Experience the journey of a missionary in Portugal through our blog. Join us as we share stories of spreading love and making a difference in the beautiful country.
Small town/country life has a certain pace and feel that I could get used to. It's hard to put a finger on it, but there is a certain relaxed openness and interest in others that is really feels nice. This post attempts to capture some of the personality of the people and place.
Given that we need to wait approximately a month for a new visa to be issued, we were given the option to propose a temporary mission assignment somewhere in the USA. So we reached out to John Quereto, a former member of the my home stake (Danville CA). He and his wife Cory are serving as mission leaders of the Washington Kennewick Mission. He responded right away that he would love to have us!
On Monday Feb 10, my brother Keith picked us up from the SLC airport and dropped us off at the Mission Training Center (MTC) in Provo. We were one of about 40 missionary couples to arrive that day. The onboarding process was amazingly smooth, including young missionaries lined up to take our bags to our room, followed by orientation and a tour of the campus.
Sunday, Feb 11, 2025 was as special day for us.
Chris and I are super excited to begin our missionary service for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Porto Portugal Mission! We catch an early morning flight Monday, February 10 to Salt Lake, where my brother Keith will meet us and drive us to the Mission Training Center in Provo. There, we enjoy a week with other young and "mature" missionaries in training, focused on the wonderful church publication "Preach My Gospel".
Chris has raised seven wonderful children - we love them all dearly and are very proud of them. She has taught seminary (youth religious education/early morning Bible study) for over 20 years and loves everything about youth/young adults. Her quick laugh and humor brings light and joy into any space she is in.
Dave retired four years ago after a wonderful career in accounting/investment management. Since then, he has dedicated much of his time to interfaith work, especially facilitating interfaith community service opportunities. He loves exploring ideas, so if you enjoy a good philosophical, political, or theological discussion, he's your guy.
Both of us love the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is, at its core, a gospel of love and inclusion. We hope to spread love wherever we are, and are excited to do so in Portugal!