I am the Ward
Mission Leader in the Jeffersonville Ward of the New Albany Indiana
stake. Bishop Roger White and I wanted to write you about a missionary that is
coming home to you this week, Elder Follett. We are copying his Bishop and
family in on this email as well.
We
know that you likely get a number of missionaries that return home from your
stake. While it is not a common practice for us to write a stake president
about a missionary's service, we think that there are some things you should
know. Please know that Elder Follett has served with honor. I get the privilege
to serve with many missionaries (we have had 4-6 missionaries serving in our
ward most of the last 20 years.). He is among the most notable. Thank you for
sending Elder Follett to us. He was an amazing tool in the Lord's hand.
Missionaries
who serve in our area are an integral part of our ward. We have 4 full time
Elders in our ward alone, with about 185 people attending each week. As you can
tell from those numbers, that means that the missionaries are often in members
homes and working with them closely. Their service is important to our ward,
which covers much of a complete county.
Elder
Follett served as a leader in the mission and several of the missionaries took
me aside when he arrived here. I think what they told me speaks volumes about
how he served. To a person, they confided in me of his dedication. They
mentioned that he served most of his mission in areas that the other
missionaries were glad they were not serving in. (That is putting it mildly.)
They told me of how hard it was and how much they respected him for serving
diligently and without complaint, when others did. They told me that the areas
he served in had little to go on and it was truly tough to find investigators.
This was all unsolicited by me, but they wanted me to know how truly good an
elder he was and is. In the time we have served together, I have come to see
why they respected and loved him. When he arrived in our ward, he was one
of the friendliest, warmest and most fun missionaries I have ever served
with. He was comfortable in the humblest of circumstance as well as
the most formal.
I
truly wish I had more time to serve with him. It is a shame that we do not get
more time together.
Elder
Follett has served in our ward only 7 weeks. The last 7 weeks of his
mission, which is partly why we are writing. It is uncommon for
missionaries to get "trunky transferred" (transferred into a brand
new area on the last transfer of their mission.) But it does happen.
In
his case, the area had been closed the previous transfer due to a shortage of
missionaries and then reopened. No teaching pool to start with. No one who knew
the area to start with other than the other Elders in the ward. Only the area
book and 7 Sundays to do something with it. Elder Follett took on the challenge
and wrote an epic last chapter to his mission. It was a treat to observe.
I
have watched many missionaries shut down on the last weeks of their mission,
and it would be even more typical to expect it in this case due to the
difficulties, but he did not. Even tonight he is serving with everything he
has.
During
this 7 weeks he connected with virtually all of the members of our ward. His
area was expanded to include his old area temporarily as well, due to other
missionaries being transferred. (His mission president was comfortable having
him cover whenever there was a need because he knew it would get done.)
He helped locate more than a few people in our county that we did not
know where they were and served diligently and well. He has worked
tirelessly. We thought you should know. We consider him family.
We
have had a number of people in the area that missionaries refer to as
"eternigators". One such couple was Felippe and Tonya and their teenage
children. They have been attending the neighboring ward on and off, and because
I had worked with them and knew them, I got to work with Elder Follett and his
companion in teaching them.
They
have been studying off and on with the missionaries for several years. Still
not married. Husband still not baptized. Wife is a less active member. Children
attending church only now and then. I counted no less than 12
missionaries that had taught them at one time or another.
Elder
Follett's loving persistence was there at the right time. I am writing this on
Sunday night. Earlier this weekend, on Friday, they were
married. Elder Follett helped them get the paperwork so that they could get
married. He helped prepare the reception for them, as they live humbly, and
with medical expenses and it was out of reach for them. He found a missionary
that could decorate a cake. He found decorations. He literally found a way over
every obstacle so that they could get married and so Felippe could get
baptized. All of this again happened in 7 weeks, from not
knowing them to befriending them, to teaching them, to facilitating all
of this. Amazing.
I
had the pleasure of sending some of the missionaries that had served here the
news that after years, these people had finally been married and joined the
church and that their efforts to teach them were not in vain. It was a tender
moment.
There
are no words to describe how thankful returned missionaries are who don't even
know Elder Follett for him taking care of the person that they taught 2-3 years
previous.
The
number of obstacles was impressive. Elder Follett and his companion stayed with
it. I have attached photos of their reception and of Felippe's baptism
yesterday. Felippe was confirmed today in that ward.
You
also need to know that while we love all of the missionaries, we do not write
letters to Stake Presidents about all of them. You are indeed standing in
the presence of greatness and humble service when you greet him as he arrives
home. Please welcome him home appropriately for his valiant service. Please
thank his mom, dad and family for their sacrifice in sending him. They have
sacrificed greatly. We have appreciated the time he has been here more than you
will know.
And
we realize, that our ward is only one of the areas where he served this
valiantly.
As a
Ward Mission Leader you grow to love all of the missionaries, but you
especially admire and appreciate the ones who have that special balance of
confidence and humility and love that Elder Follett does. They are
indeed special.
In a
couple short days we will send Elder Follett home to you safe and sound (and tired
;-) ). We will miss him. Since we cannot be there, we would ask that you do a
couple of things to show him our gratitude for his service.
Please
share the contents of this letter with him as appropriate and (again)
thank his family for his service. Please make sure that they FEEL it. His
family needs to know that he was a great missionary. So often people try
to measure the mission by the number of baptisms, but each mission is different
and his was full of extraordinary challenges. Having several children
serve missions and one to go, I could only hope that they served to his
level. That is all I can say. I am honored to have served with him.
Please
convey the love of the families of our ward to him. Please let him know that he
has #refrigeratorprivileges here in Jeffersonville
and that we expect him to use them. (grin)
Please
pass the contents of this letter as appropriate to your high council to let
them know what an impact this young man has made. I am sure that while they get
to see many missionaries return, they would want to know of his service. He has
returned with honor.
Thanks
again for sending one of your best and brightest to serve on a mission. It has
been our honor and privilege to serve with him here, even
for a short time. He has made a dent in our universe and a lasting
impact.
We
hope and pray things continue to go well for your stake.
