By Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist
Missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints get adept at packing up their suitcases. Every six weeks during mission life transfers occur, with about one-third of the missionaries being reassigned to a new area of service each time. A big transfer is occurring in the Texas San Antonio Mission at the end of this month. It will be time for a new Mission President and his companion. President Jason and Sister Stephanie Tveten will be heading home after three years of service in the Alamo City with Steven and Jennifer Fitzgerald arriving to take the reins of the mission.
The Tveten’s and their children will be returning to Wenatchee in eastern Washington. He will be resuming his dental practice. They are taking with them a deep love of Texas, its people and memories of their unique mission experience. The Tveten’s fully weathered the Covid pandemic during their three years of service. The pandemic brought with it a host of challenges along with wonderful blessings and some changes in how the missionaries reach people.
President Tveten said he was impressed with the resiliency of his young missionaries during Covid. He said: “You read the book The Saints and you get a perspective of some of the challenges of the early Church and world wars and other pandemics…. During Covid the missionaries learned how to adapt and they did remarkably well. It has really prepared them for challenges that will come later in their life.”
The Tveten’s both said that over the last three years they have learned the power of invitations — normal and natural invitations. Along with member’s opportunity to invite, President Tveten reminds, “…success is not dependent upon the outcome or agency of others. We just invite. In fact the first words of the missionary’s purpose is ‘we invite others to come unto Jesus Christ.’” Sister Tveten said: “I have realized that people want to feel needed. Everyone loves being invited to something and feeling like they are seen. We have a desire to be together. Don’t be afraid to invite — to know the things that you know or share the things that you know, to help them be a part of something.”
Incoming president, Steven Fitzgerald also recognizes the power invitations have and the changes that Covid brought to missionary work. He said: “We want to take all of the good things that are already happening, like the Come Unto Christ Facebook page. We want to be able to allow people to connect with the Church any way they feel comfortable. Whether it is face to face or through different media — that’s great. We want this message to be brought to everybody, however they need to receive it.”
President and Sister Tveten said they didn’t fully realize how much they would love the missionaries they served alongside. President Tveten said, “I don’t think the general public knows how good these young missionaries are, and how much effort they put into what they do.” Sister Tveten said: “Their whole desire is to serve, to help people be happy and to find joy in their life. I think if people gave them an opportunity and got to know them individually it would be remarkable. I think it would encourage them — their perspective for mankind would increase.” President Tveten added, “You take good kids, layer on the gospel and a couple of years of serving a mission and they’ve unlocked the potential not just for goodness for themselves but everyone around them.”
When asked what can parents do to help prepare their children for missionary service, President Tveten encouraged young people to have a great relationship with their bishops, saying “he’s going to help them be prepared.” He continued: “Certainly they need to have a testimony of Jesus Christ and His Atonement, but when it comes to other things that we teach, they’re going to testify of those things. Ask your youth, what is your testimony of the law of tithing, and what is your testimony of keeping the Sabbath day holy?” He suggests that when missionaries can answer the “why” or “what will this look like in my life” questions that investigators might ponder, the Spirit will be able to testify and conversion can occur.
The Tveten’s arrived in San Antonio with all five of their children, ranging in age from 18 years to five months. Sister Tveten said, “My kids have had to step up, they figured out a lot of things that they had to do, and they’ve become more independent. It’s been a great experience for them to see the missionaries serve. They’ve seen so many types and different personalities of missionaries. They have seen their strengths and how they’ve used those strengths to serve. The impact is probably more than we understand right now.” President Tveten added, that his three year-old Inga knows where every nursery is located in every building throughout the mission, and “Sophie still asks if she can skip school and attend zone conference.”
The Fitzgerald’s have five children, three boys and two girls. Their oldest three children are married. One son and his wife just moved from Arizona and will be living in the Fitzgerald’s home in Utah while they serve here. They have a son living in Utah and their daughter just received her mission call to the California, Santa Rosa mission. She will be leaving in a couple of weeks and will be experiencing mission life too. So, while they won’t be bringing any children with them, they do anticipate fun visits from their children.
Prior to receiving the call to serve, Brother Fitzgerald has worked with Franklin Covey for the last 23 years and they have been very supportive of his call and to welcoming him back in a few years. He served his mission in the Mexico Hermosillo mission. Sister Fitzgerald has worked in the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University. She handled their scholarships and was a HR liaison between the business school and the University. The Fitzgerald’s are ready for the opportunity to serve. Sister Fitzgerald said, “At first, we were very overwhelmed — how did the Lord know about us?” She said they definitely received a “… confirmation from the Spirit that this was right and this is what we were supposed to be doing.”
President Tveten said: “When missionaries come out, I have them recite their purpose — and they say ‘to invite people to come unto Christ.’ Then I ask them, ‘Well, what do you think my purpose is as a mission president?’ And they say, ‘to help us do this?’ I say, ‘Well yes, but my real purpose is to help missionaries come unto Christ.’” President Tveten added: “My older children have seen that, they get that. My real purpose is to help me come unto Christ, and I do that by focusing on others.”
Mission life really is focused on others. Missionaries perform hours of community service each week along with their responsibilities to teach the gospel. Sister Fitzgerald said, “I’m excited that the missionaries are able to go out and do so much service. That’s just something I feel very passionately about.” She added, “The Church and members are good and we have something to give.”
President Tveten was asked what is discussed with his missionaries during their final interview prior to heading home. He said: “We reflect on the change and growth of missionaries. I ask them, ‘What kind of media have you allowed into your life in the last 18 months or two years?’ And they’ll say, ‘the gospel library.’ ‘Has that had an affect on you? Can you see it, can you measure it?’ We stress that if you want to continue to grow spiritually and stay on the covenant path it’s about feasting daily on the word of God.”
When people ask the Tveten’s if they are ready to go home, they say they feel like they are home. President Tveten said, “People here are so welcoming. I have two homes, one in Texas and one in Washington.” Sister Tveten said, “I knew this from serving my own mission in Houston, the people in Texas just have big hearts…. It’s been absolutely a joy for us to be here and serve.”
Sister Fitzgerald said, “When we received the call to Texas, we actually received our place of assignment in the mail. We had our children all on zoom. When we read it, it was just one of those moments like Texas, San Antonio! That feels so right!” Brother Fitzgerald said, “We can’t imagine going anywhere else. It’s just where we belong — we’re so excited!” They still have yet to get their cowboy boots….but…we can give them three years.