Area Presidency Message
Senior Missionaries and Senior Service Missionaries—A Call to Serve
As the Area Presidency visits wards and branches throughout the Pacific, we see the tremendous need for senior missionaries. You can’t imagine what great good they do as they love the young missionaries and teach local members the doctrines and culture of Christ and His Church.
Opportunities for senior missionaries are varied and vast. “Senior missionaries are also needed”1 and represent the Lord. They are “encouraged to prepare to serve.”2
President Russell M. Nelson taught, “I express gratitude for our senior missionaries. They are young in spirit, wise, and willing to work. . . . These dear members are willing to serve and strengthen the lives of others. Even if these seniors don’t know the local language, their accomplishments are great, and their spirit of sacrifice is precious.”3
I address my remarks to those who are thinking of serving—or not thinking of serving—as senior missionaries or senior service missionaries.
Senior Missionaries
At ages 40 or over, if they have no dependent children, married couples and single women can serve senior missions. They may be called to serve from 6 to 23 months—at least 18 months if they serve outside of their resident country. Bishops or stake presidents may interview these members to determine their availability and invite them to prepare to serve.4
We have come across many faithful, diligent senior missionaries on our mission visits. I recently met some serving in Papua New Guinea and in Alice Springs in the Australia Adelaide Mission. One couple said:
“Serving a senior couple mission was our righteous desire, but we [faced] many challenges. We exercised our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to have the Holy Ghost guide us in every step. Despite our challenges, we were blessed with peace and confidence to move forward. We were able to save sufficient funds for our mission, paid off debts, and organised our family. We are blessed to have a better relationship as husband and wife, as well as [with] each of our children.”
Another couple said, “This is one of the best decisions we have made—to serve missions as a senior couple. We had talked about serving after retirement and planned for it financially. Now we are enjoying every minute of it. This is our second time to serve, and we wish we started serving sooner so we could serve longer . . . we didn’t know it would be so much fun and so satisfying. We also get to create new forever friends with the mission president and his wife, and with the other senior couples we serve with. We are blessed for serving the Lord, and we know Heavenly Father blesses our children and takes better care of them and [our] grandchildren while we serve.”
Another said, “Our preparation began as a young married couple, knowing we did not serve a full-time mission as young single adults. We struggled financially, personally, physically, but with faith we knew our goal was to serve a mission. We have learnt . . . the importance of living a simple life, to make sure that when the time comes, we are ready financially. We have learned that if we are willing to leave our loved ones for service in the mission field, we will bless them with a heritage that will teach and inspire them for generations to come.”
In a training broadcast to priesthood leaders, President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) issued this call: “There is a constant need for more couple missionaries,” he said. “They perform wonderful service throughout the world. You [leaders] need not wait for the couples to volunteer.”5
Senior Service Missionaries
Senior service missionaries live at home and are called by the stake president. Men and women ages 26 and older—even if they are married or have already served missions—may be called on senior service missions. Men between 18 and 25, and women from 19 to 25, can also become senior service missionaries if they live in areas where normal full-time missions for young people are not available.6
In January this year, my wife, Anita, and I, visited Abaiang Island with the vice president of Kiribati and his wife. Church members prepared well to receive them. The vice president spoke very highly of the Church.
Whilst there I met four widowed service missionaries: Sister Turia Manraoi Kaiea, (75) widowed for 12 years; Sister Tiena Kiakia, (64) widowed for 10 years; Sister Bakate Tekarika, (63) widowed for nine years and Sister Tengabi Ioaa, (70) widowed 10 years ago.
These four senior citizens receive monthly government grants of AUD 200. They went to their stake president after deciding that they can utilise the money well if they serve missions. They were set apart and off they went to Abaiang, an outer island in North Tarawa. They help in ministering and teach the temple preparation courses at Abaiang units. President Mwemwenikeaki said, “These are faithful sisters who are leading by example in serving missions.”
In April this year, Anita and I had the privilege of ministering to the Papua New Guinea missionaries with President and Sister Kinikini. We also attended the Rigo District conference on Sunday 30 April, where we met 23 couples and six senior service missionary sisters. One of the couples only joined the Church just over a year ago. All branches in the Rigo District have two to four senior missionary couples or senior service mission companions. Although limited in resources, they are not limited in their desire, faith, hope, charity, and love.
As exemplified by these senior missionaries in Kiribati and PNG, of all the qualifications to serve, a desire to serve may be the most important. The Lord declared: “Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work.”7
To others who may feel they are not qualified for missionary labours, the Lord has given this assurance: “Faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.”8
Invitation
No matter where we live in the Pacific, there are wonderful service opportunities for senior missionaries or senior service missionaries.
The Area Presidency invites seniors, as couples or individuals, to prayerfully visit with your leaders and offer your service. We promise that your life, your family, and the people you serve will be abundantly blessed.
Your years of experience will bless others, and you’ll discover how wonderful people really are.