Making Your Own Mission

Monday morning we got up very early, drove to the airport and caught a flight to Suva, Fiji.   Upon our arrival we were met by Frank and Suzanne Stanford.  Frank and Suzanne are from Calgary, Canada.  Back in 2002 they wanted to go on a mission, but only for a year.  When they met with their stake president he counseled them to "make their own mission".  And so they did - they went to Fiji and volunteered to serve in the Fiji Temple as temple workers.  After a year they returned to Canada, but one thing lead to another and they ended up back in Fiji to do some more church-service.  When they finished their time there they again returned to Canada.  Then about 5 years ago they were trying to decide what they should do next.   They got the distinct impression to sell everything and go back to Fiji.  The rest is history.  Frank is now the Country Welfare Manager (a volunteer church-service position) in Fiji and Suzanne takes care of the wheelchair distributions and is his assistant.  They work with the young single adults and youth in their ward, provide humanitarian service and are applying for citizenship in Fiji.  They are fantastic assets to everyone they associate with and an excellent example to those they work with.  Each year they return to Canada for a short visit with family and then return to their adventures in Fiji.  They live in Suva, but their service takes them to many other islands.

Frank has been invaluable in helping to make some of the humanitarian projects we have in the Pacific Area happen.  When the hospital ship, USNS Mercy, came in July, Frank coordinated the efforts to get people needing surgery to the ship and the supplies on the ship to medical clinics on land.  When a shipment of school furniture got stuck in customs, Frank worked tirelessly to solve the problem.  Suzanne has become the scrapbooker and kept an excellent record of newspaper clippings and articles in addition to pictures of the various humanitarian projects they have helped with over the years.

Frank traveled with us when we visited the islands of Vanua Levu and Taveuni this past week (more posts to follow).  He and Suzanne know how to make things happen.  We are thankful for them and the difference they have made in Fiji.  In our conversations this last week, they told us that because of health issues they probably would not have been able to pass the physicals to receive a mission call, but all the same, they are making their own very successful mission.

Gary, Susan, Suzanne and Frank

"Amidst the storms of life, danger lurks; and men, like boats, find themselves stranded and facing destruction.  Who will man the lifeboats, leaving behind the comforts of home and family, and go to the rescue?"  Thomas S. Monson, Teachings of Thomas S. Monson