The only athletic games we enjoy are those that are hard. No one plays easy games. It is the hardness that makes it worthwhile. Think of what it would be like to be a missionary when the Lord returns, or you could be home watching a ball game.

It is only 6 months, or one year or 18 months or 23 months. What are you stewing about? Go!  It is not that expensive. In fact many of you will actually make money because the church pays for almost everything you need. It is not forever, it is only a few months, but the people you serve will call you blessed forever! 

More than that you will have the deep inner joy that will bring tears to your eyes for the rest of mortality and beyond. You walked by the Lord’s side, you learned from Him in a personal way that is beyond my ability to express. He loves senior missionaries more than you and I can imagine but while you serve you get a glimpse into the heart of the Messiah. 

Every missionary is a missionary. We talk of senior missionaries, of young missionaries, of service missionaries but they are all just missionaries. There are so many ways to serve. Full-time stay at home, Part-time at home or in other locations, stake missionaries, Family history, Pathway Education, Construction missionaries, MLS missionaries2, visitor center missionaries, and hundreds of other ways. Choose what the Lord would have you do and then go. Be a missionary.”3

Elder and Sister Hardman supporting a ward activity

Elder and Sister Taylor providing support

Elder and Sister Greenhalgh educating people on Education

Thank you Blaine and Janet for your example. But most of all, we thank you for demonstrating what we read in the scriptures and hear from our leaders frequently. For example: “Follow me” (Matt. 4:19, John 10:27), “Do as I have done” (John 3:15), “I am the way” (John 14:6), “Follow his steps” (1 Pet. 2:21), “Be perfect even as I” (1 Nephi 12:48), “Do even as I have done” (3 Nephi 18:6), “What manner of men…even as I am” (3 Nephi 27:27), “true followers of his son…we shall be like him” (Moroni 7:48).

My new hearing aids are tuned to account for my weaker frequencies to help me hear and comprehend more fully the sounds around me. Similarly we are learning through our service that by acting for the Lord in the lives of others and striving to follow his way in our words, actions, and service, that he accounts for our weakness, tunes us, helps us grow through life’s ‘ringing’ noise, and we are starting to see and hear more clearly the things we may have been missing, deeper truths about him and his plan for all. As Blaine said, we are feeling deeper and lasting inner joy. We are getting “a glimpse into the heart of the Messiah.” We don’t really see it as sacrifice. But if it is a sacrifice, we testify that “Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven.” (“Praise to the Man,” Hymns, no. 27)

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  1. Brinkmann, Pia, Auditory thalamus dysfunction and pathophysiology in tinnitus: a predictive network hypothesis, Springer, Brain Structure and Function, 2 May 2021, V. 226 ↩︎
  2. Member and Leader Support (MLS) senior missionaries help their assigned units fulfill the Church’s divinely appointed responsibilities of living the gospel of Jesus Christ, caring for those in need, inviting all to receive the gospel, and uniting families for eternity. (https://seniormissionary.churchofjesuschrist.org) ↩︎
  3. Letter to author from Blaine Greenhalgh, Feb. 2026 ↩︎
  • Elder and Sister Greenhalgh serving in Brisbane Australia Mission from Pleasant Grove, Utah
  • Elder and Sister Taylor serving in Maui (Honolulu Hawaii Mission) from Provo, Utah
  • Elder and Sister Marriott serving in Maui (Honolulu Hawaii Mission) from Wallsburg, Utah
  • Elder and Sister Hardman serving on Maui, Moloka’i, and Lana’i (Kahului West Stake), from Pleasant Grove, Utah

Oct. 6, 2025 – Light shining in darkness

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Caption?

A young Eucalyptus tree growing on a volcano

Light penetrating the clouds as we walk through them

Lunch with missionaries who just arrived on the island

Sunsets and moon-risings

Sand refined and smooth

I could talk about the challenging moments this week, in all their varieties – physical, emotional, and spiritual – but I feel to focus on the light that shone through to illuminate each of those learning moments. As Elder Peter M. Johnson read in General Conference on Sunday, “Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God…I am the light which shineth in darkness…” (D&C 6:21) The light of General Conference including the music was a personal blessing. Sister Tracy Browning taught, “Sacred music can shine the Light of Christ on the hearer and can pour it into the heart of the singer.” (Sister Tracy Y. Browning, 2nd Counselor in the Primary General Presidency)

We began our General Conference having prayed all week for those preparing and participating in the conference. After the Saturday morning session we had breakfast at a members home with the full-time missionaries and other guests. A non-member friend of the family was there and we all had wonderful conversation about Jesus Christ and the Church. He was very anxious to bring ‘religious structure’ back into his life. We all encouraged with love.  

Later that day, we felt prompted to visit our neighbors. As we entered their home to pleasant smiles, Jana’i looked up from the tea-leaf weaving project she was preparing for local school children. I said, “Can we tell you why today is such a blessing?” Curtis and Jana’i nodded yes. “It is General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” They again nodded with some recognition of what this is. We continued, “It is so wonderful to hear so much encouragement and joy and messages about Jesus Christ.” Jana’i replied, “I feel and appreciate your enthusiasm.” From prior conversation we knew that their son had been baptized years ago when some of his friends left on missions. They talked about other friends they’ve had who are members of the Church and have had a positive influence on them. To our invitation to join us to watch General Conference they politely said, “Maybe next time,” so we gave them the link and encouraged them to participate. After more mutually enjoyable conversation we departed till our next visit.

We’d like to now share a couple examples of light shining through some challenging moments this week.

Emotional – At our Addiction Recovery Program (ARP) support meetings we often feel some of the weight that we imagine addicts carry as they seek healing and sobriety in a world filled with ongoing trials and temptations. There are times when I personally feel overwhelmed for them and my heart aches. True, we don’t know exactly what they are going through. But we do our best to love and read scriptures with them and encourage the light of Christ to shine through the darkness. ARP Step 5 involves the principle of confession and more than one person expressed how hard it is to confess to ecclesiastical leaders who haven’t experienced what they are going through. When I bore my testimony this week, I feel like I fell short of expressing Christlike love. But after the meeting the Spirit helped me see light that was indeed shining through the darkness, even though not obvious to me at the time.

Spiritual – One form of spiritual darkness is when doubt or fear accompanies the loss of hope in one or more eternal blessings. But here again, the potential light is in the process of applying the Atonement of Jesus Christ, learning the truth thereby overcoming or allowing Christ to disperse the darkness. I won’t go into personal specifics here, but I am learning more and more what He meant, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32) Revelation through the Holy Ghost while studying the Word – frees us from many things including darkness that can come from false or incomplete understandings.

As an engineer, my ears perked up this weekend when President Eyring said, “Long ago I sought to learn physics and mathematics in my college years. I felt overwhelmed…” He went on to express how challenging and discouraging it was. He prayed and received, “I am proving you, but I am also with you.” He then shared, “I learned that my struggle with physics was actually a gift from the Lord. He was teaching me that with His help, I could do things that seemed impossible if I had the faith…” (Henry B. Eyring, Oct. 2025)

As we review our week, mission, and life, we see that most days have been filled with light. A young Eucalyptus tree growing on a volcano, light penetrating the clouds as we walk through them, lunch with missionaries who just arrived on the island, sunsets and moon-risings. The blessings of the Gospel, the Earth, and family are wonderful. The more we study the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the brighter we see our past, present and future. We are very grateful for our Father in Heaven, His Son Jesus Christ, and the comfort and revelation from the Holy Ghost. Like life, while walking on the beach, our bare feet leave depressions in the infinite and perfect grains of soft coral sand. When we turn back we see the waves rush in and flow back out, our footprint gone, the sand even more refined and smooth. As we walk intentionally through life with Him, baring our souls amidst his righteous waves, He refines us even in the process and presence of his beautiful creations. We are grateful for these moments, and the light of the Earth and all our Father in Heaven has prepared for his children.

Aloha, and Mahalo.