Elder Stewart-Longhurst Mission to Santa Rosa, CA

Hanna and I were married in June of 2012.  We felt so blessed to have found each other.  We loved being together.  Life was bliss.  We felt so blessed! As a token of gratitude to God, who we felt had somehow managed to put us together, we pledged a life of service.  This wasn't hard to do as the one thing we love to do more than anything else is to serve together, side by side.  We both feel an intense satisfaction in serving and doing good together, whether it be within our church, in the business field, in the mission field, in scouting, or within our own family. Since we first started courting, that pledge has lead us to send four of our children out into the mission field and support them in various ways while they served.  Florida, Ohio, Germany and Utah.  We talked often of our own plans to be able to serve a full-time mission and anticipated that day.  We finally set the goal that when Luigi, our youngest, left on his mission, we w...

At the age of 19, I was very unsure of myself and what my future held.  But, being a dutiful son and member of my church, I chose to serve a two-year full-time mission.  On March 1st, 1980, I was called to serve in the Chile Concepcion mission. A full-time mission was a new start for me.  My first new companions and roommates in the Missionary Training Center knew nothing about me, other than like them, I had a desire to serve the Lord.  I cherished that new start and set out to make the best of it. At first, I was a bit timid and unsure of myself.  I was secluded away from all the glory one receives when you are called to the work and it was now time to shut up and put up.  I questioned my beliefs and the motivation for my decision to serve.  I prayed earnestly with an intent to know for myself what I should do and believe.  A strong spiritual manifestation soon came and I then dug in with all my might. I soon became the overachiever. ...