Two months ago our son embarked on a two year proselyting mission for our church. He has looked forward to and prepared for this time in his life for years.
In fact, when his health tanked for several years during his early teens, forcing him to be homebound much of the time, his main concern was that this would prevent him from being able to serve as a missionary.
Thankfully, his health has been restored for the most part and he could not be more enthusiastic about his mission.
He is carrying on a strong legacy of missionary service from several lines in our family tree. Some of our ancestors who also served as missionaries are:
Dwight Farnworth
Dwight, pictured above upper left, served in the Central States mission from 1946-1948. His missionary service started only a few months after his recovery from a severe leg injury due to his military service in France during World War II.
Percy Q Farnworth
Dwight’s father, Percy, similarly returned directly from World War I and turned around again to serve as a missionary in the Southern States mission from 1919-1921.
James Johnson
James, pictured above lower left, served in Scandinavia as a missionary from 1900-1903. He wrote a wonderful journal and brought back a full photo album from his time of service. It is a treasure for the family.
Suel Lamb
Suel came across the plains as an early pioneer. In the summer of 1853, he left on a year-long mission to Fort Supply among the Native Americans.
Even though I miss my son, I am so proud that he wants to serve as a missionary just as many of his forefathers did.
I hope you enjoyed that bit of family history as I did. See you again soon with another story from the past.
Melissa
