A Mission Call and A Move

Mark and Elaine standing in front of their home. May 2023 They have lived in Naperville for 38 years.

It was with many different emotions racing through me that my husband Mark and I accepted an invitation/calling to serve a mission for our church – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I first felt surprised by this opportunity to serve and then felt excited for the chance it would give Mark and me to help and love others. I experienced sadness as I realized the sacrifice of leaving family, home, and future plans behind us. I felt overwhelmed as I contemplated the responsibility of the task and at the same time, I felt a sense of determination that I can make a difference for good in the lives of others.

Mark and I have been called to be Mission Leaders in Santa Rosa, California beginning July 1^st, 2023, to July 1^st, 2026. The church website states: “Mission leaders, supervise and train on average 150 to 170 missionaries during a given time period and work with around 500 young people during their three-year period of service. Individual missionaries arrive and depart at approximately six-week intervals, as they begin or conclude their 18 months to two-year period of service. On a day-to-day basis mission leaders oversee the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being for each of the missionaries assigned to their area.” (churchofjesuschrist.org)

Currently, Mark and I are preparing to serve by working our way through a list of podcasts, attending zoom meetings each week, and spending time reading manuals, handbooks, and online training materials. The Church has even provided us electronic flash cards to help us learn all the names of the missionaries. We will enter the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah on June 21^st to receive additional instruction. From there we will fly to Santa Rosa, California to begin our three-year mission. The church provides us a home to live in.

You may have seen “Mormon” missionaries out and about in your community. The Church has 410 missions throughout the world, with around 69,000 young adults serving as missionaries. Each young adult is called to invite others to come unto Christ. Two of my children served a mission when they were 19 years old. My son, Chase, served in Kiev, Ukraine and my daughter Hannah served in Provo, Utah. Our family loved watching as they helped others to find peace, joy, and an eternal perspective on life through accepting the gospel’s message. Mark and I look forward to this wonderful opportunity to love, serve, and guide young missionaries as well as love the people in California.

Join me on this new adventure. I will be posting weekly our mission stories, and photos on the website quinnmission.com. You can sign up for a monthly update through the pop-up window on the site. I will continue to add to this website elainehquinn.com when possible.

Mark and I will be speaking in our church sacrament meeting prior to leaving on our mission. If you live in the area, please join us on Sunday June 11^th from 10:30 – 11:30 am. Church address: 1320 Ridgeland Ave. Naperville, IL 60540 (It is right off of I-88 and Naperville Rd.) or you can join us through zoom with this link. Click Here    Meeting ID 803 793 8926  Passcode 325126

Thank you for all your love and support! Elaine

To see our call announcement in the Church News, click here.

For more information about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints  click here.

To learn more about depression and anxiety. Click here for my book