FORT WALTON BEACH — In 1986, when Kevin McSheehy, a new convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, received his mission call, many friends and relatives gathered around the dining table for the "grand opening" of that special envelope.
In 2014 when his son, Noah,opened his mission call letter, dozens of friends and relatives witnessed this memorable occasion, but they were not all gathered around the dining table! From Idaho to New York City, cousins, aunts, uncles, parents and grandparents observed the opening on Google Plus as well as in person. And Noah was called to Reno, Nevada for two years of teaching the gospel and engaging in a variety of service projects. During these two years he will not come home; he will not call home except on Mother's Day and Christmas. Emails on Mondays and "snail mail" letters will be their communication.
Robin Monson vividly recalls her son Thomas' October 2012 announcement of the new age requirements for missionaries. Ages were lowered from 19 to 18 for guys and from 21 to 19 for ladies. It meant Thomas would be going sooner than they thought!
Thus started a huge influx of high school and college-enrolled missionaries putting it all on hold to serve the Lord. This Lord's Army leaped from 55,000 in number to 85,000 in just months. New additions to the training centers were added, more trainers joined the staff, teaching the newcomers new languages and about new cultures.
Elder Bednar from the Quorum of the Twelve emphasized the use of social media to enlighten friends, relatives and missionary investigators. Very soon every missionary will be using iPads to spread the Gospel.
Niceville Ward missionaries
Elder David Russel from the Niceville Ward missed his Seminary Graduation ceremony to leave for training in Provo, Utah, and then on to Korea. This month Andrew Moore will train and then leave for Malaga, Spain.
Madi Riley opened her letter with a bevy of friends at Brigham Young University, Idaho, while folks at home watched on Skype. The Adriatic South mission is her destination; her language will be Albanian; her twin sister, Eliza, is already serving in the Belgium/Netherlands area. Her brother Isaac was serving in the Ukraine until unrest there prompted church leaders to transfer him back to the U.S.
Already serving in the mission field are Spencer Mailles in Japan and Mitchell Edginton in Independence, Miss.
Crestview and Baker missionaries
David Mathews of Crestview is serving in the Brazil Sao Paulo Interlagos Mission; Katie Toolan is teaching in the California Rancho Cucamonga Mission; Taylor Denee Corbin serves in the California Arcadia Mission; and Austin Boyd has been in Oregon for a year, awaiting his visa for the Brazil Curitiba Mission.
Crestview residents Daniel Chance serves in Chile and Kelsea Kind is teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Mexico Veracruz Mission. Harrison Walker, from Baker and serving in the Guatemala Mission, has been there since 2013.
Other Fort Walton Beach Stake members serving as missionaries are Matt Crabtree, who is in Japan; Hyrum Sumrall, in Idaho; Jason Jones of DeFuniak Springs, is in Las Vegas, Nev. And anxiously waiting to leave is Joseph Brill, who is from the Fort Walton Beach Ward 2. His destination is France.
These are the missionaries serving all over the world from the Florida Fort Walton Beach Stake. They will say it was the best two years of their lives.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Latter-day Saints missionaries begin service at earlier age