St. George Connections

When we received our mission call, we already had a slight connection to the West Indies Mission when following our longtime friends Truman and Carol Leishman’s blog while they served until April 2010 in Linden, Guyana. Then when we went to pick up our Letter of Good Conduct from the SGPD, Chief Marlon Stratton told us his son had just returned from 2 years in the West Indies Mission.

We also discovered Jake Green, the Young Men’s President in the Bloomington 7th Ward, had served several years ago in the WIM as a young elder.

But when we got here, the connection with St. George became quite pronounced. Elder Carson Quentin Ence (bottom right), who is serving in Canje, is the grandson of Quentin and Sylvia Ence. Elder Jacob Wenlock Free (bottom left) is the nephew-by-marriage of my closest friend Jan Free Gardner. Elder Zachary David Ipson (upper right), serving in Trinidad, is the shared grandson of Don Ipson and Lee Sheets. Both grandpas are members of St. George Rotary Club. And finally, while sorting the office mail, I discovered a letter addressed to Elder Jonathan Fuenzalida (upper left), who is the "adopted" son of Jerry Jensen, a longtime acquaintance and St. George realtor.

Sister Sharon Angus (bottom center), from Vernal, Utah is serving, along with her husband, as Humanitarian Service missionaries in Guyana. From the first time I met her, Sister Angus looked very familiar though I couldn't determine why until, in conversation she disclosed she is a McArthur, born and raised in St. George and the sister - and a very close look-a-like - of Chris McArthur who was our Schnauzer Maxie's dog groomer.

Once again it is evident, it is a very small world in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!